How To Cross The Road!

Long time after this one I found another little gem on the web, here, How To Cross The Road
Enjoy :-)

Zen and the Art of Systems Analysis

There’s a real world with sunshine and rain, laughter and tears, beauty and horror, and someday it will all end. But in the meantime we need to develop systems that work in that real world.

The book, Zen and the Art of Systems Analysis – Meditations on Computer Systems Development by Patrick McDermott, is opposite of academic-read it to open your mind to see different, and get out of the box.

Here’s some abstract


Yin and Yang are represented by the dark and light areas in the circle. There is a little piece of light in the dark, and vice versa. This is because there is always a little bit of Yin in every Yang; there is light within dark, strong within the weak, good in evil, and vice versa. These Yin Yang pairs are sometimes called opposites, but that is not accurate- they are actually complementary. One could not exist without the other.
Likewise, your system will need to blend business with technology, people with machines and analysis with design if it is to succeed.

And that’s the whole point of my interest in Systems Analysis!

Chapters consider the essence of Analysis, Design, Consulting, Business, Economics, Culture, Methodology, and Modeling. If you want to ponder the significance of information systems analysis in the scheme of the universe, this book is for you.

The best line? One of the Guiding Principles that underlie Systems Analysis and this book 'There are many ways to the Mountaintop'

The day when India won the World (Cup)...

Well, even after what all I said before, I didn’t quite expect what happened on 24-09-07 at Johannesburg Wanderers stadium, what a match!

They say ‘Keep the best for last’ and how!

In the debut final of the cricket’s youngest baby, T20 world cup, in which two unheralded young teams, namely the arch rivals India and Pakistan, in a match which had more twists than a Bollywood movie, in a battle of nerves as much as skills, where the difference between winner and loser was just one shot, the new young fearless team India held their nerves till the very end, to lift the cup high...

Whole country going to the streets with crackers, going berserk celebrating, for all of us cricket lovers it’s a moment to cherish, for life time.

Well I won’t go into the details of the match, because it’s such an event where words and languages have limitations.
WE WON.

It’s said India is a country which believes in miracles, and yes I do, for I witnessed when one such happened :-)

India’s journey to T20 final…

In every day life, out of ordinary, we come across moments which are for life time. The young & fearless, team India presented us with many such, in the ongoing T20 cricket world cup.

Not many gave this team a chance. T20 being a no event in India, a team without 3 of its biggest players and a coach, was just a participant.
But then the team played like, well for the lack of a better word, dream team, that we all hope & pray for.

Right from Robin Uthappa’s calculated assault on Pakistan & keeping the cool to win in the bowl out, and Sehwag, reminding us of what a destroyer he is, against NewZealand, and an incensed Yuvraj, power hitting 6*6 against England, a young Rohit Sharma, proving his mettle against SA with the bat, a match in which India unbelievably out bowled, led by RP Singh, and out fielded, again led by Rohit Sharma, to magically run out the dangerous Kemp, the standard bearers themselves, it’s nothing but an amazing journey to the semifinals. The fielding was top notch, batting, destructive and the uncluttered approach to the game was pure joy to watch. And the bowlers have been a revelation, just another traveler so far RP Singh, leading the way, with come back men Harbajan & Pathan proving themselves and getting better with every outing, with able support from ever energetic Sreesanth. Dhoni’s composure too deserves praise.

But now the team was up against the wall. The mighty, fearsome, Australia, everybody’s favorites, (quite rightly) who have made it a habit to win the big matches nonchalantly, making it look like a no contest, intimidating the opposition teams. Even a diehard Indian supporter (like me!) was little skeptical.

After a slow start, with Yuvraj blazing his way to 70 of just 30, turning the match head on and shifting the momentum towards India and with Uthappa and Dhoni joining the party India ended with 188, good score but gettable!
After all it’s invincible Australia you are playing against!
With a true test for India’s bowlers waiting, Sreesanth was at his fiery best to start with, troubling the both the destructive openers, and castled Gilchrist with a wonderful delivery, who was looking dangerous.
Game on!
But once the big hitting Symonds joined the by-now-settled Hayden and started plundering runs, there was no stopping. Australia juggernaut seemed set to roll and the Indian fans started giving up. There was a sense of inevitability.
India desperately needed a hero.
What happened next was pure exhilarating stuff.
Sreesanth came back to bowl and promptly cleaned up the danger man Hayden.
If I am to pick a moment, this was it!
Pint sized power house, Sreesanth, never short of antics, as the Hayden’s stumps lie in disarray, slapping the pitch with his hands like a hungry cannibal who had just got his prey! Electrifying stuff! It was a sight!
For once Australia had been bullied, beating them in their own game.
Australia never recovered from that blow with rest of the bowlers turning it on and watching the drama was like a dream just being realized.

I hope India goes on to win the final playing the same brand of cricket but irrespective of that it’s been pure joy, watching India play, cricketing entertainment at its best.

Like I read in the blogosphere, “It has really been the most fun one can have with their clothes on”
:D

Update: The day when India won the World (Cup)...

Back to School – Update three: Economics of Markets

The story/journey so far – Recap

Recalling a line from the beginning of the wonderful book, Economics by Paul A. Samuelson & William D Nordhaus “Generations of students, often to their surprise, have discovered how stimulating Economics can be.”
Can’t agree more!
And professor Dr Amir Ullah Khan made it all more fascinating.
Do have a look at that CV and if there’s a need for me add a line, he’s all that and better :-)

There were so many new things/new way of looking at things that I am really constrained by time and words here.

It sounds like a lofty statement, but if there’s single subject that you have to study for better understanding of the world in current era, it’s Economics.
More than anything else, the improvement in living standards of people depends on Economic success of countries- in education, investment, foreign trade and healthcare. So the subject’s ever evolving, and it’s scope ever increasing.

Verdict
It’s said that one of the main reasons you should do an MBA is to increase the awareness on the things that you need to know but you don’t know that you need to know and after studying Economics (thanks to professor Dr Amir Ullah Khan for making it all more interesting), we can’t but agree.

A thought, on self help books!

There are so many of them out there, and considering they get sold in large numbers, if they really worked, majority of people in this world would have been success stories by now:-)
(Just kidding, some of them might actually help)

For otherwise 'free advice' lot of money though, makes me think of writing one!

How about this title?

Whatever: How to master the art of being jack of quite a few things

:-)

Right or Wrong?

History or for that matter even present is mostly grey, hardly black and white.
More often than not, right and wrong is only a point of view.
It’s our environment(upbringing, religion, education, society, culture, relationships), everyday experiences, and the information that we gather from books and media, people around...(DNA & lots of other complicated stuff?!) that forms our world view.
Nothing wrong in being opinionated though.
My point of view:-)

Back to school - Update Two: Financial Reporting and Control & Quantitative Analysis for the firm

Prescribed, prerequisite reading
Back to school - Update One: Marketing Management

For a change, unlike Marketing Management – 8 hours at a stretch, we had 2 subjects per day for better absorption :-)
But on the flip side, both were mathematics oriented :-(

Financial Reporting and Control: - Professor Dr.Narayani, a gold medalist throughout, started off like a bullet train (saying 'in this digital age you have to keep moving fast to stay where you are') and then increased the speed further, both talking and the subject wise! :-)
There were lot of interesting insights gained from the subject (yeah, money is good!).
Some of it is grey, neither legal, nor illegal, the subject’s both science and art!
Apart from the subject, her efficient time utilization, reminded us, ‘Time is money’.
Also Professor Dr. Ravi pitched in for a session, with his vast teaching expertise and real world examples.
All in all a very good subject, this needed a lot of effort!

Quantitative Analysis for the firm: - With professor Dr.Chandrashekaran, it was finally back to school feeling. With his unhurried style and simple demeanor (with an ocean of knowledge & experience behind him), there was an old-world charm in problem solving in the classroom. A mix of Operation research, statistics and probability, this subject is, not art, but science, for a change :-)
The whole subject’s treated on pure mathematics basis with no relation to business, is my only crib, in an otherwise wonderful treat.

Good faculty & infrastructure, but the administration issues continued to play minor spoilsport. Squeezed for time, we had to study both the management subjects, without a case study :-( The attendance was little thin too. Hope things improve.

Verdict
As the saying goes ‘no pain, no gain’, we (had to!) worked harder. Leanings and fun continued :-)

The Dip by Seth Godin

Quit the wrong stuff
Stick with the right stuff
Have the guts to do the one or the other

Sound simple, huh? But whether it’s your job, relationship, a new skill or any situation in everyday life, like a queue in an ATM, we know how tough it is to differentiate and act.

That’s what makes The Dip interesting. Illustrations by Hugh MacLeod, add the punch.

Seth says just enough, in his own inimitable, irreverent style, in this fun little book.

There's always a first time!

A friend: Dude, I can’t do it, I have never done it before

Me: Boy, imagine, you had never kissed before. Now you are little tense, nervous, anxious to get it right, butterflies in stomach, but you look forward to it, all pumped up. Yeah?

Then he gave his best shot at it. Some motivation this :-)

After a long PAUSE

PAUSE effect, is updated with
I thought all the girls are same, till I met you...PAUSE...and then I realised that some are even worse!:-)

iPhone...iWant...iLust

I have already written about iPhone, Steve Jobs and the amazing Commencement address

And these two are the ones I liked most on the now famous Fake Steve Jobs’ Blog, The Secret Dairy of Steve Jobs

Regarding our iPhone

29 June 2007: The day the world changed

Also check Apple Form Factor Evolution

Blank!

After a long day I went to cafe coffee day with one of my friends and she was hungry. We ordered (after a long wait) 2 Cappuccinos, and chatpata sticks!
30 minutes of impatient wait, others being served, still nothing came our way!
I was told 'he has something against us, so doesn't want to serve'
:-)
I could feel the storm forming!
You can control weather and stop asteroids with advance in technology but not these creations of god!
She waited 5 more minutes and then, there-she-went and blurted out 'Am I so esteemed customer that you want me to be here for long?' and so on…
Must have been a lesson in sarcasm!

In the morning I had read about coastal regions being hit by rain and lives being upset and thought Bangalore is a haven.
But then I had second thoughts!
I can't but marvel at god's sense of equal treatment of children, irrespective of geography. Inside coffee day with ac on, (You thought serving at CCD is easy) he has a subtle way of unleashing nature's fury :-)
(This is worse if you consider that, people affected by natural calamity, have all sympathy, aid and with luck a chance of escape!)
And then Cappuccinos arrived within a short time (that's the fastest he must have served all his life :-))
But only Cappuccinos, no chatpata sticks
:-(
Sipping the Cappuccino, again I heard 'He served those chatpata sticks to the other table...and said NO to me, b'coz I scolded him'
'And also u dint want to buy me coffee...u do anything with half heart this is wot happens'

(May be she was really hungry and he (&me!) just got away with it)

Paid exact the bill amount, got out, ate somewhere else.

But then 2 different thoughts just struck me
-I can't help but wonder, that people still think women need quota, huh!
-Now I am beginning to fully appreciate the one-liner 'Not all men are fools... Some are bachelors'

Back to school - Update One: Marketing Management

Well sometime back I started going to school, and here's the first update.

We completed Marketing Management in our first term of PGDBM program. It’s hard to put into words the whole experience but I just scribble here the highlights which I remember!

It was an incredible experience with professor Dr Ratnam with his inimitable style. I must say, an awesome start to the program. There was no dearth of sound bites, ideas, real world examples, jokes and invaluable insights. From wisdom of Vedas to marketing insights from Kingfisher air hostesses, there was never a dull moment. The man of immense (theory & practical) knowledge that he is, apart from marketing we took away lot of pearls of wisdom, common sense in simple words like
-Always make best use of whatever is available (optimum use of resources)
-Originality/innovation/creativity is the differentiator
-Emphasis on putting knowledge into practical use

Some other key points?
-In business Profit is THE word!
-Marketing is as much art as science.

Quotable quotes?
-Business of a business is to continue to be in business with growth and profit.
-Differentiate or die

The journey’s far from perfect. There were a few minor issues like the conduct of course could have been better planned than keeping everything to the last minute. On the positive side people at BMA are pleasant, do take feedback and quick to respond.
Yeah we did find it hard to meet the demands of the rigorous course, along with work and personal life. It was too much in too little time and we were of unanimous opinion that we could have drawn more from the professor, had we put in more effort/if there was more time!

Bottom-line/Final-Verdict
But for minor quibbles, it’s all (ah those tests & assignments) worth it since we had fun and did learn, as we were blessed with an enthusiastic batch with a range of experience in different fields and awesome faculty.

Well, long way to go, but it’s said, well begun is half done:-)

Doomed if it does, damned if it doesn't

One of the best articles I have read in recent past, informative, precise and un-biased analysis of the economy The coming collapse of the US dollar
Bottom line?
Doomed if it does, damned if it doesn't
Damn it

Update - Here's a follow up
Rise of the rupee: What India must do

Check this

Here's my friend Pavan's very interesting website www.srushtisoft.com and blog.
Have a look.

Luck by chance?

Long long ago, I could only write the heading, for a blog post!
Since then I have been intrigued by the subject, but no insights gained.

Sometimes in life you push as hard as you can but nothing happens/things move @ snails pace/you are pushed further back, with lesser mortals without much effort making great strides, adding to your frustration.
And sometimes the same thing happens to you, effortlessly things falling in place magically.

While I don’t like to blame it on God (though I believe in some superpower), it can’t be random either (that thought is disturbing!)
And I am not convinced by that motivational stuff ‘harder you work luckier you get’.

The only funda is to ‘keep pushing’?

Any insight/thought? Or am I getting too philosophical?!
:-)

Girly!

Last week, in the rainy evening I met one of my friends. She was hungry and wanted to have onion pakoda.
So we got into the restaurant and ordered 2 plates of onion bonda which was available instead of intended pakoda.
I wanted sprite, and she, coffee.
Well, there’s nothing like onion pakoda on a rainy evening that too when the season’s just beginning!
But when the onion bonda finally arrived it was ekdum thanda :-(
Yeah, I was disappointed, but her face was a sight, that instant mood change, to full gloom as if hopelessly drowning slowly in quick sand.
I couldn’t help a hearty laugh.
"I thought it will be hot, you know what all I imagined about it" she protested.
heh heh
That was enough to fuel the fire, immediately the waiter was called to the spot, and then interrogated!
"When was it prepared?"
"Can’t you make it hot/keep it hot at least?"

He was just blank, as if lightening had struck (What else could the poor chap do, facing the fury of unstoppable force of nature called woman, in full might!)
I tried convincing her to have something else like Dosa/Chaat since she was really hungry.
I went on with ‘you should carry your own weather’ funda…
"Everything here will be like this only" her retort stopped me!
Trying to teach logic to the god’s most complex creation? Huh
My efforts ended soon, just like Indian cricket team’s world cup dreams got shattered in the first round!
With she declaring, "Cancel the coffee too, even that’ll be same"
A wise man knows when not to argue, so I obediently called the waiter and conveyed the msg.
Exactly the bill amount had to be paid, not even a paisa more!
And while leaving the poor waiter had to bear one more ‘cold stare’ that woulld have made him sweat even in that chilled atmosphere!

So after having masalapuri at some other place, on the way back, I couldn’t help these thoughts wandering in mind.

Are they all born fickle minded? Yeah not all and there are some in male species too, but the ratio is 90-10 or say 80-20 (to be safer!). For I have seen love stories where the girl changes from ‘can’t live without you for a second’ to ‘not even bothering answer the call’, all within 3 months.
Pretty fast huh!
Or am I too slow/old fashioned in this fast world (strange thought, considering that I sometimes used to feel that I am born ahead of my time!)

Well, about the driving skills & remembering routes/roads/addresses (or simply put ‘sense of direction’!) of the fair sex, I’ll take another post altogether :-)

Dear fellow male species, in understanding woman, no knowledge of fuzzy logic/neural networks or any science helps us.
May be because, when it comes to thinking, unlike us, female species is more of art oriented than science, so you never know!

As an afterthought, isn’t that what makes that intoxicating mix, silly/stupid & at the same time fascinating/captivating, resulting in mysterious charm! :-)
Hmm

Digging Deep!

God resigns

God resigns

Back to school!

After some research (about full time/one year/part time/satellite/complete offline/certification, management programmes and B schools) & effort, I made it to the best fit.

16 Months Weekend Executive PGDBM by Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Bangalore Campus, through partnership with BMA
Hope the time spent will be fun as much as it will enlighten :-)

Extraa Shots!

1. What happened to your MBA plans?
Now I can answer that, frequently faced, million dollar question, since engineering days :-)

2. Inevitably I had to bunk the first class :-)

Interesting links

Deepika Padukone
Levis Strauss signature JEANS Ad
Some of her best photographs
(Yeah, I am a Fanboy !)

Existence of God is proved!

For Steve Jobs Fans:
Business Review article on the Fake Steve Jobs Blog The Secret Dairy of Steve Jobs

Some Funny Commercials

Being Detached

I recalled this zen story, some days back, when, we, the boyz, were chatting about college life :-)

Though, there are many versions, this one captures the spirit

Obsessed

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.
As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!"

"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her."

Essence’s simple :-)

But then detachment is hard to attain.

The Pursuit of Happyness

The Pursuit of Happyness is a sweet little gem. (But that’s old news!)

I just tripped on this wonderful piece on similar lines.

The wisdom of life in simple words, beautiful...

A Letter to My Grandson: Paul Harvey

Joy of doing it yourself...

Imagini - VisualDNA

Out of the host of social networking sites since Orkut, Imagini is little different n fun.
I am not posting my visualDNA, since I can’t choose a single image, blame it on my sun sign, Gemini (the twins) or may be I suffer from Multiple Personality Disorder!
:-)

Anil Kumble, the unsung hero, moves on

My tribute to Anil Kumble, on Desicritcs

Mungaru Male

Apart from the media, we are flooded with FWD mails with lyrics, dialogues, audio/video songs and SMS. And then there’s flood of Mungaru Male inspired songs/dialogues.

Well, I had decided not to write, but as the movie celebrates its 100th day, may be I too am charmed! (Of course by a rare gem in Kannada)

Personally I liked the lyrics more than anything else in the movie and though my personal favorites are Anisutide yaako and the title track, here’s a sample from Aralutiru Jeevada Geleya (the sad version of Anisutide yaako)

“Maathige meerida bhaavada selethave sundara
Nalumeyu thumbida manasige baaradu besara
Baala daariyali bere yaadaru chandira baruvanu namma jothe
Kaanuvenu avanalle ninnane”

Pain can’t b more beautiful. And here’s a review, whish does justice to the movie.

Yeah, often the best things in life are simple...

Kukke Subrahmanya, Kumara Parvatha...

Sunday Times article on Kumara Parvatha

My previous posts on Kumara Parvatha and Kukke Sumbrahmanya

Yeah, it’s my hometown :-)

Thot from Goa :-)

"Like waves in the beach, you are, all the time on my mind, as the shore pushes back, waves go back, for a moment, only to come back, constantly, (little scary but!) so wonderful"

Long time since a break, and it couldn't have been better than 'Road Trip To Goa', last weekend :-)

More later...

My favorite Worldcup moment...

It’s so vivid in my memory that, I can replay it!

2003. Centurion Park, South Africa. Pakistan sets India a stiff target of 273.
India has a clean record against Pakistan in World Cups.
But that’s history. Having started the world cup disastrously, pilloried by the press and public, pressure’s on India (though they’re fighting back)
Supposedly a fast and bouncy pitch—-with Pakistan having Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib Akhtar in their arsenal.
Probably the best pace attack in the world.
India chasing a difficult target.
Now the short man’s at the peak of his genius.
But he’s facing the fastest bowler on earth on a battle field assisting his skills!
With the pressure of expectations of a billion people back home, this’s the defining moment,
The moment of truth, it’s now or never….
Tension filled atmosphere….
The first 3 deliveries are uneventful
4th ball, Akhtar runs in menacingly, it’s wide and outside off stump.
Normally Sachin would have left it alone. But he’s all pumped up…
And what happened next’s cricketing folklore now…
Sachin stretched himself towards point, bat at shoulder height…
Bang! Sends it soaring over third man for the maximum!
Game on… that’s an emphatic statement of intent…but who’s the real boss?
The next ball he compensates and bowls marginally on his legs. Sachin whips it to backward square leg for 4…no one has moved an inch.
That’s quintessential Tendulkar…
The next one, right on spot, just outside the off stump, and the firm trademark push screams for another boundary…
Gasp…
Bull’s taken by horns…and tamed to submission.
(Little did it matter that he went on to score 98 out 75-balls before being eventually getting out to Aktar, by when only the formalities were left)

But that shot of the 4th ball…such joy…ah

Some interesting links

2 weeks back, had attended a talk by Prof Ramaswamy on Living a Balanced Life & Expanding Horizons
Take a look here

Wish this kind of honesty’s true
Note From Boss To Employees

For those of you fortunate enough to not have had a brush with this monstrosity, called CAT, read this

A moment in life :-)

That Saturday night I was home alone!
Enjoying the solitude, was reading some book and don't know when,went into sleep.
In deep sleep suddenly I heard some noise. It must be 4 AM I thought.
Dreaming?
Rather it must be one of my roomies...
I tried to sleep, but what the heck, the noise’s persistent…realizing that I was alone, eyes still closed, tried to concentrate on the noise.
Gosh…some one's trying to unlock the door!
Man these days Bangalore’s not safe...
What’s my plan of action? Slowly I half opened my eyes. It's already 7 AM!
Relaxed, thinking it must be one of my roomies back from native, I tried to sleep again.
5 minutes & the effort to unlock and the irritating noise's still on…
WTF? I sat up, completely awake & irritated.
It's Sunday, none of my roomies are going to return, so…then…what’s happening, who the hell’s it?
Pushing my self out of bed, cursing whoever spoiled my sleep, I went near the door.
With a mixture of annoyance, irritation and half sleep, I opened the door.
Gosh, it’s a cute babe, looking fresh like morning dew, trying to unlock the door, with a look of impatience on her face!
For a moment I was speechless and she too…(did time stop?!)
I didn’t know what to say… while she’s still blank… with the expression on my face, turning from blank to question mark…I could utter something to this effect ‘you, trying to break in? (You bet, I wish she did, though!)

And then...I can never forget that moment...
As she pushed her trendy specs up on her cute nose, with a look of embarrassment and uttered something like ‘sorry, I stay downstairs’ with a shy smile and ran off.
(My flat's in 2nd floor, which I recently shifted to)

After that, haven’t spotted her yet. May be, like a cool dude, I could walk into her flat n say ‘hey’. But it might spoil this moment in my memory. So let it be.

Hmm...will she be, again, @ my door? I am waiting!:-)

It's all in your mind...

Last weekend, just tripped on this...back in good old college days!:-)

Share Love. Spread Love. - Lovely Wishes for Valentines

Predicting the Indian World Cup squad's easy

How I wish, I could predict a gals mind too! :-)



For all those (un?!) lucky ones who are single…

Enjoy the freedom, live life as you wish!, just chill :-)

My Indian world cup team

1) Saurav Ganguly - Dada!
Back and how. Looks fitter and better and in form. Can bowl too. Expect him to anchor the innings.
And well, Dada Mein Hai Dum!

2) Robin Uttappa - New (surprise) destroyer weapon.
Kinda cultured Shehwag! New and can be the shock factor.
Have high hopes on this lad to give flying starts

3) Shehwag - The blaster!
Forget the recent poor form. He's a matchwinner. Can bowl too.
The move to have him may fire/backfire, but worth the gamble.
I expect him to come back hungry (n angry!). And he can be dangerous at number 3!

4) Tendulkar - The Master.
Can bowl and mentor the team too. Was out of form for too long, raising question marks, but read the warning signs from the recent matches.
The best bet at number 4.
I hope to see the vintage Tendulkar, that we all know, the God!

5) Dravid - The wall
The glue to hold the middle order together.
Just Rock Solid.

6) Yuvaraj - The dasher.
After 3 back to back man of the series awards when he was getting in to the zone of his own, freak injuries happened.
Looks rusty with the bat. Positive's that he's fit.
Hope he does take off.

7) Dhoni - The belter.
Can bat @ number 3 too. Since no slot's vacant, he's here.
Better send him, after 35th over, for the fall of any wicket.
If we're to win the world cup, we need more of Dhoni specials.

8) Pathan - The all-rounder!
Kinda confused soul. Ironically, the rate of detoriation of his bowling form’s inversely proportional to his improvement in batting!
In bowling, can we see the 'Pathan' of old?

9) Agarkar - The wicket taker!
Senior in the side. Seems to have overcome inconsistency.
Glimpses of his batting prowess are on display too.
His wicket taking ability’s crucial

10)Harbajan - The turbanator
Out of form of late, but a better one day bowler than Kumble(not sure I can say this!) and can bat too.
His economy rate's outstanding, though outside subcontinent he hasn't been the same.
Can he spin the web?

11) Zaheer - The spearhead.
The come back kid. The days in wilderness seems to have done wonders for him. He bowls faster, better and with a never say die attitude.
Can swing his bat too.
The spearhead of the attack.

12) Kumble - Can anytime take Harbhajan's slot.
For more check here

13)Kartik - The spirited.
He knows he's no Dhoni. Now can make it to the team on batting alone. Fields well too.
Throw a challenge and he's upto it. That’s the spirit!

14 &/ 15) Munaf/Sreesanth - Tough call. A fit Munaf's any day better than Sreesanth and fit into the team as far as one dayers are considered.
But fitness's a big question mark.
Though he bleeds runs in one dayers/inconsistent, Sreesant’s verve's hard to ignore.
This's a tough call, unless both get a call

15/the unfortunates) - Sorry, Romesh pawar, Gambhir and Laxman!

Bliss :-)

Outward Bound Learning @ Pegasus

With the Objective of 'having fun while learning' we (around 70 of us from Valtech) started our expedition @ 4 pm on 19th Friday. For somebody new to the organization like me, it’s good opportunity to make friends too. After around 4 hrs of arduous journey (on our typical Bangalore roads, making us feel @ home!) we made it to Pegasus @ around 8 pm.
Thankfully we had good food and facilities which we enjoyed throughout our stay.
The next 2 days were memorable for the learning, fun, friends made, discipline and much more...
All the activities in sub teams gave the exposure to personality types & view points and the agility (mental & physical) of agile Valtech team's put to stern test! :-)
(If I put the details of activities here, it might spoil the fun for anybody visiting in future)
The learning’s were immediate (Action Learning Cycle), which made it all more effective.
I jot down a few here

-Listen attentively
-Understand the big picture/objective
-Analyze thoroughly
-Clarify, don’t assume
-Be open (Johari Window)
-Make optimum use of resources (esp time)
-Constant feedback with all stake holders
-Take calculated risks
-Respect the fact that each individual has a different way of doing things and don't force your style/micromanage
-Collaboration b/w the individual team members and the sub teams is very important for the success of the whole team
-Practice, to bridge the gap between knowing and doing

There were many more lessons learnt, much more fun had, and memorable moments, which I really can't put into words here...

Finally when we arrived in Bangalore on 21st Sunday around 8 Pm, having met the objective of ‘having fun and learning' completely met, though physically tired, the experience had rejuvenated the jaded, body, mind & soul.

How to be creative

They say 'keep the best for the last' .But I think I have just read the best read of the year!Well, I usually restrain from slang here. But for this one I won't be doing justice, if I don't say
It's fucking awesome!
How to be creative Original blog format's here

WOW

Apple iPhone




Well, no doubt he's the biggest showman n the only rock star in the corporate world.The man who has changed the world twice (with 1984 mac and 2001 ipod), n may be as he claims it's thrice, considering the iPhone. Here's keynote . Despite all the hype they did manage to surprise with iPhone . Well, you can crib about, it being a locked platform, the deal with Cingluar, no 3G support etc but then you can always crib. Sir Jonathan Ive's abstract, minimalist design's a real eye candy.

And to quote jobs "Design's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works".

Looks like, it does "work like magic"

Steve Jobs is the Master of presentations, beyond compare. (Do check some presentation tips here).
For a sample, check the 'Apple Music Event 2001-The First Ever iPod Introduction' That's classic Steve Jobs. Watch in the end "BOOOM it fits right in my poket".

Panache baby…

Hit or flop, iPhone had me!If scrolling is damn cool, then observe the bouncing while the scrolling stops. It's alive.

Check this demo

And yeah, you have a year, before iPhone hits the market here.
Start saving.