Read an article in New York Times today. About men in their 40s or 50s who have lost their jobs and do not want to go through the humiliation or pain of searching low paying jobs to keep their finances up. So they just lie low, passing time by doing nothing and waiting for opportunities to come up, which may suit their skills.
Felt sad for these people. It was weird. No one, I'm sure, wants to end up like that. However much you struggle in your life, you want it to have a happy , easy , carefree ending. Not one, where years of struggle come to a naught..

Saw Miami Vice over the weekend. Cool movie.. very stylish..

Okay..Let me make it clear that I am a very open minded person and have lived in New York for the last 5 years. So I Have naturally seen a lot of weird going ons. I am absolutely at ease with all of this. All right now that all this is clear, lets begin..
Started my MBA college visits with Columbia yesterday.. and the first thing that I see are 2 girls sunbathing on the college grounds.Now I have never studied in the US education system. So my dear readers may be used to it, but it was something new to add to my list. :))
The campus is small but seems very well arranged. Typical urban campus. The adcom presentation was the usual go-over of the stuffalready present on the website. A few stupid questions like "Does 'Application Deadline' mean I cant submit after that date?" floatedaround...Jeez..
I sat in on a class too. Quite interesting. Chatted with a few fellow visitors. The usual mixof IT consulting, management consulting and IBanking. Had a creative writer in there too..Overall I liked the feel of the campus and the students.
My wife turned an year older yesterday..Went to an Ethiopian restaurant. Amazing Rose wine and excellent food. Great Fun..Though didnt feel that good on the way back. The heat and humidity make themselves felt in the subway system.. Felt very drained.
So now to a peeve..Why in the world cant the transit authorities in NY install Ceiling fans in subway stations !! There is absolutely no friggin ventialtion in any of the stations..I mean I can understand that installing an AC system is not feaible giventhe cost and logistics..but atleast a fan please..

Neal n Nikki and Underworld Evolution this weekend.
The lesser said about the 1st movie the better. Hero is shown to have been born and raised in Canada, yet has an accent as if he has been staying in Mumbai all his life.. I mean , just crap doled out as dad Yash wanted to make a film for son Uday...
Underworld Evolution was excellent.

Went for a BBQ at Staten Island on yesterday. It rained heavily over the weekend, but people still had fun. Thats the spirit!! Good food ! The Goethals bridge is a sorry excuse for a bridge.

Oh..and also saw My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Now this was a funny movie. I like Uma Thurman, and she manages to look stunning here too. And good to see Anna Faris in another non-Scary movie :)

Saw Wait Until Dark. Good movie.
Finished first draft for a couple of my target schools. Feels good.
And also had a chat with my ex-boss about GMAT. He is planning to give it later this year !! The fever is catching on :)

Workwise, I will lay out my plans to move on to a new assignment next week. So should be in a client situation by Aug end. I love moving to new client sites. Get to meet new people and make new friends.

Ever met a manager who believes in super-delegation? This guy will not respond to emails, voice-mails or meeting requestsunless you direct them to his subordinate. The subordinate will then talk to this manager and respond.
What the f***?? My thoughts exactly.Anyways, I have put a plan in motion to get out of the current project in a months time.

Went on a Circle Line Twilight Cruise around Manhattan. Thank God for the night..It was a blazing 105F on Sunday..got roasted in the afternoon.

Am on a diet these days. Which means no Dunkin Donuts, no Pizza, no Starbucks, no Lays, no FUN!! But I've lost 8 pounds :) So thats good. Gotta lose another 20. Then I'll look like..well a thinner me..

Its midnight. Just got back from my TOEFL center. Still maintain its a scam.
Was expecting to see many indians at the center. Was surprised to see mainly east european girls..!!! Not that I am complaining :))

A wierd incident at the center. A guy walked in wearing a windcheater. The lady at the counter asked him to remove the coat as it was not allowed in the room. Turns out the guy is wearing nothing underneath the coat !! Not a single shred of clothing !!! He was allowed to sit with his coat on..

All the colleges have interviews these days..Why the hell should I spend money on the TOEFL too !!

I will try to make this the last rant post about TOEFL :)

Saw Iqbal this morning. Nice movie.

Got my TOEFL tomorrow. From 7PM to 11PM !! Jeez..Anyways.Its a necessary evil.
Most colleges waive TOEFL these days in lieu of 2+ years of international experience.
But I just want to get over with this.

Its got a very wierd format. And I feel it seems very heavily biased against non-native speakers.
Imagine reading a passage for 60 seconds, then hearing a lecture for 45 secs, then preparing a response in 15 sec [!!] and then responding[speak into a microphone] to the written and spoken passages in 45 secs..
I dont know of too many native english speakers who can do that..
What a scam..

Saw A Few Good Men again last night . I love Jack Nicholson in this movie..Damn..I guess you have to have officers like that to get the job done..

Rediscovered my love for my old iPod Shuffle. Got it in Jan 2005 and used it for a few months before giving up and listening to the FM on my cell phone. Have just downloaded some good music Podcasts and am back into the shuffle :)

Have gotten ito the habit of consuming upto 3 cups of tea in the office. For a person who doesnt drink tea often, thats too much..Gotta reduce..

Thinking about the MBA application essays can be taken in two ways:
1. Crying over the wasted years , when you did not join the neighbourhood charity club and instead just hit all the pubs and movie halls you could.
2. Actually try to bring something positive about all those hours spent in pubs and movie halls, and show your unique nature..If you can bring anything positive out of those, you must be unique :)

Its fun filling in all the essays. Really makes you think in ways you never have or have avoided. Kind of makes you wish that you heeded your mothers advise and helped her in the kitchen once in a while..Who knows you might have started a restaurant..a bit of a stretch but you never know..

Went to Newport RI. Beautiful place. Especially the bridges that you hit just before the town..
And I always love towns with small boating communities.
I as a matter of fact stayed in Newport/Pavonia NJ for almost 3 years. It is the most amazingly hip place to stay at.
This was a slow long weekend.Mostly lazed around in Stamford.
And I saw The Russians are coming. What a hilarious film!! Good to see a script like this at a
time [60's], when the Cold War was at a heightened level.

Reached Stamford last night. Saw Superman Returns. Nice movie..Well worth the money.

Its extremely hot over the weekend again. But Dubey has 2 table fans in his house now :)