I have an MBA…

…‘Maa, Babuji ka Aashirwaad’

Alright alright, I call them mummy and papa, but seriously, this one goes to them.

Had it not been for you guys, I would not have got an A in half my courses at ISB with all that attendance criterion. Almost every term classes started at 8 in the morning and with all those assignments, parties, studies, and chats running till almost 4 am every night, had you guys not woken me up every morning, I would have missed many of even my 10 am classes, leave aside the 8 am ones.

I suspect that sometimes you yourself had to wake up half an hour early to wake me up at whatever time I wanted and no matter how much I asked you about your plans, you wouldn’t say anything until you knew what time I wanted woken up. I did try to ask you for as late as possible but I know sometimes I still disrupted your schedule. No amount of gratitude is enough for you, but still, a big thanks to you…

…you guys rock :)

So bored I am..

Whatever creativity I had seems to have died. These days when I am royally bored, at times I think I should write something but then find myself devoid of any new ideas to write on.

My joining is still about 2 months away. I think I should read the book on Macroeconomics that I liked a lot during Term 2 last year but didn’t get time for at that time. Yeah, may be I’ll start that from tomorrow. And some good course pack articles too that I couldn’t finish for paucity of time last year.

Meanwhile I have also joined a gym at home. It’s a new one and perhaps one of the best in town, not comparable to the famous chains though but still. I plan to refine my cuts even more and eliminate the existing weak points in my body in these 2 months. Then with my job, if I can even do it twice or thrice a week, that should be sufficient to maintain my physique.

People tell me to enjoy the free time I have because once I join job, I would hardly be free. That’s alright but I have become workaholic now. Who wants free time!

Some close ones have also asked me how I’ll manage with so much work and no personal time. Well, first of all, I am not sure if I really wouldn’t have any personal time. I doubt if so many people are sustaining themselves for so many years in that career without any personal time. But then if they really are, I anyways don’t have a life! So shouldn’t be a problem for me either! What say?

Here are a couple of pictures of mine from the graduation day on 3rd April 2010…

This was one of the most beautiful days of my life so far, full of a sense of achievement and a sense of a meaningful self with the realization that in just one year this place has completely changed my life forever.

An year that was...

Yesterday would go down as a special day in my books. I finished my MBA and with that my education. Don't plan to study formally anymore.

Throughout the day today the campus was subdued. Euphoria was not felt in the air. People are all grown ups. But then we have our batch level events every night this week. Just four more days on ISB campus and then we are alums.

On my first visit to ISB as an alum, I am coming for the orientation week for the next class just after 5 days of leaving here. Have some time to kill before I join McKinsey anyway.

For now, looking forward to the graduation day. The year has been quite full of ups for me.

Bored...

Huh...I have a headache man! I slept at 5.30 in the morning and woke up at 7 in the evening. In between I sleepwalked two times from my room to Goel dining hall in full clothes to keep my system running. And now I have a long night ahead. Perhaps three more movies, what else!

I have started hating free days now and to top this nonexistence of any deadlines, this bloody term break makes the campus ghostly. This time at least 100 ISB grads are in Goa. Don't know how everybody decided to go to the same place! I am going too tomorrow..for the first time to Goa. Didn't go with my engineering college trip in 2003. We considered Andamans and Lakshyadeep too but the expenses deterred us. We are still on student budget for a few more months!

Term 6 GPA distribution came this evening. Looks like if I persist this last mile now, I am going to be in the Dean's list too. Don't know how I managed a marksheet without a 'B' all these terms. I didn't want to slog here. This bloody Garora told me to slog, damn him! All his fault, I am not going on a date this valentines day too. When did I join IIT? 2001, yeah. So, from Feb-2002 to Feb-2010, it's been 9 years since I have been thinking every 14th Feb that next time I am going on a date dude! But I somehow always manage to chase girls away. So here this one goes too with me spending my evening in the Gym. May be next time...

..for now, I got to go to Gym dude. So long..

Better hurry up dude or else..

Yeah, they want me to get married. Today my mom was asking me to make my biodata. They are convinced that I can't help myself. But fighter as I am, I am determined not to accept defeat in this sphere too. Though lately MBA has made my thought process more structured and practical. I draw 2x2 for every major decision now. So my 2x2 here shows an alarming mismatch between my pick up skills and those needed in practice. Sadly, there are no reliable vocational courses for this skill set. All this has begun to concern me lately. I often think though that if there were an entrance exam for this, I would be dating a Miss World by now. Garora agreed with me here once when I discussed this thought with him. Anyway, I told my mom to use for biodata the same resume as I used for McKinsey. Innocently enough my dad argued "But a biodata would also need to have the details of your family!" That cracked me up. I assured him that I would modify it a bit to include the details of my family. Would need to cut some current stuff from that though to still manage it within one page. But I hope I can defer it for now.

Then today the advertising whiz of our school asked me to accompany him to the Hypercity mall. His idea was to do some social experiment with chicks there, in fact all this was his euphemism for asking girls out at random to see what works. Diversity at its best. The way he talks, none of us thinks that he ever had any difficulty picking up chicks. Anyways, I am completely free these days, so I agreed to take a lesson or two. He asked me not to share this with anyone though. His rationale - such kind of conversations do not suit B school students. I got a new insight in social behavior and promised him that the word wouldn't go out. So, I can't share with you guys what followed in the hypercity mall. But we had a good day if that gives you some hint.

I still have 2 months to go in Hyderabad. Let's see if I can use some of the learnings...do let me know if any of you have some tips for me though.

Life...the McKinsey way..

"Congrats guys...welcome to McKinsey..."

..said the director of the revered firm. It was all music to our ears and the beginning of a new career for us. When I came to ISB, I didn't even imagine I would be shortlisted by McKinsey. ISB changed me in 8 months to the extent that I was ultimately able to beg the coveted consulting offer.

Somehow even though it was a big day for me, it didn't feel any different after this offer. The first job after IIT had felt big but this one didn't even though this was way bigger than that one. Perhaps because the first job means special in a different way - you become independent for the first time. I haven't started feeling any difference even after 3 days of getting the offer. Sitting in class, I still feel I have to prepare for placements even though I am out of the placement process now.

I am waiting to see when I start feeling like a consultant..

Wuthering Heights...

The day is inching closer. The campus is beginning to freak out. Groups of students ranging anywhere from 2 to 4 can be seen sitting at various places, library group rooms, CEE meeting rooms, atrium, cafe, even walking on roads, doing case preps. Some have only one option; one such good friend of mine says he can get either only the First prize or a certificate of participation, there is no second prize for him. Some have more than one; its a bit relaxed for them, but is it? All are correlated - you do not do well in any one means something fundamental is wrong with you and is likely to show up in all others too. So, having more than one options doesn't really mean any relaxation.

I am one such guy - I have 5 options for the moment and I am the most freaked out. In the end, its only one day. I'll probably not even get a chance to sit with all. I'll perhaps have to make my choices and decline to some upfront. And then don't know how those I indeed choose to sit with would find me.

Though most of us can handle this but still we are fully aware of the recent increase in temperature in the month of January and the recent increase in pressure on the top of Deccan plateau at a height of 1776 ft above sea level.

Booze will flow at the end of the day - for some in celebration and for some in pain. Who will lie where, only the day will tell.