The Good Lord

I recently had the opportunity to attend classes at University of Cambridge, Judge Business School in Cambridge, UK. Although all the classes were pretty interesting, the one that I found most exciting & intellectually stimulating was 'Financial Markets, Risk and Regulation'. This course was being taught by Professor Lord John Leonard Baron Eatwell. Lord John Leonard Baron Eatwell is a BA from University of Cambridge & a PhD from Harvard University. In addition to being part of the faculty at University of Cambridge, he is also the Director of the Centre for Financial Analysis and Policy and the President of Queen's College, University of Cambridge - the historical 550 year old institution. Lord John Leonard Baron Eatwell is a British economist who has served as the Chief Economic Advisor to Neil Kinnock, leader of the British Labour Party and was responsible for much of the work that helped the party substantially re-align their economic policies. Lord John Leonard Baron Eatwell is 67 years old and has written countless books, articles and case studies for several publications. His work is read and followed by industry experts and academicians in some of the top universities of the world.

Considering Lord John Leonard Baron Eatwell's such well-read, well-worked & high academician status, I was a little nervous and so were all the other students before going into class. I mean, come on, he is a Lord! And most Lords are notorious for being uptight about their lord status which they of course most certainly deserve based on their excellent achievements. One of the biggest mistakes that you can make as a commoner is referring to a Lord in a manner that he does not approve of. Some like to be called out as just Sir, some Sir so & so, some prefer Lord so & so and yet others like Professor Lord so & so. And dare you make a mistake in your reference, they can and will grill you down with their academic abilities, vast knowledge & world class experience that they have gained over the ages. Anyhow, with the nervousness on our minds and a pit in our stomach about coming face to face with such a huge name, we all finally got to class and here was Lord John Leonard Baron Eatwell getting ready with his slides (I took a quick picture for my blog when he wasn't looking):

Lord John Leonard Baron Eatwell teaching a course on 'Financial Markets, Risk and Regulation' at Judge Business School, University of Cambridge

Note something in the picture? His slides read the name of the course and his name, 'John Eatwell'. Yes, just John Eatwell. And just like the name on his slide, he was unlike any other Lord. He was a regular, casual & fun guy whose example for what constitutes money (re-payment of a debt) included 'an occasional daughter in some parts of the world'. There was nothing uptight about him. He was a normal professor who was approachable and very eager to teach kids who were less than half his age with 1/100th of the knowledge and experience base as him; kids who could not even properly answer his first question, "Define money."

I must say, I have always hated Finance. Being a hard core engineer and technical marketer, finance is one aspect of business that I have always wanted to stay away from (although I knew that at some point I would have no choice but to tackle it and take it head on). But Lord Eatwell made me fall in love with it, with just one class. His course mostly revolved around Financial Markets with a focus on the Great Depression after the World War II and the Great Recession that started in 2007. The main goal was to analyze and understand the economic, social, and political events that led up to both these events in history and the reforms and actions taken by individuals, private sector and the governments that helped the financial graph go up. The best thing about the course was not just the content but the way the content was presented. Lord Eatwell has this very innate ability to create a story with a surprise at the end that makes you want to think, makes you want to read and makes you want to research. It stimulates your mind and your senses so that when class finishes, all you want to do is wait for the next class (almost like some addictive soap opera) so you can find out what happened in the story after where he left of. There are few people in this world who can make a boring subject like financial markets so interesting and addictive. No wonder, he's a Lord!

What I was most intrigued by, as the course moved forward, was the fact that Lord Eatwell was focusing most of his attention on the U.S. markets. I mean, I HAD expected that, considering that no matter what the world says and feels about the U.S. economy, it still drives what happens in the rest of the world but sitting two hours away from London, I had rather expected that the course might have more of a European focus. And then it just clicked in my head, "Oh, he's a Harvard." :) No wonder most of the reading material that he recommended for the course was that of professors from Princeton, Harvard & Wharton, in addition, to his own, of course. 

Thank you to Lord Eatwell, I learned a lot and most importantly, found a new area of study that I liked and perhaps might want to pursue in the future. I also learned that not all Lords are old and uptight, that some are old and downright amazing like Lord Eatwell. That success and power does not go into every person's head. That some stay as humble and down to earth as always regardless of their status. Just like one of my role models, S. Manmohan Singh, our Prime Minister of India, who also happens to be an economics graduate from University of Cambridge. That the people who continue to live their life  learning their history in all humility sometimes end up making or becoming history. Hail to the Lord (Eatwell)! :)

20 Most Memorable Oscar Moments

I usually wake up each morning around 7:30 AM with my day starting with a cup of tea and listening to gurbani and katha live from Golden Temple on PTC. However, yesterday was a little different. I woke up at 6 AM and my day started with the same cup of tea but watching Oscars live on Star Movies. Such are the hardships of being in a different time zone but it was still not going to stop me from catching one of my favorite events of the year live on television.

It is always a treat watching the Annual Academy Awards and this year was no different. This year in 2012, the Oscars turned 84 & timeless. The talent that walks through the doors of this academy year after year is unmatchable. Here are some of the most memorable moments of the 84th Annual Academy Awards from my personal list:

Cameron Diaz

Viola Davis

Penelope Cruz

1. Viola Davis, Cameron Diaz & Penelope Cruz rocking the Red Carpet. As per me, these were the three best dressed women at the Oscars yesterday. Oh, and single diamond strings rock!
2. A.R. Rehman playing on the keys as an integral part of the Oscar orchestra band. They focused the camera on him a couple of times during the entire show. Anyone not Indian probably did not even notice that Rehman was playing at the event.
3. Meryl Streep, winning her third Oscar for the Best Actor in a Leading Role, Female. Meryl is my favorite actress and she is just out of this world. She is one female who can portray almost any type of woman on this planet and I especially like her in strong, powerful characters like the one she played in 'The Iron Lady' this year.
4. Robert Richardson's long grey hair with a center partition. He is the Cinematographer who won an Oscar for the movie, Hugo. I am telling you, long hair in men are so back in fashion. Even Brad Pitt was supporting the look although with him, it's usually hard to tell whether he is being stylish or just in between transitions for some character he is playing in one of his films.
5. Octavia Spencer's winning speech for Best Supporting Actor, Female for The Help. It started out oh so emotional and she got a standing ovation but then she just kind of lost herself in this funny but innocent way. She looked like such a cute chubby bear. :)
6. Billy Crystal, the host of the show introducing presenters, Jennifer Lopez & Cameron Diaz as "a recurring dream of mine".  
7. Christopher Plummer, 82 years old, becoming the oldest actor to win an Oscar. Plummer won for Best Actor in a supporting role for The Beginners. I also loved it when he thanked his wife in the end for coming to his rescue each & every single day and keeping him at peace.
8. Jonah Hills, the lovable nerd looking super chic in a tuxedo with a wonderful woman as his date - his mom.
9. Ben Stiller looking so damn short when presenting right next to Emma Stone. They should have given him a platform to stand on. Really!
10. George Clooney with yet another supermodel on his arm. It was funny how Billy Crystal commented from on-stage how great a kisser Clooney was to his date. I wonder when will this man ever stop dating supermodels? Is there anyone left who he hasn't dated yet? Well, I guess Clooney is the only one on the planet who is allowed to do that. He is hot!
11. The Cirque De Soleil act. I have seen several Cirque De Soleil performances in the past but I specifically liked this one for how they interpreted the experience of going to the movies with the use of their acrobatics. 
12. The academy remembering the members who lost their lives this past year. The three that especially stood out to me were Whitney Houston, Elizabeth Taylor and Steve Jobs. Yes, Steve Jobs was an academy member. Remember, he was the executive behind Pixar Animation Studios that has given us amazing feature films like Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., Cars, Wall-E, Up, Ratatouille & Toy Story?
13. Final oscar nominations for the last Harry Potter movie, a series that has collectively made $7.7 billion since its debut in 2001 and paid only 14% in income taxes.
14. Hot siren satanic red lip color on Angelina Jolie. No, I don't like Angelina Jolie, her looks or her lips. In fact, I hate how she is so bony and her lips look like they are on steroids. I just like the hot red color of the lipstick she used yesterday. It was nice to see someone leaving the neutral look & going back to the bold basics for a change. But how I wish she hadn't performed 'that pose'. Lost all her grace that she puts up of being a mother, peace ambassador & a humanitarian.
15. Robert Downing Jr. looking & acting ssssoooooooo charming as always. Ahhhh, needn't I say more?
16. Chris Rock presenting the Oscar for the Best Animated Movie. Chris is just such a funny guy. He makes me laugh as soon as he opens his mouth to say anything. I think he was the best presenter at the Oscars yesterday - simple, genuine, casual and funny. I loved how he said "animation is not hard work, it's easy. UPS is hard work." (it sounds realllyyy funny when Chris Rock says it) :) Another part of his speech I thought was so funny when he said that "in animation, you can become anything. If you are a white man, you can become a handsome arabian prince. If you are a black man, you can become a donkey or a zebra" (referring to his own roles as a donkey in Shrek and a zebra in Madagascar) hehehe...Chris Rock, you are funny, man!
17. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, first Pakistani to win an Oscar for her Best Documentary Feature, 'Saving Face' along with Daniel Jung. Saving Face is a documentary that shines light on one of the cruelest forms of violence being committed on women in Pakistan for years in which women's faces & bodies are attacked & destroyed with acid by abusive husbands and in-laws. I feel a very strong & personal connection with this movie because my best friend, Hafsa Haseeb, is one woman in Pakistan who has been working very hard for years on this cause to create a change with her Depilex SmileAgain Foundation. A toast to womanhood!
18. The Wizard of Oz 1939 Focus Group short. It was great to see famous comics like the American Pie Dad & the Legally Blonde manicurist on board of the Focus group providing a satire on how common every day people are used to provide feedback on high art cinema with Fred Willard interfering every now & then asking for ' some flying monkeys' in the movie. 
19. Iran taking home its first Oscar for the Best Foreign Language film, 'A Separation'. A Separation is a story about a married couple who are conflicted with the decision of moving to a new country to improve the life of a child or stay back in Iran to take care of a deteriorating parent with Alzheimers. Asghar Farhadi, the writer & director, dedicated the award to the people of Iran, who he said, respect all cultures & civilizations, something that gets hidden under the heavy dust of politics due to the current tension and possible conflict between Iran and the West, notably over Iran's controversial nuclear program. 
20. 'The Artist' becoming the first ever black & white silent movie since 1928 to win Best Film. I have no words. Truly & very well deserved!

These were my 20 most memorable moments of Oscars 2012. Congratulations to all the winners & nominees and great job to the academy for putting on yet another amazing show this year. 

The Three Things

A) Three things that I cannot live without:

1. My family
2. My dogs
3. My career

B) Three things that I can live without:

1. Cell phone
2. Facebook 
3. Make-up

C) Three things that make me very happy:

1. Good food
2. Cute Shoes
3. Bear Hugs

D) Three things that make me very upset:

1. Lack of love
2. Lack of trust
3. Lack of communication

E) Three things that calm me down & keep me sane:

1. Driving a car with loud music
2. Working out at the gym with loud music
3. Dancing non-stop for hours in a mirrored studio with loud music

(Notice the need for music in every step)

F) Three of my favorite TV shows:

1. Family Guy
2. Sex & the City
3. Iron Chef America

G) Three of my favorite movies:

1. Marley & Me
2. Bol
3. Mahaul Theek Hai

H) Three of my favorite colors:

1. White
2. Black
3. Pink

I) Three of my favorite books:

1. Kabul Beauty School
2. Steve Jobs
3. Spouse

J) Three of my favorite songs:

1. I am woman, Helen Reddy
2. Chhalla, Gurdas Mann
3. Maa Tujhe Salaam, A.R. Rehman

K) Three of my favorite food dishes:

1. Vegetable Pasta in white sauce
2. Dolsot Bibimbab
3. Sushi & Sashimi

L) Three of my favorite desserts:

1. Creme Caramel
2. Rasmalai
3. Creme Brulee

M) Three traits I love in people:

1. Humility
2. Sense of Humor
3. Patience

N) Three traits I hate in people:

1. Hypocrisy
2. Egotism
3. Insecurity

O) Three of my strongest personal traits:

1. Strength
2. Courage
3. Optimism

P) Three of my weakest personal traits:

1. Too emotional
2. Too sensitive
3. Too influential

Q) Three places in the world I look forward to visiting someday:

1. Italy
2. Egypt
3. Alaska

R) Three places where I can lose myself & feel completely relaxed:

1. Nature 
2. Swimming Pool
3. Spa

S) Three habits I love in people:

1. Waking up early morning
2. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle 
3. Staying up to date with current affairs

T) Three habits I hate in people:

1. Smoking
2. Procrastination
3. Lack of planning & organization

U) Three of my top role models:

1. My parents
2. Anne Cooney, Chief Operating Officer, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.
3. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, India 

V) Three social causes that I am most fanatic about:

1. Education for all
2. Women empowerment (and please don't kill girl babies)
3. Cure for cancer

W) Three things I implement in all my relationships:

1. Apologize, forgive, forget & move on
2. Focus on the positives in every person
3. Never let your ego come in the way of a relationship

X) Three best advices I was ever given by my parents:

1. "Never stop dreaming. If you don't dream, how will the dreams come true?" - Dad
2. "Strive to become so perfect that you leave no chance for anyone to ever point a finger at you" - Mom
3. "Praying at least once a day will give you the kind of peace & strength that nothing else can." - Mom & Dad

Y) Three best advices I was ever given by people besides my parents:

1. "If you want to be successful, never let yourself fall into a comfort zone."- Eric Stuckey, DAWN I&T Project Manager, Orbital Sciences Corporation
2. "Work is a part of your life. It's not your life."- Raj Batra, President, Industry Automation, Siemens Industry Inc.
3. "If someone wants to carry your luggage, let them."- Anne Cooney, Chief Operating Officer, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.

Z) Three things I truly believe in & live every day by:

1. Gender & social equality is a human birthright.
2. Never be afraid to stand up against injustice.
3. Everything happens in the will of God & some of his greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. 

Comic Strips: A Serious Business

Most of us have grown up reading several comic strips in our newspapers. Almost every major newspaper, local or national, has an entertainment section that features either a daily or a sunday comic strip. If you have lived and/or grown up in India especially in Punjab, the comic strips that you might remember reading at some point in your life could be Dennis the Menace, Blondie, Mutt & Jeff, Love is.., Peanuts and Garfield.

Various cartoonists have tried to explain what a comic strip is but the shortest and best explanation I like is the one by Will Eisner, who defines a comic strip as "sequential art". On the surface, comic strips might seem like the quick work of a poor & idle artist but if you take a deep look inside, you will realize that drawing few boxes of cartoons with some text in it, in reality, are great literary works of art created by some really smart people. The best part is that these cartoonists are not only having fun with what they do but also building great careers in this industry and making tons of money.

The first American comic strip, The Katzenjammer Kids, created by German immigrant Rudolph Dirks and drawn by Harold Knerr made its debut on December 12, 1897 in the American Humorist, the sunday supplement of the New York Journal. It is still being distributed by King Features making it the oldest and longest running comic strip still in syndication. Comic strips might have been around since 1897 but their popularity and possibility to turn itself into loads of cash in the past couple of decades has turned several artists to now pursue it as a serious full-time career.

Given the popularity of comic strips amongst people of all ages and the revenue that this art is generating in the new digital era, comic studies are now being taken seriously even in the academic field. Scholars now regard comics as sophisticated texts and sites of complex literacy that deserve serious scholarly study. Many universities such as University of Florida, University of California Santa Cruz and University of Toronto, Mississauga are now offering formal degrees, programs and individual courses in comic studies. There are many publications in circulation dedicated to this subject both in print and online media. Some examples of such publications are the European Comic Art, International Journal of Comic Art, Image Text and Image & Narrative. If you are a comic enthusiast, literary academician or someone working in this field, there are several conferences held around the world annually such as the International Comic Art Forum (ICAF) at Georgetown University and the Gesellschaft für Comicforschun in Germany with international focus and scholarly rigor that can provide you unparalleled opportunities to learn from and network with some of the top professionals in this industry. 

My two favorite comic strips of all times happen to be Calvin & Hobbes and Dilbert. Calvin & Hobbes is a strip that revolves around the every day life events of a really smart but silly six year old boy, Calvin from an American middle class family and his stuffed toy, Hobbes, a tiger who can interestingly not only understand but also converse with Calvin. Dilbert, on the other hand, is a comic strip on satirical office humor with a smart engineer named Dilbert and how he finds himself stuck in everyday office situations that revolve around micro mismanagement. Here is a strip each from both my favorites:

                                                                                                  Courtesy: www.gocomics.com

                                                                           Courtesy: www.dilbert.com

Comic Strips are a serious business. Bill Watterson, the cartoonist behind Calvin & Hobbes ran an amazing decade from 1985 – 1995 with his little boy & stuffed tiger when University Press Syndicate circulated the comic strip in 2400 newspapers worldwide. Watterson being a true artist was headstrong against commercialization of Calvin & Hobbes and refused to convert his characters into merchandising, TV shows or cartoon films which eventually led him to put a final end to the strip in 1995 leaving a hole in the comics page that no strip has been able to replace. Watterson did however convert his entire strip collection into a total of 18 books that sold 45 million copies worldwide. In spite of staying against the concept of commercializing his characters, Bill Watterson still managed to earn a net worth of $450 million with Calvin & Hobbes with re-runs of the strip still appearing today in newspapers of over 50 countries.

In comparison to the traditional minded Bill Watterson, the artists of the modern society such as Scott Adams, cartoonist of Dilbert and Mathhew Inman, the man better known as 'The Oatmeal' are all for commercialization and have voluntarily turned their art into lucrative businesses.

Scott Adams turned the popular office comic strip, Dilbert, that debuted in 1989 into a brand through several hardback books, a video game, an animated television series and hundreds of Dilbert-themed merchandise items. Dilbert currently appears in 2000 newspapers worldwide in 65 countries and 25 languages. Scott Adams’ current net worth is estimated at $75 million, vast majority of which is Dilbert money.

While most cartoonists in the past made money majorly through the print media, Matthew Inman is one man who decided to use the internet in this new digital age to publish his art. This 29-year old computer programmer created a website in 2009 called theoatmeal.com to publish his self-created web comic strips that attracted an average of 4.6 million unique visitors and draws more than 20 million page views per month. Inman writes & draws comic strips on several topics ranging from technology, food, animals and grammar. Some of his most popular comic strips include "What's its like to own an Apple product", "15 things worth knowing about Coffee" and "Why working from home is both awesome and horrible?" amongst others. Inman's web comic strips monetize from internet ads and merchandise - everything from posters, shirts, buttons to magnets, making Inman over $1/2 million annually. I must say, that's pretty good living for a man who calls himself ‘The Oatmeal’! :)

So, as you can see, creating comic strips is not just about drawing funny pictures. It has been and can be a very successful & lucrative business that can make tons of money for the artist who has the talent, passion and the vision for creating & turning great art into a strong brand. Perhaps something you would like to try with your doodles????? :) 

Re-Defining Indian Politics

They say that politics is a dirty game. Which has always given more of a reason to most sophisticatedly educated youngsters to stay away from it. Except that there are a few who are now becoming an active part of it and changing the game working as "backroom boys". Yesterday, the Economic Times had a very interesting profile article about one such man behind the scenes, Kanishka Singh.

Kanishka is a computer engineer from St. Stephen's, Delhi and an MBA from Wharton School of Business. He is 34 years old and currently working as the Chief Strategist for Congress MP and General Secretary, Rahul Gandhi's political campaign. He is what they call "Rahul Gandhi's close aide, confidante, advisor and gatekeeper." Gone are the days when old political leaders made campaign decisions based on gut feel and candidate relationships. The younger political lot is educated and wants numbers, percentages, graphs and heavy duty analysis to decide everything from the likely names for election candidates to the total number of rally meetings that would be apt for campaigning. Which is exactly what Kanishka does for Rahul - a lot of number crunching & running spreadsheets. He is the man who is responsible for election strategy, analysis and management and is helping Rahul Gandhi get an edge by creating a major transformation in the approach towards the political battleground. Like Kanishka said in an interview, "By the end of campaigning, Rahul would have done 200 public meetings. That's one rally for every two assembly seats." Prior to taking up his current assignment, Kanishka was an investment banker on the Wall Street working for Lazard, Freres & Co. in New York and worked for Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dixit's office in her run-up to the election win in 2003.

Kanishka reminds me of Peter Brand, a Yale economics graduate who was hired by Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics in 2002 to help him build a competitive baseball team based on analytical and sabarmetric approach. Peter Brand's non-traditional approach towards scouting players using rigorous statistical analysis such as on base percentage flew in the face of conventional and collected wisdom of baseball insiders (coaches, players, managers, scouts, executives) and went on to make history by helping the financially strained Oaklands to win 20 consecutive games & create an American League record during the 2002 Major League Baseball season. The new approach by Billy Beane - Peter Brand duo made such an impact that it eventually led major baseball teams such as New York Yankees, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox & Cleveland Indians to hire full time sabermetric analysts to help them with player evaluation & keep a true statistical view of their team. Thanks to Bille Beane, Peter Brand and their unwavering faith in analytical gaming, Oakland Athletics, the poor underdog team created a baseball revolution.

Rahul Gandhi - Kanishka Singh might just end up being the Billy Beane - Peter Brand duo of Indian politics. People like Kanishka are the new kids on the political horizon with a world class education, lots of confidence and the drive to make a difference. They are questioning the status quo & the conventional wisdom with which Indian politics is run. These kids might be the back benchers now but who knows, they might be at the forefront some day and be running our government as the next wave of political leaders? Wikipedia is already defining Kanishka Singh as an Indian politician. I hope more & more educated people like Kanishka receive & take up such opportunities in the future because I have a feeling that if anything, they will definitely re-define Indian politics.

                                                                                                                Kanishka Singh 
                                                                                                            Courtesy: Google Images

$10.7 million for a cure

The Penn Staters did it again! THON weekend 2012 ended this past sunday on Feb 19th with the announcement of a record breaking $10.7 million ($10,686,924.83 to be exact) raised this year by the Penn State students for the treatment of and research towards a cure for pediatric cancer. In addition to the thousands of supporters present in person at the Bryce Jordan Center, the 46 hours no sitting no sleeping dance marathon craziness was watched by 1,048,220 people around the world (people like me) live on the ustream webcast. It was absolutely a delight as always. Congratulations to the THON team for creating & sharing yet another amazing year of unconditional love, support & giving. Like Coach Paterno used to say, "This is what they(students) mean when they say WE ARE......PENN STATE."


I can't stop remembering my own good ol' days of THON. Every year that THON comes around, it makes me feel proud to be a Penn Stater and right now, I feel like screaming on the top of my lungs: 
WE ARE.......PENN STATE, 
WE ARE..........PENN STATE, 
WE ARE.............PENN STATE. 
FTK -  FOR THE KIDS!

                                                                   Courtesy: www.thon.org

To learn more about THON, please refer to my previous post 'THON 2012: 6 Days To Go' dated Feb 11, 2012.

Only One Chance

I have been an avid reader since I was a little girl. I owe this habit to my English teacher at St. Joseph's Convent School, Miss Sukham, who always encouraged me to read books outside of the regular school curriculum. Although, there have been few months in the past several years when I might have slipped out of the habit due to various reasons, but in most cases, I can always be seen sitting, sleeping or traveling with a book. And you would almost always see one by my bedside. I believe that reading in silence is the best sleeping aid and the most effective way to de-stress yourself at the end of a hectic day.

As I was going through some of my old books....the ones that I have been reading & collecting since childhood, I found a bookmarker that I used to carry around in my books during my early teens. I hadn't seen it in so long and in fact had no idea that I still had this thing from over 14 years ago. When I saw it, it was like finding money in the pocket of your coat that you had mistakenly left in it during the last winter season. :) Anyhow, the words on the bookmarker really touched me and I understood why I had taken such special care to save the same for the last so many years. It is very inspirational and you all might like it too, so I thought I would share. The poem/wording on it is called 'Only One Chance' and it reads as follows:



!! Only One Chance !!


Sometimes You get only One Chance!
One chance to put aside your pride
and say humbly: "I was wrong",
or "it was all my fault." or even,
"We were both foolish,"
One chance to explain
a misunderstanding
that, if ignored,
would sour a friendship.
One chance to hear
what another needs to tell you.
one chance to defend a friend
when slighting remarks are made against him.
One chance to accept a shy
but sincere offer of friendship
One chance to stand up
and be counted when
you don't agree with the crowd.
One chance to say "No"
when it is important to say "No"
but easier to say "Yes".
One chance to refuse
to be talked into doing
something you know you shouldn't.
One chance to right wrong you've done.
One chance to choose the right road
when you come to crossroads in your life.
One chance to stand up
and face a hard situation,
instead of running away from it.
Sometimes you get only
that One Chance.

I Am Woman

Something amazing happened today that is making me smile and I can't stop singing my favorite song 'I am woman' by Helen Reddy from the 1972 album, 'Helen Reddy's Greatest Hits'. This song was a Billboard #1 for weeks and won Helen a Grammy for Best Singer. 'I am woman' played a large role in the second wave of feminism during the 70's, a time when women around the world stood up in masses to fight against injustice and fight for equal rights. 'I am woman' became kind of their personal anthem. Even after 40 years, I believe the words of this song still hold true for the woman of today and for me especially, this song holds a very special meaning.

So, here it is for you: Helen performing the song live on 'The Midnight Special' and I give you the lyrics at the bottom if you would like to sing along loud & crazy like I always do.

                                                                           Courtesy: YouTube.com


I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
And no one's ever gonna keep me down again

CHORUS
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman

You can bend but never break me
'cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

CHORUS

I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin' arms across the land
But I'm still an embryo
With a long long way to go
Until I make my brother understand

Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
Oh, I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong

FADE
I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman

Last Month Of The Year

Sangrand has always had a very special meaning in my family. It's a tradition that we have followed for as long as I can remember. From the time we were kids, my parents have celebrated Sangrand at home every single month with full dedication without a single miss. As kids, the best part of Sangrand always used to be the Karha Prashad we got at the end of the long prayer ceremony. I still remember being dressed up early in the morning in school uniform, picking up mom's chunni from the cupboard (there were no walk-in closets back then :) ) and running through the paath while the auto-wala honked outside the house the billionth time before announcing that he was going to leave without me because the other kids were getting late to school.

Now that I am all grown up, Sangrand in our family is a lot different. There is no rush to get to school and no auto-wala honking. I fully participate in helping clean Baba Ji's room & make the Karha Prashad with my mom and wait patiently until all the family members get done with their chores so we can come together as a family and pray together yet again to thank GOD for his countless blessings. The commotion around Sangrand might be really different now that I am grown up but even after all these years, it still holds the same spirit that brings my family together persistently month after month even during the "never have enough time to do everything phases". The best part of Sangrand still is the Karha Prashad (and probably will always remain so...yummm to all that sugar and desi gheo) but I personally hold a lot more meaning to it now than I ever have in my life before.

If you are one of those uninformed Sikhs who know little about your faith or just someone who wants to learn something new, here is a brief introduction & some facts about Sangrand that you might find interesting:

Sangrand comes from the sanskrit word, Sankranti, which means the first day of each month of the solar calendar. The practice of celebrating Sangrand has been a Sikh way of life for hundreds of years and is used as an occasion to thank GOD for bestowing all his love & blessings on us in the month that has passed and pray for a happy, healthy & prosperous time in the upcoming month. In order to do this, the Baramah or calendar poems with a stanza devoted to each one of the 12 months written by Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Guru Arjan Dev Ji are recited from the Guru Granth Sahib in addition to the daily ceremonial rituals. 

Today is Sangrand, and with that we are entering the last month of this year, Phagun, as per the Nanakshahi calendar. Did you know that the Nanakshahi calendar was actually developed by a Canadian Sikh? Pal Singh Purewal, a retired computer engineer started working on the Nanakshahi calendar in the 1960's in order to help Sikhs around the world create a mark of their own distinct cultural identity. It was approved & adopted by the Shiromani  Gurdwaara Prabhandak Committee in 1998. Until then, the Sikh religion largely followed & depended on the Vikrami calendar of the Hindus to determine the dates for all important Sikh events. 

Nanakshahi calendar considers 1469 A.D. which marks the year of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's birth per the Western Common Era calendar as Year 1 on its own records. Which technically means that right now, we are in Western Common Era calendar year 2012 but Nanakshahi calendar year 543 (remember...we are in the last month of 543, the new year 544 will start on March 14, 2012). Here are the Punjabi names for all the 12 months on the Nanakshahi calendar starting from the beginning - Chet, Vaisakh, Jeth, Harh, Sawan, Bhadon, Assu, Katak, Maghar, Poh, Magh, Phagun.

With your new knowledge about Sangrand and how the dates for it came to be as we know them today per the Nanakshahi calendar, let's now read the Phagun from the Baramah and pray to GOD that the last month of this year brings us much peace and lots of Karha Prashad. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji ki Fateh :)

                                                                         Baramah - Phagun in Gurmukhi with translation in Punjabi & English

THON 2012 - 6 Days To Go!

Today, I would like to share with you a cause that is very close to my heart. This cause is what several of us Penn Staters popularly call THON and in full, stands for The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.

THON is a non-profit organization at Penn State University that raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund of the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital to help with the treatment of pediatric cancer as well as towards the research for finding a cure. Since 1973, when it first started, THON has raised over $78 million and assisted over 2000 children and families in their fight against pediatric cancer. THON's mission is to provide outstanding emotional and financial support to the Four Diamond Fund families.

I had the wonderful opportunity to be involved with THON during my senior year at Penn State University. From May 2006 - February 2007, while college students across the world were busy living the time of their lives, so was I, along with other THON-ers (Penn State students involved with THON), except that we did it in a way that was exceptionally different from the normal crowd. My involvement with THON taught me the true meaning of commitment and here I share my THON 2006 - 2007 journey with you. 

• While the normal college crowd spent late nights drinking and clubbing, the THON-ers stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning writing letters and making beautiful hand made greeting cards for our THON kids
• While the normal crowd slept till noon in their dorm rooms, we THON-ers woke up at 6 AM, took a shower, got dressed, picked up our cars and drove to different cities in disgusting snowy weather to stand at roadsides with metal cans asking random strangers to donate money FTK (For the Kids), and help the kids with cancer. Be it New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Hershey or any other city we could manage to drive to, we could be spotted setting up camps there every week in busy downtown areas to continue our fundraising efforts.
• While the normal college crowd went to the salon every two weeks for a haircut, the THON-ers oiled and grew their locks of love as long as they could all year long so they could cut off and donate those 5-10 inches at the end of the year to help make a wig for the kids who had lost all their hair to chemotherapy
• While most students spent their vacations on beaches in Florida and skiing resorts in Colorado, the THON-ers spent theirs visiting the children and families at their homes and in the hospital to play endless hours of Monopoly & Cranium
• While others spent their time shopping & hanging out at the movies, the THON-ers went to the gym every single day to prepare their bodies to endure the most physically challenging weekend of their lifetime in February - a 46 hour no sitting no sleeping dance marathon
• While the normal college crowd spent their Valentine's weekend of 2007 at dance parties with their loved ones, we THON-ers spent ours dancing in a 46 hour no sitting no sleeping dance marathon with the THON kids & their families at the Penn State Bryce Jordan Center amongst thousands of cheering spectators continuing our promise yet again - the promise that "one day, we will dance in the celebration of a cure, until then, we dance for life."

THON started with very humble beginnings in 1973 when 39 Penn State student couples danced for a 30-hour competition to raise $2000 for the the Four Diamonds Fund. Since then, the organization has grown exponentially into becoming the largest student run philanthropy of the world that now involves a year long effort of awareness and fundraising that culminates in a 46 hour no sitting no sleeping dance marathon in which over 15000 Penn State student volunteers and 700 dancers participate each year. Thanks to THON, no child in need of cancer treatment has ever been returned from the Penn State Hershey Hospital due to lack of funds.

Just a short glimpse into the world of THON

Courtesy: www.thon.org

Even though I graduated 5 years ago, I still support THON as a Penn State alum and will continue to do so for all times to come. THON 2007 was the most exceptional experience of my life. I will never forget the canning trips, the standing in the snow for hours to raise money, the smile of hope when counting the money in our cans at the end of each day, the hospital visits to comfort the kids bearing the pain of the chemotherapy needles being stuck in their bodies, the emotional phone conversations with the parents to find out how they were putting up, the gym prep to the big dancing weekend, the sore body from dancing 46 hours without sitting or sleeping, the hundreds of letters & cards received from family & friends all over the world that pushed me to keep dancing every time I thought I was about to lose my physical strength, the random volunteers who gave foot rubs and back massages to keep me going, the thousands of students, alumni and THON families who came together at Penn State during marathon weekend, the endless games,  water gun fights, piggy back rides & running around behind the kids to help them forget about all the grown-up hardships they were facing and instead just be kids for those 46 hours, the hundreds of hugs, the love, the tears every time we were reminded of a child we had supported who lost his/her battle to cancer, and I can never forget that moment when the final fundraising amount, a whopping $5, 240, 385.17 (yes, over $5 million) was waved high in the sky when I finally sat on the floor at the end of the most physically tiring but most emotionally fulfilling 46 hours of my life.  

Those 46 hours might have ended but the lessons it taught me & the memories it gave me will always remain in a very special place of my heart. THON is the best thing that ever happened to me. Those little kids with their bundle of energy, smiling and laughing away even during their most physically & emotionally painful times made me learn what it really meant to have strength, courage and optimism. It taught me that no matter what sort of hardships you are faced with, never lose hope and always believe and have faith. THON truly changed my life forever.

                                                                                          My superman, Isaac & I at THON 2007

(Isaac Thompson was diagnosed with cancer in August 2006. He had the heart of an angel and the spirit of his favorite hero, Superman. I will never forget all the great time spent with him. Even as a little boy, he believed in leading life with pure and unconditional love and fought his illness with a very courageous and positive attitude. We used to call him our "Man of Steel". Unfortunately, he lost his battle to pediatric cancer and passed away on September 10, 2008. Every year when THON comes by in February, I am reminded of my little superhero. Isaac, wherever you are, Rest in Peace, buddy! I will miss you and cherish you forever. For you & several others I met on my journey, I continue to support THON & hope that one day, we find a cure)


THON Weekend 2012 will be taking place this year from February 17th - 19th. You too can make a difference by joining the Penn State students & alumni to make strides towards finding a cure for all types of childhood cancers. There are several ways to get involved and help out. The easiest way is to make an online donation on the THON website. All contributions are tax-deductible and any donation over $25 will get a receipt. Please be generous and make a contribution. Together, we can make a change in the life of a child.

Boss the Boss

Several of my friends working in India have shared some really pathetic boss stories with me over the years that has inspired me to get creative and help out these desi folks by creating an emergency response kit that can be used when met with trouble to help create a positive environment at their workplace ;)

No matter how hard working our desi kids in Corporate India become, there are always those days & dull moments at the office when they don’t feel like doing anything. So, they start to waste time facebooking, chatting, flying paper planes, drinking their 10^th cup of coffee and smiling at the neighbors in the cubicle next to them. If you are one such person, there is a possibility that one fine day, you might get caught red handed by the higher authority A.K.A. your boss.  If this ever happens to you, I would like you to make use of one of my 20 creative ideas of things to say to your boss to escape from the situation. So, next time you are in trouble and you find your boss yelling at you, feel free to use one of my self-created emergency responses to your boss as follows:

1. Aren’t you the guy from Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi?
2. Excuse me, do I know you?
3. I think I have seen you eating Golgappe at Model Town
4. I was just facebooking a hot girl for you
5. Nice Shirt! But pink will look better on you
6. I want a party….I want a party….I want a party….la la la la la
7. Sir woh maa bimaar ho gyee thi to unke ilaaj ke liye paise chahiye thay
8. Aa Jao sir, apne paper plane vich geri marva ke liyava
9. Tere mere beech main kaisa hai yeh bandhan anjaaaaaaannnnnaaaaa
10. Hhhhmm you are actually getting bald from the left side…hhmmm…yah right there…exactly!
11. Oh My Godddddddd….you are such a cutie :) :) :)
12. Gussa kyon karda yaar….chal aa chhole kulche khava
13. Coffee te tuhade daftar di bahut hi swaad hai…main sochda aapa coffee di vi ik factory la layiye
14. Achha achha? Meri salary increase karan aaye ho? Most welcome ji!
15. Koi na koi na yahan boss ban lo..ghar ki boss ke saamne to pishaab nikalta hoga
16. Ghorrr Anyaye hai yeh! Main kehti hoon samaaj seva walon ko bulao..
17. I see your nose and inside it I see nosie
18. Let’s talk about your career
19. Aah Chho…Aah Chho…Aah Chho…shit man, I am allergic to you!
20. Baad vich gal karanage…pehle aah Miss Pooja da nava gaana sun

Disclaimer: The ideas or opinions expressed in this post are purely personal. If you plan to use any of the above suggestions, please do so at your own risk. No party shall be deemed responsible for any consequences that might result as an outcome of the same.

Facebook's Next Destination: The Wall St.

After traveling from a small dorm room in Boston to major countries all over the world, Facebook has now set eyes on its next big destination, The Wall St. There is so much commotion around the upcoming Facebook IPO that I thought it would be appropriate for me to also put some views forward on the topic.

My journey with Facebook has been a long one. I first became a user of Facebook in Spring 2005 when it opened its doors to the student body of a few U.S. universities only one year after the site was founded at Harvard. At the time, I was required to use my official Penn State email address to become a user. There were few people on it and the idea of sharing photos from college parties and get togethers and seeing what your friends were up to in their dorms or classes was absolutely amazing. It was fun and the best part was it was safe and exclusive. Being a Facebook user made you feel part of something elite that was for a selected few. It felt special!

Seven years has gone by since and here we are today with every Mary, Dick & Jane all around the world now owning a Facebook profile. I mean no discrimination intended but the exclusivity is gone. It's a website now for the masses. Think about it. My 85 year old relative owns a Facebook profile now and has recently sent me a friend request. This change over seven years makes the personal me grin but the professional me wants to stand up and salute the persistence and vision of Mark Zuckerberg to be able to make Facebook what it is today. A company with 3000 employees and a $4.2 billion revenue whose upcoming IPO is being valued at somewhere between $80 - $100 billion!

                                                                     Courtesy: Google Images

To get a realistic idea of what this valuation really means, let's compare it to some figures here in India:

• India's two most valuable companies Reliance & ONGC put together have market cap worth that of Facebook
• Facebook's expected valuation is nearly twice the amount of money that Indians spent last year buying bread and cereals
• India's GDP at the constant prices of Rs. 48.9 lakh crore is just 10 times Facebook's valuation
• Facebook's valuation rivals the total savings by India's private corporate sector worth Rs. 6 lakh crore in FY 11 
• Indian internet companies received a total of $430 million worth of investments last year which is 20 times lesser than the Facebook valuation

Pretty hard core, isn't it? :)

On a different note, with Facebook going public, it reminds me of the hype that the IPO's of other technology companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo & Google created during their times. Apple valued at $1.7 billion in 1980, Microsoft at $640 million in 1986, Yahoo at $300 million in 1996 & Google at $23 billion in 2004. However, it is interesting to note that where Facebook is seeking a multiple of up to 27 times its annual revenue or up to 100 times earnings, Apple, the most successful technology corporation, in comparison, debuted at 25 times revenue or 102 times earnings and Google was valued at almost 218 times earnings. That means, for Facebook to replicate the gain in Google stock, it will have to become the world's largest $700 billion company. Achievable or not? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, I continue to put my trust in Facebook and wave my pom poms high in the sky for its team. Perhaps will buy some of its stock too when the time comes. If Apple & Google could do the near-impossible of living up to the hype that was created around their stock debuts, Facebook most certainly has the potential to do the same. After all, there are 843 million users backing it up with several million loyal fans like myself who have made their personal journeys and grown & matured with Facebook over the course of the last seven years. So, all I can say is 'Good Luck Facebook....Way to Go!'

No Small Affair

As I look around myself, I see more & more people these days going out of their married commitments and indulging in what is notoriously known as infidelity. It's a shame and unfortunately, this is not just a problem amongst celebrities or other high society folks anymore. It's a disease that is spreading at the speed of light amongst normal everyday people, the average Joe's & Jane's of the world. It has currently become the leading reason for divorces in most countries. 

Everyone has their own personal definition of infidelity. My personal belief of what sort of behavior counts as infidelity co-incides with leading psychiatrist and author of the book '3's a crowd', Vijay Nagaswami. Nagaswami defines an extra-marital affair as "any relationship, which is emotionally intense enough to detract from the marriage and is conducted in secrecy." He further goes on to classify affairs as predominantly emotional or sexual or both. Which also disregards the common myth that the absence of sex necessarily does not mean an affair is not taking place.

Nagaswami's advice to married people/singles attracted to married people, "The minute you are strongly attracted to someone (physically and/or emotionally), step back and cool things down. If you fool yourself into thinking that you can handle your attraction and not cross the line, an affair is waiting to happen."

My personal advice to the same set of people, "No matter how strong you think you are, at the end of the day, you are human and so you are vulnerable. If you feel attracted to someone you should not be, immediately cut off all relations with such a person. Don't abuse the "we are just friends" or "he/she really needs me" slogan. The truth is you are playing with fire, and just when you least expect it, you are bound to get your hand (or your whole body) burnt."


So, how can you tell if your partner is betraying the love, trust and faith he/she committed to you at the time of marriage? Shirley Glass, author of 'Not just friends', a book that is based on 30 years of research and work with couples in affair-recovery states that "it is an assumption that a cheating partner almost always leaves clues, so a naïve spouse must be burying his or her head in the sand. She says the fact is that the majority of affairs are never detected. Some individuals can successfully compartmentalize their lives or are such brilliant liars that their partner never finds out.” 

Anne Bercht, author of "My husband's affair became the best thing that happened to me" lists the following top 10 signs that were reported to her in majority of the cases of infidelity in her research:

1. Number one on the signs of infidelity list was when a spouse became emotionally distant, withdrawn or depressed. Most of those who had been cheated on reported this behavior. "He became self-absorbed," one woman said, "living as if he was single with his own agenda and plans. He became more and more disinterested in me, our family, our friends and our daily needs."
2. The second most prominently reported of the signs of infidelity was the fact that the unfaithful spouse became angry, critical and even at times cruel. 70% of those surveyed reported this sign often coupled with emotional and verbal abuse, constant put downs and little to no patience. One woman reported, "At the worst point he was more than disrespectful. He was just plain rude, impatient, angry and aggressive."
3.  Third on the list of the signs of infidelity was the issue of control voiced by those who were cheating. Often they complained that their spouses are "controlling", yet they themselves were guilty of attempting to control. One betrayed spouse reported of their straying partner, "He insisted that I give him more space, that I stop smothering him, and give him room to breathe. Another said their unfaithful spouse began to express a "my way or the highway" type of attitude.
4. Fourth on the list of the signs of infidelity was a reported increase in working hours, after work meetings, business trips and a need to work out of town for prolonged periods of time.
5. The fifth and cruelest of the signs of infidelity on the list of their survey results (reported by 50% of those who participated) was illness of the one who is faithful. This was often more a contributing factor than a sign, thus the words of the song "You left me, just when I needed you most." One woman's husband moved the other woman into their home, during her brief hospitalization, the result of a chronic illness. Another woman's husband began his affair while she was laid up with knee surgery. Another during three weeks bedridden with a severe case of pneumonia, another in the ninth month of pregnancy (four days prior to giving birth to their child), and another during her period of recovery from a heart attack.
6. Number six on the list of signs of infidelity was paying extra close attention to their appearance, buying new clothes, losing weight, extra primping, working out at the gym and other sudden fitness endeavors.
7. The seventh of the signs of infidelity was showing more energy and zeal for life, doing things they've never done before or a sudden interest in a new hobby or sport. Interestingly enough this sign was often accompanied by a contrasting lack of energy or depression. "He became withdrawn and seemed to have no energy. He napped or was gone a lot." So zeal for whatever is going on outside the home and lack of zeal for whatever is going on inside the home. 
8. Becoming inappropriately defensive when asked questions, was number eight on their list of the signs of infidelity.
9. Signs of Infidelity number nine was becoming extra flirtatious with the opposite sex. One woman reported that it seemed strange the way her husband suddenly greeted other women with a kiss when they were out together visiting friends. (He also became defensive about it when questioned later.) Others reported that their spouse became very defensive about their 'right' to maintain private friendships with the opposite sex. And the faithful spouse was accused of being 'old fashioned' when they justifiably expressed legitimate concerns regarding this potentially hazardous behavior. "He kept telling me that they were 'just friends'. The fact that he continually seemed a need to emphasize it, when I wasn't even asking, should have been an indication to me that something was up."
10. The tenth of the signs of infidelity was an obsessive need for 'privateness' and staying up late at night to work on the computer. When confronted with his excessive late night hours in front of the monitor, one cheater responded "it's none of your business. I'm entitled to my privacy." This is a typical response of an unfaithful spouse. Unfortunately the internet has opened up a whole new way to infidelity. When your spouse suddenly needs a private email, bank account or social networking account which they become highly defensive about maintaining, there is a good chance that they are hiding something, and that something is probably marital infidelity. Hiding credit card statements, phone bills, passwords and deleting phone call/sms logs are also among the signs of infidelity.

Other signs of infidelity in Anne's research included noticing something different in your sex life (better, worse or just different), not always wearing their wedding ring (which they give amazingly believable reasons for), unaccounted for time and being caught lying (which they will explain away with various other reasons). 


As Dr. Nagaswami says, it is most certainly possible to be in love with more than one person at the same time and start getting into a web of deception. The most surprising find is that affairs happen even in good marriages because it's not always that people go out and seek affairs; sometimes affairs just walk through the door unannounced. If you are a couple who has faced such horrific disaster and wondering if a broken trust can ever be rebuilt, read this last piece of advice from Dr. Nagaswami: 


"Trust, while being a non-negotiable commodity, is certainly recoverable, provided that 

• both partners agree that a breach of trust has occurred
• both partners agree that it occurred during a period of vulnerability
• that the transgressor feels remorse and lets go off the affair
• that both partners are equally committed to the rebuilding process
• and that it will never be repeated."

Always remember, that an extra-marital affair even if it is just a strong emotional attachment to someone   you are not committed to is a threat and can at some point or other, break your marriage. It is no small affair and not negotiable.

Global MBA

It's that time of the year again when business sources all over the world are churning out their B-school rankings. The first one to do so for this 2012 year is The Financial Times. I have always been a lover of the FT rankings because I think this is the only one credible source that is not very U.S. biased. Although I believe that B-schools in the U.S. in general have a stronger edge over the ones in other parts of the world, it does not change the fact that there are several good schools elsewhere that provide an equivalent experience as the ones in the U.S. And for an applicant looking to settle in a certain part of the world, it does not harm to go to one of the best B-schools established in that specific region/country because your odds of capturing the best jobs in that region then highly shoots up.

Looking at how India faired, there were two schools that made it to the FT Top 100 Global MBA Rankings this year - Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. While IIM-A kept its position strong at Rank 11, ISB slipped seven spots down to Rank 20. Still, I think it's a great achievement to see these two B-schools from India make it to the Top 20 and leaving behind big names such as Cornell, Cambridge, Yale, Oxford, UCLA, UMichigan, ESADE, Rotterdan, UVA Darden and Emory.

India has truly come a full circle in the education sector with such recognitions. It is no longer just a place for global firms to hire technical minds from the IIT's but India has now become a hub for these companies to recruit for some of their highest management level positions. With such schools as IIM-A and ISB, India is now churning out Directors, VPs and CEOs for big companies all over the world with such candidates earning salaries that are no less than what are being offered to students graduating out of any top tier schools in the U.S. It is a good time for India and for those working on their careers, it is a good time to be in India. :-)

Check out the detailed Top 100 Global MBA Rankings 2012 by the Financial Times.

                                                                                     Courtesy : AACSB International (www.aacsb.edu)