Chaithu in Chester , UK

Here I am, in this Beautiful world, Here I am...

People would consider me a big idiot if I don't say UK is beautiful. Just look at the pictures I took, you will know why. Of course the photos were taken by me. But people who know my skills behind a camera will vouch that the photos look good inspite of me not because of me:(:(:(

Coming to UK. UK is cool and calm. The first thing I notice about the place is the amazing roads, cars and the systematic way in which people live here. I would be telling a lie if I say I wasn't bowled over initially. Its winter and when it gets cold here, its really really cold. Its so calm that people will hear you even if you are talking to yourself. The day here ends at 6:00. Expect no shops after that except Tesco and other biggies. You will find most of the roads deserted after 7. People here are also very very particular about mannerisms, I don't know if its because of their generosity or their colonial past.

After a few weeks here, UK for me crawls. Life here is so systematic that people like me who come from India really wonder whats going on. I am already missing the noise and life of India. But as long as I earn in Pounds, I will not mind :).

Expect oldies in Work place. The younger ones here are in their 30's. With no disrespect to elders, I come from a place where I was surrounded by people of my age, people who were always looking for an opportunity to overtake me. In here forget about over takings, you are supposed to hold the door for the people coming behind you. I guess even I am doing it, I hope it does not slow me down. But buddies, you will seriously not mind some of the 30's you see around you. Trust me on this. Period.

The one "Ooh la la... " thing I love about UK is football. Its the country of Manchester United. Soon I am going for a stadium tour of Manchester United. I will be in Dressing rooms, Dugouts etc etc :):):) Hold your breath!! I am going to watch Manchester United vs Middlesbrough Live on 27 October and I am going to be seated Front ROW!!!!. I may not have the best viewing angle but watching Manchester United so close and that too from front row satisifies one of my long cherished dreams. Will come up with more pictures in the coming weeks.

Tryst with Destiny???

All these days I knew that BSchool Application process will be very tricky but the more I immerse myself into applications, the more I realize that its more tricky than I ever imagined it to be.

First of all, this whole process needs you to evaluate your priorities, re-examine what you have done in your life until this point ( For some people like me, there wont be much ) and what you want to do after MBA and why do you feel you can do it. Actually there are much complex questions out there but if one has good concrete answers for all these so-called easy questions, I think that’s half battle won.

SO why am I finding it so difficult to answer these easy questions?? For a start, I think these are not easy questions, at least for me. As I try to answer these questions, as I examine my priorities, I sometimes wonder whether MBA will be right for me, whether I will get what I want in my life after an MBA and so many trivial doubts that I wonder if I am the same guy who has been planning for his MBA for close to 2 years now. Even If one musters to write something that satisfies him, there is a small matter of convincing the Adcom with his answers. Because what looks great to you, on paper, may look ordinary or silly to the Adcom, who see thousands of similar essays. Its very important to critique your answers and not to fall into the trap thinking you have written great essays because "Every Mother things her child is the most beautiful ".

On top of all this, there is this small matter of competition. A US MBA is already competitive but India's phenomenal growth means that the number of Indian applicants is increasing every day and the profiles & experiences they carry are also becoming more & more impressive. Of course I have no right to comment on this as today I am thinking of an MBA because such a type of thinking is possible only today.

So the more I get involved in the application process, the more I realize that I am an Underdog. So is it time to pack off. Naa..... I have this classic Underdog mentality and as some one has said "I never expect to lose. Even when I'm the underdog, I still prepare a victory speech.” Of course I see the result of all this, the result that will bring me Joy beyond bounds, the result that will make sure that I have my Tryst with Destiny!!!

Obsession with Self

I live in a world filled with obsession, obsession with self.

I live in a world where every day & every thing starts with I and every day & every thing ends with me.

I live in a world which has produced many great people, whose sacrifices/ acts are unfortunately limited to books of history and whose sacrifices/ acts are unfortunately looked at as an exception rather than deeds to be followed.

I live in a world where every good action, which is not obsessed with self, is looked at as an action used to promote some hideous desire or purpose and that a good action is just meant to act as an decoy hiding some secondary purpose associated with it.

I unfortunately live in a world where I am supposed to feel me, enjoy me, pamper me ....... and think only about me because any other thing I do is supposedly not me.

A Day to remember

Jul 9, 2007 is a Day to remember and I will surely remember it as long as I can :D

My success with a standardized test is well documented. But whats not documented is the fact that I had lot of things going for me. First of all, I was wished by so many people before I wrote the test. So many of my friends who are far far away remembered the day and wished me well. Good wishes bring a lot of energy with them. On the morning of the exam, I got to know( I should have known ) that it was the birthday of a special friend and yeah this news brought with it, its own share of Feel Good factor and then my roomies, what could I say about them, they are the best and they really did not need to do anything other than what they were doing to make me feel good. So I had many things going for me but then there were other important events that took place on the day that make it so wonderful.

My roomie, Uday who got into Gatech got his F1 Visa. Though there is little sadness that one guy with whom I have become close of late is leaving, I am ecstatic to see some one living my dream, well my old dream. Off late, my dreams have changed. So what was my dream, I dreamed of studying computer science in a Top university and there are few better ones than Gatech in the whole world!!!. Of course I keep wondering how my dreams have changed but then they do. Right now I am celebrating my dear friend Uday's entry into Gatech and I hope and I am sure he will fulfill all his dreams in the Land of Opportunities.

My other roomie, SHIP, well his real name is charan, cleared his orals. He is a marine engineer who traveled lot of places, something many people will die for. But marine engineers have this stupid promotion exams where in they have to clear exams and orals to get promoted. The only difficult thing about the orals is that it depends on the whims & fancies of some person, who only decides to pass a person if he is in a good mood. Of course all orals are like this especially when they are not monitored well. I am more happy for SHIP because he is this crazy guy who really gets emotional & worried about his future. So seeing him enjoy like the way he does without any tension was cool, really cool.

When things go well, You want them to go well and I am no exception. I hope I have many such days to remember and I am positive that I will have many such days.

Life after GMAT

With GMAT finally done, I can sense a feeling of confidence gripping me.

Long before I started preparing for the GMAT, I knew that GMAT was just a part of a application process and that I need many other things going for me to get into my Dream school. But there was this constant fear in me regarding my chances of getting admit in a top BSchool. With a good GMAT score, there is a slight mindset change where in, I am my concentrating more on other important aspects of my application and I know I need to concentrate and work more on them to get them right.

There are so many things I need to plan and there are so many things that I want to blog. But then there is this GMAT hang over thats preventing me from expressing myself. So for a start, I will stop writing about GMAT in my blog. I guess I have already given way too-much importance to this test and its high time, I stop thinking about a standardized test.