Those were the best days of my life.......

Aankhon mein hazaro sapne, dil mein liye the armaan...

Aasmaan ko chhuna hai, honge hum kal ki duniya...

Yaad hai woh saath har pal, Manipal ke woh meethe pal...

Sharaarat ke woh din, masti aur yaari ke din...

Woh the suhane din apne!!

(Eyes full of a thousand dreams, and a heart full of desires,

A will to touch the sky, and to be the new world,

We remember all those moments together, And the sweet days of Manipal,

Days full of mischief, and filled with friends and fun,

Those were the best days of our lives...)

Such goes the song release by the Medical College, MAHE, Manipal to grace the 50th anniversary of MAHE - Manipal Academy of Higher Group. This song, set to teh tunes of the Summer of '69, originally sung by Bryan Adams, set about to rock the campus world.... it still rocks... and became nothing short of a mantra for all Manipal students. Be it the ones from MAHE, SMU, Manipal, Pokhra.... It bonded all the Manipal students.

Now, in case you are wondering why I am going gaga over this song... then I guess I have take you on a trip into the world of Manipal amidst the Himalayas, in the serene and beautiful state of Sikkim. Yup... you have guessed it right. I graduated from Sikkim Manipal University and spent 4 years of my life nestled in the calm and quiet surroundings of Sikkim, roaming about and exploring corners, sitting on the banks of the river Teesta.

22nd August, 2001: A stubborn, spectacled 17 year old, walks into the campus of SMIT (Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology). Situated 4 kms ahead of Rangpo on the way to Gangtok, the college was situated on the banks of the River Teesta in the quaint little village of Majitar. Having started in 1997, I happened to be the 5th batch to have joined. I took up Electronics and Communication Engineering. And thus started my technical education.

13th July, 2005: The same guy, now 21 years old, walked out of those gates having gone through his final examination - final seminar as a student. 4 years have gone by, 4 years of undiluted fun... a life which taught me how stand up for myself and for that which is right, how to tackle and diffuse tensions, deal with problems, identify people for what they are, taught me how to strum the guitar, badminton, snooker..... I picked it all up at college. I also faced soem of my biggest and most seriosu personal crisis during colege days... I learnt to survive despite all odds... and come out guns blazing!! Learnt that honour and trust probably matter more than money... You can never be what you never are.. pretension can never take the whole distance!!

So many lessons enclosed within the boundaries of a single campus!! Amazing, is it not?? And it is then I realised I have changed... for better or for worse, I dunno.

It is true for everyone am sure!! Nothing out of the ordinary here...... but just remembering.... how even the tough guys broke down when saying good byes perhaps for a long time to come. How an entire batch got together to celebrate their graduation.... Sheer bliss!!

Those were the best days of my life......... At least till date!! :)

Done Wrong??

The clouds always come in
Promising rain on a barren land
But instead,
Cause a storm hitherto unseen.
She looked up at the sky,
The sun blazing down on her,
Wondering when would
The skies open up....
And drench her to the core
And may be hide her tears!!
She stared into the unseen
A heart full of Desires...
Yet to be realised
And a hope that refuses to die.
They say,
"Wish with a true heart,
And your dreams will come true".
Isn't that's what she had been doing?
Then why doesn't it rain?
What has she done wrong??

Stuckitty stuck!!

Yes, I am stuck......

In case you are wondering how and why... let me explain!!

Am stuck because I can't figure out what to write.... nah!! dats not correct, I am able to write... go check BUF....

The problem, is I got all the ideas in my silly head, and am forming sentences as I go about my daily business..... but when I get to sit down and type, I am blank, else, too many ideas, and thus overwhelmed ....

Sheesh.. I can't even type out this post... what's happening???

Let's talk.....

Righty ho!! In case you are wondering if this thing is about yapping all over the place, well..... you are not very much off the mark!! Frankly, the focus here is about how much we interact over the net/phone with people we hardly know or who are just mere ids/nicks for us. IS it really possible for us drown so much into this world that we lose touch with reality and are virtually incapable of talking to anyone in person, unless we end up texting/IMing them?? Can fruitful relationships really be developed over the net??

In case, you wonder, why I decided to take walk down this alley it's because of a discussion on Virtual Relationship at Between Us Friends and an article in Times of India this Sunday Shall We Talk the Talk. Having contributed to both of them, I realised how much there is to talk about this topic.

Most of the people in the 15-30 age group spend a lot of time on the net, create different ids and get chatting. Previously, it was Yahoo Chat, then came along India times Chat and other chat engines. Finally, we had Orkut. That was the first salvo from Google, which took over and altered the entire world of online interaction. Hi5, did I hear someone mention that?? Well, the truth about Hi5 is, it doesn't offer the same facilities that Orkut does. Moreover, while Hi5 was sleeping, Orkut captured the imaginations of the young generation like never before. Orkut was the rage. And then, slowly came GTalk. Still evolving I've heard. Never mind. The point is through all these forums of interactions, people came to know each other. The world started shrinking. Distance mattered lesser and lesser when it came to knowing someone as if you know them for ages.

At such a point of time, members of senior generations kept talking about how unhealthy it is, how much we are losing touch with the real world (they still say so, but in a more understanding manner!!) and so on. Result, a complete network of friends who have never met each other except in chat rooms and yet they are perhaps better connected than anyone else they know.

Is this undermining the need to interact face-to-face?? Not at all. If the pattern is to be closely observed, these people meet over the net, connect, establish a bond which definitely makes them feel strongly that their interaction is not all about just chatting it's about being friends..... and then they meet. It's happening everyday. And having been a part of such gatherings more than once, I can vouch for the wonderful meetings that they can be.

But the flip side is, some one can get too involved in the world of "asl","brb","lol","lmao" to lose touch with the real world. And this happens only when one allows the net to dominate one's life. Every technology has a flip side, the trick is to use it judiciously.

And frankly, as a person who has found real friends over the net forming lasting bonds is not a difficult task. trust me, it's not easy either, but then you know the ropes.

Talk as much as you want, but remember nothing should be so important that it runs your life rather than you yourself!!

The rambling on this topic is not yet over. I'll continue later with the relationships part. Stay tuned.

Hic!!! Am driving........

Been quiet for quite sometime now..... had few ideas brewing in my head... but a mail today got me thinking am out to talk about something more serious than the ones I was thinking about.... I believe you have already guessed it, but still, do allow me to have my say (not that you can stop me :P).

Again I must say a post by Melody, got me thinking more.

Often in the revelry of the night, we youngsters tend to drink…. At times without a sense of responsibility. And then a drive……… “c’mon, let’s have a fast one….”….. “can’t you go a little faster”…… drunk voices in a car shout……………… “How could she do this to me?”…. a drunk voice cries out loud in the mind of a scorned lover…tearing through the night at a speed way too high!!
Screech!! Crash!! Cries………………
Someone’s last breath…… someone’s struggle to live a normal life………
All for one drunken drive!!

DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE!!

Here's a small poem courtesy a colleague of mine:

I went to a party,

And remembered what you said.

You told me not to drink, Mom

So I had a sprite instead.

I felt proud of myself,

The way you said I would,

That I didn't drink and drive,

Though some friends said I should.

I made a healthy choice,

And your advice to me was right,

The party finally ended,

And the kids drove out of sight.

I got into my car,

Sure to get home in one piece,

I never knew what was coming, Mom

Something I expected least.

Now I'm lying on the pavement,

And I hear the policeman say,

The kid that caused this wreck was drunk,

Mom, his voice seems far away.

My own blood's all around me,

As I try hard not to cry.

I can hear the paramedic say,

This girl is going to die.

I'm sure the guy had no idea,

While he was flying high,!

Because he chose to drink and drive,

Now I would have to die.

So why do people do it, Mom

Knowing that it ruins lives?

And now the pain is cutting me,

Like a hundred stabbing knives.

Tell sister not to be afraid, Mom

Tell daddy to be brave,

And when I go to heaven,

Put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave.

Someone should have taught him,

That it's wrong to drink and drive.

Maybe if his parents had,

I'd still be alive.

My breath is getting shorter, Mom

I'm getting really scared.

These are my final moments,

And I'm so unprepared.

I wish that you could hold me Mom,

As I lie here and die.

I wish that I could say, "I love you, Mom!"

So I love you and good-bye.

-----------------------------------------

I don't think I need say anymore after this!!

Pleased to the core!!

Alright time for some gloating!!
I had an amazing experience this week. As a member of the group Between Us Friends (BUF) and a regular their, I had volunteered to do the book review for this month. I picked up the book Above Average written by Amitabha Bagchi. having read it recently, the image for the book was quite clear in my mind. So, there I was writing away and allowing whatever litte literary capabilitties I had to fly and capture my thoughts for this book in the most adept manner..... I finally succeeded in putting up a book review : Above Average

The icing on the cake for this review, was that the author Amitabha Bagchi had himself turned up to comment on the same. It left on cloud #9. Didn't know how to react to decided to share it here!! :)

A proper post will soon follow.. and it would be serious... Don't tell me I didn't warn you!!

Effective Management

The world of management is vast. As just about another fella with big dreams and all.... and like any other Indian following a set path of going for secure jobs and not really taking the road less travelled.... I too want my piece of land in the management world. For that I need to join a B-School. And I wish it were easy enough... to walk in and get done with an interview and be done with it. I've got a strong apathy towards the exams. Somehow never quite believed the system.... and firmly believe it is faulty.. yet perhaps the most efficient in a faulty world. After all nothing can be perfect now, right?

Anyways, so here I am another MBA aspirant who is scanning through universities the world over, and trying to figure where to shoot his application. I mean, should I really think of Harvard, Yale or LSB?? Or should I just settle for some other school?? The ones back in India... it's so tough getting there too!! The IIMs.. is so hard to crack.. add to the woe list ISB. And the list is so long. Figuring out the intricacies of CAT and GMAT!! Sheesh... it's all so much work.

But, at times I wonder will an MBA degree really make a manager out of you?? or rather the school? Maybe they can, else they wouldn't have enjoyed the status they enjoy today!! But do they really make you the artisan that you are supposed to be?? The primary principles though explained in theory are they all masters in it?? So, why the managers so different?? What is it that the schools despite talking about it fail to teach effectively??

The 3 primary principles of management is : To envision, to strategise, to execute. Now I can talk on these three at length. What their importance is? Where they are important? But then, am I experienced enough to write so much?? I guess not. All I can say is that, these principles are applicable in all spheres of our life should we want a life where we can look back and say - "My endeavour was successful." And so, I shall ask you to read this article written by Sudhakar Ram, an alumni of IIM, Calcutta.. class of 1982 : The craft of effective management.

Go ahead read it and tell me, is management then really taught in those hallowed walls or on the streets, in the real world??

15 hrs and still going on!!

Alright then it's 2:50 A.M. 4th July. And I've been at my desk since noon. 15 hours and going strong. Turned up at work today. And I didn't have a thing to do..... So there I was happily chatting and blogging away to glory. In between had a long chat with Ishi about the admin show on Between Us Friends, a wonderful place where I blog along with dozens of other members. The funda there is that all bloggers would be friends. Simple. Anywyz, I had a nice chat with Ishi on this. Finally, the chat came to an end for I had other pressing matters to attend.... a fitness session right here at our office. That would mean 2 hours away from my desk. What the heck!! I had permission for that.

The session included workout and dance stuff. Ah!! It's so invigorating. Anywyz, I went about the entire session with so much vigour I was asked to ease up... lol.... And so like all good things that did come to an end. :( As I got cosy in my chair, I was wondering what can I do now... Isha calls up (such an Angel... simply knows when to buzz me!!). Now the hunterwali was in a cheerful mood, and we started chatting away to glory. And as usual, it started with one but ended with an entirely different topic. Two chatterboxes.... lol. After my chat with her.. I was back at my desk. Half an hour to go before I call it a day. And there lay the devil in my mailbox.

A single mail from client stating that there was an urgent production issue to be tackled. The lack of response to that mail should have warned me off.... but me being me.. always the play by the rules Jack, decided to respond, after all it was reported as major. And since then I have been dealing with stupid requests, questions which irritate me... and I can't close the issue. And they want answers, as if should they know the reason, they would solve it on their own next time. Like hell they would do that!! They'd raise it again and bug me to no end!! Why are these fellows such #^%#$%#$%#$%. Oh by the way, once they found that the issue seemed to have been resolved, they stopped mailing me.. and here I am waiting for that!!

Right now, I'm drowsy, tired, angry, impatient and very hungry. So this post may not seem like my usual style..... but then it's good to know a dark and less humorous side of Sam.

And then came the appreciation!!

Alright then, if you are wondering what this post is all about then I must answer shouldn't I??

Well, it's about saying thank you to David McMahon - a journalist, a photographer and an author too, who had taken time out from his busy schedul to analyse my blog. And he has some interesting points too. Just thought would share it!! Happy reading!! Here is the link : Star Tech.