Location

Hi Blog,

You might not know but I have been sent to UK on an onsite assignment about 2 months back (August 24) to be exact.

How am I?

Well not bad... This place is no doubt beautiful, with the greenery and dust free air everywhere there are less things to complain on that front.

Where exactly and you asshole you did not say me?

Well sorry, I am sorry .Got caught up with work. Well I am at Bradford in Yorkshire County, pretty north of UK.

Food?

Don't worry about food. Food is brilliant. This place is dominated by Pakistanis so I get a lot of Indian restaurants here (Curry's restaurant - as the Brits say it). So yes. Roti, Tandoori chicken its all there...

How do you spent your time?

Well as I speak to you now, I am at office on a Saturday. Well its just because I was getting bored at Hotel (ya, I am staying at a Hotel here) and had no plans to go anywhere. Or else, I would have gone to some place to visit or may be Balki's house ( my colleague from Bangalore). He has a 2 yr old kid, so he is my friend here. ANyway I am going to visit them today evening.

Its 9-8 office for me and when I reach hotel all I do is watch TV or sleep.

Any friends there?

Nah!!! No friends here...

So you are feeling lonely?

Well no. Anyways I as lonely in Bangalore also. Well had few friends but...

So you are not feeling lonely then why the fuck are you here?

OK!!! I am lonely and I need you. Happy!!! Now will you keep your fucking mouth shut and talk about UK?

Where all did you go?

Well had been to York (beautiful place), Manchester (Football Stadium), Peterborough.

Manchester!!! To watch a footbal match!!! You were never a fan of football.

Well yes. Its a famous place and if you are in UK you ought to visit the famous Club's stadium. And well there are some other reasons as well.

Can we concentrate on the 'other'.

No!!! I went to Old Trafford Cricket stadium as well and you bloddy very well know that I like Cricket.

'other' 'other' 'other'

No way...

Ok I forget. Can you name 6 players from Man U?

Ok. Here it goes Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney hmmm Giggs or something similar. Well why should I answer your question?

Ok thats it for today. I go to go. Its late now and I am feeling hungry.


Bye. Catch you later and do not get lost.

Long time no see

Hi Blog,

Sorry for not posting anything for a long time...
Its not as if I did not have anything to write, its just that I was a bit busy and was not sure whether to write the stuffs that was there in my mind...
But no worries...
Will keep you updating henceforth...

Lets Talk About Sex

Before you dirty mind scroll down for something really exciting, let me make it very clear - this is not what you are thinking. All I am going to bloog today is about sex education.

Well I would love to talk about the former, but let me restrain for the time being. There is always a better time. Here I am going to talk a bit of the sex education row that is making news headlines everywhere.
Here is my view point - No sex education in schools

Before the moral cops of India start making me their mascot, or before the more modern and the so called open minded people start bugging me down and calling me a conservative youth, let me make a candid confession

Well, why the hell on earth the same thing was denied to us during the school days and if it was not me then it cannot be my children. Well I missed the great classes.
I can imagine - The beautiful lady teacher entering the class and saying, "Class -Lets talk about Sex." and we the great back bencher giving all the attention to the class and noting down everything with diagram's ;). And I just cannot imagine people calling us the "sex nerd" and we taking pride in that. And believe me this would have been interesting when the female block would approach us for clearing the doubt. And we the genius gang (only in this chapter) would have more than helped them. "
But what were these people doing during those time. We could not do it, I mean study it, so just cannot imagine the babalogs of today to take advantage of the same. All we had to be contained is with the Life Science 2 Chapters of Biology in School. Thats unfair. We the elder generation remain illiterate and they get litterate. No way...

So ban the sex education in the school... Ban it, Ban it, Ban it....

Winning – Jack Welch and Suzy Welch

After reading suspense, psychology and romance, my next target was the Business corner at the Landmark (Bangalore's one of the finest book shop). All I was hunting for is a biography/autobiography. And there it was - "Winning" by Jack Welch and Suzy Welch. Well one does not doubt the caliber of this man. Moreover when you read the following testimonials you are left with no other option but to buy it.

"No other management book will ever be needed" - Warren E. Buffet

"A candid and comprehensive look at how to succeed in business - for everyone from college graduates to CEO's" - Bill Gates

This book is answers to the many, most of them repetitive questions that Jack faced as he traveled the globe, at the airport, at various GE forums, at seminars and at many other places. These questions are what Jack says inspired him to snap up the pen again for after his autobiography he had promised he won't wear the writers cap again. But thankfully he did and atleast I am not the one who is complaining.

Jack in this book tries to answers the simple question one faces in his/her professional life. He tries to address all the roles of a professional life in his typical no nonsense style. Well almost all the roles.

Jack in this book clearly explains how Human Resource is one of the most important departments. And when he says that the Head of Human Resource should be as important as the CFO, he really means it and clearly explains his logic behind it.

In this book he answers how mission statement and values vary and the most important of them- how to write a mission statement and make it a success. At the end of the day Mission Statement answers one pertinent question: How do we intend to win in the business?

Well one of my favorite chapter have been on candidness which Jack has always advocated through out his life and for which he wants to be remembered when he is no more. There are chapters dedicated to meritocracy which obviously one cannot ignore. A manager need to understand how candidness can complement meritocracy. Be it the rule of differentiation - the rule which divides an organization into 3 layers - top 20 % as out performer, middle 70 % as performers and the bottom 10 % as poor performers, be it the 4E and 1 P framework of hiring, be it the situations of letting people go or be it the problem of changing, Jack has answered all this areas and with personal anecdotes. Not to mention the chapter on Crisis Management. This book is a must read for HR Professional. It will definitely make them feel proud.

There is a complete section dedicated to -"Competition". The chapters on strategy, budgeting, organic growth and merger and acquisitions say it all. Filled with real life examples, Jack has been candid enough to put his own failures in this book. But he clearly explains how these have been nothing but a learning experience for him.

Well I have to say the most important of them all is the section on how to manage your career. Though Jack himself never changed his job, but his vast experience and acquaintances with people from all the walks of life helps him answer questions on how to find the right job, how to get promoted and well how to deal with your boss (well the damn boss). Not to mention the chapter on work life balance. One cannot ignore this section.

One needs to read this book to get answers to the many questions we always had in our stupid mind. And to get the answers from a man who has been there and done it is really helpful. Jack tries to answers all this questions with his distinctive candid approach and no nonsense attitude. He has been candid enough to mention his own failures well some of them even big. One has to read this book to understand how simple questions put to him by the workers brought sea change in GE. This book tells us exactly why we have got 2 ears but 1 tiny mind.

This book clearly tells us why winning is great. Not good but great. The one question that Jack Welch has successfully answered in this book - "What does it take to win?" Make no mistake this man is responsible for making GE what it is today and for creating a framework for the future leaders of GE to take it along.

This is one book which you cannot afford to miss in your shelf. Grab it and have a happy reading and a winning career.

p.s: Yes there is a chapter in six sigma. And questions regarding his interest in golf, whether he is sure of going to heaven or not, the European and well the China syndrome have also been asked and answered as well.

For My Lead

This is a poem that I compsed for my Lead, a person from whom I learnt a lot (this is an understatement) on his farewell day.

Surprisingly the poem was composed on my way to office.
If you dnt like the poem blame Bangalore traffic for that ;)

Here it goes...

When the stakes were high
and the chips were down
We went along cause u were there

When the roads were steep
and the breathes were louder
We ran along cause u were there

When the boats were billowing
and the sea was murkier
We sailed along cause u were there

The chips will be down again and the stakes high
The roads steeper not helped by the noisy breathes
The murkier sea trying to topple our boat

We will fight along
We will run the race
We will sail the boat

Cause we learnt it from you
And we will for sure make u feel proud
We will for sure make u say -"These are my people"
But still when we stumble and fail
We will look for you
We will search for you
Cause all we know is that you are just a call away.

Tryst With Destiny

Its been long time, I have posted anything.

Been busy with a lot of work ...well not exactly but had my MBA preparations also...

MBA preparation.. (6 months)... and d results are out and I am not through... :(

This 6 months have been tough... I had my own reasons for MBA though the few people I told about it did not accept it...

Well let me not go into the details but thanks to that I was able to get some decent percentile in exams...

Well a score of 91 in CAT though is not enough but had English mark reflected my true potential I would have been with a better looking scorecard... It may sound quetching but believe me a 1 month preparation for an average guy for me, this score are good enough...

XAT - well 93 percentile got me a call from XIMB and I screwed it big time in the Interview.And yes, I am dissapointed for that...

Its all been over and the question still looms over me - "Whether I want to write the CAT and XAT this year or not?" A question which I am unable to answer it now. Cause the same motivations do not hold good this year and I need a reason for doing nething...

Well but the day has not been bad...

Had a talk with my Lead and again he had some good words for me :). hope to do good in my Job this year... And today it was Sunil asking something, though not all queries answered but had some honest replies though negative :...

Well bye for now and hope I write something nice in the days to come...