First month at INSEAD

What I have learned?
Whoever decided that 24 hrs in a day is enough should be sent to INSEAD.

Everyone who has not heard from me, yes, I am alive and here is the proof.

Milton Friedman - RIP

Milton Friedman was one of the foremost thinkers of the last century. Strangely his death has caused only fleeting mentions in the American media and hardly anything outside. Here is a man whose ideas on free markets have had more impact on the world economy than any other person's in the last 25 years. The tremendous growth in China, India and in other emerging countries was unleashed only after their economies were reformed and liberalized, which forms the core of Milton’s ideas.

A fearless crusader, he took it upon himself to propagate the value of free markets not just to make nations wealthier but also to spread a right that is intrinsically so human - the right to make our own destiny.

Places I once called home

Thought it might be cool to document all the places where I have lived at in the last six years.

Terrace View, Blacksburg, VA: (Aug 2000 – June 2003)

1. Lived in three different houses in the same apartment complex.
2. Lasting memories:
1. My daily struggle to catch the 8 am bus in the middle of the snow season.
2. Roanoke star
3. Drives to the Mountain Lake in the middle of the winter nights.

Oakton park, Vienna, VA: (June 2003 – September 2004)

1. My first experience living in a city (ok ok suburb of a big city)
2. Beautiful top floor apartment overlooking a well manicured lawn and an urban forest.
3. Lasting memories:
1. M’s weekly trips from Blacksburg and the ensuing confusion on whether to pick her up from the north or the south side of Vienna station.
2. 5 hour struggle in 45F to set up the satellite dish in time for the 1st one day match of the India-Pakistan cricket series.
3. Snotty management
   
4. Craaaaazy DC traffic
5. Cicada invasion!

River Place, Arlington, VA: (September 2004 – February 2005)

1. My first property.
2. Amazing location – Next to the Arlington National cemetery and within walking distance of the Potomac River and all the DC monuments.
3. Lasting memories:
1. Walking on the fresh green banks of the Potomac in late spring
2. Lazy weekend afternoons spent shopping/eating/reading in Georgetown
3. Biking in the National Mall area
4. Smithsonian and the National gallery of arts
   
5. Kayaking in the Potomac
6. Metro rides

Harbor Heights, Seattle, WA: (March 2005 – September 2006)

1. My second property.
2. In Belltown, arguably the most happening place in the Seattle area – certainly the most convenient place to get back to after a night of parting in the downtown.
3. Lasting memories:
1. Morning sunshine coming through the western wall of windows
2. Sunsets from the building terrace
3. Pike place market and the Seattle shopping district
4. Time spent working on my MBA applications at the Uptown Espresso
5. Weekend jogs at the Myrtle Edwards Park

My favorite Sunday morning album

Woke up tired again on Sunday morning. On days like these I know exactly what to listen to. Makes my day always - probably because I connect with the songs at a deeper level. Check it out . :D

War on .... ahm .... so who are they?

This scares me the most.

Free markets and freedom

Next time someone complains about the evils of a free economy and justifies the need for the state to interfere, ask them to see this interview first. Milton does a brilliant job of linking free markets with the individual freedom.

Selfishness after all is a basic human trait and we’ll never live a perfectly egalitarian society. So why not give everyone, instead of a few in the government, the power to make decisions that impact the whole society. This is the essence of Milton’s argument.



(Source: India Uncut)

How to say voiture in French?

Abhishek: ‘voe-chur’

French Teacher: No. Its ‘vai-toor’

Abhishek: ‘vai-chur’?

French Teacher: No, its not 'via-chur'. It ‘vai-toor’

Abhishek (confused): ‘vaai-choor’?

French Teacher: No! Its not ‘choor’ its ‘toor’. Say ‘toor toor’!

Abhishek (frustrated): “chur chur”

French Teacher (agitated): Why are you saying “chur”? Its ‘toor’. Put you tongue down and keep your lips stretched!!

Abhishek (embarrassed): “vai-toor”?

French Teacher: Yes! That’s correct 'Abhi-chek'.

Abhishek: Its ‘Abhi-shek’

French Teacher: Yes, yes, ‘Abhi-chek’

Abhishek: No it’s not ‘Abhi-check’, its ‘Abhi-shek’.

French Teacher (confused): ‘Abhi-chheck’?

Abhishek: No! Don’t say ‘-check’ its ‘-shek’. Pull your tongue up and stretch your mouth wide!!

French Teacher (a bit nervous): ‘Abhi-shhek’?

Abhishek (condescending): Yeah, although you don’t have to stretch ‘shh’ so much.

French Teacher (relieved): Ok, got it. Thanks ‘Abhi-shhek’

**Abhishek feeling good**

Last night

Tonight will be my last night at my Belltown condo. I really enjoyed living in this place for the last one and half years - will definitely miss it. Strangely enough this move has been symbolic of a lot of changes in my life recently. Will move to a new place tomorrow, to a new country in the months following, and hopefully, to newer opportunities in the years ahead. It’s not a walk in the park though. As any economist will tell you there is an opportunity cost associated all the choices we make in life. Choosing a new future often involves giving up something from the past. But most people find it difficult to trust a new future because until you unconditionally submit to it, future always is and will remain a "stranger". No wonder, good or bad (real or imagined), people would rather cling on to their pasts and drag it into their future because past after all is their "own".

As for me, this has never been a contest - I love "strangers" in my life.

Life at amazon.com

... can really suck sometimes. The distribution centers in Europe are currently down and they are missing almost 5K shipments per hour (major bleeding). I have been fire-fighting whole night. As is always the case, more than the technical problem it’s reassuring people from all over the world that our teams are 200% focused (100% each for day and night) on their issue, is what makes the job difficult. Thankfully I just had to talk with folks in London, Frankfort, Glasgow and Seattle tonight. At least we spoke the same language. (Tokyo is the worst and China is in the pipeline)

Although, I do see light at the end of the tunnel – I leave my job in a month :)

Love and Sorrow

Sometimes you love with nothing but hope, sometimes you cry with everything but tears. In the end that’s all there is. Love and its duty; sorrow and its pain.
-Shantaram

Imagine

Read this, probably by Douglas Adams, a long time back and saw it again today. Keeps getting more true with time.

"Imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in, an interesting hole I find myself in, fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it's still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for."

Packing

I HATE PACKING !!

93 blast: Memon family found guilty

Court has delivered it verdict; 3 brothers are found guilty and in all probability they will cool their heels behind bars for the rest of their lives. What a waste!
All it takes is an individual's moment of insanity to wreck the course of so many lives. Those who died probably were the luckier once, the once that are left behind continue to face the reality of the sorrow everyday. And haven't the perpetrators inflicted the greatest pain on themselves? The guilty will pay their dues but their children will continue to endure a life of shame long after the parents are wiped out of the history.

Good and bad deeds are part of everyone’s life, but behind every act lays a motive which often is overlooked. The problem with the criminal justice system is that it tries to determine how much crime is there in a wrong and not the other way around. Justice is done when both the defendant and the plaintiff are satisfied with the outcome. So will justice be ever done in this case? Probably not. For a guilty, it’s easier to find solace when he owes to a wrong committed with a wrong intention. But for these guys the path to salvation will be the steepest, for they genuinely believe that there’s was a just cause. Sure enough, as they see everything around them fall apart they will realize the futility of it all. And won’t that be their greatest punishment?

Of being happy in Seattle

Seattle often gets a lot of rap for its its dull and wet weather but when the sun does shine on this city, its one of the best places to be at. Yesterday was one such day. As it often happens during the summer weekends, I got up lazily in the morning but was immediately dumb stuck by the brilliant sunshine permeating through my living room's western wall of windows. The whole bay was shimmering with hundreds of large and small boats, reflecting back every bit of sun rays falling on it. Since I didn't have any plan for the day, I decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather outside. It was 12:30 in the afternoon, and I was already at Pike place market. By far, Pike place market is the number 1 tourist attraction of Seattle. There are numbers shops in the market selling just about everything, from sea-food and flowers, to Chinese goods and mummy replicas. But for me the real joy of Pike place market are the numerous restaurants selling delights from all over the world. The best of Greek and Mediterranean cuisine at Turkish delight, french tarts and cakes at La Panair, English breakfast at the Crumpet shop and out of the this world clam chowder at Pike place chowder and piroshkis of Piroshki Piroshkis. Picking what to eat is always difficult, but more often than not I walk straight to "BEECHER'S HANDMADE CHEESE". Nothing, absolutely nothing, comes close to the grilled smoked turkey sandwich and macaroni that these guys make. The salty melted cheese and smoked turkey slices when slowly chewed with warm and hard crust of rye bread, relaxes your mind, body and soul like no other thing in this world. And the macaroni! ugh, its just sinful! I can fly to Seattle from anywhere in this world just for lunch at Beecher's; once you try it, you will too.

Felling blessed after I ate to my hearts content, I, again as I usually do, turned left on Pike street and walked east towards the shopping district between 3rd and 6th avenue. I have been to some of the best malls in DC and New York, but the experience of walking on street with the biggest of brands all around you, right on the street, is something very different. Its as if you are not caged inside a mall but the mall itself has opened itself up and taken over 10 city blocks. Instead of small and suffocating stores, each of these stores here have enough space for a soccer field. And the brands, from Urban Outfitters, Gap and Nordstorm to specialty boutiques like Betsy Johnson and Isadora's Antique Clothing, they got it all. My personal favorite is Nordstorm rack. If you want best quality shoes at the most reasonable price, this is the place for you. Beware though, the sheer variety of choices can be disorienting; at this store patience is a virtue that all of us shoppers can use some more of.

At 2:30pm, the sun was beating down hard and I was not particularly keen on shopping anything, so I walked into Border's, both escape from the heat and check out the recent titles. None of my trips to shopping district are finished without spending an hour or two at Border's or Barns & Nobles. It strange but I feel the most secure and clam when I surrounded by the smell of new books .... more on it someday later.

I started my way back north on 4th Ave and stopped at 4th and wall for a cup of coffee at Uptown Espresso. Everyone knows Seattle is famous for its coffee and big coffee companies like Starbucks, Tullys and Seattle Coffee. But for me no other store epitomizes Seattle and coffee as much as Uptown Espresso. The baristas here are laid back and always look into your eyes while taking order. There is no regimented number writing, punching keys on the computer or howling your name when the coffee is ready. Here there is just one person who takes your order and makes coffee before serving the next person in line. Although crowded, the patrons - residents of nearby apartments (and not "my ass is on fire office goers") are patient and look relaxed. I have literally spent hundreds of hours at Uptown Espresso and know the "regulars" very well. There is that dentistry student who is always with his text book, the lady with her dog who sits in the corner, the Mexican guy with his chess set and the tall and lanky white man who is learning Chinese. Sometimes I talk to them but most times we show our acquaintance by slight nudge of head or parting of lips. The place also has unwritten rules on how and where to sit. If you don't have a computer with you don't sit on tables along the wall because that's where the plug points are - leave the table open for someone who might have a computer. If there are not enough tables don't sit on one where someone is reading intently - he/she might be disturbed, pick one where the person is just drinking coffee, they might be interested in a conversation. Also if you have few people along with you, take the bigger tables on the right side instead of moving tables on the left side. There are no pretensions here; the carpet is old but always clean, the furniture is ordinary but designed with comfort in mind and space is well lit and opens up completely for warm summer days. Some of my best memories of Seattle will be of those winter afternoons at Uptown when I sat right in the corner next to the window reading newspaper and drinking coffee with warm sunlight blushing my cheeks.

The time now was about 5 pm. I reached home, called a few friends and relaxed for some time. At 5:30 pm, still full of energy, I changed into athletic wear and went for jog at Myrtle Edwards Park. It amazes me how few Seattleites know of this wonderful park. Sitting right between Belltown and lower queen ann, this park runs along the water, and with Mt. Rainer and Olympic mountains in the background, offers some of the most stunning views of the city. If seeing all the natural and man-made beauty around you doesn't make you feel happy that you are alive, nothing else will.

I reached back home at 7:30 pm and after a quick shower and few phone calls, I was ready for dinner. The venue was a Spanish restaurant, Peso's at Queen Anne. This place is considered as one of the best "pick-up" spots in the city and the moment you enter the restaurant (and bar) you will understand why. But my interest was just in food and was quite happy with their specialty - "carne asada". I was back home at 10:15pm but the night was just getting started in the city. By 11:00 pm, couple of friends and I were already on the Baltic room dance floor surrounded by the sea of human mass, gyrating to the latest of bollywood and bhangra beats. After an hour of hip shaking, leg throwing, neck jerking, stomping on other people's foot and getting stomped on, I truly became one with 500 other people that had packed that 15x20 sq feet dance floor. I could sense every muscle of my body twitching, but the tremendous energy of the crowd and 4 whiskey sours kept me going. Finally, at 12:30am , completely drenched in sweat (not all if it was mine), I was just about ready to call it a night but no clubbing night is really over without a sugar shot at Dilettante. The creme brule gave me enough sugar to change my mind at 1:30am and we found ourselves at Neighbours. Ok now all you worried folks out there, yes, neighbors is the most famous gay and lesbian club in Seattle, but don't worry I am as straight as an arrow. What is less known about neighbors is that its the best dance club in Seattle, the absolute best. More than half of the people that come to Neighbous are actually straight and its this mix of gays and non gays, which makes it such an interesting place. From bhangra, the switch to 80's disco and rock-n-roll was instant, and once again I was in midst of sea of humanity undulating between reality and fantasy. By 3am I was barely able to dance and truly had enough. We stumbled out of neighbors and after some pointless wandering on the street, finally manged to locate our car and drove back home.

At 3:30am, as I lay in my bed thinking of the day gone by, I couldn't help wonder about what really makes life fulfilling. Sure, everyone loves fame and fortune, success in professional life, going place and having everything, but does it really make one happy? I have everything that I can ask for and yet its not what I have that makes me happy. The simple joys of life, of taking a moment to appreciate the beauty around us, of going beyond our inhibitions and experiencing the unknown, of looking into a stranger's eyes and not shirking away, of meeting familiar faces and connecting with their lives, of living life in that moment to its fullest, is what really makes the days of our lives truly memorable. I don't know what the future holds for me, but I know that no matter where I am I just have look within myself to find happiness. And isn't this realization that keeps us going as we face life and its glorious uncertainties.

Pre-reading blues

09:27 PM - Essentials of Accounting - Page 77
09:29 PM - Thirsty! Need some water
09:31 PM - Turned on the radio
09:32 PM - Changed the channel
09:33 PM - Yeah! Essentials of Accounting - Page 77
09:35 PM - Phone call
09:50 PM - Ok, now a bit serious. Essentials of Accounting - Page 77
09:51 PM - Oh! Forgot, had to make a call
10:13 PM - Stupid radio. Changed the channel once more.
10:15 PM - eke! This radio thing is not working - Turned the CD player on.
10:17 PM - hmm! Whats that noise outside?
10:29 PM - It was nothing. Few drunks having fun.
10:30 PM - Hungry, haven't had dinner yet!
10:42 PM - (After dinner) Yeah! Feel'in much better - Essentials of Accounting - Page 77
10:44 PM - ugh! Feel'in sleepy
10:45 PM - Need a warm drink
10:51 PM - Yup, I feel really focussed now! Essentials of Accounting - Page 77
10:55 PM - (After reading the same line 10 times) hmm ... "I should take it easy, its been a tough week."
.......................................................................
08:17 AM - Essentials of Accounting - Page 77

Moving to France!

Yeah, big news! In few months will be moving to France to join INSEAD's MBA program. To say that I am excited will be an understatement. I am literally floating in the air.

The school is quite renowned and is called business school for the world; and why not, students from more than 83 countries will be in my own class. But academics apart, this should be an interesting experience. INSEAD is situated in the picturesque river side town of Fontainebleau just 40 KM (yes kilometers :-) from Paris. And then there will be opportunities to study both in Singapore (which I am planning to) and Wharton (not planning). I am hoping to stay in one of those amazing Cheatues next to the forest, which is frequently the venue for the famous INSEAD parties. But I wonder how much of it will I be able to enjoy? This will an intense one year program with 2 months of summer internship, and in between there will be "study" tours to such far away places like Cambodia, Chile and India (yey!). I have also heard about alumni events in French Riviera, job fairs in London and New York, graduation parties in Paris, and .... Oh! I am dreaming again. I wonder why I never think about the crazy 100hr work weeks, which incidentally INSEAD is more famous for ... Sigh!

But the move itself will be anything but easy. First of all I have to wind up my life in USA - sell house, car, furniture, turn in my resignation, say goodbyes (this will be most difficult) then fly to India and hopefully do some traveling, and towards the end of December fly back to France.

Although intentional, this will be a big change. Few months ago, when I started applying to the business schools, I was very confident that this is what’s next for me. But now that business school is suddenly a reality I am slowly realizing what a big change it will be. Going back to a poor student's life will be just one of the challenges. Moving all the way to France brings whole set of other issues - understating new country, learning a new language, customs and experiencing the famous French snobbishness. But this is what I signed up for when I sent in my INSEAD application.

The next couple of months in USA are completely booked. My condo just came on market today. Check out the pictures, the place looks absolutely fabulous. The photographer did a really good job :). Hopefully this will close soon and I will be able to wipe my hands of one more (fingers crossed) successful investment. After that will probably fly to San Francisco to get the French visa ... damm! I hate my Indian passport; no country would let me in without having me go through the painful visa application process.

Anyway, one good thing I did was to give away my TV and DVD player to a friend. Instead of wasting time watching Comdey Central, I am actually doing something more useful, or am I? Huh!

Right (?) to Information

Its amazing how even the most well intentioned laws can become such a dilemma in India. What's humbling is that the poorest of the poor are already availing this right to information but non existent delivery system runs the risk of adding this right to the long list of other laws which look like a dream on paper but have had no impact on people's lives.
The great Indian conundrum continues to frustrate and infuriate, and yet it continues to inspire. Oh! I just love my country :-).

Reality

City as they say – never sleeps; neither can I tonight. As I stare out of the window, I can see my face reflected back in the mirror, illuminated by the pure white and surprisingly warm monitor light. Even at this odd hour life just keeps going on. A homeless man trying to curl into the smallest of the nooks, hoping to warm himself with his own body heat, a tireless road light turning from green to yellow to red even though there are hardly any cars to obey it and the shimmering lights of ferries beyond, floating carelessly on a dark deep bay filled with the salty fridget waters from the north. There are stories everywhere, inside each of those windows shielded with blinds trying to hide love, shame, passion, determination, fear and betrayal. As the night will give way to the morning, these stories will emerge out of the dreams and nightmares and step into the reality of a new day yet continue as if the night never really happened. I will see that caring mother, who keenly watches her young son climb into the school bus. I wonder “Why don’t I ever see that boy’s father? Does he not live with them? Is the mother happy and the son secure?” And there will be that furniture shop owner, who washes the pavement clean every morning hoping to make a more inviting entrance. “I have never seen a customer in that shop. It must be making losses. Why waste time washing dirt off the pavement instead of improving the furniture selection? May be he is better suited to do something else than selling furniture.” As I spread my gaze across the city, I realize, for every reality there is a story. Story initiated with bits of reality and completed by my own fantasy. “Then what is their reality?” I question myself. A humbling realization that I may never know makes the story, eventually and invariably, the reality. A disturbing thought occurs, “If all my actions are in response to the imaginations of my mind, then what is being alive and aware?”

Staring straight into my reflection in the window, I can sense it staring back with the same inquisitive eyes. “What is my reality?” it’s asking.

You know I have been struggling with my technology career ... Hmmm.....

Does it still bother you?

Manu Sharma who allegedly (yeah right) murdered Jessica Lal in 1999 was acquitted by the court today.
One more instance of rich and famous manipulating the system to get away with the most heinous of crimes. It just pains my heart to see this happen again and again and again. Is our system so spineless to not even stand a fighting chance against these sophisticated thugs. That fellow shot that young model at point blank range and now he is getting away scott free. Today when I read it in the news, my immediate reaction was to be cynical. But no, I dont want to cynical anymore. India can never be a land of our dreams if privileged few continue to be above and beyond the arms of law. When was the last time a politition was convicted or a stock market scamster brought to justice? Its instances like these that do more damage to people's trust in the system than anything else.
Outraged and frustrated, I sent an email to Bharat Uday Mission. Not sure if anything will happen but just couldn't pass it as another news headline which will be stale in a day.
I hope somewhere an Indian Elliot Spitzer is reading this blog. (Since only two people read this blog, I hope you know that its YOU I am talking about)