Vacation

Vacation - Best period of MBA where you eat, sleep, drink and chill without any deadlines and any other tensions!

My Alma Mater

Finally, after long time I managed to click a great pic of my alma mater!

Collective Responsibility - An Utopia? Not quite!

When people are cribbing about their groups not working efficiently and spending hours on worthless meeting and suffering from improper work allocation and say more than 4 is a crowd, I proudly stand up and say my economics group should be ideal group!

Group members: Ram, Rahul, Saurabh, Suhas, Abhishek, Pavithra and Me.
Number of Assignments Done: 6
Number of Presentations: 2
Number of group meetings: 2
Strategy: Believe in each other to complete the work much before deadline.

Volunteering or Free Riding? I would I say was almost free rider and that was a guilt factor. But I would go ahead and say that we never allocated work to anyone. No one was leader. No one was responsible. Everything was voluntary. To put it in three simple emails which used to come to prior to every submission.
"Done. Please Check"
"Checked and corrected."
"Uploaded"

We collectively knew that someone will do it and we had full faith in ourselves.

Today, when we sit in class after receiving standing ovation from Prof after presentation, I am really really proud to be part of this group. Rarely, in future I will be working in this kind of group - hard working, intelligent, smart, work-horses, and most important who believe in collective responsibility!

Just to end with a quote which we have proved otherwise - "Everyones Responsibility Is No Ones Responsibility" - Not quite True!

Blog Update!

For the certain predicted circumstances* in MBA, the blogger has decided to take a small break from the blogging!

Shall see the loyal readers of the blog sometime in early December! Till then pray for me that I survive!

* Includes following things
a) Projects
b) Presentations
c) Reading for Projects
d) Meetings
e) Elections (btw, the horizontals are over and I am eagerly awaiting for verticals and the MBA Club President tomorrow)
f) Working on Projects (Sometimes, I have to)
g) More Meetings
h) Lectures
i) Reading for final terms
j) Chutku (Small) submissions
k) Swinging on the indifference curve (Copyrights belong to KC)
l) Checking and keeping tab of emails for meetings
m) Applying for internships
n) De-stressing (read a Can of Beer)
o) Downloading new bollywood songs
p) Working for Fin Club and Cerebration
q) Apartment Hunting (how could I forget this - this had to come in top 10 things)
r) Travelling from the border of Malaysia to school and back
s) Finding deadlines for internships
t) Chatting at 2 AM about nothing in general
u) Thinking about Mumbai (everything including pollution and trains)
v) Thinking about good food (read ghar ka khana, AMar Juice Centre pav bhaji, mithibai ka dosa and vada pav, Filter kaafi and Kanchipuram idli at RK, pani puri at sahkari bhandar)
w) Thinking about what all I have to do when I am in Mumbai
x) Resolving not to repeat same mistakes in 2nd Semester
y) Thinking about grades (yes I cannot afford two subjects beyond B- level)
z) Blogging when I am supposed to 25 things mentioned above!

Cerebration 2009

The most happening event at NUS Business School is launched!!! Check it out @ http://www.nus.edu.sg/cerebration/

Taking a sport....

Well, I just realised that I have been exercising quite well just that I dint knw about it.... The never ending flight of stairs and walking about in campus at NUS keeps my body fit and agile... And that I discovered while my 200m sprint to catch the Bus No. 30 today.. And the best part is that I was not really panting after I boarded the bus..

Proud of my fitness levels finally..

Nicknames

Sometimes you get an awesome nickname... and you love people calling you by that name!

I love being called "J bhai" these days!!!

Thanks Rohini (I am not publishing your nickname since I hold copyright and do not want people to use it) for giving me super cool nickname!!

NUS MBA - The Student View!

Well, I have been putting up a lot of nonsense stuff I have been doing which apparently is not what B-school is about... Get a real view of NUS MBA from the horse's mouth... Shipra, my batchmate, is avid blogger and here is her blog http://mynusmba.blogspot.com/ which talks about student life at NUS!

Pichle Saat Dino Mein......

Well it is the end of a well utilised Mid term break....... Proud of my achievements here in Singapore!!!

Starting with the Bintan trip! Oh Man! What a beautiful island this is!!! Although in Indonesia, it is only an hour away from Singapore!! Imagine the number of visitors that might be visiting Bin Tan that all the prices and currency accepted everywhere on the island is Sing Dollars!!! Visa on arrival... direct ferry... lotsa options to stay... no hassles... a perfect tourist spot!! It is actually very rich in flora and fauna... Of other things I saw Komodo Dragons, Snakes and Black Squirrels!! Cannot really comment on one highlight of the trip coz there were many things which were absolutely amazing... to start with it was the first time I had a 15 year old Single Malt Glenfiddich and I have become a big fan of Baileys as well... I drove an All Terrain Vehicle through the dirt track and it was first ever time I drove a car. Good Lord saved my co-rider!! Although she claims that she more fun when I was driving but I know she would have been praying all the time! And the Snorkelling.... I admit I was really scared to go in water coz I dont know swimming but whatever I could see underwater was toooooo good!!! I saw a school of blue small fishes and the scene was what we generally see on Nat Geo or Discovery... I saw marine plants and the corals!!! I saw jelly fish in the ride to the place where we went snorkelling!!! These experiences stay for life!

Coming ahead in the week... I attended first class where I know I will be using these skills at work... The advanced excel workshop was a great refresher in between the theory classes. Although the prof did solver and pivot table, it was quite helpful to get refreshed on modelling skills... and the highlight was prof gifting me a original McLaren Key Chain for answering questions on Pivot Table!!!! Here's the link - http://f1store.formula1.com/stores/f1/products/product_details.aspx?pid=50364

Kaise bhoolon saatva jo din aaya..... I witnessed first ever race in my life and that too my fate was that it was night race on street.... i am still in trace... the sound of engines buzzing in my ears.... no words to describe... need to be there to experience it... I am not an F1 fan nd hence I decided I wont go to race... Hence the bintan trip happened in first place... I could not afford to spend that kind of money on tickets.... But, as I always say... I am here to enjoy every bit of my life... Studying will always take a backseat... So I decided to take a chance since it was a Street race... God bless the originator of street race.... So I reached by 6:30 and got an awesome view.... Just opposite one of the stands... the only difference between them and me was that I dint have seat.... The first roar of engine was deafening.... and the second got the adrealine pumping... and the noise then turned ito music... And I was in absolute daze!!! Thru the evening I witnessed race from 3 different views... each without paying a cent!!! The highlight was the moment when Ferrari overtook Red Bull and sparks flew all over the place!!!! And luckily we found a group which had mobile tv so he could update us on the number of laps and drivers.... We could make out the teams from the colors but not the drivers.... So when people say its difficult to make which car is which team, they are actually bluffing... Go for yourself and experience the thrill!!!! Btw, I have now atleast decided to follow the F1... So even though I regretted about not taking up a sport, this can act as consoloation prize!!!!

MBA - 1 month 1 week later

Extremely bad time to post but I just need to spend some time here blanking out..... I have Eco project to be submitted tomorrow, marketing mid term on monday and statistic presentation on thursday - but still I find its pretty manageable! Tough - yes but not quite impossible!

Well, before you put me in the race of super humans - I am not! Here at NUS - you have set your priorities straight from the day one - what you want to do! There are so many opetions that you have problem of plenty..... Studies is just one aspect in MBA here... If a cap score of 4.5+ (out of maximum 5) is a priority - then you concentrate on your acads from day one because class participation forms a quite a bit of .... Not on my list though!

Now what else - extra currics - but yes this too has huge meaning here - you got your usual organising and business cases and stuff... but what stands apart here is the enormity of the "university" - At uni level, there is so much happening - randomly speaking - you have all sorts of sports (archery) and all sorts of art (operas) and all sort of cult following (how about toast masters club)... Falls somewhere in my list! But yes majorly on usual stuff - havent been able to pick up a sport yet....

And there are companies which come to cmapus day in and day out... so if you wann "network"... you got all the opportunity to do so... and believe me if one clicks - nothing like it!! Coz your job depends upon on you effort - unlike Indian schools where companies come shopping with gunny bags of cash to lure yet-to-enter-corporate-world students... Here, its all about meeting the right people at the right place at the right time!

And ya - party!!! Man, Singapore is big happening place!! The government does not want people to go out in the night coz it stops MRT and bus services and the cabbies charge 35% extra but still the party places are open all night!!! Clarke Quay is a major spot - though I found it too be too hyped up and steep! Just been to Ministry of Sound - and yes it lives up to the name!! If you are a trance fan - this place is must must visit!!

Yea - this is what I have been doing in MBA!!! Coz I see that this is the last time in my life I am really gonna enjoy life! These days wont come back again... your last visit to campus and last bit of freedom before you go back to professional grind.... and sober down a bit when you settle down socially... so for me - MBA is all about having to study very optimally and enjoy my time as much as I can!!

NUS MBA Blog

Hey guys see me on the web

http://nusmbabuzz.blogspot.com/2008/08/freshers-party-hawaiian-bash.html

:)

A Residential MBA

Repeatedly, I was told by some people that the school is more important and not the experience - the brand of school, the academics, the placements etc etc.... This was way back when I gave first try for MBA... However, I was stubborn and wanted to go to a different city for MBA... And see what I got... a entirely different country....

Living alone for the first time without family is difficult not because you missed loved ones but how they are inherent part of your daily lives... Picture this an ideal day at home

Normal Office Day
8:30 AM
Wake up (mostly after Mom trying for atleast 5 times)
8:30 - 9:30 AM
Get Ready (The clothes are washed, ironed and arranged nicely; if one shirt is not ironed properly ask Mom to get it re-done. My mug of milk is ready - perfectly warm to drink)
9:30 AM
Leave for Office. Mom has already packed my bag with the lunch box and newspaper
10:30 AM to 7: 00 PM
In Office
8:00 PM
Get back home. Freshen up. Night clothes and towel is kept ready for me.
9:00 PM
Have Dinner. Ask mom for snacks to complement dinner.
10:30 PM
Fruits are being cut and served by mom.
11:30 PM
End of the Day

Now picture this - a reality far away from home

Wake up when you think you are not really late... but in reality, you are always rushing to catch the 8:00 AM shuttle... While getting ready, you try and heat the milk in microwave... most of times its still cold and sometimes its too hot to handle... if its cold, you gulp it down without any taste and when its hot, you are still trying to drink while wearing shoes... The clothes are washed a day earlier and but not ironed coz of laziness.. but now ironed it should be and you still cant get that one strong crease on the shirt to disappear... Just when you are about leave, you have double check all the important things are there with you including keys, lappie, chargere, wallet, specs etc etc... Somehow you manage to get in line for the shuttle... Btw, you just realise that you havent had breakfast... And you are stomach is growling coz you havent had a good dinner last night.....

After lectures, lunch is managed at the univ but its strictly edible and it will give you the strength to walk around... nuthin like maa ke haath ka khana.... you while away your time at univ coz there is nothing to do and more imp if you go back now, then dinner is a big problem... so these days, the dinner is by 7 PM... too early by Indian standards!!! Now the dinner isnt that great but its better than lunch....

You get back to hostel and see that the laundry pile is getting bigger by the week and you really need to get it done tomorrow... and God forbid, if there are couple of shirts the ironing has to be done as well...

And that was for weekday... for weekend, the issue is even more uncertain... the lunch is uncertain and so is the dinner.... Cooking, i have realised, is not an issue... the aftermath is bigger problem... cleanin up takes as long as to cook and eat... so these days its goin fine when I have lotsa time on hand... Ready to eat does not solve problem either..... you still have to clean up.... And then add on the weekly activities cleaning the house, changing the mattress etc.

After all these, you need to study as well!!!!!

But if you think I was cribbing - its not true!! I am loving this part of my life! The freedom to do anything but the responsibility to do everything! Its these experiences I was looking for in a residential MBA! Away from home to get me out of my comfort zone! I definitely see this as part of my MBA life which I would not have got had I went to a local MBA course... I am gonna emerge as a different Jaimin with a toughie attitude... Rather attitude which says... "Can do, Will do"!

A mid way crisis for blog

As some of you might have seen, the blog stopped going further from "The Real Singapore" - Kya karein, Singapore itna acha hai ki humein aage hi nahi jaana tha....

The reason my blog stood standstill was not Singapore - the reason was that I was not really inclined (or shall we use better word - "motivated") to put my thoughts down in organized fashion... every day here was unique and I intended to put everything in here... it is just that I was not getting enough motivation to do so... I had loads of time (and in fact as I type this my Gtalk status reads "whiling away time....") - It was just that I was too uninterested to start blogging again... And again, the backlog was huge - so I dint know whether to to it chronologically or just follow whatever I had to write... And each incident had to be a different post - otherwise I am not doing justice to my blog.... With about good 6-8 posts behind, I have decided to rejuvenate my blog... Albeit with a condition - the blogs now will take those posts randomly... the current events may take front seat...

But somewhere, I know I will back to my original behaviour so the blog may remain dormant for sometime till I again do a u turn to regular blogging.....

The Real Singapore

As I said earlier, I dont stay in the real Singapore. We were duped to stay here - thats what I can say. We decided to venture out and go to Raffles Place - Nariman Point in Mumbai terms. The MRT station was underground and the minute we came out on road, it was like WOW!! This is the Singapore we see in the brochures and papers and videos. The entire skyline was mesmerising... And what a view it would be for the office goers... Look down and you see the river and the boat quay.. The boat quay (pronounced as qi) is like a chain of resto pubs on the river... One of the most happening place in Singapore after Clarke Quay... Clarke Quay seems to be party peoples paradise.. Divided is 5 sections, it has at least 50 different restaurants, pubs, clubs etc... We did not venture in any of them thinking it would be quite expensive... The conversion factor is still quite high and we will take some time to stop converting and start enjoying... Later on, when I had a chat wid a new found friend, i think it would be just lil higher than mumbai prices.. But it would be just that we are enjoying better quality here...
Btw, I am so dying to go and visit Ministry of Sound and another place called ZOUK (often mentioned by Nick Leeson in Rogue Trader)

Also visited the university today - did not look much but my raction was that it was 100 times better than this stupid yoha hostel... My initial reaction was like is this a five star holiday resort or a university... so well maintained buildings.. greenery around... great architecture.. lounges... canteens and eating places... too too good!!!!! Very very happy that i can stay there for half a day :)

Saw more of real singapore near the City Hall, Suntec City and Esplanade which again have great stuff like malls, offices, residential buildings, operas etc etc....

The whole point is that this Boon Lay was really depressing thing to hit on first day... how even great city like Singapore can have areas which are not so like real Singapore... like Bhayender and Mira Road in Mumbai - which although part of Mumbai, have nothing in common like Nariman Point and Worli and Bandra! Just getting to accept the fact that I need to stay here for atleast first semester... like my friend and batchmate Suveer said the other day "120 days to civilisation"

Remembering BMS - Service Sector Marketing

In my last year of under graduation, there was this prof called Nitin Mukadam who used to teach us service sector. I was totally in awe of this man who used to cite real life examples and not refer to books at all. I loved the way he taught the subject - and I had taken pains to study this from a foreign author book rather than relying on "reliable" series of Vipul Prakashan. (BMS students will know what I am talking about). This guy taught us "Moments of Truth" - which till date - I use to benchmark the service quality of a company.

So yes, coming back to what happened on the day I was scheduled to leave for Singapore. Jet Airways has much better brand name in India as compared to Air India and yes - the reason is service! So Jet charges you more due to perception and which is why they have to deliver. Although, I paid about Rs.3-4k extra as compared to Air India, I would still be willing to pay that if I could. My experience

1) Luggage allowance -

Officially Allowed - 20kg + 10kg for students + 7kg in hand baggage
Actually Taken by me - 46 kgs + 10 kg in hand baggage
Charges for extra luggage - Rs. 570 per kg
Paid by me - NIL

Out and out my heart went out saying Jet, you are the best!

2) Checking in - Lets say this guy as friendly Jet guy

Me: Hello Sir (Tensed about the extra kilos and constantly calculating how much should I bargain)
FJG: Hello. So you are student?
Me: Yes sir. (Chalo bhaiyya, abhi bolege nikalo paach hazaar)
FJG: Australia?
Me: No singapore. (I hope he allows me, I show him the IPA letter)
FJG: Oh, NUS. This is at Kent ridge.
Me: Yes. You know it. Have you been there. (See 46 kilos on weight, baap re, I thought I was only 10 kgs over weight)
FJG: Couple of times.
Me: How is it? ( Feeling much relaxed that he is not asking about extra weight)
FJG: Its good. You travelling abroad first time?
Me: Yes.
FJG: So how does it feel?
Me: Nervous and excited.
FJG: No need to be nervous. Take it as challenge. All the best!
Me: Thank you sir.
FJG: Here take your boarding pass. I have given you taisle seat so that you can go off the sleep. Just pull the arm rest.
Me: Thanks a lot!!! (Quickly walk away to get some water so that he does not follow me to ask about weight)

Another guy (FJG's assitant) came running behind me coz I had forgotten my book!!! Yes so that was it - no questions asked and for me that was biggest relief!!! But more than that, the friendliness of that guy struck me! So polite and helpful! I regret of not knowing his name otherwise I would have mentioned it in the blog as well as in the flight suggestion sheet. But ya, you stand out as this guy whom I will remember for right reasons.

3) Inflight Service

Had not been thursday, I would have just drank a couple of scotch pegs and fell off the sleep. What a choice of alcoholic drinks!!! Black label and JD - which scotch drinker would not have relished!!!! The food was also looking decent too! The only hitch was that they did not have fruit platter to suit my needs but had I told them earlier, they could have arranged for the same.
And ya, the entertainment options were also quite good. I saw "21" themovie and could have watched another had I not tried going off to sleep. Good selection of music and movies and games as well!

In all, I would rate the service as 8 on 10 - much higher that I would have got by travelling in Air India!

P.S. I heard my colleagues had awful time travelling in Air India and some of the problems included late flight, asking to pay for extra luggage and not so good in flight entertainment options.

Yo:HA - Bringing down the EQ (Excitedness Quotient)

Seniors - will you please give a good reason why would you say this place is "good"?

A) The place is really really far away from city and from the university as well - so thats no locational advantage. We knew it was far but not this far! It took me a lil more than hour to reach hostel from Farret Park (Little India). To compare with Mumbai terms, this is something like a Dahisar or Bhayender. Last Station in East West MRT.

B) The rooms are not even clean and there is life missing in these walls. To put it simple words, "room mein koi jaan nahi hai". Lighting and color is actually very depressing. Maintainence is big issue but atleast my room was not stinking. Some of my friends got rooms where it was really stinking.

C) Allocation is really funny. Its okay if you have to share room with unknown person but the bad part is that guy would not be with you in your course. So on what basis should we bond together under the same roof. Add to my woes of being pure vegetarian - I hope that I dont have to stay with a person who cooks non veg in the same kitchen as I have to.

As of now, all my batchmates think that yo:ha was a mistake and we could share much better rooms with guys we were familiar and near to campus in almost the same rent.

But I guess later on, we shall be only using place to sleep and complete the projects. I am expecting to spend not more than 10 hours a day.... So then it wont matter if you stay in a condo or in dorm....

Singapore - First Impressions!!

Its just 30 hours in the new city and hence I cant really comment. But just a few striking facts.

When I came down to Changi Airport, the lobby to welcome the foreigners is just tooo good. I guess it almost matches lobbbies of best 5-stars in Mumbai if not better! Too Good! Generally, people say immigration is very tedious process, Singapore is like a bliss! My flight landed at 7.20 and by 7.40, I had my baggage in hands! No hassles at all!!

What struck me at airport (and later in City) is cleanliness. Not a wrapper on the floor. I have seen that in India as well but the places are far and few. Here, the entire city is the same. Too good! (btw, I have heard its S$500 fine for loitering and people do have to pay up!)

Transportation and Infrastructure - One of the seniors told us that Singapore has best roads in the world and MRT (Mass Rapid Transit - equivalent of railways in Mumbai) is its pride! After travelling in Mumbai railways for years, I found it MRT a lil too odd. I had to hold the rods for support myself - I could not rely on the crowd to support me. The buses again are too different from Mumbai with more spacious and luxurious! Another thing - I really loved the ticketing system - you just need to tap a card while boarding and again while getting off - no queues at all which saves hell lot of time!

All those public private partnership case study seekers have an excellent example here - SMRT (Govt) and SBS Transit (Private) together run the entire MRT and buses system. I think the routes are divided and the service qualities are almost equal. Also, for public conveinience, the EZ Link Card can be used in both MRT as well as buses. Mumbai - please learn - if a scheme is started by Western Railways, ensure the same accomodates Central Railways and Harbour Line too. We need the entire service under one roof and not bickering among the government entities. No wonder, people said that I will Singapore! So much convienience!

I found communication system a lil too funny. Firstly, its a big pain to find coin operated public phone booths. Everyone here uses calling cards and you need to swipe the cards for talking. On airport, luckily I could do away with credit card - but in city (in absence of mobile (or handphone in Singapor parlance)), I had to hunt to get to machine where it accepted the coins. Luckily, unlike India, the shop keepers are cooperative of giving you as much change you want. Coming back, for an outsider, its completely lost out feeling if you do not have any other means of communication. Another thing, after living India where it was so convenient about getting calls because "incoming was free", it was quite a shocker to see that you are getting charges almost at same rate as an outgoing call. You can only avoid "incoming call" charge by swicthing to postpaid connection only. Even funnier stuff, with som IDD thingy, I can call to India at really low rates of 8 cents a minute - however, my local call charge is 16 cents a minute!!!

Overall, I love Singapore but the place I am staying is far from what actually is Singapore... more in next post....

Some Firsts, Some Lasts - 2

Some Firsts, Some Lasts - 2

To start with, this is my first post from Singapore!!!!!! And I had to wait hours to post this up!!

My lasts in Mumbai were just great!!! My family, selected best friends and cousins came down to drop me airport.... Needless to say, it was quite emotional for me to leave my family and friends especially because I have never stayed alone in my life. I am so happy they bid a farewell with their best smiles on their face. And the least I could do is thank them in public -

Mom, dad and Uru - it could not have been possible had you not put my bravest face! Leaving me cheery faced was the best gift :)

Geetali - thanks for the personalised gifts - its gonna make me feel near to home as I see them everyday!

Hardik and Chinti - Thanks for parting gift! I loved the wallet very much! I shall soon inaugurate the cuff links!

Jardin - you are the best - man, thanks for all the tips and tricks! And ya, thanks for having friends at the right places :)

Kunal, Vishal and Dylan - Thanks for taking time off from your busy work schedules and come to see me off!

And ya here come one more mention - Tejasbhai - Never felt out of place or in a different country for a moment entire day.... would have felt so lost if you wouldnt have been here!!!!!

The Countdown Begins

Yes... Its the final countdown.... We are heading to Singapore!!!!

Only some days earlier, I saw it was still 36 days to go and suddenly the number has come in single digit... 9 days to go from today....

Its a mixed feeling... Nervous and anxious about the entire thing... happy and excited that finally I am gonna go... sad for leaving loved ones behind... apprehensions about relocation... awaiting the freedom... lost because cant fall back on anyone.... its indeed mixed emotional state...

The Last Lecture

http://www.thelastlecture.com/aboutbk.htm

Let me first thank Khyati for the amazing gift just before I embark on a new journey in my life. Thanks a lot - this has been one very good read in recent times!

The book is about "The Last Lecture" delivered by Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon professor, who is suffering from terminal cancer. He says that life is all about "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" - which he details out in the later chapters.

The book is anything but preachy - he sets out the agenda in such a simple manner that it hardly feels that he is delivering a sermon. His anecdotes are intelligent and humorous. Actually, I just cant summarize anything from book because its so crisp that one needs to actually read the book.

Thumbs up to this book!! A must read for everyone at every stage of the life!! A great gift!!!

The Wolf of Wall Street

http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Wall-Street-Jordan-Belfort/dp/0553805460

I picked up the book thinking it would be a wonderful book giving me insights to "Wall Street". But sadly, it was a huge disappointment. The start of the book was okay. It did give chapters on how to motivate and lead and most importantly how to get unquestioned loyalty.

But as the book progressed, its a totally book about, as Jordan Belfort says, "The Lives of Rich and Dysfunctional". Nothing worth learning. Agreed, its a racy thriller and how he got into alcohol, drug abuse and prostituition and to leave it again for his family and then became a cocaine addict and paranoid and finally imprisoned for all his crimes. Also includes his very private affairs with wife (including making love in a store) - I just could not help but wonder about what kind of man can go into such details. Weird! Very Weird indeed!!!

Some things though keep you at edge of seat - like how he managed to smuggle money out of US and how the Swiss Banks work and you can make the money laundering look perfectly legal (Master Forger). Also how "ratholes" function and how loyalists can get backstab you if the money in play crosses eight digits (Steve Madden). And how you can kill a person's happines just by your connections and he will not ever suspect (Chinaman).

I was looking for more details on his business perspective and how he built his Stratton Oakmount empire. How he made money on penny stocks and he built his company just by selling and his charm. But this books starts where he has already built the empire and how he his wantoness destroyed it. Very disaapointing read! Not worth the money if you are looking out for a business biography. Pick it up if you are in mood to read a racy novel.

Book Reviews

Although I am an avid reader, I must confess that I have never remembered half the books I have read early in my life. All those business biographies I read during BMS years have just evaporated from my small brain. Those were the days when my library card was a permanently with the librarian and I had befriended a peon to show me the books which were not easily accesible to others... I think I would have read atleast 8-10 books an year... But when I go back in time, I cant even recollect the names of books which I have read.

So going forward, I am going to write book reviews on this blog... book reviews from my perspective.. what i liked and what i dint.. what i learnt.. key takeaways.. everything.. waiting for your comments..

What Lies Ahead!

As I had mentioned a few weeks earlier, I met some seniors. They were very helpful bunch of people. Today, I stumbled upon Suraj's blog - http://nus-mba-life.blogspot.com/

And I must admit that it has gotten me more excited to go and reach NUS and Singapore as soon as possible...

Great work Suraj!!! Its an excellent blog and needs to attract a wider audience. Especially prospective NUS MBA applicants...

Some Firsts and Some Lasts!!!

In the transition phase of everyone's life, there are some "last moments" where he is facing a new start in life.... like last few days in school before he goes out as a free bird in college or last few free days in college before he gets in to the corporate world... and then he remembers his lasts... in that phase he relives the sweet and sour memories.... and that moment too he remembers his earlier firsts...

Today, this is my first post from my own personal notebook :) Very different feeling indeed... getting used to the soft keyboard.. handling cursor through fingers... different keyboard layout.... i love it....

But as I type my post, only a month to go before I leave Mumbai for entirely new nation and new culture.... I was just thinking of some things I am gonna miss....


- travelling in over crowded trains... however you may hate it, that experience gives you toughie attitude.... (or for that matter arguing with Rickshawallas... i feel like hitting that guy with a straight punch when he says no for a destination)

- eating roadside "Mumbai" sandwich with chutney, kakdi, tamatar, aloo and pyaaj... or for that matter chaats (read pani puri and sev puri) and dosa (especially at mithibai)... and gulping it down with a cold Maaza.....

- smell of the soil after first rain... can be easily voted for best ever fragrance... and the moment when hot summer crashing down against the background sound of thunder... and pitter patter rain drops come down on your head....

- watching hindi movies for 3 hours and relishing on hot samosas and pop corn in the break... no movie gets completed without the intermission...

- RADIO........ what an amazing way of entertainment... continuously playing all types of songs... hindi, old, new, nineties, classics, remixes, ghazals, english and what not... and not to mention RJs ki bakwaas... i m gonna miss Jaggu and Tarana and Malliskha.... these guys used to cheer up me everyday on my way to work.... dunno if my Creative Zen can replace them easily...

The list is never ending..... Some lasts that will be remembered for long time now....

Blue Skies Ahead!

I am a free bird and I can only see vast stretches of clear blue skies ahead.. free to fly!! Free to enjoy every moment that passes by... After almost eternity, that I have felt like this... taking a vacation... doing nothing.. no tension on head... i feel atleast a tonne lighter... it feels really really good... no exams and no work and no studies

Although I havent figured out what to do during this spare time, I know this will pass soon... 24th July will be soon here standing in front of my eyes... And then I will miss this for another eternity... Where again I will have nothing to do...

Historic Moment!

How can I not post today???

I am a free bird... mentally so much at peace... relaxed.. calm... like 100 kg weight taken off my shoulders... its not that I did not like my work but to quit is a different feeling... as I entered home, I realized I will not have to go back to work for quite sometime now...

Obviously, with CFA around the corner, I will not realise that kind of feeling I come back from Singapore! But by that time, I would be all pumped up again to go back again!

Although the main reason was to celebrate my last day at work today - its been a extremely eventful week for me! Like
o Earlier in week, I met seniors - decided on staying in hostel as compared to pvt accomodation
o Got the hostel results - made the payment (definitely saved a bomb here)
o Decided on what day to leave - which flight to leave
o Constantly exchanged mails with my newly found NUS friends (yes too many of them now)
o Got the forex for the CFA trip (did you know Singapore has plastic notes with transparent hologram??)

It has been a great week!!! And the end of the week was the best - Last day at work!!!!!

Goodbye Saki Naka! Singapore calling me!

Another Era comes to an End!!

Well, I put in my papers and its finally sinking into me that I am going for MBA!!!! Man, it just hits you from no where!! It happened so fast that I never came to know how it happened so quickly!!

My senior (Thanks Viggy) has been very supportive and has promised me to relieve me in 1 week as compared to 1 month notice period!! He says it was a "symbiotic relationship" and that I have been around for THREE Long Years - so it was not a problem!! Maybe I was just plain lucky or was I a good employee throughout!?

I am really happy to leave the company on a good note and that is a positive indicator for the new life I am gonna start soon!!!

Btw, what a timing this was - exactly 3 months after my admit came and 2 months before I leave the country!

More updates coming soon after CFA Level 2 exam!!!

Success Rate!

Well what a season for me!

In between this period got a "call" from Nanyang to discuss my application without any prior intimation! Well, it was more of a chat and lasted for not more than 10 mins! In less than a week I was offered admit! Wonder what the adcom guys were testing!

Anyways, I had told my friend in January that the reason I feel more confident this season is that I have already got two calls (HKUST and XLRI) vis-a-vis single calls in 2004 and 2005. And what a success rate! Got calls from all the three schools I applied and converted two of them!

Not bad season at all :)

Back to Office :(

I so not want to go to office tomorrow.... just want to continue staying at home for another week... but alas the dream run has come to an end and I am going back to office tomorrow after 10 days!!!!!

3 day week is just the saving grace what I needed :-)

First brush with what lies ahead

Had my first interaction wid To-Be-Batch-Mates yesterday... and I must confess I am really really lucky to be heading at the right place!!!

Takeaways from yesterdays meet

1) You really need to be with people who have work ex if YOU have work ex... only then you can connect with them very easily... they are your age and they think alike... the maturity factor is reasonably good... One guy was already marrried, one engaged and majority in stable relationship... I am so glad that I wont have to deal wid freshers just out of the college and no real practical knowledge...

2) Diversity... We were 7 of us... And only 2 people wid IT related work ex... One Economist, One Private Equity Analyst, One from International Finance, One from Marketing & Strategy background, and me - from I-banking... Now Extrapolate it to about 30-40 odd ppl from India... (We have already few ppl wid more than 10 years as well)... Again there will similar 1/3rd of the class coming from China.. And remaining 1/3rd from rest of the world!!! Its time to learn about more cultures!!!!

3) Achievers... Its not that these guys were bunch of losers who could not get into Indian Schools... They had calls from premier institutes (Read IIM-K, XLRI, MDI, SPJIMR, ISB)... But they have chose NUS by will and not by compulsion... If GMAT was the benchmark, the median was somewhere close to 710! So they came to NUS again by choice and was not that could not make it to a top U.S. B-School

4) Contribution to the table.... Just a small conversation about loans... I said that lets wait, the interest rates might go down in a few months... The economist quickly counter argued that with inflation so high, the interest rates are not even gonna be touched.... I am just going crazy where will the discussions in the class go!!!!!!

I have come back with lots of positive vibes!!!!! And very much raring to go!!!!! Can hardly wait!!!

The Elusive Indian MBA Dream comes to an End

Finally after 4 years the chase ends.... XLRI gives me ding for the final time!

The end of an era called "Jaimin and The Entrance Exams"!!

But in fact it has made my life easier now - no comparisons - One Admit and NUS it is now!!! No dejection, No sadness - the life goes on as usual! Not even a single moment of unhappiness!! Singapore - here I come!!!

Alas, one regret will remain in my life - I cannot tell me children that I had ever got an admit from any Indian B-School!! But then, they might just tell me back - Dad, what colleges were you trying to get in - IIMs, XLRI and SPJain - we have never seen them on world rankings leave alone Asia ;-)

Extended Weekend!

Yesterday at office (Wednesday)

Me: Yaar, aaj friday jaisa lag raha hai!
Colleague: Aaj toh bada friday jaisa lag raha hai!

What a weekend!! 4 consecutive days!! Yaaay!!!

Another advantage to live in Secular India!!!

The Car at Signal!!

I haven't driven ever in my life... but what happens when a car starts after a long time and it gets stuck at signal... waiting to rev up the engine and "step on the gas"... isn't it frustrating??? Especially, when you are excited to go out on a long long journey and waiting for signal to turn green... And what you are left with is a colorful guide book and some maps how the journey looks like... So annoying!!!!!!So much apprehension!!!!

SING for the Moment!!!!

Its Official now!!! Its NUS for me!!!!

After 3 unsuccessful attempts at CAT, I had to look beyond realm of IIMs.. with learning curve increasing at a lower rate, I was sure I could not continue the job for long... I had to explore my options.. With good 3 years work ex and a 710 in GMAT, I was confident of able to atleast secure admission somewhere.. 3 years work ex was nagging me all the while but I was happy that I could stand out with my unconventional work ex (Read Non IT related)

Bullish about the Asian growth story in next decade, I was focused only on Asian B-Schools... Plus who can afford to take risks for West....
- H1B Visa cap and sub prime crisis American economy
- Visa restricted and anti east U.K.
- Language and culture driven Western Europe

So it had to be farther east for me... (Now, One may be very tempted to ask "Why not ISB???" - lets save this for later blog)

It all started when my colleague Ravi (Thanks Mate) pointed NUS in FT rankings.. a school in top 100.. not bad.. research started... the school was giving VFM (very important factor)... not at all bad... more research... came to know its century old university... very respected... the conviction grew stronger...

Along the process, I came to know about HKUST.. Another great school... HongKong - the place where action is for finance... somewhere my mind was diverted to join this school.. did all research... got information from current students through Pagalguy... read up various surveys... somewhere I found the school more appealing.... plus at the back of my mind the "FAT" Investment Banking Salaries were dancing... the school has a sea facing bar... what more do you want???

There was also a 3rd college - Nanyang - Ranking wise it was good... but the website and application process is horrifying.. so was not really keen to go but a good backup in the process....

Applied to all three early on to make sure I don't miss any opportunity...

December 31, 2007 - THE INTERVAL!!!!

With every passing day of the new year, I anticipated the call.... so much so that I checked gmail from my phone very 45 mins....

January 8, 2008 - Mixed Emotions
2.30 PM - e-mail from HKUST with invitation for interview... ELATED!!!!!!
3.30 PM - CAT results... for the last time, I look at the dreaded score card... once again I miss Verbal... big time... felt upset... very upset....

The latter affected me more than former and it took me two days to get off that shock...

Shocker #1 in journey: Financial Times release their 2008 rankings.. HKUST ranks 17th!!!! Top of the world!!! Need to convert HKUST badly now... but here comes the twister... ISB also ranked 20th!!! A big hoopla about ISB being ranked 20th... the whole story blown out of proportion in blogosphere!!!! and no one seems to be looking at another debutant at 17th!!! Good for me... but then you know you have to take them with pinch of salt (and in this case pepper too)

The journey .... take my HKUST interview.. NUS still is not seen...

The wait seems longer..... was not sure of HKUST interview... and hence needed a back up badly...

Finally after long wait, get a call from NUS... Done with my interview in three days... Short and sweet interview.. cant make out how it was.. so the wait seemed eternal...

Shocker #2: Two weeks later, NUS starts giving out results... couple of admits.. a few rejects... anticipation makes me check gmail every 15 mins... no use... God wants me to wait.... After 3 sleepless nights, get another call from NUS for Second interview.. Huh??? Whats this now??

Relief that its not outright reject... would have been very difficult for me if I had not got in... Speak to a few ppl.. they assure its a positive signal... take the interview again...

In meanwhile, the stipulated deadline from hearing from HKUST is over... and I accept the defeat... no more dreams... they vanish away... NUS again takes over...

The wait was getting longer and worse... every day I would relentlessly check my phone to hear something....

Feb 27th... the e-mail from NUS arrives... excitement takes over... barely able to read anything after reading "Offer"... believe me, its a great feeling... its a big relief... big big sigh of relief....

One offer in hand... to make sure I dont take a hasty decision, I confirm with HKUST of my application status... they communicate an unofficial ding... So now NUS it is for me!!!


SINGAPORE here I come!!!!

The Journey FINALLY Starts Today!!!!

Circa Dec 2003

As most aspirants in India who are in second last year of their college, I also saw the same dream - CAT!!!

CAT - Common Admission Test conducted by IIMs. You slog for it - day in and day out!!! Wishing to be one of the elite applicants to get a call from prestigious IIMs!!!

It all starts when you are not even 21!!! But you want to do an MBA and very soon and from one of the best colleges in the country!!!

Then you don't realise why do you want to do MBA... Nor do you realise where does your interest lie... The peer pressure forces you to flow with the current... Bringing to the CAT centre in herds...

Coming back to my journey, my MBA dream too started in Dec 2003... Joined classes.. took test series... put in my best.... suffered badly in semester exams of University... and was partially successful.. managed to get a call from IIM Bangalore but could not convert it...

Today - February 27, 2008

4 CATs, 4 XATs, 1 CET, 1 GMAT, 5 Calls, 1 Company, 4 Roles, 50 months (of which 32 into mehnat mazdoori) later - I finally have an admit!!!! I am finally going to do my MBA!!!! The feeling is more of a relief than happiness or Euphoric!! Its more of a nightmare (of not getting into MBA ) not coming true and you wake up and see that you are safe.... The nightmare has gone... the dream is finally coming into life...

After all this while of pushing, the car's engine has finally turned on... It may not have started running you know it will... all this while of pushing it has paid off.... the car was still moving then but it was not running.. now you know it will run... Waiting to put that foot on accelerator and zooom off.... The journey has started my friend!!!! The journey has finally started!!!!!

Moral of the story: Patience Pays!!!!