Tuesday, November 24, 2009

God is Great!

Oh what a topic to choose before exams! I thought I should do a small post about how you have to accept the presence of God in your life! God in the sense, a divine power that guides you from within :) not philosophy n all, but i believe that there is an external force acting on us all the time, n not its not friction or centrifugal or centripetal!!!!!!

Some of the decisions in my MBA have been based on a simple principle. When you have absolutely equivalent choices to make, I leave it to God! I hold two fingers of mine and asked my friends to pick one! How foolish is what I can hear many of you saying! May be foolish, but it worked everytime.

How to make this model work? The assumption is that both options are similar and satisfy the same purpose. I will quote few examples from my own life now, for clarity :P
  • Perk or Munch?
  • North Indian or South Indian?
  • Should I wash clothes now or not?
  • Should I sleep after lunch or not?
  • Should I spend 50 at CCD or 20 at Tifanys?
  • Should I return this library book or not?
  • Should I buy Nike Violet or Nike Blue?
There are many more instances where I applied this two finger rule. what does this model guarantee? An immediate response to the problem at hand without delay and I believe God himself chooses the option for us! and I never ever regretted following it since I have the belief and faith intact now!

Limitations to this model are having biased friends who always hold the same finger all the time and you kind of know which option to be put on which finger so that they choose it anyway :P the 2nd and 4th fingers should be used while offering choices to eliminate any kind of bias in it. I sometimes use random alphabets to choose from, if the issue is more serious like " Should I start this assg today or not?" :D

Is this what MBAs do after going to colleges? Naaaah! But for some quick solutions to problems that seem to be almost same, you might as well use this and save a lot of time! Many say, majority rule and others should be the order of the day. But there is lot of subjectivity involved there! Hence I always choose two finger rule over them!

On a concluding note, have you ever tried to trade with God on certain things in life? Well, I try to! :P
  • God, Give me good aloo parathas this day and I promise i will clean my room today
  • Sometimes, more serious issues come up and i say " End this issue and you can lower one of my grades by one level" :P
  • God, get me thru this situation and I will come down to ur temple tomo for sure!
  • God, help me do my exams well and I will not eat non veg for a week....
Its fun to negotiate with God because he will never say no to the trade offs you offer and he always makes the choice and you just accept it( most of the times)! Many might be thinking that I have high external locus of control and that I don't believe that I can control my life! Who said that! I very much do all my things myself but its someone special who is aiding me in it :D

I dunno how many of you would agree with my funda, but this blog is not meant to transform your lives or to make you agree! Just an idea that worked with me and is operationally much easier than brain storming, delphi or other techniques to get to a solution :P

See ya,
Sahi

My exams start tomorrow and God is kind again for there is no clash for me in terms of my electives chosen :D.....I can hear some of you mumbling, "Oh no, not again"!!!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Random Ramblings

I was just bored with academics, bored with boredom and felt like blogging. So here I go, with my random thoughts.
  • My Summer internship at Citi, Mumbai was great. The city of Mumbai has a warmth in it which you instantly fall for. I would have gone to Mumbai even if I didnt know Hindi because I know that I can survive thr! There are only two kinds of people. The ones who love Mumbai at the first instant and two, the ones who love it after a few instances :D....
  • Every aspect of Mumbai is different. I love the atmosphere, the roads, buildings, the sea(saw it from far away toh!). Its full of people and life. But what is most essentially teaches you is being on your own and being independent, which is what I love the most, anyway!
  • Various trips of mine revolved around visiting one of my relative's house, which I loved a lot,to all the shopping places( I just cant like any other city better for shopping than Mumbai!!!), to various places around IIT Bombay.
  • I went to the Taj, Leopold Cafe, Haji Ali, Siddhi Vinayak mandir and few other random places. Every place was new, yet so inviting for me! When I stayed over at my relative's place, I saw that the chat vendor there makes a gud revenue with what he knows best. If you have it in you to work hard and make it, then Mumbai is the place that gives you that opportunity! May be other places like Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad also give u opportunities, but not in any field you choose! and no other city will let you "let loose" better than Mumbai!
  • yes, I am done talking about Mumbai but I have been longing to talk about Mumbai for quite sometime.
  • Next comes the feel of being in 2nd year MBA! Yes, I am already an year old at DoMS, IITM!!! Feels nice and nostalgic :( The very realization that my study life will end in another 7 months is completely depressing for me! I will miss a hell lot of things when I move out from here.
  • The atmosphere in Chennai has changed and people in my dept have become more serious about their careers. Juniors have arrived(its been quite sometime that they came, but I am mentioning it now) and I have a confident feel that we are building good interactions with them, both professionally and personally :)
  • The next topic I would discuss is my washing schedules. I have a huge inventory of clothes and I have visited the washing machine only 4 times since July :D and I am loving it coz washing clothes is a pain! They should have more machines on each floor to enable multiple washings :P
  • The last quarter was very very painful with its demanding schedules and work deadlines. I felt the pressure on my body, mind and soul! and you would be surprised if I told you that I didn't even audit any course :P
  • I was involved in Rangoli making for my dept diwali celebrations and it felt really good to do it :) After a long time, I actually got involved in something I loved doing!
  • I have been experimenting a lot these days on my creative ideas :P some are original and some are picked, but I am trying them out and the satisfaction I get out of them cannot be beaten even by, me winning a singing competition :P
  • I am looking forward for the placements like everyone else and I hope I will be placed in the company of my choice :) I would want to invite all my friends to Hyd for a trip if they all get placed in December :D So gear up junta and get placed!!!!
  • One of the milestones in my life happened this year, in the month of July. I stopped BITING NAILS!!!!! Anyone who has this bad habit would know how hard it is, to get rid of it and sustain it! Its a sustainable model now :D
  • One miracle that happened very recently is my Nokia mobile fell into a bucket full of water and is still working, after I dried it a bit and switched it on :) there was a minor disturbance which I got corrected but I would say "Nokia Rocks". Nothing can beat it. My mobile has survived quite a lot of( around 70) drops from various heights onto various surfaces, thru various mediums!!!!
  • One more regular event is that monkeys stole my tshirts again! This is the 3rd time I got victimized but there isisnt much that I can do about it :(
  • I have been putting too many relationship fundae these days and I believe I can make a career out of it now :P or may be I shud just write a book on it :P
  • I have been thinking of 1001 other things while I am typing this but I know junta will get bored if I type so much and my next immediate aim is to bring down on my volume when I talk. Wish me Good Luck :D....
Okay, I am done talking now. Will do something more useful now :P

Taaaaaata,
Paleti( My nick at IIT Madras, I know it sucks but some things in life are meant to be that way!)

Monday, August 03, 2009

Just a day late!

Yesterday was Friendship's Day and I felt like blogging. Was tired with all the hectic outing that we had and lazed around until night and then slept off....However, I definitely need to make sure I write about some of the new friends I made at IIT Madras.

P.S: I dont want my School and Engineering friends to crib that I didnt write about them :P i have already written enough about them! :P

1. Monkeys : Yes, Like I always say, you can hate them but you cannot ignore them! I have sacrificed so many of my eatables, clothes and blankets to them! With all that they lootofied from me, they would have had a fully furnished home by now :P

2. Lavy: Yes, she is next to monkeys. Closer to that species than humans. My partner in crime, mime and drinking lime :P ( rhyming ke liye likh diya, ab tang mat karo :P). She has amazing levels of enegry and enthu that never cease to die and inflict me all the time! The best person I could ever share a meal with. We understand and enjoy food like nobody else :).....loves to diet and fight :P....The one person i would resort to any day, any time ;)

3. Shradha: The CR of the class and the silliest amongst us. She made me watch City of Angels without telling me that Meg dies! I can never forgive you for that, maatey! She is smart but always tensed and worried about life. She has her share of fun toh :D.... Loves to be on calls and watch sitcoms all day! Keeps crooning tunes with great difficulty and hoping that we dont listen to her ;).... An ardent tea lover who would sell half her grades for another cup of tea :P

4. Neelima: She is the Mother Theresa of our gang! Always goes that extra mile for everyone! Loves fruits and her breakfast and evening snacks is always fruits! You wouldnt believe me if I told you her real age, so young isint she! She hates OB and HR subjects but hopes to conquer them someday! She is also the superman of our gang for she lands exactly when her number is called for rolls! :P

5. Anu: I love her sense of humour! Wierd and my type :P....Apart from that, we share a mutual respect and passion for marketing. She is woman at deed and man at thot! A spectacular combo which you cannot afford to miss a conversation with! She blogs and i love her posts :D...Also, she is my wedding mate. Hope to get married around the same time ;).... Suggesting a new hair style that suits Anu would be my life ambition :P

There is another species called Aliens and I have two friends under that category as well, Vaibhav and Karthik :)....

A description of them would need another full post which i would do later on :)....But I definitely put them under my list of close friends and my aim is to make them normal humans :p

and Guys, Happy Friendship Day! Just another day to remind ourselves of the wonderful people around us :)...

P.S: Karthik and Vaibhav might start a Dharna on my blog for not writing about them :P...We support the Dharna :P

Seee ya,
Sahi

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Tagged

Tagged by Harika. Ko :P

Last movie seen in a theatre:

New York! Quite a boring one but didnt mind at all since it was a treat from one of my male frend who was sweet enuf to take us out for a movie as his shaadi treat....ek toh shaadi horahi hai aur upar se hume treat bhi! kya zindagi hai :D...

What book are you reading?

I last read Joker in the Pack....not reading any currently.....

Favorite board game:

Undoubtedly the PICTIONARY! the mother of all board games :)....

Favorite magazine:

I hardly read any....comics strips mein calvin and hobbes :D

Favorite smells:

wet soil, nice hot chocolate, hot ghee smell, most of the non veg curries ka smell :D

Favorite sound:

My ring tone (paper planes by MIA)....

Worst feeling in the world:

Helplessness

What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?

Can I afford to sleep for five more mins?

Favorite fast food place:

The chat bandi at Shivam, KFC and Gokul Chat

Future child’s name:

Gautami or Kruthika - Yes, I want a girl for sure!

Finish this statement, “If I had a lot of money I’d…”

Loads of shopping, little bit of investment and rest to charity. those who know me would say, wud there be any left for investment n charity :P....

Do you drive fast?

I dont drive, I prefer using the word Dont than Cant :P

Do you sleep with a stuffed animal?

Would love to!

Storms - Cool or Scary?

Scary!

Do you eat the stems on broccoli?

Nopes, I hardly eat any broccoli :P

If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice?

Burgundy

Name all the different cities/towns you have lived in:

Hyderabad, Madras and Mumbai :)

Favorite sports to watch:

Cricket and Tennis :)....not fav but wud watch those if i had a choice.....

One nice thing about the person who sent this to you:

She is totally jobless.... I am glad she has time to fill such forms :P

What’s under your bed?

I sleep on a mattress, so no issue of whats under my bed....but generally, under the beds, I have a lot of suitcases and in my hostel, i have my buckets, shoes, few clothes lying around and few insects :D....

Would you like to be born as yourself again?

Naaah! Would like to be born as a Man next time :D

Morning person or night owl?

Night Owl, hooting and looting others sleep :P

Favorite place to relax:

Home for sure!

Favorite pie:

Apple pie, havent tried anything else to quote :P

Favorite ice cream flavor:

Hot Chocolate Fudge :D...specially the one at Baskin Robbins :D

and No, I dont Tag people! I hate it! :D

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Pet Names!

Yes its exam time and its been kind of lucky for me when I blog during exams :P

Anyway, just now remembered all my pet names and felt like blogging a small post on it!

Motive behind blogging:
Juts for relaxing and enjoying what I write :)

The post starts here..........

I love my Name....Yes I really really love it!.....Sahithi.....what a beautiful name....I always loved it when my parents called me so...they loved the name so much that they never had any pet names for me(I love my parents).....but then as time passed by.....people have given me various pet names!

School Junta: Sahithi
Intermediate Junta: Sahi ( Lazy duds! didnt want to pronounce my full name!!!!)
Engineering Junta: Sa!!!!!! (Heights of laziness, cudnt have got any shorter :P)

I just hoped that my frends in Infosys wudnt call me ssss...sssss....since SA had to be shortened :P....thankfully they didnt :P

Some other interesting pet names I had: Maata, Pops, Poppies, Papa, Bobs, Bobby, Pandi
There are few others which are embarrassing to be mentioned here! :P

Just when I knew that it cant get any worse since all possible pet names are taken by my shcool, college and engineering frends, I saw people in IITM calling me........... Paleti! Palets!

Yes, now its time for my surame to be exploited! which will by the way change very soon to something else ;)

Im predicting that my work place junta would start calling me Pale(yes, its paleti minus the "ti")

God knows where people get names to call from!.....btw I like people who call me Sahithi! Isint it a nice name! :D

In an indescribable mood!
Palets! :P

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Everything happens for a Reason!

Hey Exams time! and I felt like blogging a small post before exams begin! dont worry its not doubts and queries abut exams!

Everything happens for a reason is wat I always believed in! and It would ultimately lead to something gud if u direct it in the right path!

today I suddenly realised how lucky i am! Dont worry, the reasons are as crappy as my Fin grades! :P

I was given a door which doesnt fit properly into the space and it shud be sort of pushed into the space to fit properly! first day of college, I didnt like my room for tht one reason! Wanted to change badly but decided to wait for two more days until things settle down. And in those two days, i realised tht i didnt have to bolt my door from inside since it is pushed into the space to fit it n it stays thr until someone pushes it from outside.Lo Behold! here comes the best part. I dont have to get up and open the door of my room if someone knocks it! I just ask them to push it and it opens offff!!!! Woah! Lucky me! And now after three quarters, no one even knocks my door and all my bewarse frends just barge in by pushing it open since they know its never bolted from inside! waaah! God wanted me to be lazy u see!

I hated the fact tht my room was too small and not even 4 ppl at a go can sit in my room. Then over the time, I placed my table such a way that I dont have to get up to pick something on the table. I can be on my bed, bend and pick up stuff from the table! I think its an Optimised solution! :P

I started studying OM(Operations Management) and i suddenly realized how better can OM help me in my room layout. where to place the table, where to place the two racks, where to place the chair, minimise the no of trips to door and table and cupboard, where to place my shoes and chappals so tht dirt doesnt get too much into the room, where to place the bag so tht i dont have to bend to pick it up on my way to door, where to place my buckets so tht i can rush to take bath at 7.59am for 8am class, where shud my iron go so tht I dont have to keep packing n unpacking it, where shud my lappy go, which shelves shud be given for books, which ones for eatables, which ones for toothbrush paste powder deo etc(so as to minimise hand extension done to reach it :P, where shud my alarm clock go, where shud my timetable be pasted(currently on the back side of door), what shud be distance between bed chair and dustbin so tht I can throw waste directly into it without getting up from where i am!!!! Phew!!!!!!!! Yes, I am done talking now!

If any of my frends see this post! they will scream in unison tht the available space doesnt even demand an optimised solution since thr cant be more than one solution possible :P....but I say there can be! Tht is wat Om is all about!OM shanti OM! May OM help my roOM!

Back to studies now!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Comment from Yashu on my interview post!

Blogger didnt allow a comment tht is this big :P....so posting it here for junta to read his experience as well :)

forgive him for he uses the shortcut language for words and many shortcuts.....u might not understand few words but wil surely grab the essence :D...Happy Reading

Comment from Yashu:

Sexy one!..As always! :)

N as far as my exp goes..most of it is already in ther :P..i wud try to dissect that "Ossum experience" as sahiti put it :)...

Dat was the time wen most of us wer travellin half the country anxiously 2 impress ppl :P..different instis...different GDs...different processes..i guess the whole experience got the critic out of me..as i was constantly comparin different process wid considerable amount of subjectivity :)

Then comes the IITM interview :)...

The whole structure was gud..neatly laid out...almost on schedule..thanks to ur seniors :)..Has a brief session wid the HOD, which was gud :)...n as sahiti tels me, who happens 2 b a rock star in the dept :)...

Moving on to GT..Surely!!!..one of the most polished group activites i had in the whole season! :)...v were 6 or 7 in all...had a kind of situation where in u r in-charge of the Sales division..and ur best guy is using unfair/unethical practices to achieve targets..has been the best sales guy of ur comapny.. in the wake of this discovery...how wud u handle the situation....

Havin had a very bad experince in my previous insti...wid some guy startin off the GD wid the crappiest and the most random details possible, i decided i wud not let it repeat :)..So, i staarted! :P...

the case was on a piece of paper, n as i cud see few guys werent finished yet wen the panel gave the cue 2 start, i started articulating the situation bein confronted by the manager quickly....30secs.., not long enuf 2 make some one else feel the same way abt me :P...Then..started off wid wat different dilemmas the manager faces and the challenge of balancin n shit...it was only after 5min...dat i realized dat this GT wud be peaceful all throu the given 15min! :) ...everyone was speakin at their own ace...none acting smart or grabbin the max airtime...n after 12min r so...v were actually encouragin oders 2 speak :P..In all, had a decent enuf discussion...in the end, the profs asked each one of us to sum up wat v discussed in the last 15min..This was my moment!:)...This was one thin i picked up dat season...scribbling imp point during discussion..Believe me!!.Comes in very handy!!:).. I was the last person 2 present the summary...n i guess i put my best frwrd :)..<> ..i vl tel u wat impresses the profs....u apparently need 2 highlight all the imp points discussed ( not only urs! :P )..This is wat gen happens..ppl summarize wat THEY feel abt the topic...nt wat they discussed..n it becomes a summary of wat U think..nt wat u discussed...and never add any new points in summary..instead say..."While v discussed all these points..I think v cud have also looked at other perspectives as...the emotional dilemma, favoritism...etc etc.."..This wud come across as brownie points..if somethin occurred 2 u at the last moment..

Now, the interview..:)

tuk some special permission to get mine slotted in the beginnin as i had a train 2 catch :)

they were 2 panelists...one guy was a US returned guy(referred to as US)..the oder one did his masters in civil(refered to as H)...and of course..on the oder end of the table...was a professionally dressed..suave mannered, admission deserving individual :P..me..Yashwanth :) (refered to as Y)..

US n H:Good afternoon Yashwanth!

Y: (Are u stil readin this?!..i mean...wat do u xpect me 2 say? :P)

H: Before v begin wid the process, i want ur opinion on smthin...I am a masters in Civil engineering..He is a Us returned guy..how do u think v cud assess u as a candidate for an MBA prog

(Ah!..Valid Question!..Can i have a change of the panel please!?:) )

This was one thing which i love :)..talkin abt seemingly unrelated stuff..and drawin logical conclusions frm it :)..then i went on abt how the process was not 2 test whether u r proficient in the technicalities but whether u fit in2 the scheme of mba prog...n ur experience wid the students in the past wud have enriched you in terms of lukin thru potential candidates and zeroin on them..and how the us guy cud bring in his experience n the students can learn so much....blah blah blah :)

<>

H: Great..If u feel so, i think v wud try our best to live up2 ur expectations...Temme somethin abt urself..

I went on and on..giving reasonable pauses...tryin my best to make it sound like..i was having a "Self-introspection" session right there...

H: Talked about some current topic...in the news...dnt quite remember...

US: So..u like Chess!..

( Oh yeah! :)..)

Do u know of this somethin called Elo rating?...

(Did i say..i "like" Chesss...Scratch dat...i "Love" Chess! :)...Ofcourse i know!!! )

Started off how Elo rating cam into existence...and how its used by FIDE 2 rate chess players..and hhow fascinating it is...dat only 4 players cud ever cross the mark of 2800!!..:).....

Wid the kind of things i was rambling...I was like..marrofying over action at a break neck speed...:P..bt then..Dude!..it was me at the wheel!...:)

and then, he tells me that he is also very much interested in Chess!..then he says..Which opening do u think is most effective?...

For a moment, i was caught offgaurd..Oh man!..U are takin the Chess thing forward!..Oh!!.I shud play this safe...If i m nt careful here, i wud end up bein marked as someone who puked it all out from wat he read on wiki the previous nite..So, i said.." Thers nothing like a perfect opening...It depends on a lot of factors like wether u want 2 b offensive..defensive..n shit...(Did u notice!.I was already an MBA!:P..I was answering using the "it depends...Contingency!:P"...)..

Then he said...Lets paly Chess for sometime..Me: (:-O)....then he says..( At this level, i realized that the depth to which this disc was leadin to was great...if i answer..i win big!..if i dnt, i dnt really lose much:)..)...Ok, wait..just tel me few initial moves of the Giuoco Piano opening...<>...Now, this was where i was showin off! :P.. I said...there are 2 types of nomenclature..and explained how the old system used to address the moves by addressing whether the piece was on the kings side or Queens..and how eventually ppl realized that such a sytem was 2 confusin :P..Then came the modern system!..wich was much more simpler! :)...I quickly recollected the opening moves of Giuoco Piano..was tellin him...bt smhw messed up the last move...n gues wat!..He corrected me!!!..I cudnt help!!..I was impressssssssed! :)...I wud hav taken him if i were interviewin him!:P..Bt then dat last hitch din really matter much i gues..he was happy wid me :)...

Ooops...got 2 rush...my FIN assignment!:)

So, cutting the long story short :P...the H guy askd me some techinical stuff ...ECE engg..cant really recal those questions...some basic fundae...Then..both of them wished me a Happy Journey!:)..Soo nice of them! :)

Post-interview:

Came out..waiting 4 sahiti...there was this cute gal who had her interview on bharatnatyam and different kinds of dancing..somethin..4got her name :)..i guess she ur batchmate now...Say hi 2 her 4 me! :D ..N also, she was lukin cute the oder day! :P..

Cant 4get the Nice feelin of the interview v celebrated wid Idhiyappam :D..

Cheers,

Yashu :)

Batch of 2010,IIM I [:D]

Monday, February 16, 2009

My IITM Interview

This is the last but one interview of mine and I wasn't tensed at all. With just IITD left in queue, I was all happy about going to Chennai for the Interview. Me and Yashu left by the bus from Hyderabad to Chennai and stayed at the Bank of India Guest house which Yashu's dad had arranged for us :)...To the uninformed, Yashu is my best friend's younger brother and had interview in the same slot as mine.

Had a quick breakfast and took some inputs from the guest house keeper about how to bargain with the Chennai autowallas! Must say, they are worse than the Hyderabad ones! Finally arrived at the gate and then didnt know where to go! Some bus came in and we promptly got into it, not even wondering where it would go to! Asked the driver if it would go to MBA dept and he didnt seem to know!!!! Our first management funda in place! When you dunno what to do, always blame it on outsiders :P....told the driver about how someone guided us to get into the bus. Then one of the students came to our rescue and told the driver to drop us at DoMS(Department of Management Studies) at Gajendra Circle(All you junta coming down for interviews this year, get into the campus bus and get down at Gajendra Circle or GC as they call it!

Having got down, asked for direction and sure enough, we saw the DoMS board at the GC itself on the left lane. Started walking towards it. Two striking things about the department from outside. The big tree in between the lawn and the CCD outlet( computers and compact disk outlet :P). Just Kidding da! The Cafe Coffee Day outlet it was!!!.....

The inside view of dept was very spacious and sure enough, we were ushered to the registration desk by some seniors. Having registered ourselves, we sat down and started observing the place. We saw a board where students have written feedback about their interview experience and I was jobless enough then to read the whole board. Everybody mentioned the HoD L.S.Ganesh's name and thanked him for the experience. i brushed it off as people maska marofying to the profs :P.... Many said it was thoroughly enjoyable experience!!! Is this a roller coaster ride or water sport!! How can an Interview be enjoyable I say!!! Perplexed I was!... many thanked the seniors for their help which I found quite an honest remark since the seniors did help us by answering our umpteen number of queries ranging from forms to GDs to previous interview questions :)

There was an introduction about the department by the seniors and they clarified the concerns that were raised. The HoD, Prof. L.S.Ganesh spoke for a while and wished us all the very best for our interviews.

I was slotted with a group of 12 people and given the group task. A GT is unlike a GD where people fight. In fact, my group didnt even fight for opportunity, everyone was given a chance to speak. And the few who didnt, the professors asked them to have their say towards the end of the GT. Haan Haan! pata hai ki maine ab tak GT topic nahi batayi! :P....I thought people are engrossed enough to not notice :P..... Anyway my topic was "You are a bunch of managers for a mall. There are many people who visit the mall and window shop or return back without buying anything. You are here suggesting various possibilities and strategies to turn these window shoppers into buying customers." I dont remember who started the GT but someone set the context properly by saying that lets identify potential reasons why people wont buy and address them individually. I dont rem all the points mentioned but I sure do remember my points :P My inputs were
  • Women who come with kids have tough time handling them and generally dont complete their shopping if the child gets unmanageable. Hence I suggested opening up a small play area where two nannys can take care of kids while moms shop peacefully.
  • I suggested appointment of women helpers for sections like cosmetics, clothes and jewelry since its easier for many women to communicate better with women sales person.
  • Someone suggested coffee and eatery outlets where people can stand and eat with only one or two tables to sit. This would reduce time spent by people in sitting and chatting away and would encourage them to explore the whole shop.
  • Someone talked about running user group specific sales promotions to encourage impulsive buying.
  • Someone talked about installing sound systems inside the mall for announcing various offers running at various outlets and make the customers aware of them.
I dont remember the rest of the inputs given but this should have given you a fair picture of how our GT went. L.S.Ganesh and one other professor were our panelists who took final summary from two people who havent spoken till then. Finally, all of felt nice that none of us argued or fought over the issue :))

I came out to find yashu also done with his GT. We sat down and waited for chance to be called for the interview :). I was the first one to go in my Panel! :(....I was petty nervous but Mayank Batra(the senior who was handling our group) asked me to be cool and confident for the interview. He said "The professors are very friendly. They wont make you nervous and wont bother you too much. Just be yourself." I was still nervous and sat at the office waiting for the Profs to call me in. 15mins....20mins....30mins....I was outside and I didnt know what was goin on inside. Mayank told me that a German delegate was here to visit the HoD Mr. Ganesh and hence I have to wait for a little more time. I waited and finally after 40mins, I was called in :).

The professors asked me to sit down. LSG and one other professor on the panel. After I said Good Morning, both the professors apologised to me!!!! Sorry for keeping you waiting. It was an emergency. Man!!! Who would say sorry to just another student at their dept to take an interview! i said its okay and then LSG said "you have waited for quite sometime, isin't it?" and gave a smile. All my nervousness went down the drain! His face was so peaceful and I was so comfortable by then :). Now for the Interview Questions:
  • Sahithi, Tell me something about yourself? I have rattofied this answer for so many times and even repeated it for atleast 2 interview of mine. There I go again with my blah blah blah introduction.
  • Sahithi, You have left your job in 2007! you have one year of experience then, right? Yes sir. What did you do for the next one year? I studied for Cat and other mgmt exams. Why did you resign so early? Gave a proper explanation about how there was dependency in my project and I had to leave then or in Feb, 2008. So I choose July,2007.
  • You have written quite a lot in your achievements. Quote one experience which is very imporant to you and why? I quoted my 11th and 12th experience in hostel since I was all by myself and learnt being independent and became emotionally stronger and so on.
  • LSG asks "Sahithi, you score is really good but why is your Quant so bad? Did you find it tough?" No sir. I didnt have enough time towards the end and couldn't do justice to quant. I really regret that. LSG says " I was the one who set your quant paper this time and the general trend has been a low score in quant. Just wanted to know the reasons."
  • Can you talk about the kind of work you did in Infosys? I told about my project and responsibilities. Some more questions followed on it.
  • There was one question on my hobbies that I cant recollect right now. I think it was about why I discontinued my music practice after 10th.
  • What other calls do you have? All IITs and IISc. What if you convert IITB and IITM? Which one would you take? I cant comment without getting sir. Just tell us what you would do? I would consult my parents before my final decision since they want me to stay down south if possible. Hence, even if its IITB, for me IITM would come first if my parents want me to stay south. Hmmmm, okay we buy that!
There were few more questions which I cant remember right now. I came out and felt so refreshed and happy. All those compliments on the board were actually true! Of all the interview experiences I had, this was my best. Btw, I went to all the IITs for interviews and to IISc as well! Only IIT Kharagpur was taken up at Bangalore.

I went to the feedback board and gave my feedback. Your professors rock and I love the experience. It might sound cliche but I am sure many of you would write the same when you come over for the interview! I waited for Yashu to come back from his interview and finally he was back! He was all smiling and said "Went well! how about yours?". "Same here!!!"

We grabbed some tea and snacks that were provided and sat down to discuss the questions asked. He had two profs on his panel, one of them being Dr.Ashwin Mahalingam. For those of you less informed, he is a US returned Ph.D who is with civil dept as faculty adviser. Yashu's interview revolved around chess and its intricacies. Even some concept of chess like check mate and all were asked. So all of you who wrote your hobbies without thinking, start thinking now :P. There will be questions on it! Since Yashu was a fresher, he had questions on his engineering subjects.

Yashu gave his feedback now. "Ossum experience!" "Thanks to seniors!". We walked out of the campus and took the bus to the gate. Took some rtc bus which the seniors had suggested to take to avoid chennai autowallahs!. After going back,had am amazing "Idiyappam and Kerala Chicken" combo at one of the hotels near our guest house. Then packed our luggage and left for Hyderabad!

And the post ends here. Hope this post helps all of those prospective students who want the seniors to narrate their experiences. Good Luck to the ones who will be shortlisted for the interview!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Why people HATE me! :D

Today, a discussion with few of my friends in mess sparked off a new thought in my mind. Why don't I pen down what many of my friends, family and relatives hate me for?!! Well, without much delay, here comes the sooooper list.....Btw hate here is for my behavior or traits and not me itself
1. I am toooo Loud(pitch wise loud and not otherwise) and many of my friends hate me for that. I can see Shruthi already closing her ears and saying "Rama Rama". My voice pitch is high and somehow I am not able to bring it down. I know its not Impossible :P but Hard it is :(
2. I Eat too much when I go out and I always ask for stuff that are new on menu. Not many were pissed by this but I know quite a few who dont like it.
3. I always feel too cold at any place and very rarely switch on fan or A/C. This is one thing my family also hates me for, since I always cover myself in blankets at home, even in drawing hall complaing that fan air is too cold :P
4. I have an extraordinary streak of patronage for people from Hyderabad. They should exhibit typical characteristics of a hyderabadi for that and all non-hyderabadis dont always encourage that from me.
5. I hate the auto wallas in Hyderabad and argue till eternity with them for that extra rupee that they demand for no reason. I am considerate when they are nice and provide reasons. Else the auto fellows are dead meat! My dad even now hates me for the arguments I pick up with autowallas. 'Throw a stone in mud and ur the one to get splashed with mud' is his funda :P. In telugu, there is saying that goes like ' Adusu Tokkanela Kaalu Kadaganela'( why step in the mud? why wash ur feet?)
6. Some people that I know of were even pissed by the amount of talking I do :D....Well, I do agree that I talk too much soemtimes but yeh India hai yaar aur mein mauna vrath mein bhi nahi maanti :P
7. Unanimously, all the people that I know of till now have hated one thing about me and that is my Hand Writing :). i was the only one who got 'Improve your hand writing' even in engineering mid term papers!!... and you thot engineering is time pass and profs dont comment on papers, right :P
8. Most of my friends are annoyed by the amount of nail cutting I do. yeh toh achhi baat hai is what you wud think instantly! Well, I do cut my nails but with my teeth u see. Well, I know its a bad habit and I shouldnt be doing it. Abey oooo! havent you heard the saying "Old Habits die Hard" :D
9. Few of my very close friends and mom hate me for shouting on them due to excessive emotional instability condition. Well, kabhi kabhi ho jata hai. Aaakhir hum bhi salt and pepper khaakhe bade hue hai!
10. Few of my friends hate me for the over optimism that I exhibit sometimes. Its not like I am optimistic all the time and in fact, i am quite pessimistic regarding few things.
11. Some of my friends hate me for I am afraid of ghosts and devils. Well, i dont exactly believe in them but after seeing Ram Gopal Verma's Bhoot, I couldnt look into mirrors, go to no light rooms for many days. You can say I am an easily scared person. Well, I can hear few of you already muttering to yourself that I am Scary as well :P
12. My Mom hates me for not taking head bath regularly. Finally, one thing that I have worked on and now follow religiously :D

Well, there might be many more that people hate me for that I cant think of right now. Anybody is welcome to post anonymous posts about wat u hate in me. I really wouldnt mind. he he. Also my friends are requested to add to the list through their comments.

and Cmon junta, its once in a lifetime that you get to do Buraai of someone and be rewarded for it. The Most Insightful Hate Reason gets a cash prize of 100 bucks from me :P....Well, I mean it :D

Sayonara!