The confessions of a clueless mind

A cat named Oscar is reported to have the “ psychic ” ability to sense within hours when someone is about to die at a nursing home in Rhode Island. The cat, apparently, visits the residents of the nursing home regularly, but when it curls up near a particular patient’s bed, the hospital staff and the doctors know that it’s time for them to let the patient’s family know about the impending death. The doctors at the nursing home acknowledge this unique phenomenon, but refuse to attribute it to psychic powers. Instead, they claim that there must be some biochemical explanation for the cat to be able to detect signals that humans can’t. More details available here . This episode reminds me of all the horror flicks on TV where the witch/ wizard/ tantrik/ messiah is usually shown to be surrounded by cats because of their ability to sense the supernatural and communicate with a world that is beyond the human realm. In many ways, this cat episode is actually scary because it has blurred the fi...

It’s funny the things I do to appear busy at work. Not that anybody cares what I do. Heck, it doesn’t even matter if someone notices because anyways I am going to be evaluated on my sales targets, and not on my utilization levels. But yet, that 6 and half year stint in a delivery role has affected me much more than I give it credit for. Whenever somebody walks past my cubicle, I feel guilty about not doing any “ work ”, and immediately open some sales presentation and start staring at it blindly. A couple of minutes later, I am back to my browsing ways when sanity returns to tell me that I don’t have to show to anyone that I am working. But this episode has been repeating so many times over the past couple of weeks that I am sure most of my colleagues have branded me the " Indian Idle ". It’s not that I am not trying to work. I am. I have read through tomes of collaterals, and presentations. I have met quite a few people within the organization to understand the practices, an...

There was a time, not too long ago, when I would read Archie comics and think, “ Someday, I’m gonna be doing the exact same things ”. I was really looking forward to the teenage years, and all the rebellion and fun that came along. One fine day, I woke up and found myself having grown past the teens, without really passing through it. The rebellious streak, the fun and frolic, the dangerous lifestyle- I never saw that in my teens. As I was struggling to come to terms with the situation, I started empathizing with the “ 20 something ” characters, usually portrayed as a combination of a career-oriented professional and a social butterfly. For a brief while, I thought I was living that character. But, something always seemed amiss. The experience was good, but it never seemed complete. The proverbial “ 20 somethings ” were always more successful, had better social skills, were in more interesting professions etc. By the time I decided that my life needed a serious revamp, I was almost run...

Location: Interview Room at ISB, Hyderabad Scene: Top IT MNC (Firm X) conducting placement interviews Characters: Top honcho (code name Wolf ) from Strategy Consulting Division at Firm X, prospective candidate (code name Leo ) Wolf : Good Morning Leo, I see you have a very impressive CV Leo : Good Morning, and thanks Wolf : First up, let me clarify that we don’t really do pure-play strategy consulting. We only do the IT strategy. So don’t expect us to do what a McK or BCG would do. Leo : (thinking to himself “tell me something I don’t know”) Yes, I understand Wolf : Leo, I see you have worked with Firm X before you came to B-school. And you have been there longer than I have. That’s good to know Leo : (Beaming with pride) Well, yes. I have had a really good stint at Firm X, and look forward to getting back real soon. Wolf : Well, since you’re an ex-employee, I won’t have to explain how we work as an organization. That’s good. But at the same time, I can’t sell you the organization...

I took the quiz and found that my intelligence type doesnt suit the job I have taken up. Time for a career change? Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator. What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

I have always been an ardent advocate of free press. And consequently, I have always loathed the fact that all our so-called top media houses use their well-entrenched network to promote their affiliates ( for want of a better word ), and vilify their opposition. Some of our most revered newspapers are believed to be unofficial mouthpieces of various political parties. With the advent of 24/7 news channels, the use of media as a tool to promote one's self has only increased several folds. Amidst all these developments, the neutral observer has been left in the dark. The dream of Free and Fair Press seems to remain just that. A dream. On another tangent, the power of “ free press ” has been conveniently abused by certain journalists to the extent that they even resort to threatening their victims of a public vilification if the victims don’t comply with their demands. In many ways, this is tantamount to the extortion business that the D-company and the likes have been running for...

This little poem is inspired by a close friend who is currently trying to shake off some old debris, and looking to settle down at last. If he ever reads this, I am sure he'll know it was for him. The Casanova He walks with a swagger, and smiles with a pout, He wants you to know what it’s really all about, He shows you all his messages, and makes you read his mails, He tries to talk in riddles, but gives away his trails. He calls you at odd times, and begs you to help arrest the damage, When the women in his life, start to suggest marriage, All he wants to do, is have a little fun, But before he even knows it, his life is on the run. The girls have got his number, they’ve wisened up to his game, He knows his time is over, that things won’t ever be the same, He’s looking for your help, to get rid of the grime, Trying to absolve himself, although guilty of the crime. He wants to start afresh now, and find the perfect wife, He is counting on the family, to help resurrect his life, A ...

I am back! After a really long time, I am attempting to write again. My last post was way back in December last year. Since then, I have tried writing a couple of articles, but decided not to post them on the blog due to certain privacy needs. Anyways, here is a quick update on how life has shaped up since December 2006. Got placed at MindTree Consulting in Feb 2007. The placement week at ISB was “ interesting ”. I have a lot that I want to write about regarding the placement season, but will refrain from elaborating in the interest of the school. Graduated from ISB in April 2007, and drove back to Bangalore. Embarked on a Himalayan Expedition with a group of ISBians, and spent a good 2 weeks in the Delhi-Punjab-Himachal Pradesh-UP belt. The high-point of the trip was the trek up the Himalayas, including an overnight camp in a cold valley amidst the beautiful snow capped mountains. We also indulged in a lot of adventure sports such as skiing, rock climbing, rappling, river crossing, ...