In search...for Happiness

This comes from a striking remark my friend Sid made last nite over dinner that put me 2 thinking:

"I dont want to wait till I am 37 to do all the good things I wanna do in life right now and at 37 realize that I cant do those things anymore. That would be disheartening...." 

Sometimes I question why do we have to grow up at all. Why cant life be simple like kickin off the school shoes when you come back home....changing into a T-Shirt that says 'Hulk Hogan Rocks'....puttin on those 'cool' pair of Action Shoes and set off on that Hero Cycle which is the most priced possession?? I look back at my school days and realize the true meaning of 'Fun'. Those after-school volleyball/ cricket matches, cheering your team members to kick-ass; attend song practices for the upcoming inter-school competition, not 'coz you sing like a dream but 'coz you have a secret crush on the lead female singer; look forward to the Ice Cream Soda available at the corner of the street and still managing to save 2 bucks for candies; getting back home and finishing your homework soon so that you dont miss 'The Bugs & Daffy Show'; and go to bed early and wait for the morning to have 'Fun' all over again.

Simpler times change into difficult times...and in a snap you are 25, livin' away from home and working for a god foresaken company, livin' away from all those friends you grew up with, livin' away from all those streets you roamed and claimed them to be your territory. Why? Apparently we all are in some kinda race. To achieve something. To make it BIG. To live a dream that we think is right. To make money and seek comforts. To lead a path where life revolves around all kinds of hardships and a never-ending struggle.

Its funny that after spending about 17-18 yrs of our lives educating ourselves, with an aim to get a killer job that would provide us with all the comforts, we question if this is wat we want? We question if it would be a wise decision to just give up everything - head back to where we came from - and take up a job that may not be a killer one but at the end of the day...when you came back from work....you would say to yourself....this is Home!!

They say wise men always follow their dreams. Some give up on 'Life' and chase them. Some choose to chase dreams that keep them happy forever. So where do you belong?

In Your Eyes....

I Can See It...

Cuz Everyday I Can't Help But See It, People Aint Satisfied...
And Your Hatin' Your 9 to 5, & Everybody Wanna Live Another Life...
Even If You Go Out To Mountain Climb, To Better Your Day...
All That Will Do Is Leave Room For People To Say...
Wish You Livin' Better Now, Share A Little O' That Cheddar Now...
Cuz I Remember Days Back When A Brother Was Hustlin' N Robbin' Too...
I Dun Tossed The Beretta Now, On A Whole Nother Level Now...
Still I Can't Enjoy My Fame, 'Less My People Doin The Same & Gettin' Money Too...

**Once In A While I Do Look At You & See That Twinkle In Your Eye**
Ooh Once In A While...I Can See That You Don't Want To Ever Struggle No More...
**Once In A While I Do Look At You & See That Twinkle In Your Eye**
I Can See That You Don't Ever Wanna Cry No More...

Cuz Every Time You Ask Me In Grinding, It Shouldn't Have To Be That Way...
Shouldn't Have To Be My Way, I Shouldn't Have To Want For A Brighter Day...
Gotta Little Little Problem On My Way, Bounty Hunter Checkin State To State...
Child Support Lady On Your Case, Not To Mention Tickets You Aint Never Paid...
Ooh It Will Stop Though, This What You Be Askin...
God Please Hold It Down For Me, Don't Let Satan Get A Hold Of Me...
I'm Tryna Tell You, It Can Happen To Me Too...
But It Happend Lot Worse To My Brother, Muhamad, I Thank God He Recovered

**Once In A While I Do Look At You & See That Twinkle In Your Eye**
Ooh Once In A While...I Can See That You Don't Want To Struggle No More...
**Once In A While I Do Look At You & See That Twinkle In Your Eye**
I Can See That You Don't Ever Wanna Cry No More...

Akon Rules!!

Scenario: Lazy sunday afternoon

Actors: Sandy and Sidu

Props: 2 beer mugs, 2 classic milds and a piece of paper rolled in the form of a cone serving the purpose of an ash-tray

Scene 1 - Act 1

Sandy: Cheers!

Sidu: Cheers! To the revolution!

Sandy: Y the fuck do u say that? Wat revolution r u talkin abt?

Sidu: Chut! We r the revolution.

Sandy: Umm...yeah? how?

Sidu: We r 'The Men' dude! I dont think Bandra wud be watever it is if we guyz dont live here. Imagine the loss of the female population if we move outta here.

Sandy: Hmm...am sure. Terrible loss. Ok temme somethin. How come u r single? Where r all the women? Its a sunday afternoon n u r sippin on beer with me.

Sidu: Pussy! Dont u get it? I am playing hard to get. I have stopped pursuing women. I think its time they track me. If they want me they will get me.

Sandy: Playing hard to get? Like u r gettin so much anyways? HAHA! When was the last time u slept wid some1?

Sidu: I choose not to reveal that information.

Sandy: Perhaps coz there wasnt a last time at all. HAHA

Sidu: Oh really? U r like some hunk is it, who is gettin laid every hr?

Sandy: Atleast I am not playing hard to get. :P And plus..I think I get more than u do anyways.

Sidu: No wonder u r sitting here with me on a sunday afternoon...sippin on beer.

Sandy: Thats coz  I need a break. And I need a reality check. I need to realize there r guys who r more wasted than I am.

Sidu: Fuck u!

Sandy: Dude....wat do u wanna do? M almost thru wid my beer. Drink up u jerk. Dont drink like a puss.

Sidu: I wanna do Keira Knightley.

Sandy: Sure...m sure shez waitin for u to get on top of her. U want me to call n check if shez available for u 2day?

Sidu: Man shez soo HOT! I wish I cud marry her. That wud be like a dream come true.

Sandy: Dont u think shez a lil outta ur league?

Sidu: No! Actually I think am stoopin down. I know I can do better.

Sandy: Dude u r a 25 yr old loser who sells insurance n pulls his hair when nervous. I dont think u can stoop any further.

Sidu: Oh u r the one to talk. Wat do u do? Sit behind ur computer all day n chat on gtalk or orkut all day.

Sandy: I get paid for it. Its an amazing job.

Scene 1 - Act 2

Enter Krits

Krits: Losers!

Sandy: Wazzzza!

Sidu: Bitch! Where were u?

Krits: CCD....studying. Not like u chuts whilin away time in each others arms.

Sandy: Fuck u. Dont disgust me. U want some beer?

Krits: Dont mind a mug.

Sandy: Run down n pick a bottle from the wine store na. I believe Jude is still open. And while u r at it....pick 2 Ultra Milds for me.

Sidu: And a chicken roll for me from snack shack.

Krits: Fuck off! On second thoughts I dont need any beer. I just remembered I need to study a lil more in the eve.

Sandy: Then y r u here?

Krits: Dropped by to laugh at both of u.

Sidu: Excuse me? What do u think we are? Ur source for cheap entertainment?

Krits: Umm...Yeah. HAHHA

Sandy: HAHAHA

Sidu: HAHAHA

Krits: Losers!

Sandy: Fuck u!

Krits: Soooo....howz Mrs. Nambiar?

Sidu: Shut up ya!

Sandy: What ya? Tell no...howz she? Shud I invite her?

Sidu: No dude...dont do that.

Krits: Y? U r shy or somethin?

Sandy: Dont have to be shy man. U guyz can go 2 the room while I make fun of krits' hair.

Krits: Fuck u! Speak for urself. Bloody growing ur hair like u r some stud. Looks like a fuckin bee-hive.

Sandy: Screw u! I think its cool

Sidu: Shud we just order some food?

Sandy: Dude I dont think m all that hungry. Plus I m goin out for coffee in a bit. Its like a date.

Krits: Oooooohhhhhhh...date n all

Sidu: With who u chut?

Sandy: Some girl I met during one of  my evening walks.

Krits: What does she do?

Sandy: She works for the CIA.

Krits: Yeah..and am gonna be the next mayor.

Sidu: CIA? She told u that?

Sandy: Yeah

Sidu: May be shez lying

Krits: I cud go around tellin ppl I work for the CIA.

Sandy: Look into the mirror first...CIA my ass!

           She wasnt lying...I saw her ID card too. Have u ever been with some1 who works with the CIA? How cool is that?

Sidu: M sure shez fake.

Sandy: Fuck u! U r just jealous coz u have nothin or no one to do. Go wank!

Krits: Can we come?

Sandy: No. I aint tellin u where m going.

Krits: Ha! Like thats difficult....we know all ur joints.

Sandy: Screw u! M outta here. U guyz piss off

Sidu: Bye dude...I think ill call Veena (name changed to protect identification)

Krits: HAHAHAHA...Loser

Sandy: HAHAHAHA....Loser

Lifes funny

Whoa!

Long time indeed!

I think I should visit you a lil more often.....

A lot has changed since my previous blog.....symbi ended last yr in april. 2 yrs swept fiercely fast. I can safely admit that those 2 yrs will always remain special to me. The campus....the friends...the masti...the job offers et al....it all seems like such a magical time. If I were given a chance to relive those 2 yrs n do it all over again I dont think i would think twice!

The MBA degree brought me to a chaos city called Mumbai. The city gave me all kinds of shocks in the beginning. However it wasnt all that bad as I had spent 2 months during my summer training here.I guess that kinda eased me in. But nevertheless the situation then was quite different from what it is now.

Mumbai has its own vibe....both good n bad. Good in the sense of wat it offers to u n bad in the sense of how much it takes outta u. The city is in a mess...with over 1.8 cr junta residing (55% of which live in slums) here and about 50 odd lac people moving in & out every day, ideally the infrastructure should be one of the kind. Unfortunately such is not the case. Mumbai clearly lags way behind when it comes to that. The roads are awfully jammed during rush hr traffic, the trains r overflowing with people literally hanging outta them (some unfortunate ones even getting crushed on tracks), the suburbs are flooded with autos, the frequency of the local buses is low, pot-holes are pro'ly bigger than the septic tank of ur home and the worst - housing rents are ridiculously high!

But somehow....Mumbai grows on u. It has its own charm. I guess its the 'bindaas' attitude of people here that never kills the excitement of this city. And not to forget, the city is surprisingly safe (for both the male and the female form). I think wats best abt Mumbai is that it offers somethin to everyone and all kinds of people.And I strongly believe that each one of us shud get a feel of this city by working here atleast once. Teaches u a lotta stuff.  

The city is known as the country's financial hub, which is y I ended up here I guess..considering m a 'double-master' in finance. Although I truly doubt my financial skills. (Credit wat comes in and Debit wat goes out rite? :) ) I work in a bank called Kotak Mahindra as a Credit Analyst. Sounds like a fancy designation but trust me...its not even close. I realized that 6 months into my job n I also realized how am not meant to be a Banker. Guess 'finance' is not quite my glass of wine. It aint all that bad either...I mean..I did get to learn a lotta things here in the last 1yr....I like the fact that I m given the independence to work on my own and in my own way...my boss is perhaps one of the most down-to-earth person I've ever come across...and yeah..not to 4get...it pays well! :D  I dunno how long m gonna stick around here..may be a few months more...may be much lesser than that. I'll use the phrase that most women use on me..'Lets See' :)

Life took a drastic turn a few months back. A special person (or so I thought) in my life left me. Reason - there wasnt a reason. It kinda kills to not know where u went wrong but then again I believe things happen for the better. Like 6 pack-abs...some things in life are just not meant to happen no matter wat u do. But I have no regrets abt anythin....thats just how I am..never regretted any of things that happened to me. Therez more that this lifez gonna offer n not all of it is gonna be sponge treatment. I think certain things happen in life to make u a more mature person n to prepare u for worse thats yet to come. I think I am prepared. BRING IT ON I SAY!!

"Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with
interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, illwill and selfishness"
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations AD 180

Lifes funny....U might think u know where its goin and the next thing u know its going somewhere else...or worse...u dunno where its going at all. My life has moved on in a different direction since. Have met some amazin people who have put me to think on various aspects...have made some really nice friends who r always looking out for me...have rebuilt lost friendships n buried the hatchet with few others...spendin more time reading...cherishin my new-found interest in Wine n Jazz....Guess m trying to bring in some kinda discipline...I think a Woman in my life wud rather make it easier.....well guess wat...I think shez just around the corner 

Life...at Symbiosis-II ©

‘To B or not to B??”…was the famous question once asked….

Centuries down the line….the one question I ask is :

“To B-School or not to B-School??”

It’s been over 7 months here at SCMHRD and life has definitely changed! A change that few of us appreciate…few of us regret…and few of us…well….few of us like me have no clue!

SCMHRD is nothing like how it used to be b4….as a matter of fact, its nothing like how it used to be in Sem1. The rigorous schedule is no longer rigorous. The 12 hrs of classes each day has come down to 6 to 8 hrs…on certain days its just 4 hrs. The weekly tests (FCQ’s) are no longer weekly….the compulsory non-acads (gym and kaizen) are no longer compulsory (well….at least that’s wut we think)….therez no hostel in-time anymore….and the warden of the girls hostel left a coupla days back..

Things sure have changed huh?

But a coupla things still remain the same….like the struggle to wake up for the 1^st class in the morning….the endless fight between you and the snooze of your alarm….the constant ‘maara-maari’ to get attendance and then sneak outta class…..the un-edible mess “goodies” which is more like fodder than food….the borin lectures and profs who try their best to keep us awake….and oh well….submissions, submissions and more of submissions!

Well…..its more like a give n take situation here….although the classes have been cut down, the self-effort or work load has increased. The more u put in, the better it is….but well, that’s theory. When it comes to actually sittin down n “putting-in”, the story changes. We do open our books and sit down with pen n paper, but the possession of an evil piece of technology deviates our minds. This is no ordinary piece of technology friends….without it, we all feel so paralyzed. It’s nothing but our laptops! We have let this devil creep into our lives in such a fashion that the 1^st thing that we do when we wake up in the mornings or when we come back into our rooms is switch this bad boy on n rock the room wid music. And well...it’s only but customary to watch a movie on it, umm…almost everyday...or perhaps catch an episode of FRIENDS which is quite popular here. And if that wasn’t enough, this sneaky little toy has left behind the paper backs and given away to e-books. The only incentive to attend a boring lecture is that we will get to catch up on those e-books, or read funny articles, or burn CD’s….or just BLOG our way through like me. I mean, hell, I am in class this very moment…bloggin’ away in glory.

Ok…now some serious stuff….

We are in sem 2 as of now. And some of the major changes that our dear insti has undergone:

• Introduction of the concept of electives and core curriculum….umm, nothin high funda…we are following the pattern of the IIM’s where there are a particular set of subjects that are compulsory for every student irrespective of his/ her specialization and then there are a set of subjects (electives) from which one can choose from depending upon his/ her majors/ minors/ area of interest.
• Cut down the number of class room hours. From 12 hrs of class bound sessions….its now come down to 6-8. the point is to have lesser number of classes and more of self-learning. This means nothing but more assignments and crappy submissions.
• Students to be seated according to their respective roll numbers. Reason? No…it’s not to stop the couples from sitting next to each other. Students will now be awarded marks for class participation. In other words, the more u faf in front of the prof. the more marks u get! Sleepy heads, its time for all of u to wake up.
• Lesser focus on non-acads like kaizen and health care (read yoga, gym, and aerobics). But less focus doesn’t mean Balls to non-acads in total. We do get to see a notice been put up once every month stating non-acads is important and a critical factor in a students evaluation. (err…yeah wutever). So how do we take this? Well, theres a major rush at the health institute the next morning. Reluctantly people do get their butts there and pretend workin out n stuff…but we all know it’s a temp phase…a phase that would last for only a few days…for few of us, only a week….and for folks like me…only for that morning! And that’s how it is….the alarms are no longer set for 6a.m. until the next notice is put up. Motivation at its best ladies & gentlemen.
• Did anyone say hostel attendance?? Err…wutever happened to that. Hostel in-time has been relaxed from the earlier 10:30p.m. sharp to 11:45p.m. for girls and….umm, for boys?? I don’t think the insti actually cares anymore about this breed.

So that’s sem 2 for u! A change very well appreciated by all of us. Like I said before, its more of a give n take situation. We get a lotta free time on us. Some of us (nerds) make the best outta it and some of us (kaam-chors) don’t. The nerds are usually found either in their rooms or in the library…mugging up theories that some god forsaken dude wrote centuries ago coz he had nothin better to do..or rather..no one better to do…;)

And the kaam-chors…umm…wut do they do? I can’t mention all the acts coz this is a clean mail without any adult content. But some of the typical acts include sleeping, watchin movies, sleeping, hanging out in the cafeteria or some place in the campus, sleeping, hittin the city n droolin over city babes, sleeping, hangin out with their respective boy/girl friends, sleeping (in this case I dunno if its bein done alone or in company), gossiping, sleeping, playing computer games, sleeping…..so on n so forth….

U all do realize how sleep is important in our lives. A fact we realize after fighting out the competition with over a lac B-school aspirants and eventually landing in a B-school.

On a serious note again….

Summer placements are almost coming to a close….some of us have landed up with excellent projects in some of the leading company’s in India. Urs truly has gotten into SBI. With only a handful of students remaining, the whole batch will get placed in due time. On the other hand, final placements are done. The senior batch is placed. 100%. And the kinda company’s, packages n projects these guys have got!!! I wish I could pass out this year. The avg. salary at SCMHRD has shot up from 3.5 lacs to 5.5 lacs. Highest sal. being offered is around 13lacs.

All this, thanks to the booming market and our Director. Hats off to subbu sir for putting up the best placement show in the history of the insti. Friends, this guy is gonna take this insti far ahead and I wouldn’t be surprised if we do become a deemed IIM some time in this decade. The guy may be very impulsive but he sure has a vision.

So that’s the story so far….well, there r a coupla things more…but I think i will restrict myself.

“To B-School or not to B-School?”

During the last few days…I’ve been asking myself this question….

Is management education all that necessary or important?

Or is it a bunch of crap translated into theories using confusing jargons?

How much of it is gonna help us when we hit the corporate world?

Sure, we r learning a lotta new stuff here…..some of it is truly amazing. But wut exactly does a management grad. do?

Been looking for a convincing answer….but all my efforts have been in vain.

I guess…the true value of an MBA is understood only once u pass out n slog it out to be on the top! And SCMHRD will get us there….find us a place where we actually belong and force us to give in our best…and when that best will come out…the above question will be answered!!

SCMHRD Rocks!!

Sandeep Goyal

PGDM-1

Pune

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