Sometimes life just plods on..I am in an internship that is exciting as well as routine..

As a consultant, one of the unspoken privileges was that at the end of it all, you simply move to a new client and project. The employee is stuck with it all till he/she decides to switch jobs.

I am now faced with the dilemma of the employee... Of course, the current position apparantely provides you with an option to move every few years to newer pastures within the organization if you so desire. But thats still a slow way to end the misery.

Dont get me wrong..I love the task that I am doing..I just wonder what happens after it gets old... whats the exit strategy!!

Well..plan to see Hellboy II this weekend..

Also, my parents got a visitor visa to the US this week. So lets see when I can get them over here..

We visited the Everglades over the weekend..The airboat experience was fun!!
Also tried out the fondue place , The Melting Pot, on the 4th..Expensive but worth it..

On the last night in Mexico city, we went for a drive to the zocalo. Very impressive. We got to see the Templo Mayor and other landmarks..
I hope I get to visit some more cities this internship..lets see..

In Mexico City right now..
Havent had the time to see much of it..Saw the Polanco area last night and had dinner at Maria Bonita. EXCELLENT mexican food...just amazing.. its in Camino Real and you should visit this restaurant..

The view from this office is awesome..you can see a large chunk of the city and the mountains in the distance.
The city looked like a mix of Delhi and Bombay...cant exactly describe it..it is supposedly crime ridden..especially for the tourists..so we are stuck with the company cab..not that I am complaining..

Anyways...leaving for Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow..

Ft. Lauderdale is a nice city..I am still in the exploration phase, but I like what I have seen so far.
I will be off to Mexico next week for a few days. Purely business!!

Work is interesting. 10 more weeks to go.

I am done with my first year at Tuck!!!! YAAAYYYYYY!

Kinamand, 13 Tzameti and Buddy.
Three excellent movies.

"How accidental our existence is and how influenced by circumstances" - Louis Kahn

Just saw "My Architect: A Son's Journey" . What a beautiful piece on the man who designed the campus of IIM Ahmedabad, the Parliament of Bangladesh and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California...Yet died penniless and heavily in debt in a bathroom in Penn Station, New York..His body lay in the morgue unclaimed for 3 days..

Saw 2 very good movies:
1. Le Grand Voyage
2. El Orfanato

Finished my last class of the 1st year at Tuck today. Also, it was the last day for the 2nd years at Tuck...

Spent the weekend in Boston at a friends place... was good fun...saw a few horror films and just relaxed..
2 more weeks to go before the end of my 1st year at Tuck.

Then off to my internship...

Stay in peace...
I miss you..

Take care of yourself and dont worry about us..We'll all look after each other..and I know that we'll meet each other someday..

I was amazed at the display of love, strength and resolve by everyone you knew..

Love,
Your Brother..

I just got back from a Qawwali performance by Mehr Ali and Sher Ali.
Amazing...

The entire Rollins chapel was filled with the trance inducing claps and sounds of this famous duo from Pakistan. Beautiful music..

They ended with the famous "Damadam Mast Kalandar"

The Tuck ASW starts tomorrow. Should be a fun weekend. Lots of parties and events. I will be participating in a few events myself.

Got back from India yesterday..It was a great trip..lots of fun as expected. Went to Nagpur and Mumbai.
I also got my F1 visa stamped. The Consulate officer was a Dartmouth Alum too :)..so the interview was more of a general discussion about the college..

Saw Race in Mumbai..its a timepass movie..

I flew continental on their non-stop Mumbai-Newark flight..its good but a bit lengthy for my taste. I prefer the stop over as it gives me a chance to stretch my legs..

The Spring term starts today..This should be a quick term of only 2 months...Then onto the internship..

Just 1 week left for the Winter term to end. I will be heading to India for my spring break next week..Should be a lot of fun!

Saw Atonement last week. Beautiful movie.

My summer internship also got finalized. It's a very good offer and should be a lot of fun. Plus its in Florida J..So I cant complain..

Happy New Year everyone!!!

Got back early morning from a party at Nanking.

Saw Walk Hard : The Dewey Cox Story yesterday. Very Funny!
Have been hosting late night parties at my house for the last 2 days..So a bit tired..but we have the new years coming up tomorrow!!

I cant believe my winter vacation is already over..Will head back to Tuck on the 2nd.. and straight into the recruiting madness..

Saw 3 movies:
1. I am Legend - good movie
2. National Treasure - boring
3. Taare Zameen Par - Excellent movie!!!

Having fun in NY..Will be having lunch with some of my ex-bosses tomorrow in Manhattan..should be good..

Congrats and welcome to all the new admits to Tuck.

Saw el laberinto del fauno. Excellent spanish movie.

The finals for Fall B start this Saturday. I will then head out to NY on Tuesday for a 2 week break. Our section had their own T-shirts printed out, had a round of champagne and group photos as this was our last day as a section. We get assigned new sections in Winter.It was great fun.

Got back from Seattle this morning on a red-eye flight..It was an amazing trip to microsoft. Extremely hectic schedule, but I was surprised by the access to the top level executives during our stay there. We presented successfully and got beautiful trophies and certificates. Got to meet the CTO, Norm Judah and GMs from the service lines.

Now its back to the Tuck grind:) I have my finals in a week. Then a 2 week break for christmas, which will probably be entirely spent studying up on consulting cases..

Just got the great news that my team has won the Microsoft Case competition!! So we will fly out to Redmond next weekend to present to the Microsoft Services CTO..Should be great fun..

Am in NY right now. Drove from Hanover..It snowed a lot in Hanover today..but the drive was safe..

Thanksgiving holidays are around the corner...Will be flying out to Cleveland and then driving to Ann Arbor ..So will be a hectic week.
Have my mid-term exams next week.
Saw Om Shanti Om last week. Ok..nothing great..

We had the first hint at a dusting of snow last night. It is now rapidly turning cold here.
The official recruiting season is fast approaching. We will have the official interviews starting in around 2 months.

Looking forward to the Thanksgiving trip. Should be fun!

Finished a great Consulting Club trek. Saw 10 firms in 3 days. It was good to see the offices of all these great firms..
Fall B starts tomorrow. More quantitative. Capital Markets, Economics, Man. Comm. and Statistics. So will be very hectic as the preparation for the case interviews also begins this month.
Wathced quite a few movies over the weekend.

Finished with my Fall A term!!!! Just gave the last exam.
Unbelievable...
The 2nd years had organized a surprise champagne welcome for us all when we were dropping off our exams at the Stell Hall..
I'll be heading off today for the Consulting trek to Boston and NY. And then back for a brutal Fall B :)...Lots of work lined up for the coming weeks, along with a focus on getting my consulting preparation up to mark.

Just got back from the Dartmouth Homecoming Bonfire.

Trial post from the new Word 2007 blogger tool

Just purchased a few songs via the new Amazon mp3 site. 'Red Sky' by Thrice..

Saw Vinod Khosla in action today. He was over at Thayer to give a speech on renewable energy portfolios. Very interesting and as the man himself said, very opinionanted. Just the kind you want to hear. Surprisingly there were very few engineering students and a lot of us from Tuck showed up.
1 more week, and my 1st term at Tuck will be over!

Was shown clips of "Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman" in my Organizational Behaviour class today !!!
Never thought I would actually get to a see a hindi movie at Tuck :)

They showed the boardroom fight which Shahrukh khan has with Amrita Singh [updated after comments :)], as an example of going against "groupthink" in an organization and effecting change :))))

Tuck was rated No. 1 by Wall Street Journal. Read about it here .
So we've come on top 2 times this year now. Thats great to hear.

Got my Change of status to F-1 approved this week! So that piece is done too :) Officially a student.
Had a great Mexican party last night. Trying very hard to maintain as normal a life as possible. The work load is increasing exponentially, so it wil be a tough task...lets see how it goes..

Just got back from my 1st visit to the Dartmouth Baker Library..I was blown away by the varirty and quantity of books there..I am interested in Indian history and the selection here beats anything I have ever seen..Looks like I may just become a regular visitor..not a frequent one though :) Once every 3 months I guess...

Done with the Tuck Orientation. It was an amazing week and a very good insight into what madness is to be expected in the near future. Just got back from a trip back home to NJ...and all raring to go for the real deal from tomorrow!!
Saw the Breach on the way here on the Dartmouth Coach. Nice movie..
By the way the trip is a killer..8 hours of bus and wait from Hanover to NJ is too much..but what the hell..its only for a couple of years more :)

Tuck was rated #1 (again) by Forbes. Read it all here !!

Just 1 week left for my Dartmouth journey to begin. Very excited. Feeling jealous for the kids who are already there for the Outward Bound programs...
Have a place at the Buchanan Hall. We will be the last Class to occupy this residential hall.. So I'm sure there will be a mother-of-all-parties at this very social place :))

Have been unemployed for the last week now..Had a great farewell party at my clients location. Didnt know my manager drank that much :) And I was offered a job on completion of my MBA..I'll keep that in mind..It would be a nice touch to come back on the business side and harass my ex-team :)

Just moved houses over the weekend..My god..what a dreadful experience.. The new house is in an excellent location, but I couldnt get the sofa bed out of the old one..I had to saw it in half!!! What a waste..anyways, the new house is shaping up well..

Saw Chak De India, SuperBad this week. Both were surprisingly very good..

Got my Change of Status notice from the USCIS last week. I have also tendered my resignation. So I should be free by the 10th of Aug..and then get prepared to go to Tuck!! Very excited and very nervous. Almost all the subjects being taught there are new to me..but thats what makes it very exciting too. Looking forward to a great time with great people !!

I just saw "Life..in a Metro" recently. I liked the movie but simply love the songs..

Ironically this has been the busiest period for me at this project :)
Oh..and by the way the client and the company was extremely happy that I am going to Tuck. Turns out that a lot of my client managers have friends or relatives at Dartmouth!!

Last 3 weeks were very hectic, tiring and simply a lot of fun!! My wife's sister got married in June..So we did a tour of Delhi and Patna..in summer. I had forgotten how brutal Indian summers are :).
Have sent in my papers to the US immigration authorities for my change of status..
Now just trying to relax at work..4 more weeks to go..

The application odyssey comes to an official end...Dinged @ Stern.. It was a real roller-coaster ride over the last year..
Have a Tuck gathering today..that'll be good as usual..

Got back for an amazing week at San Francisco..Real fun. Drove almost 1000 miles in 4 days!! But I didnt turn into a walking zombie at the end :). Yosemite, Monterey, Napa, Muir, fishermans Wharf...just so much fun..

And we managed to catch up with 2 old friends [my wifes actually] at Sunnyvale..

So overall..great..I'll upload some snaps onto Flickr soon..

Rest all is as usual..got my Tuck 'Packet' today..accounting book and a load of info :) So lots of studying to do ;)

Had a great ASW at Tuck last weekend. Real fun!Looking forward to get there in fall.

Saw a very beautiful movie last night at the Angelika. The Namesake. You must see this.
I am trying to lose weight :). Lets see how that goes..
Tuck ASW coming up in a months time.Really excited about that. Will meet future classmates. Should be fun.
Going to San Francisco after that for our 2nd anniversary.

Hmm..Waitlisted at NYU Stern..without an interview..So that pretty much kills any chances there..I'll do the usual followup to make sure that I can get an interview out of this. I would love to have the choice to choose between a few schools :)

Back after a while..Increased pressure at work..Watched a few more classic English films and some new Bollywood masala. Went to a Comedy club..Life as usual in short..
Might go Snow tubing next week..My skiing skills are not upto par, so I prefer sliding down :)

As expected Ross and Harvard gave me 2 thumbs down..But it doesnt hurt/matter that much now.
Rebuilt my netflix queue :)
And spent a great weekend at Ann Arbor and Cleveland!!

Just got a call from Tuck..A 2nd year student was reaching out to admitted students who hadnt been successfully contacted over phone the first time around..very helpful soul..It was good to talk to someone from Tuck again!! Nice feeling..

Listening to "Enemy" by Gabriel and Dresden..but for me their favorite mix is the Andain mix..thats a beautiful mix..

Am in Stamford with Dubey..just finished an excellent dinner..Yum :)
Seeing Vivah...Its such a hilarious movie..extremely crappy..we are having a great time just making fun of the movie..

Saw Central Station and Crash..both are excellent movies..

Saw 3 movies: Bringing up Baby [Katherine Hepburn 1938]..extremely irritating movie..kinda like the ones being made in India right now
Manhattan [Woody Allen]..OK..
Pursuit of Happyness [I havent made a typo..thats the movie.Will Smith..]. Very Nice movie.

Happy New Year !!

To all my readers [I know who you are :)]..may this year be more productive and fulfilling than the last one..

A few pointers to myself:
1. Try to be less stressed
2. Lose weight
3. Pay more attention at work
4. Try to stick to the points mentioned above.

Did nothing at all at midnight..called up family in India..

2006 is coming to an end..In retrospect it turned out to be a very good year..9 months of sustained effort..and I am in at Tuck!
Lotsa people have often asked me over the years as to why I havent done my MBA yet..I just like to say that I have been waiting for the right moment...and that moment has arrived!
I also completed a very happening trip to India. Got to see Bihar for the 1st time :). Attended a kick-ass marriage ceremony..It was real fun.

Met Debu at the Dubai airport !! It was a pleasent surprise. He was on his way back to Mumbai from Hartford. Feels good to meet old friends at unexpected places.

I must thank my wife for being extremely supportive and for her proof reads of my essays..Yeah..it sounds odd thanking my wife in such a formal manner..but just felt like it :)

The trip to India was amazing. Spent a total of 3 weeks..Lotsa fun. Visited Patna for the 1st time in my life..and survived to tell the tale !! My sister-in-laws wedding went of very well;very good food to boot..

Have to resist the jet-lag for today..back to work from tomorrow..but now with the knowledge that I will be moving on in a few months!! YEAH!!

Got back to NYC this morning. Was a very long flight. Missed my connection in Dubai and had to spend my entire day there. I took a tour of the city.Found it amazing..very clean, well organized and you get just about everything under the sun inclusing some of the sexiest cars ever produced!!

The Tuck admit has finally sunk in :) . I got home to the admit pack from Tuck. Will start the loan/visa process soon..
I am forfeiting ISB. Have decided to pursue Tuck.

Got in at ISB and Tuck !!!!! Both news on the 15th of December....
Will post more details later.

Had another horrible experience at Cafe Spice in Newport.
The Mango Lassi comes in 10 min late. Then the waiter brings in Lamb coconut instead of the kovalam fish. Then turns out he did bring the correct dish, he just didnt know the name so he made one up.
Then 5 min after getting this entree, the waiter asks us why we arent eating yet. Are we waiting for something? Duh..the Naan we ordered 20 minutes back..Have lost interst in the dinner by then. Got it packed and came home... So much more enjoyable with Jay Leno on the tube !!

Saw The Man Who Knew Too Much.[the colored version].Nice Hitchcock one..and Sabrina..Another good Audrey Hepburn movie.
The packing project is in full swing..

Stern has been submitted. At 1AM on 1st Dec..
Handed in my supplementary materials directly to the Admissions office.
So I am finally all done with my MBA application saga for tihs year..YEAAA!!!
6 months of thinking about submission deadlines draws to a close. But the real relief will only be when I get an Admit somewhere..And that is not looking too promising right now.
Anyways..

Now looking at a weekend of packing for the India trip.Really looking forward to it!![The trip that is..not the packing :) ]

3 days left for Stern. Havent even begun the essays!!
I am hoping I havent lost my touch and will be able to thump out the essays and also mail the supplemental forms in the required time.
So this Friday will mark then end of the application submission saga for this year [and forever hopefully].

Applied to 8 schools:
Rejected by 1 without Interview
Denied by 1 After Interview
Awaiting results for 2; Interviewed at both
No news [which is not necessarily a bad or a good thing] for the other 4 yet.

I am totally sapped of all strength at this point. Hopefully the 3 week India trip will be the start of better things for me. And hopefully I will not have to go into any stupid backup plan mode..

Saw Dhoom 2. Some one needs to ride a bike up the directors backside. What a load of crock. Even for the usually crappy Hindi film genre, this one takes the cake. For some reason the director thinks that the Indian population will still believe stupid stunts like blocking bullets with a skateboard, while balancing yourself on top of a train!!! Techno music maketh not a great movie my friend.

Trying to keep my mind off the not-too-good ISB interview. I was kind of depressed in the morning. But then thought over it rationally. If a good interview at Columbia was not good enough, maybe a crappy one at ISB might be :)..Seriously.. I dont care anymore..I am just giving my best at this point..

ISB interview done..
Just 3 questions:
1. Indian History
2. Define leadership
3. How do you manage team dynamics

20 mins. Went just like my other MBA interviews. Absolutely neutral. So will find out only on 15th Dec...And no false hopes this time..A good interview means zilch in this process.
Oh and by the way..its the only interview I have given in my skivvies :D..Unless you get the wrong idea..It was a telephonic interview.

Got an interview call from ISB today. Scheduled for next week. So will start going through my application and the other usual steps to make sure that I am ready and prepared.

Gotta start on my Stern essays tonight. So 10 more days.. 4/8 schools will be 100% done from my end. Nothing to do but wait for results from Tuck and ISB [mid-december] and interview calls, hopefully, from Harvard [yeah right], Yale, Ross and Stern..

Oh and did see Casino Royale..WOW!! what an amazing movie..specially the foot chase scene in Madagascar is just off the charts..

And saw Chashme Buddoor [excellent], Pyaar ke Side Effect [nice], Clerks [great].

Hmm...brushed off by London Business School too..So now thats 2 rejections out of 8 schools..I get the feeling that I may have wasted 1600$ on this process. or maybe not..I really dont know now..Ah well..life goes on..

Got my dad a new Toshiba M115-S3094.. I am being so precise about the version as there seem to be a lot of M115s floating around :) Not a bad deal for the cost..
Saw Sooraj ka Satvan Ghoda. Loved the movie. Its very offbeat but kind of the ones I like..

Had my NYU Stern visit last night. They make good use of their limited campus space. Everything is very compactly arranged. There seemed to a very positive energy around all students. I sat in on the Advertising Management class. What a great class. There was a lot of interaction and free exchange of ideas. The tour itself was rather stretched out. I guess there is not much to tour around in a small building like that :). So Stern Essays for the next few weeks..Gotta get the focus back to essays for hopefully the last time.

Babel..What a good movie. A simple storyline but very well acted by everyone. Was a very engrossing movie.
Also saw Ferris Beuller's day off. This is a classis anyways :)

Went to view the NY Marathon a week back..At the usual 8 mile mark in fron of BAM in Brooklyn. Then headed over to Bedouin Tent for my assorted salad plate. This has become an annual ritual. 6th Marathon for me..

Saw Don. I liked it. Just dont compare it to any other movie and watch it like a govinda movie:)

And saw Caddyshack. Now I had high expectations from this but was disappointed. It was just OK.

Was reading an article in NYTimes today. It compared the life spans of monkeys under observation based on their diets. The monkey eating a normal diet [not overfed, just normal] had a slight paunch, looked slow and older. The monkey on the regulated diet [upto 40% less than a normal diet] looked alert, was aging gracefully..Hmm...Now would you like to eat good food everyday and die when you are 70 or eat a restricted diet, living in self-denial and live to be 80. The way I see it, you can choose to prolong your misery by 10 years :)).... Anyways a very personal choice always..

Saw a hilarious episode on Comedy Central last night. About an Indian Storekeeper running a 7-11 store. Its the turn of the Desi storekeeper to parody other cultures [It was just in fun. I dont believe in stereotypes..]. He used a standard format: 1) Ask forgiveness from a Hindu god for what he is about to do 2) Insult the customer 3) Say out aloud what he would like to be reborn as , so that he would not meet the customer in the next life.

E.g: To a spanish lady with 12 kids. I wish I were born a condom so I never see you again. To an African-American lady. I wish I were your feet so I have to never see you again. and so on..Just simply funny seeing the tables turned for once :))

Funny Incident..I am talking to Vikas and Manish near the elevators. Guy walks up to us. Shakes Vikas's hand : "Hi Milind!". Then turns to Manish :"Hi Manoj!".. Talks details and moves on. These 2 guys are still trying to process whether the guy wanted to talk to them or someone else..

Saw "Socha Na Tha"..Maine bhi socha na tha ke mai itni ghatiya movie dekhoonga.Saw Dor...Now this is an excellent movie..

I still cant believe I just submitted 3 apps in 3 weeks..Strange buzz in the head :)

Ross application has been submitted !! It was for some reason the most painful to submit. I am just bored of the process. Luckily, just 1 more school to go..and I have 1 month for it !!!

Saw Casablanca, Just my Luck and Angrez... Now Angrez is really hilarious. See it if you can.
Got myself a new printer :)

Listening to some old tracks on Mezzanine by Massive Attack..

Experienced The Motorcycle Diaries.... moving..

Yale is done! Short and sweet application..Extremely simple to fill in..

Watched What's Eating Gilbert Grape...for the 10th time maybe..Excellent..

London Business School is also submitted ! Onto Yale..

Am I crazy to be applying to so many schools? Or do I know the strength of my candidacy :)

Saw O Brother, Where Art Thou?.. What a great movie..

Had a fight with a lady in the PATH train this morning. She was sitting in the corner seat and was kinda spread out with her arm dangling over the edge of the seat. She asked my wife to move away as her personal space was being intruded upon.. WTF!! I launched into her..She gets to sit in a crowded train and then has the balls to ask the people standing to give her space !!
Laughable really :)

Anyways.. I feel you get to see such behaviour in the western countries..Let het travel in the Mumbai local train..She'll know what its like to travel for an hour with your face in someone elses armpits :).. Getting a seat is like a blessing..

Oh..by the way...found a Sukhadias near this office..Yum...Lunches are going to be so much fun now :) [Note to self: Buy stretchable pants...]

Harvard was submitted last weekend. Its just too much of a long shot to be even thinking about.
Now what I really am thinking about, is whether I answered the Tuck interview questions intelligently or not..I know its a waste of time to be thinking of all that..
I'll try to get in LBS this weekend. Saturday will be spent finalizing the essays.

Nothing musch else happening. Work is super hectic as usual. Leading a team of 12 is lotsa work..but its fun. Feels wierd to actually not programming anything and moving onto the management side..not a complete move..but still..

Why am I stressing out so much over the MBA results. My life is great as it is..I am doing this to get a serious leg up. But its not like its the be-all end-all..I know it ..Yet I cant ignore it..Damn this process :)

I am just so tired of these MBA applications. Given the fact that I am not a very strong candidate, I am applying to 8 schools...I am getting sick of answering the same stupid mind numbing questions over and over again.. Just take my money and let me in..Why torture me so :)

Watched the Guardian...passable.. usual father figure dies to save hero bullshit..

Hahahahahha....Nice one

Kicked in the b*** by Columbia..
Well...I have to keep on submitting and hoping for a positive one..
I truly believe that all that happens, happens for a reason..a good reason..
Or is it my way of justifying this disappointment?? A bit of both I guess..
Who knows..it was the only way to be rid of the early decision ethical dilemma ;)

The month ahead will be a very tight one. 4 schools to go. Will be free by Oct 25..
Then 1 more in November..

Went to IndoWok last night. Its an “Indian-Chinese” joint on Lex. Ave. Horrible. We ordered a chicken lollipop. It looked like they reused old eaten up chicken thighs, coated them in batter and refried them…Seriously..it was like eating bones coated with batter… Yuck!! Just lost my appetite for anything after that.

Anyways, later in the night ended up watching Das Boot. What an amazing movie. I saw the 3.5 hour remastered version. It was worth every minute.

Come on Columbia..Show me some love !!

Columbia Interview is done..Met with an alum at the University Club of New York..Amazing building..
I reached the club 10 min nefore my 6:30 PM interview. Got the chance to relax a bit.
The alum was a super nice guy. It was very conversational and lasted around 35 minutes. The interview format was general with resume based and personal interest based questions.
The interviewer did indicate that he liked my approach to the Why MBA part of it and was positive about my candidacy..I just hope the adcom thinks likewise :)

So that means 2 colleges are done from my end..Tuck and Columbia..Nothing to do but wait on these...

Till then the journey continues with my other target schools..Essays to write and Recos to collect :)

Tuck has been submitted. Now its all done for Tuck..Interview/Application etc..
1st school which is all done from my end..Nice feeling...

Saw Adaptation and Rear Window today. Great movies both..Fun..

Got myself a new 250 Gb LaCie External Hard drive today..Just 99$ ..I think its a good deal..
I am copying over my entire drive as I write this...I will then free up lots of space on my laptop..
Thinking of getting it checked by the Geek Squad at BestBuy.

My trusted Vaio is acting funny...Got the dreaded "Operating system not found message".
The hard drive also is making scratchy noises...I feel so bad.. It was a trusted buddy..
I kept it switched off for a while...Now its back up...
I'm going to get a 100 gb or 250 gb HP backup drive today..and maybe a new laptop in a few days.

Saw Fight Club. Excellent movie.. and the Return of the Pink Panther too.. Good for its time..

Went to Chennai Garden a few nights back. Extremely oily food..Serves me right for ordering a Gujarati Thali in a South Indian Restaurant :))

The week just flew by..lots of work and no time for anything else..good in a way..

The new gym is coming along good..Will try to get to a cardio of 30 min followed by 30 min of targeted strength training..and this time i'm not going to be as strict on myself about the diet..I'll try to ease into it..

All righty....Got a call from Columbia today for the interview..
Saw the old Don yesterday..Good movie..I can see why it was a super hit during its time..
and saw Witness after a long time...

I am balding rather rapidly..not that it troubles me...Alarms my wife a bit though :)
Nowadays when I get a haircut, I a\literally have no hair left on my scalp :)
Anyways, I bought BrylCreem today..might as well use it while I can..

new client from tommorrow.

Woohoo!!!
Starting on my new project tommorrow. Cleared the interview. It was a real fun experience..
So now I'll start working again in Manhattan after a long time.
Definitely makes my commute so much easier..

Went to the "WhyMBA" event at Columbia last evening. Was a pretty heavily attended session. Some good speakers. Got to talk to a few alums too. Just hope my app. is being read by someone out there..its been too long since I submitted it :)

Moved to the Beta Blogger today..Hope it works OK ..

Tuck Interview/Visit

Wow...what an amazing place. I really fell in love with Tuck and Hanover.
Had my visit and interview yesterday.
The interview with an adcom member went well...thats what I think ;).
The visit was useful. All the students I met and talked to seemed very pumped up by the fact that they were at Tuck...nice thing..
My class host for the day was very friendly. Since they too have just started term, he asked me to also help out in the case study being analysed in the Leadership class.
Cool gym on the premises. And lots of great eating joints within 5 min walking distance. Yum...
And overall a very nice atmosphere..

Seems to be a good decision on my part to shortlist Tuck...Just waiting for the reverse to happen :))) [Dec 15th seems such a long way away...]

Spent an excellent weekend at Ann Arbor with my nephews.
Finished with my assignment, and looking forward to a new one. Lets see where I land up.
No movies in a long time :)

Oh....and saw Amisha Patel near WTC. I dont like her acting..but she is so much better looking in real life..

Met Alan today..Went to a dim sum place in Chinatown. Then Lychee icecream in Chinatown icecream factory.Then on to Ferrara in Little Italy for cannoli. Then Pakistani tea house for kebabs :)
Yum.. very tasty weekend..

Saw Chokher Bali..Excellent film.

Wow...Pluto is no longer a planet.. To quote NYTimes:

Much-maligned Pluto doesn't make the grade under the new rules for a planet: ''a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a ... nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.''
Pluto is automatically disqualified because its oblong orbit overlaps with Neptune's.
Instead, it will be reclassified in a new category of ''dwarf planets,'' similar to what long have been termed ''minor planets.'

Feels kinda sad. Its a very huge thing to happen in ones lifetime I feel.

Oh..saw Snakes on a Plane too..now this is a good movie :) [I hear: Gasp!!..udybabys wierd..]..Definitely a B-grade film, which makes no attempt to appear classy..and succeeds as a result.
Not for those with fear of snakes or horror films in general..

Just got back from a tiring but very enjoyable trip to Providence, RI. Attended an engagement ceremony and also my sisters baby shower.

Saw Ultraviolet..Crap.

Too much going on elsewhere..When will I find focus in life? Or is this what life is all about !! Its not like I am searching for inner peace or anything..Its just that I am not getting a feeling of being settled in a place.. Still living out of a suitcase.. Lets wait and watch.. No..Lets do something !!

Am in the office. A couple of managers just walked in, after conducting a technical interview.Laughing off the candidates experience and skills. That ticks me off the most. It is so easy to adopt the smarter-than-thou posture when you are on the other side of the table. I know of people in my company who take a rather moronic and sadistic pleasure in showing off that they are smarter than the person they are interviewing.
Now , that is not what an interview is supposed to be.
Any ways...these are the stereotypical jerks..

Send them to me..I'll straighten them out and show them how to take an interview..Did I just take the smarter-than-thou stance ??? Who cares..I am smarter :)) [demonic laughter]

Going to Providence over the weekend. Should be fun..

The days have been floating by..a feeling of not getting anywhere is everywhere..2 schools are done, work will begin on 3 more.. Will get them done by Sept end.Then 2 more..till Oct end..And 1 finally in Nov..
Its too long a process and the wait seems interminable. But you gotta do it.

Indra Nooyi became the CEO of Pepsi. On cue, the Indian media has erupted with how an Indian has made India proud.. Idiots.. They did the same with Kalpana Chawla, and countless others. Most of these are American citizens, who have chosen to give up Indian citizenship.I dont get it. How does a person, who has left your country to achieve his/her personal goals,suddenly make you proud?? Given that your country has not had any hand in helping the person achieve the dreams!! India needs to get out of this mode. Look within yourself a little more.The Indian diaspora went out looking for opportunities. Celebrate them when they do something for India.Not when they do something big in some other country.

Dont get me wrong. I fully support people doing what it takes to live a better life. Its the Indian media this rant is directed against. I mean we immediately get a comparison that Indra Nooyi makes more than the hottest Indian Filmstar..Duh..She earns in $$s and the poor guy in Indian rupees.. He is going to be beaten hands down by the conversion ratio [45 Rs to 1 $at the time of writing] :))

Back to work now ...;)

Saw Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna yesterday. ..OK..My backside and brain went numb around the same time..15 min into the show.. We saw the movie in Imaginasian. The seats are just horrible. But boy was the show houseful..People shouldnt be allowed to make movies this long. If they are, then atleast give me a break in there somewhere..3.5 hours of Shahrukh Khan pouting is more than enough..
Just of out curiosity I would like to know the salary a junior school soccer coach earns. Must be a lot. Shahrukh is able to afford a DUMBO flat!!

Wow!! Just found the website for my old high school , KV DRDO.
This is great!!

Seeing The Eagle has landed. Slow but good movie.
Have some shopping ahead this weekend. Buying Indian clothes in NYC. Feels wierd. I have never purchased Indian clothes in India.. I prefer a simple shirt-pant combo over the kurta-pyjama.

Work just feels so meaningless right now.. I am getting out of this project on the 31st of Aug. So 3 more weeks. I still dont know where I'll be heading to.
Funnily enough, too many people in this organization are now opening up to me and complaining about their lack of motivation and feeling of worthlessness :) . Its maybe because I'm leaving, so they are comfortable about all of this..

A colleage of mine purchased a Toyota Camry. The delivery has been delayed. The dealer states that he cannot guess the ETA. Ridiculous. If the dealer can procure the VIN of the car, he can very well track the shipment.

Columbia ED - HERE WE GO !!!!!!!!!

A funny one from the Indian Laughter Challenge. [Knowledge of Hindi is a must :)]

Saw Omkara last night. A couple of extra songs slowed down the pace, else very good movie. Must see.
Saif Ali Khan was excellent. He represents the jealousy and envy present in all humans. So you really dont feel bad at all that he does.

TOEFL scores are in !!!

Got a 117 out of 120 !! Amazed at myself :))

Was out sick yesterday. The heat got to me.. Yeah yeah..so what if I am an Indian..It still gets very hot in NY. Try standing in the 14th street subway for 10 minutes, when its 110F outside, and you'll be crying for mommy...:)

Saw Force 10 from Navarone..Nice..