The NikP Blog

India Medals Dream @ Olympics - My Pledge :

2008-08-22T00:54:00.000-07:00

India's olympics campaign ended today with a bronze, and for the 1st Time in History India has won 3 Medals in the Olympics with 1 Individual goal (1st time as well). Wohoooooooooooooo, again, better late than never!.

Over a casual conversation on GChat with one of my friends, I jokingly said that I Promise to make all efforts to make sure my Son/Daughter can win 1 Medal (gold :P) in either swimming / tennis for the country.

But on hindsight, this might not be a bad idea. I mean, a lot of our parents thought that "..i wish my son would grow up to be a doctor / engineer / successful businessman"... " ..i wish my son would grow up to be a cricketer / bollywood star!"... but none of them would ever think of a medal in Olympics!. Its a fact that in the Indian society everything starts with the opinion of parents and what they want you to become, and we spent the rest of our lives fulfilling their dreams. But think about it, being an olympian and being known All over the world and the country is not a bad idea!. It results also in the subsequent rewards, recognitions and better opportunities as well!

Food for thought

Cheers

Olympian Indian :P

3 Stories: Steve Jobs' best speech

2008-08-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

Brilliant Speech by Steve Jobs at Stanford Graduating Ceremony.

For those who have NOT seen this, on 3 stories he needs to tell in life and his learnings:

1. Connecting the Dots: Of how he dropped out of college, did what he wanted to do, and then it helped him later in life. Its true when he says, " you can only connect the dots backwards". A lot of us ask questions like - "how would this help me in my career / life later?" well, most of us just guess the answer but can only realise later on in life, that a lot of things that happened are not planned, it just happens as a result of things you did before, but never anticipated it to happen!

2. Love and Loss: Of how he was FIRED out of Apple!. The company he started! and how he regenerated. Of how one needs to be positive of things that happened and for what will happened. "Never Settle!"

3. Death: Live each day, as it was your last! Do what you would do if it was your LAST day in life.

Hope you enjoy it!

Cheers

Nikunj

How does China win so many gold medals?

2008-08-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

An Article from CBS which gives examples of how Chinese Young Talent is nurtured from a very young age. Debatable if this is by choice or by force for this young athletes, but what is appreciable is that China is thinking way ahead of atleast India on winning more Gold Medals in olympics and hence developing its talent and infrastructure for greater things in the next decade.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/19/eveningnews/main4364969.shtml

The Making Of China's Olympic Golden Age

Nine-year-old Zhang Huiman is on the lonely road to Olympic gold, running 20 miles a day preparing for the games of 2020.

"My heroes," she says through a translator, "are runners who won gold medals."

Welcome to a nation so obsessed with Olympic gold that it is training 200,000 handpicked kids in state-run sports boarding schools, CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen reports.

Weightlifter Ye Ping came there four years ago.

"I miss my mom and dad," she says through a translator. "But the Olympics is the goal of every athlete."

It's the same system the Soviets used to train gold medalists like Maria Filatova in their Cold-War sports duel with the United States.

Now a coach in upstate New York, she remembers officials motivated to find the children with the most potential.

People were promoted, she told CBS News if their athletes won gold.

Copying the Soviets, the Chinese went all out - to out-gold the United States.

The Olympic Games plan: sports with less profile but more medals.

Meanwhile, China has three in judo, five in shooting and eight in weightlifting.

To the Chinese, weightlifting counters those golds won by Michael Phelps.

"I think it's important that people realize that the Olympic Games can be gamed," said Matt Forney, a former Beijing bureau chief for Time Magazine who recently wrote an op-ed article on the topic.

Winning isn't just about bringing home a gold medal - it's also about winning a golden future. For many Chinese athletes, thanks to a grateful nation, they can be set for life.

They get a $150,000 bonus - 30 times the average Chinese annual salary.

But the real message is Communism beats Democracy.

"It's their way of showing, see 'our' system - the Chinese Communist Party - put our country on top of the gold medals chart," said Olympic historian David Wallechinsky.

They're already practicing for future Olympics - to again win the most gold - and again win Olympic bragging rights over America.

GOLD for India @ the Olympics 08 :)

2008-08-11T02:27:00.000-07:00

After a long wait of 28 years, India finally won a GOLD medal at the Olympics at Beijing 2008!

This is also the first ever Gold Medal in Individual Sports for India. Well as the saying goes - Better late than never! Definately a great start for the Indian Olympics dream.

The Gold clinched by Abhinav Bindra in the Shooting (Rifle 10m). Was just going through the daily emails on a beautiful and sunny monday morning in Shanghai. Didnt have any such monday morning blues , thanks to the news flash by CNN IBN Gtalk client!, was one of the first ones to know about this great news, and instantly flashed it to all my friends online. Its great to see the excitement and enthusiasm for this in India and in the virtual world, and I hope the whole country can wake up atleast in the sphere and produce more successfull sportsmen and women apart from Cricket!

Hope we can do some wonders in Tennis, Badminton (some hopes are alive)

A Picture to cherish!

Links:
http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports/headlines/shooting/n214528114.shtml
http://olympics.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3350682.cms

Cheers

Proud Indian in China!

China and Olympics - ctd

2008-08-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

Continuing with my encounters with China and the Preparations / Atmosphere for the Olympics, here are some new updates from people I know and myself.

- The Husband of my boss works for the Hotel Industry as a manager in Shanghai. He gets a call from from his boss at midnight and informs him that his flight to Beijing is booked for next day Noon and he needs to be at Beijing for an indefinite period to help out the Hotels there for Olympics. No Notice, no preparation time, Nothing!. My boss was complaining that she needs to go to a business trip soon and who would take care of the daughter but no consideration from the boss / government. Its not an option to say no to the govt for anything to do with Olympics.

- People have been asked to Q up for the opening ceremony as early as 4 hrs before time and the ceremony would last for 4 more hrs., and need to go through innumerable checkpoints.

- As some of you might already know this, No Flights are to land in Beijing during the Opening Ceremony on 8th aug, 8 PM onwards.

- One of my friend's visited Beijing last week, and as per her, the atmosphere is not very lively there!, loads of security, less people everywhere, she said she cudnt feel the excitement and crazyness of a big event coming up. lets see hw the atmosphere is next week.

All in all its the biggest thing china has ever done, and I really hope they can pull it off as successfully as they have planned.

Ciao till the next update ;P

Nikunj

Chinese Police asking for Religion!

2008-08-04T02:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys

After posting the last port this morning, this incident just happened with me today!...

My Good Friend and Ex Flatmate just got a call from the Police:

Police- " What is the religion of the Indian Guy Staying at the house?, is he a Muslim??"

Nick (my friend) - " No he is Indian, a Hindu"

P - "What is Hindu? So he is not muslim right?"

N - " No its not muslim, its a religion in India"

P - " Ok Ok, thats perfect, and does he keep a Beard ?? "

N - " No, i have seen him clean shaven most of the times"

P - " Oh then perfect!. No Problems!!"

This is a real story.

Also, during the palace party, I invited a lot of my Indian friends to the party, and the neighbours complained to the Police that a lot of Middle Eastern People are walking in the area with boxes (which had beer), at the middle of the night

So, I need to not keep a beard, dont say anything abt religion and maybe paint myself white to survive :)

Nikunj!

China and Olympics Security

2008-08-04T02:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/sports/olympics/04china.html

A lot of you have been asking me about the environment and atmosphere in China about the Olympics. Well the Euphoria is amazing, all the roads, flyovers, websites, TVs, Shopping Malls, Trains, Metros, taxis, bus etc are packed with Olympics Logos, promotions, ads, explanation of the various sports involved. Ofcourse the Chinese Govt and people are spending millions and millions of Dollars to promote the games among its citizens and companies are using the best advantage of the games as they should.

But, a meticulous level of planning and preparation has gone into place by the Chinese govt to make sure the games are safe and successful. In these times of terror, no country can be isolated from the threat of terrorism and attacks, not even China. There has been incidents of attacks and threats for the olympics (as everyone knows), but this article is a brilliant summary of the kind of arrangements that is rite now in Beijing and elsewhere in China. Its a classic example of "prevention / preparation is better than cure"

Some of my / my friend's personal accounts of the "fortress security" has been:

- I have been stopped on the road by policemen twice already asking for passports and house registration details, they want to make sure everyone living in Beijing / Shanghai are legally staying here and are authorised to work / live in China.

- The Internet has been the greatest WALL of china since I have come here, a lot of websites refuse to open at times, latest being Amnesty International / Facebook (at times) blocked by the Chinese govt for security reasons

- one of my friend is now working in Beijing foe 1 of the service providers for the olympics, and he daily updates us with army / security personnel checking randomly for identities, doing their drills for any attacks, and how the Internet for the journalists is also restricted!

This might be the biggest event that China has ever hosted, and as per chinese culture, they would do anything to not loose their face in the world. There has been critisisms, environmental concerns, human right concerns and complains from a lot of foreigners for harrasment / visa issues, but lets hope after all this, the world can have a safe olympics!

The Final Countdown begins!! - 8/8/08 - 8 PM!!

Good Bye from Sunny Shanghai!

Nikunj

Stanford E - Week - The Rubber Band !

2008-03-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

Just came across this Video and Links while browsing through various blogs online on Entrepreneurship. Stanford Unviersity hosted its Entrepreneurship week and the winning idea of creating unique value using rubber bands was by this group in the below video. The Funds that they gather goes to a breast cancer charity. Damn Interesting...

Should view all other videos and articles at www.eweek.stanford.edu

Cheers

Nikunj

China Tales Vol III

2007-10-14T09:26:00.001-07:00

China Tales – Vol III – The FAST Track!! – Work | Masti | Racing and Dandiya!!

Nihao to all of you from a Windy/Wet/Stormy/More Wet/ Potentially Typhoonic Shanghai ☺

First and Foremost – Today is 8/10/2007 exactly a month after I reached Shanghai. If someone said somewhere that Time Flies… I would tell him that Its like a spacejet!, It dosent fly, it zooms!!!....

PS – I wrote the above and the below few lines on 8th!, but I am finishing it today!, With a lot of updates and changes!!

Thank you so much to whoever replied to my E-Mails!, Loved my Immaturish Writing ☺, Saw all my pics (am sure the girls saw the guys in my pics and vice versa for the boys!), and people who commented/wrote on my wall on Facebook ☺ ( my first finding here!, discovered yet another networking site!, and it is good, better than our loved orkut!)

So, for the ones who are lousy and don’t want to read this Exciting | Full of Adventure | Thoughtful | and Loooooong Email, here are some quick Links which will give you a sneak peak into whats happening with my life here! –

General Pics – Shanghai -
Trip to Hangzhou !! –
F o r m u l a O n e –
Videos –

Alright, so sit back, take your cup of coffee, stop looking outside the mirror, take a break from your CAT Studies, CA Audits, Boring WorkPlaces!, and enjoy the following updates from yours truly! –

So, continued from ChinaTales II (wow… this goes like a series!), I have settled down perfectly here. With Work, Food, Friends!, Adventures!, Fun… everything… I know this is still an initial phase, but its really important for anyone and everyone who goes to a new environment, a new place to find the right kind of people and places around you. I am lucky atleast I have found the right kind of people!....

Lets talk about Shanghai and China on a whole now… No doubt its one of the most vibrant places you would ever come across, full of energy, people, enthusiasm, life, party, etc etc. You can make the mistake of comparing it to Mumbai for some reason but its way beyond any place in India. The amount of money that the Chinese people and government have put into building this place is not even funny. One of the examples of it is the new Financial Center – Which would be by all means the second tallest building in the world (Tallest in China), one can argue that China is such a huge country, with so much space, so why should a city go on building huge buildings and skyscrapers ( for ppl who don’t know, Shanghai has the most skyscrapers in the world). Well, you may call it a concrete jungle, but that’s the way it is. It’s the Chinese way of saying that we are better than the best. Whatever you tell us, we will still keep growing, and slowly but surely overtake everyone of you outside!. For testimony just see the Pics I have taken from the Bund (River Side).

But, as with all BIG Cities, this is a concrete jungle of some sort. Sometimes it looks like a soulless city to me. People are just here to earn money, spend more money, earn more more money, spend more and more money.. and the cycle goes on… I agree all of us are aspiring to do that too, but we have our own ways of doing it. But Shanghai and China as a whole are progressing blindly at times. Every where you see there is some construction or the other, you can make out from the faces of people how stressed and unhappy they are with lives. You go to a metro at 830 in the morning and there are tons and thousands of people, you come back at 9 in the nite and there are the same number!... well they do work hard, but question is…do they live enough!. I would try and find that out for sure!.

Conclusion – Shanghai is a dream city, but it obviously has the flaws that a commercial capital has!

Something about the Chinese People! – There is a general impression about Chinese that they are really serious and indirect. And I think that’s true. By the limited interactions I have had with them, I do believe they are very serious (atleast the ones I have met), BUT they have a lot of fun among themselves, they kindof stick together and are hesitant in mixing up with foreigners, maybe because of language issues and a lot of cultural differences. I was told that nowadays they do put a lot of pressure on their kids to perform in studies, as they see it as the only way to combat the pressure and competition, which is so much like India. We were having a discussion among ourselves at a lunch and their was only One Chinese Guy among us explaining the Education system and Business Scenario of China, and how the Kids are made ‘bookworms’ since almost childhood! Reminds a lot of us of our childhood isn’t it?

Moving on from the serious stuff now!!.. ☺

Its amazing the kind of friends I have made here!. Picture this, in one week they gave me a nick name ! ( Nikruuuuuuuuuuu), we have been for more dinners/Shisha outings / Chillouts than I would have gone with friends back home (because everyone is new here.. well almost.. hehe), and its not that I am ‘always’ sticking to my Indian friends here, we are 6 of us living in one house and atleast me, bence (Hungarian) and Sam(Half British, Half Iranian) are the best buddies!, Talking about Life, Girls, Parties back home, business, pulling each others legs all the time. For the first time I went for a Youth Music Concert with a lot of ROCK Music (Faithless was the main attraction for people who know them), so in the middle of Shanghai, in a park there were more than 5000 Youth, enjoying, dancing, singing, drinking ☺, it was an amazing evening !...

Switch to Sunday – Race Day!, I have been wanting to write about this experience since a long time now!. We were a little sceptical if we should go or not, because we were 1000 % sure we wont get tickets, and even if we get they will be too highly priced!. But we took a chance, and then went there 4 hrs before the race to ensure we can get tickets. After a lot of negotiations with the black marketers (everything will remind you of going for a cricket match outside an Indian stadium), we finally got the lowest cost tickets for the worst places for 150 RMB ( Appx – 825 Rs), and they were not even tickets!. We found a guy who gave us some special passes which we hung around our neck, we got in and he took it back!, so we were almost without any proof of how we got in there!. so the place was a grass place, no seats, you can stand and watch the race, hardly see any cars etc.
Just a day before we met some Swedish – American people at a downtown supermarket and just exchanged numbers as even they were going for the race (its amazing how foreigners ‘network’) with each other. So we just call them up after getting there, and they called us outside the grandstand (it’s similar to clubhouse in cricket), so that we can meet and sit together somewhere. Even they had the same cheap tickets. There was an old guy in the group and he was like, just follow me and we might get into the grandstand. Initially we were scared. What if the police catches us or something!, But luckily (and I cant even say how lucky we were !), we just walked smartly from a gate which had no police to check tickets!!!! (how bizarre is that!), there were ppl checking tickets on the left and right gate but not here!). So we walk in, go up 6 floors, go inside and take a seat!, and no one even asks us anything!(maybe because we were lead by a white American wearing his country flag).

Trust me it’s a once in a life time experience watching a formula one race from the Grandstands!. The noise of the cars zooooooooming across is deafening! But the excitement is amazing, we all wanted Hamilton to win, but that wasn’t to happen, but the atmosphere, people, and the whole kick of watching a race from a place for 150 bucks (the price of grandstand tickets is more than 4000 RMB)!!! Was so amazing!.

Its not even funny how fast the weekends pass here, lazily get up, go for some food, come back, watch movies, series, talk a lot with flatmates, go for parties, and sleep at 3!, weekends are the best times for sure!.

I started watching Prison Break finally !, and am soon finishing season 1. Its so gripping man!, I have made a LOT of goals for myself for this 1 Year, and one of them is to watch as many movies and tv series as I can!.

Moving on with the ‘party’ scene!, DHL threw a Oktoberfest party last week. Its so nice to be a customer of a company like DHL!. They invite you to their events and lets you have alcohol for free!. But more than that, it’s the networking opportunity that these events provide. I met the Vice Presidents and the Key Account Managers of DHL for IKEA, Electrolux, Wal Mart, Special Olympics team etc and it was so amazing talking to them. The Key account manager for Electrolux in DHL had promised us to invite us to the Beijing Olympics (he works out of Beijing), and will host us there ☺

And finally I went to the Dandiya Night organised by the Indian Association. It was so nice to see 150 Indians together after a long long time!. I danced till I was dead!. Trust me, for almost 4 hours non-stop I was dancing to garba tunes, I had my dandiya partner as chandni(she was the only girl in my group who knew a little bit of dandiya)!, so had a ball of a time there!.

What else?!!?

Have been a little tight on finances this month because of the fun!. But I am sure I will manage!. Work is so damn amazing !! – Last two weeks, my immediate boss went to her home in Russia for a holiday and our ultimate boss went for a business trip. So I had the whole responsibility to handle the operations of the Ocean Freight. It is a very challenging Job of managing shipments, making sure people do things on time, the formalities are met. The toughest part is to make a lot of Chinese people understand simple things (ya atleast ppl in the supply chain business in china speak English)!. I had my first conference call last week with suppliers from US, HK, factory buyers from US, and me and our boss. So the job is not at all a stupid internship where you have to do a lot of data analysis and look at the comp screen the whole day!. It has a lot of challenges, external communication, decision making, networking etc etc involved!. So so far its been satisfying!

I think its been enough for this mail!.

People must have closed the window by now, or have fallen asleep!. I bet on that!
For those who haven’t, let me have a test – write back the following to me :

‘ We love your mails Nikruuuuuuu ☺ ‘

Hehe, that was so selfish of me!

Anyways, its time for me to say good bye!. I am planning to write more about business in china, work culture here, the good and bad things about living here, and a lot of other things in part IV, so watch out!

Hope you all are studying hard, partying harder, working a lot!, best of luck to the CAT givers, hope the 98 percentile in the mocks are now flowing in!

So, Zhai Chien (bye bye!)

Urs, today and forever!

Niks☺

ChinaTales - Vol2

2007-09-17T00:07:00.000-07:00

Nihao Everyone!!! - Good Morning on a Monday Morning :)

" The word Perfect is used by people, when Expected things happen Unexpectedly!!"

I really dont know if it makes sense, but it makes 'perfect' sense to me!! Its already been a week now, that i have been in Shanghai, and things have just been Perfect!!, Yes, i had some expectations, but a lot of things here are unexpected, and the expected things have come as a great surprise!!

So, this part of chinatales (i think i am making a brand of this story of mine.. hehe, with inspiration from da gr8 yousuf bhai and moiz bhai!!), is all about my first week in the ' New York of Asia", Shanghai!, my work, my colleagues, the parties!, food, laptops, bargains!!(trust me i will win a place in the guiness book for that) and other random things!!

For people, who dont have the patience to read the entire thing :(. here are links to my pics and videos!!

Pics - http://picasaweb.google.com/nikunj.parekh/ChinaTalesPics
Vids - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MwTL3Y8QCU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6AmpIOLfss

So, after that roller coaster first two days of meeting unknown people, missing home really badly!, settling down at house, it was time for the real thing!!, the work!!

So monday it was, and Nick and Bence (my flatmates from Taiwan and Hungary), kept telling me about how bad the morning ride in the metro is here, and i did experience it, trust me guys, all of u who have been to Mumbai Trains, this is far worse, the trains are small, like the Kol metro, and there are SO MANY PEOPLE!!!, at 8 in the morning (yea i get up early now), i mean, yea, china is the most populated country in the world and you can see that here, there are tooo many people, there are times where you are nose to nose with ppl!, but thats the experience!, staying in a city which is so energetic, and which is so futuristic!

I was shocked to see our office building!, it is a dream building!, when we go abroad to work, we always dream that we will be working in a Big building, of glass, in the center of the city, and its just that!!, the Center, with suited guards!( trust me, they look more decent then some of our managers in india!), and amazing elevators!,

Ok, the office is simply stunning!, lots and lots of people, very modern, and it gives you a feel instantly that you are working in a MultiNational Company!, the people, are so warm and welcome you so well!, i always thought chinese people will be cold, but they are not!, they are very receptive, but the deal is, i am in the Global logistics team, of 8 ppl, and there is only one Chinese in our team!, we are a truly multicultural team with One Indian ( :) ), Russian, Mexican, Columbian, Sweedish, Hungarian, Taiwanese ,Italian! ( 90% of them are previous AIESEC Trainees, and rest current ones!)

so thats what a perfect place to work is rite, working with people all over the world, and working on a job that involves coordination and managing of shipments and logistics all over the world, truly i am now being a part of the Global Village as somepeople call it!!,

Anyways, a quick info on my job now, its a really challenging one, and i am honored to do something like this at this young age!, I am in the Logistics Operations Analyst, and am a part of a special project that will change the way suppliers supply goods to electrolux, as in their supply change, logistics etc, dont wanna go to a lot of details, but the job involves making Internal Business Plans, communication with Suppliers from all over the world, shipping companies, i am solely responsible for a project with US factories of electrolux, so it will have a lot of coordination with US factories, then managing shipments, scheduling shipments, making sure everything is on time, documentation etc etc. .. so something that i always wanted to do, and i am sure if i would have stayed back in India for a job/,mba i would not have got this multicultural exposure, so thanks AIESEC !!

Now the people, its amazing how much can a person learn from so many diverse ppl, in a week i have learnt a lot abt Hungarian history, saw a hungarian movie, had food with all my office mates, and learn their diff working styles!, so a lot in store for me for the future!

Well the food is a small prob, but not that big one!, i have sandwiches, burgers, pizzas in the morning, and alternative nites go to this Indian Maharaj which is 20 Mins away from office by train and 50 Mins from home, Trust me he makes amazing indian food, just like home, better than home some times!!, its not a restaurant, its just his flat where he cooks food and indians who know him can have food there, its a big relief to have food at his house!.
--

Ok, now something on my short shopping experiences, i went for this latino nite, on Mexican Independence day with Some friends, and after which we were waiting for this friend to come out of the pub @ 2 Am, and this guy comes up with this Fake Rolex Watch, and quotes the price @ RMB 420 ( Rs 2520 Appx), And i just wanted to do some TP and didnt want to buy it, so i said i will buy it for 50 RMB !, he said a big noooooooooooooooooooooooo (just like the russel peters joke on india and china !), and then we said we dont want to buy, Bosmag( Fuck Off in Hungarian), and we just started avoiding him, and after 15 mins, i bought the watch from him for RMB 20 !!!! ( 120 Rs), guys china is the place to bargain!!, next day i bought a samsonite laptop bag for 600 RS (Quoted MRP was 2000), and shirts for 200 RS!

So its been a roller coaster ride so far, i know its tough to read such a long mail on a lazy monday morning, but i hope you read it, and reply back with your comments and suggestions!!......

Till Next time, with Another Topic

Sziasztok ( Bye Bye in Hungarian!)

PS - Next time will use more Chinese when i learn it!!

Cheers

ChinaTales - Vol1

2007-09-13T01:45:00.000-07:00

ChinaTales - Nik@Shanghai

Nihao to whoever is reading this in whichever part of the world!! (Nihao = Hello!)

I had told Siddharth Kanoria (for those of you who don't know him, my classmate from SXC, now in DHL Singapore as an AIESEC Trainee), that I will write my updates about Shanghai before his mail comes for Singapore(he has been there for 2 weeks now), and here I am.... With my tales from the Dragon Land - china, from the city of the future - Shanghai!!

Caution - If you don't find my tales/writing interesting, please please email me back saying that you don't want to read it, and I will remove you from the list. What will follow is a small account of what I have done for the past few days, and will keep writing in the future as well!

Alrite, so here we go....

Have you ever thought about stepping into Sachin Tendulkar's shoes, going out there in the middle, opening the batting and facing fast bowlers, and having expectations of a century from a billion people.?

Well, I am in no way comparing myself with him, but that's what I felt yesterday, coming to an Alien Land, meeting people I have never met before, staying without family in a house, it was like batting on an Australian wicket without the helmet!!, you never knows whats coming up next!!

Ok, now a Detailed Account of what I have been Upto -

First and Foremost - Shanghai is an Amazing Amazing City, there is no comparison between Shanghai and Any City in India, trust me, its an exceptional mix of Development, Population, Skyscrapers, and futuristic infrastructure!!..

I got an amazing amazing small farewell from my friends back home, they all came to my house, swati, anuj, anu, prashant, divya, ankit, anurag, pooja, I had cut a cake, they made a PPT for me which almost made me cry and then all of us in one car to the airport singing songs, some funny, some senti, so a touchy moment for sure.

It was a long flight journey no doubt, no alcohol for me this time, as I have decied to cut down on my consumption totally, so started watching Shootout at Lokhandwala and slept midway!. Arrived in Shanghai on Time... carried 44KGs of luggage when 20 KG was allowed, and they didn't utter a word, so the start was perfect...

Arrived on time @ shanghai, dot on time, I wonder that will a flight ever be on time in India for domestic flights!!, anyways, but then the perfect times stopped a little, I could not find the person supposed to pick me up!!, exchanged money and gave him a call, and he was right there!!, reminded me so much of my AIESEC days, when I had gone for innumerable pickups, but now it was time to be on the other side!!

So, off we go, in a bus then a cab travelling across Shanghai!!, what a beauty this is...
Arrived at the house, and woooooooh, it's a huge complex!! 10 blds, all 15 floors high, and we live on the 14th and 15th floor, yea it's a duplex J

Bence, my flatmate, was there to receive me, I settled down in a medium to small sized room as all the big ones have been taken away before I reached, but I am damn happy with the house and the room!!...

So, so far so good.. went out with bence in the eve, and met up with some other trainees, and went to this 'veg' Chinese restaurant. Don't know why, but there, was the first time I felt terribly homesick!! It was all of a sudden, trust me, I felt like running away, catch the flight and go and meet everyone back home, I called mom, pooja, swati so many times, just to hear their voice!!, trust me it was damn tough!!, but after speaking to everyone I was fine..

Today Morning was a lazy one, got up late, and then was calming myself down, telling myself, this is what life is, full of challenges, and opportunities. If you want to gain something, you have to loose something, and right now i cant be homesick!, I have somuch to learn, so much to explore , the journey has just started!, prepared myself for al the challenges!

The First Challenge - Went to Peoples Square, an amazing place in the center of the city, with shopping malls, tall complex, etc. I was searching for a Citibank ATM - as I had to withdraw money desperately!!, I was out of cash... but woah, the card refused to work, maybe they have not activated it, so walked again for 2-3 KM to find a bank!, and then they said they cant change money without passport, which I wasn't carrying.. hmmmmm

So here I am, at an unknown city, with around 10-20 RMB(Chinese Currency , equivalent to 6RS/RMB). I had called up a friend, who I found on orkut - Soniya, an Indian living in Shanghai, and we were meeting up, she and her friends. So she said not to worry and she will lend me some money!. So for 2 hrs I was just walking here and there, @ shopping malls, lanes, etc. and finally we met. Soniya and her friend, chandini.

They were amazingly sweet ppl, very very helpful, no inhibitions, they took me to a movie, it was 4 girls and me(lucky huhJ), and then we went for dinner to an Indian restaurant!!, on the way I saw a bridge which was 6 floors high, the nangpu bridge!

Came back home late, but my fone wasn't working, and dad and mom had already got worried, have spoken to everyone, so all fine now!

Trust me its been an amazing start. I hope it remains the same. This AIESEC Experience of a traineeship simply can change a person and also ppl around u. Imagine, I am staying with 3 ppl, 1 from Taiwan, 1 from Hungary, 1 from Japan, there will be one coming from USA, 1 from Sweeden!!, so what a multicultural house it will be.

Cant wait to go to office tomorrow. So will write again with updates and pics!!

My Shanghai No - 0086-13917394344

Cheers till next timeJ

Did you Know? = Amazing Presentation!

2007-09-01T01:03:00.000-07:00

Back to Square 1!

2007-09-01T00:53:00.000-07:00

Its time to get back to Square 1... With a lot of things in life:

1. Start of a New Life in a Week: Yea, thats what i am the most excited about right now...Leaving for Shanghai on Friday, the visa is here, and so is the ticket!, Its definately going to be a life changing journey from now on, new people, new food ( god help me), new work, i am excited, yet apprehensive, lets hope everything works out well!

2. Blogging again - yes, something i was not doing at all from a last few months but want to restart, as the only medium of the outlet of my thoughts seems to be this!, and dont wanna be left behind in the web 2.0 age!

Anyways,

Till the net post

Cya

Niks

Apologies, BRB and Good News

2007-07-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

First - The Apology - Sorry really sorry, could not update my blog as was in a middle of a lot of things actually!!....

BRB - I will still be unable to update, as i will still be in the middle of a lot of things!

Good news - I am off to Shanghai for a year, have got through Electrolux, so i think will start blogging full fledgedly once i reach there, and share my xp!!

till then

adios~~

Jeff Immelt on India

2007-07-07T03:54:00.000-07:00

GE CEO Jeff Immelt: India, globalization and the economics of scarcity by ZDNet's Dan Farber -- The influence of India on the technology industry was on display at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Alumni 2007 Global Conference taking place at the Santa Clara Convention Center in the heart of Silicon Valley. The IIT is India’s premier technology university and its toughest. Last year nearly 300,000 students applied and 4,078 [...]

MACNIFICIENT !!

2007-07-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hello !!

1 month of wait... flights getting canceled ...... walking in knee deep water.... and finally... my all new Macbook is here !!... yeye...

Well, waited for this machine for a long long time, and simply love it... everything about it... now no more Windows xp !!.. no more waiting.. no more error messages,.... no more viruses.... no more stupid windows sounds..... its a whole new world now..... f9,f11, 10 second startups, every I softwares, adium !!, keynote, pages, dashboard.... it goes on and on..

Mac Rules !!

cheeers

nik

the great Global Marketing MagiCproduct !- iPhone

2007-06-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

" The first thing that you see in the newspapers this morning.... you switch on the TV and the news channel are covering it.... you go to the RSS feeds on your WebBrowser and its there all over the place... log on to Orkut, and there are communities on it... Read Blogs and people mention it there.... Go to the Maker's website and they have elaborate videos there.... Google Maps show the Q's outside shops in NY where people are waiting to buy it since 2 days!!.. its here, there, everywhere... Another one from Mr Steve "Apple" Jobs genius mind.. the iPhone !!"

So how does this post of mine contribute to the already Hyped (Over-Hyped) product of Apple. Well, I just want to throw light on the Marketing Aspects of the Phone from What i Gather from the web...

Here is what Lance Ulanoff writes on PC Magazine : " Product announcements typically occur only at key Mac-based shows, and there is little to no warning—from Apple—about what they'll be about. But that very lack of information creates a vacuum so strong that it steadily sucks in new faux information. And Apple's remarkable silent drum beats on "

So, how did Apple Manage such a Hype and Hoola about the iPhone, (like it always does with its other products).

Well, to view it from a LAY man's Eyes (and I am one for sure), the following are the points which Attract a person to the genius marketing of the iPhone...

the Ps of Marketing : as any Big Company would do, Apple has specifically given emphasis to the Ps of Marketing,

the Product has been designed and created keeping in mind the wants and needs of the people, its a Sleek Design, New muli Touch Screen, Stunning Graphics, Ipod, Photos, Internet, phone , all in 0ne !!.. well, the consumers did have such products in the market to choose from, but the way Apple positioned it, and compared it to the iPod ( a cult product), definately created the initial thrust for this great global hype...

Promotion: Well, its everywhere, Blog, Podcasts, Websites, Newspapers, TV, I think the people up there in Space Station would also know about it !!... and this has been done very subtly!, no aggressive spending on different media at all... its just the curiosity of people and developers that have clicked as always for Apple. People are curious, they wanna know more, for the matter of fact, I, writing this Blog Article, also contributes to the Promotion of iPhone, but in a subtle way...
Place, Price, Packaging, People - well, people do have doubts on the Price of the product, some do have an opinion its higly prices for a mobile phone. But thats the way it is, any product which is positioned as revolutionary has to be prices a notch up wrt the competition, thats when the unique premier value of the product would come in. I am sure the 2nd generation would be far lower,

Buzzzzzzzzz.... : Well, there has been a tremendous buzz about the Phone in Markets and people all over the world, here is what John C. Dvorak Writes in his 'anti iPhone' post at PC world : " You talk football and the conversation switches to the iPhone. You talk baseball and the conversation switches to the iPhone. TV, movies, stock market, community theater—it all switches to the iPhone. "Yes, what about them Raiders? Many players will buy the iPhone, I bet. Yes. I think so. They will. They will have to, I think."I swear (though I have unsuccessfully tried taking pictures to prove it), when you look at these people closely, there is a spinning disk in each pupil that you can barely make out. It's like a spiral that turns and turns toward infinity. And, I can assure you, a hard slap won't help." Well thats the story everywhere !!
Flaws: Well the phone does have potential flaws which consumers will have to notice :

The Screen is unique, and i am sure, with rough usage, if it breaks (god forbid), we will have to pay an enormous price for it.
Its just like any other PDA Phone in the end !!... so no matter how differently Apple positions it, people will definitely compare it with other phones around which are cheaper, so the Non Apple Cult will shun the IpHone even if they find small disadvantages.

So, whatever it might be, the juggernaut will begin to roll this evening when the Phone debuts in the USA. Its still a year to come to India, but I will watch out for it, and hope to write about it soon !!..

Cheers

Niks

Back.. Back Again.....

2007-06-26T05:27:00.000-07:00

An Apt song for me - Guess who's back.. .back again.. Niks Back.. tell all !!

Lol, well, i am back from my self exile from the blogging world because of my Univ Exams, and now i can proudly say that I am now a deemed graduate !!.. This could mean the following :

1.I dont have to go to college again :( (it was so much fun)

2. Suddenly i feel a pressure on my shoulders, i have to contribute to the per capita income of the country !!

3. No meeting friends Every Single day.. everyone on their own way - bschools, jobs, etc etc... :(

4. Have to seriously build a career now !! (looking fwd to that !)

5. a new life starts.... a new beginning !!..

So, watch out for more posts !!.. right here.. right now !!

decent start....

2007-06-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Had my first university examination today, for the final year. Got off to a decent start today. Literally read only 27 pages for the exam and wrote a near 40 pages !!... Attempted 100 Marks....

Next is on wednesday - Advertising and Sales Promotion - Not that difficult - should be a sweep !!

Congrats to Siddharth for getting through to DHL - Singapore - AIESEC Traineeship - Great news for the day. !!

Using Apple - Safari Browser on Windows - Works Brilliantly - May swtich brands !! - lets see, still evaluating, have discovered a few things for which I would prefer Mozilla.

Smallest Post getting over real fast :). .hehe..

Till Tommorow, will comment on the Steve Jobs Keynote for Leapord - Watch Out !

Cheers and Good Night -

Niks

the Sweet feeling of joy :)

2007-06-08T00:26:00.001-07:00

'Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.'

I dedicate this post to all the people who are smiling and are joyous because of things around them.....

my laptop shows me that i have 20 minutes of battery left, and i want to finish this post before it finishes, because i aint wanna be online too long, or Mr studies will get annoyed :(

Got a call yesteday from one of my best friend, his voice for sweeter than normal... there was a thump in his voice (just like the sony ad !, he is a music geek though), and i was wondering why was he calling up so many times, (he actually called up 3rice, and i coudnt speak to him as i was eating - my fav pastime!)... this guy had been waiting for this day since the last year.... he had toiled day and night for this.... with no success... he finally made it to a B-School !!... XIMB... one of the best in India.. and i was so happy for him.. it feels so nice when someone around you is full of joy and happiness, when a wait gets over, and a sense of achievement surrounds you...

Had the same feeling when some other friends got through top bschools, IIMA, XLRI, IIFT.. etc etc.. we are a golden batch for sure... and the joy was immense.... but there are people (like us :) ), who still await... who are still patient of something BIG to come our way (well, i am being greedy after the Google offer!), but still.... its always good to be not content, and explore other things.. in search of joy, ....

Anyways, its just a small post, dunno what it conveyed, but hope u liked it :)

cheers

Niks

Song of Life

2007-06-06T00:18:00.000-07:00

The Winner is always part of the answer;
The Loser is always part of the problem.

The Winner always has a program;
The Loser always has an excuse.

The Winner says, "Let me do it for you";
The Loser says, "That is not my job".

The Winner sees an answer for every problem;
The Loser sees a problem for every answer.

The Winner says, "It may be difficult, but it is possible";
The Loser says, "It may be possible, but it is too difficult".

When a Winner makes a mistake, he says, "I was wrong";
When a Loser makes a mistake, he says, "It was not my fault".

A Winner makes commitments;
A Loser makes promises.

Winners have dreams;
Losers have schemes.

Winners say, "I must do something";
Losers say, "Something must be done".

Winners are a part of the team;
Losers are apart of the team.

Winners see the gain;
Losers see the pain.

Winners see the possibilities;
Losers see the problems.

Winners believe in win-win;
Losers believe for them to win some one has to lose.

Winners see the potential;
Losers see the past.

Winners are like thermostat;
Losers are like thermometers.

Winners choose what they say;
Losers say what they choose.

Winners use hard arguments but soft words;
Losers use soft arguments but hard words.

Winners stand firm on values but compromise on pretty things;
Losers stand firm on pretty things but compromise on values.

Winners make it happen;
Losers let it happen.

Dont have words to say after this... amazingly true - inspiring bit of words... Hope it inspired you :)

Cheers

Niks

Impossible is nothing !!

2007-06-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

Good Morning !

Just received this ad today as an Email Attachment and liked it very much :). It fits well with the branding of Adidas as a company with a slogan of 'impossible is nothing' literally !

Watch how a man takes so many people on his shoulders, almost an impossible task, wearing adidas shoes, and taking people with him, shoes how a brand attracts a lot of people, and can people wearing the brand can achieve impossible tasks !..

i think the production of the ad could have been a little better, in terms of quality and delivery, like the apple ads maybe(piece of art they are !!)

Anyways, enjoy this ad !

the Face Off - Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Together !!

2007-06-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hey People

I know my Blog is now sounding tooo much technical with some posts of Computing, Apple, Microsoft doing the rounds, but thats my mood right now... I am in the process of reading about technology, it surrounds our lives, i will buy a gadget soon :), i will be working in a gr8 company soon... so its all going on... so 4give me u non techie nerds.. but this posting is one of the greatest interviews i have seen, The Combined interview of one of the biggest rivals in the world - Bill Gates and Steve Jobs !!.. Remember the Get a Mac ads i posted, this is the real thing... just sit back, grab a cup of coffee and relax, and listen to 2 great entrepreneurs who changed the world (literally), its for those who love entrepreneurship, those who love innovation, those who love ideas !!!

Do watch all 12 videos.. the 1st one is a opening video they played b4 the interview, which has a history of their relationship and some gr8 historic footage of how they spoke about each other !!

I THANK the person who took the pain of uploading all these videos !!... thanks a ton whoever you are !!

Enjoy - do comment !!

The Future of Computing - Amazing !

2007-06-04T03:12:00.000-07:00

Well, to start with , there will be two kinds of people reading this :

1. the Techie Geeks, who know everything thats going around this world about the development of technology - and hence can find it boring :(

2. The eager learners, who might find it amazingly exciting and a good read (like me :) )

I was browsing through the news channels today, and saw a news update, where a Polish Person, who was in Comma from the last 19 years, came back to life today !!... It was amazing to see that guy Surprised and Shocked at every development that he saw... cellphones, computers, gadgets etc etc...

Lot of us think that Computers are making us dumb day by day, and our ancestors were far better with their brains and the way they lived their lifestyle, atleast they werent this much dependent on Technology like our generation is. If you thought that Technology (especially computing) has changed the way we live life in the past 10 years.... hang on.....

God Forbid, but if one of us go into comma like that man in Poland and wake up 20 years later.. we might still be very very amazed and more shocked !!..

Picture this :

You go to a restaurant and finding there arent any waiters to take your order, its a sleek , techie restaurant, where your table is your waiter, cashier, consultant, shopping mall, computer, search engine, music player, movie player, etc etc etc... you just sit on the table, move your fingers through the 'touch screen' to view the menu - ON THE TABLE - which itself is a computer screen.... compare items, place an order, then surf the internet, buy stuff, download ringtones to your cell, charge ur cell, download music for ipod, click pics, and then after having your food, just place your credit card on the table and woooh, it accepts your payment, and you can 'dutch' it with ur frens on the same table !!..

Sounds very techie.. and unimaginable... hang on....

Trust me on this, i was sitting at a restaurant in kolkata, with my family and was telling them, that someday i would like to work on selling such a technology so that the whole eating expereince can become better.. and provide so much branding opportunity to the companies.. etc etc..

and today, sids asks me - do u know of microsoft surface ??.. and i was like.. NO.. what is it.. another aweful microsoft software !???...

and then i saw the stuff online. and i was floored !!

have a look at all this :::: and i wont say more !!... U decide.. the kind if possibilities it can open up.. the way this can change our lives.. !!

I mean it.. we are in the most exciting times to live on this planet... !!.. gear up people.. the world will change soon ;)

Watch these videos... sit back and relax !!:)

All Pics - Malaysia

2007-05-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Check out all my EYLN Pics of Malaysia at :

http://picasaweb.google.com/nikunj.parekh/EYLNMalaysia2007

Do Comment :)

Cheers

10 - MindTalk :)

2007-05-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

Just got this mail today from Yousuf regarding AIESEC Alumni Association, and they are starting a newsletter, and they want people to write random stuff, but meaningful, and was wondering if I can write at all!!... i mean, i have never read a book in my life, never written stuff, actually this blog is the first time i am actually 'pening down my thoughts'.. so lets c how far i go.

Well, this post is dedicated to 'MidTalk' where, i shall reveal whatever 10 things come to my mind right now, dunno how it will interest people, but anyways, here it goes:

1. Google OR Internship OR ??? - Career Career Career..... Hope I get a good opportunity !!

2. Waiting for my new macbook to arrive, cant wait to work on a new machine, new OS :)

3. Want a Holiday Again !!... wanna go off to a far off place, alone or with friends, just to chill, not to blow a lot of money though :)

4. Want to start reading books ! - have two to start with - The World is Flat and IT Happened in India - Kishore Biyani.

5. Want to explore new things, virtually, generally in the world etc.. you know, dont wanna do the same old stuff, so the search will begin for new ideas, new knowledge etc etc

6. Watch a few more movies..... Have to get hold of my DvDs

7. Implement more of Pranic Healing, of what i have learnt to heal more people

8. Develop a better taste of music, and listen to more songs

9. Develop an innovative and 'cool' business idea :)

10. Slim Down, Be more Fit, !!

GetAMac Ads

2007-05-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys

Well my Extra Technical Affair (whatever that means) with Macbook and the mac family !!.. After Sudipto and Swati has got their respective macbooks, i cant even think of buying any other machine, its so nice, and all that hoopla about it not workin with softwares and it not being user friendly is all crap, its a damn sophisticated and nice machine.

Anyways, check out these ads man... i mean this is 7.5 minutes of creativity, and aggression, whatever ppl feel, Apple have the guts to give say it on the face of Mircosoft that they are better than microsoft.

Anyways, enjoy the video...

bye

Niks

Learning the art of healing - Pranic Healing !

2007-05-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hello People.

Well, lot of the people who know me knows that i was always spiritually and religiously inclined, as it gives me a sense of energy, relief and inner satisfaction. I have always been open to learning new things which can improve my life and the lives of others around me.

Last sunday, i came across this opportunity to Learn - Pranic Healing in Mandir. Our guru told us to learn it from someone, as it can be beneficial for the long term for health etc etc. So i said its in the evening, and just for 3 - 4 days, so i can give it a shot!.

I started learning it yesterday, and its been pretty good so far, Its basically the art of No touch, No Drug, healing, where we can heal someones body (disease, wounds, stress, problems), through cleaning and energising the ENERGY BODY. The concept is simple. We have two kinds of bodies, the physical body and the energy body. Pranic Healing deals with the Energy Body, because, its believed that Inner Strength and Immunity comes from the type of energy you posses, and pranic healing, cleans the BAD and Negative energy and provides a medium of transfer of positive and healthy energy from one person to another , without touching.

Well, i kindof tried it on my aunt in the morning, as she was having some kind of a leg pain. And after following the steps, her pain was gone !!.. i was shocked, but yea, its true.. it went away!... lets c what i learn more and i would keep you posted

Cheers

Nikunj

Reason - The Truth

2007-05-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hey people

Was just listening to this song, and i know this is a favourite of a lot of people around the world, the lyrics and the meaning is so so true... A lot of us are in relationships but do not understand the true value of relationships around us, it maybe ur GF, Family, Friends, anyone, this song gives it a true Reason, that we exist for them..... Enjoy the song !!

'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
That's why I need you to hear

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you (x4)

I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you

Goin MAD on MAC

2007-05-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

I think it comes naturally for "brand youth" of today to go bananas on computers and laptops and for that matter any techie stuff... the world is becoming so Tech Dependent Day by Day, that previously people used to go mad and beserk buying or even thinking to buy a nice TV, Shirt, Holiday ticket etc, but nowadays, it IPOD, Laptops, Software etc etc

Well, me, sudipto, siddharth and Swati just went to check out the new Apple Imagine store in SaltLake, as i had to check the MAC, as my dads fren is coming from the US in June and i plan to buy one as its damn cheap out there.. compared to India, and a MAC is a MAC... no comparison to it,, the looks, the OS, the performance, and the BRAND attraction is tremendous !!... We checked the Apple site Today and they came out with a higher version of MAC with 2.16 Ghz, 160 GB HD, 1 GB Ram... at 63000 Rs !!... awesome price but in US

Now.. we step into this Apple Imagine Store in City Center.. and was jus checkin out some laptops.. and wohhhhhhhaaaaaaaa.. we see the 'inaugral offer' prices for the macbook and we all get SHOCKED !!...

The 1.83 ghz,512mb ram, 60gb hd Macbook(white) whose Indian MRP is 67000, we get for 53400 Only !!...

The 2.0 ghz , 1 gb ram, 80 gb hdd (white macbook), mrp at 77800 we get for 61800 only !!

the 2.0 ghz , 1 gb ram, 120 gb hdd (BLACK) mrp at 87600 at 63900 only !!

Believe it or not.. its an awesome price... these are at par with US prices(almost !!) and sudipto and swati are buying them instantly!!

I mean this is the real power of BRANDS and Marketing, there was no advert for this, and by just looking at the offer two people who were almost buying HP and Vaio switched to MAC, just because of price and the superiority of the machine !!

For me.. its still a long wait. !!.. i still would buy from US, as i get a more better machine at a better rate!!

Go APPLE.. its just not getting out of our heads yet !!

Cheeers

Nikunj

GE Session On Leadership - Roshan Thiran - EYLN Malaysia

2007-05-14T22:15:00.001-07:00

Leadership Session by Roshan Thiran : General Electric Malaysia :

It was definately the best session that you can start a conference on Entrepreneurship with. I mean without the essence of leadership, entrepreneurship of any form, would be without a soul, leadership drives every organisation, small, medium, huge, gigantic, start ups, MNCs, you name it and leadership is to the core of its success story. Roshan Thiran has been working in GE for a long time now, and he remphasised the importance of Expertising in Everything, according to him, a Leader cannot be a specialist, he has to be the guy who drives the marketing, finance, hr , it , etc functions in an organisation, and a good leader can only be made if he expertises in everything that he puts hand into !!.. he gave personal examples of how he turned around the aircraft reparing business of GE Malaysia and was then head of the team to solve the y2K bug ,inspite of having no experience in IT !!!

Leaders do change organisations and people, but the essence according to Roshan was to Change Yourself First... he gave one of the best examples of Jack Welch : How Leaders never stop Learning and Changing themselves....

Jack Welch had almost a year left for retirement, and he was never considered to be IT savvy at all, he hated the internet and computers and thats why at that point of time, GE didnt have any big time investments in IT. One day he saw his wife buying something on the internet, and he was thrilled, as the product arrived a day after to his house, all of a sudden he had the brainwave of learning everything about IT and the internet and wanted to transform GE to be very efficient in IT. Lot of people told him that it was just his last year of retirement and he could have left it to his successor to solve this problem, but Jack Welch put the onus on himself and at that age, learnt everything about IT and internet and now GE has a lot of investments in IT related areas.

This is a testimony of a true leader and how leaders first change themselves, always keep learning and then take active part in transforming others and their own organisations !!..

Roshan also spoke about the importance of thinking and business acumen as a very importance characteristic of a leader, a lea\der should be able to know the market and scan the environment before taking important descisions. Also the thought process and communication pattern is very very important in leadership... a leader should be the one who thinks clearly, who can crystallize his thoughts and dosent COMPLICATE things, lots of leaders use Authority to get their work done, but the real leader is the one who can INFLUENCE his colleagues and subordinates.

All of the above is so true, there were so many young budding entrepreneurs in the plen, and a short and clear lession on leadership would go a long way for them to lead their own organisations!!

So it begins !!

2007-05-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

HIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Everyone...

Welll really really sorry for the ddeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllllllllllaaaayyyyyy (delay :) ) in posting my xp, as after you read the next posts which will flow, you will know i had No Time to log in and blog... but ya, i wrote down everything i wanted to write.. .. its my last night in Singapore !!!!

So, Flashback time... lets go to 7th of May 2007 - 1st day of EYLN Conference !!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good Morning : Well, its strange to get up at a place you have never been before, all alone, and when you know no one out there, apart from a few people! (read 1), but it was a good morning, the weather was so so better, it was raining, and i was watching the rains in another part of the world, and it looked quited beautiful, cos i hav already said the view from my room was breathtaking with small mountains, greenary all around, the unverisity UKM looked more like a holiday destination then a university, so clean, quiet,
serene, I would love to study here anyday !!.. anyways, so i was a little
apprehensive of the start, and had no idea what the next 3 days had in store
for me.

Meeting the Facis Again: Well picture this : 11 Individuals, from 6
different nationalities, teaming up to deliver a conference on
entrepreneurship!! If someone told you the world is now about
Globalisation, and AIESEC was a platform where youth from different parts
of the world can come together and work as a team... it was so true in this
case, I had been to an International conference before and seen people from 90 different countries work, discuss, have fun together, but this was my first hand expereince of working with such wonderful people!.. So down to earth and so mature were all of us, each of us had different backgrounds, in terms
of everything!!... the initial jitters and uneasyness was over is minutes and now we all felt like pals who have met after a loooong time and chilling together and brainstorming the conference and its flow... its an amazing feeling discussing world cricket with an Australian - Jeff, we discussed how badly india played and how unlucky we were, and the secrets of success of Australian Cricket, how they follow and take the game!!... more on facis and our discussions will be written later!!... but.. all in all.. it is a great great team..

Opening Plen: Well, was waiting for this since 2 days now, finally the conference begins!!... it was so good to be back at an AIESEC Conference, but this time, all the delegates were Not AIESECers, there were maximum Non - Aiesecers in the plen, so that made the job more challenging as they didnt know how we work, and didnt share the same wavelenght. It started with a round of introductions from all facis, and it was nice to hear the applause for the only Indian to come there only for the conference (me ofcourse:) ), total delegates were 150 and max from Malaysian universities, some from Hong Kong, Singapore etc. the Plen venue was also amazing, it was one of their lecture cum seminar halls, but wow it was better than any auditorium in kolkata !!...

Well this is just the start... watch out for more posts on the whole conference and then - Amazing and Unique Singapore !!

Cheers

Nikunj

Truly Malaysia - EYLN - The XP !!

2007-05-04T02:56:00.000-07:00

" A Long Journey Starts with a single Step, a step forward, a step in the right direction, a step towards the destination "

I dont know how much sense does this make to you, but it does to me, i have embarked on a journey of rediscovering myself, and to do what i always loved to do, TRAVEL !!... all by my own.... to lands never visited before, to meet people never met before, and to gain invaluable experiences that would for sure have a binding efect on my personality and future.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls (True SRK Style :) ), welcome to the adventure that would leave you excited, astonished, happy and a lot of mixed emotions (hopefully :) )

The Delay in getting the passport : It started of shakily as my passport arrived at 12 midnight and i had a plane to catch at 2, so we were waiting at the jet airways cargo division to collect the passport, and it was nice of the travel agent to have arranged that in the last moment, so all anxious moments were over and I was about the begin my hyped up, awaited, Trip to Malaysia and Singapore, 1st time not for a holiday, but for a conference and work !!

The Tiring Journey: yeah it was tiring, i had planned that i will play cricket on board, sort out those case studies, listen to music, but cudnt do all of them. the Flight was smooth, but i guess the emotions of the farewell got to me, and i was feeling damn tired, was constantly listening to my cutie pie :), but after the food got off to sleep, stupid THai Airways dosent even have a movie viewing screen like Singapore Airlines !!... so got bored.. The wait at the Bangkok airport was tooo much, i touched down bangkok at 5AM and my flight was at 9 ~!... 4 hrs loooong wait.... so did TP for an hour, roamed about these looooooooooong and neverrrrrrrrrrr ending modern hi tech airports !!... man... i know people who have been abroad will agree with

me but these are like H U G E airports, all of them , KL, BKK, and SIngapore, more a shopping mall , entertainment center and less an airport. Anyways, slept at the airpot too and finally got

onto the plane. So now the food menance starts and the veg food on flight is yukkkk it smells of chicken all over, so i prefer to have a Coke instead and try to sleep.

The Arrival and Reception: Well, fianally i touched down KL at 12 PM and boarded the KIA Train to the city, look at these pics to believe what a beautiful coutryside it has and the state of the art airports !!.. As promised Thivina was there to recieve me at the station with Daniel , her successor, they were very very sweet, and recieved me well,
Daniel and Thivina - Perfect Hosts :)

i got my KL - Sin tickets done, and spoke throught the journey about AIESEC, Malaysia, India, Student life etc etc. God, AIESEC is

UKM STATION

so similar everywhere, you cant get a more global and MNC type org than this.. trust me !!
THivina drove me to my house and i met Boye, the OCVP Logistics, and got to see my room, sm
THE VIEW FROM MY ROOM !!

all but nice, the only problem is its on teh top floor, without lifts, 5 floors and it has no attached bathroom. But such are ways to learn and come out from luxury and adapt.. i am loving each and every moment of this !!.. Right now chilling in my room, will play cricket for sometime, and then go out to chill with Thivina and the others, have Faci meet in the night, so looking forward for work to kick start !! Will keep you guys posted with pics, vids and much more..

This is just the start !

Do comment

Yours in Malaysia !!

Niks

all my bags are packed....

2007-05-02T03:37:00.000-07:00

... am almost ready to go.......

Where : Malaysia and Singapore !!
For What : not a holiday..... this time.. it work... !!...

Malaysia :

EYLN Conference... (Entrepreneurship and Youth Learning Network) Organised by AIESEC Malaysia, as a facilitator, its a damn cool conference on Entrepreneurship and how youth can become entrepreneurs, so i have to guide a set of students on workshops and cases, and there will also be a lot of lectures by malaysian entrepreneurs and the BIG one, i will be working on a team with
GE(general electric malaysia !!). The case studies ahve arrived and they are brilliant !!.. One on Google(finance), Netflix and furniture.com (strategy and feasibility). Should be an AMAZING experience of learning, fun, and a lot of networking !!

The conference is from 5 - 7 May, at the University of Malaysia !!

More info : www.eyln.net

Singapore : Well this time its a litle bit of shopping and a lot of work(hopefully), will have to meet some companies in the Johor region and try and strike some kind of initial relationship to import some products for the family business of chemicals, so a good hands on experience of meeting international companies!!

So, seems like a jam packed and action packed 1 week !!.. will keep you posted with pics, and videos !!

Cheers

Niks

Nice Interview on Start Ups and more : Shashi Seth

2007-04-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys

Came across this nice interview from Shashi Sethi, Product Manager at Google and voted the Best NRI by HT.

It has good insights on Entrepreneurship and Start Ups

http://startups.in/India/Entrepreneurship/Shashi-Seth--He-Inspires-
Success/

Do read

Niks

tHe Power of Ads - amazing creations | amazing Collections - Part ii

2007-04-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

Some more AMAZING ads :

Nike - keep Running - reincarnate - one of the most inspiring ads - have a look yourself

Adidas - again - impossible is nothing - overcoming obstacles !!

Honda - The Ultimate and perfect ad i have ever ever seen... un beatable !!

Thats it !!

Will come up with more such postings... do comment if you like then !!

cheers

Niks

tHe Power of Ads - amazing creations | amazing Collections !

2007-04-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Advertising to me is this wonderful way of communicating thoughts, ideas, values and moments in life and giving it a shape of a brand and making people rejoice and consider the option of expereincing the product. No one can ever undermine the Power of Advertising in the world, as ads can make or break brands, companies, products etc.

It takes a whole lot of gut feeling, creative genius, out of the box thinking, and sometimes, simple logic, values, life in general to come up with an ad. Imaging telling someone about a whole company, product or service in 30 - 50 seconds flat.. and that also can create a wonderful story of life in motion and simple and creative ideologies.

Here is a small collection of amazing ads, stright from Youtube ( i hope the owners dont mind me putting it here), do comment if you like them :), its an honest effort to organise the best ones...

Honda - Impossible Dream - one of the best Honda Ads - made in UK

Toyota - an awesome ad communicating the Human Side of how things work in a machine !!...

The Adidas Team Ad - Signifying the true sense of Impossible is nothing !!

Amora Hot Ketchup Ad - Unique way of communication about the attribute of the product... beware !!

The Lynx Ad - This is the one for the boys :)... the future of 'air travel'... tooo good

Careerbuilder.com - the cutest and funniest Job Portal ad you would see. !!

McDonalds - Inner Child - beautifully brings out the message that everyone has a child inside !!

Cannes 2006 - Grand Prix Ad - Guinness

2007-04-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys

Went to the Advertising Club Calcutta's event where they screened Ads from the Cannes lions 2006, ad awards, here is a wonderful creative ad which won the grand prix at cannes :

niks

iinovate blog !! - damn nice

2007-04-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hey People

Just came across this blog called

http://iinnovate.blogspot.com

you all should check it out.. its a very nice blog made by standford univ students and has live interviews of whos who of the world business like eric schmidt, andy grove and so on.

Enjoy reading

niks

back Home :)

2007-04-24T10:45:00.000-07:00

I have always have this habbit of surprising my near and dear ones.. so here i am.. back in Kolkata.. home sweet home (trust me... wherever you go.. however big you are... there is nothing.. absolutely NOTHING like home !!)... all my friends thought i am coming tommorow.. but gave them a good surprise :)

So.. one chapter closed.. another begins.. now its time for some reality check.. hard work.. putting the future into place.. research for internships.. !!.. work on bplans.. make it big..hmmm..lots to do !!.. but i need to remember the movie CLICK.. its an awesome take on people like me who are so workoholic !

Cheers till the next post
Niks

tHe mUmBaI XP - Chilling out !!

2007-04-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

Heylooooooooooooooooooo frm Aamchi Mumbai ( may actually become AAMchi - meaning Ours ~!!)

As you must have gussed it.. its been a very chillin few days out here in the city that never sleeps !!..... everytime i come to this city.. it seems the time spent is less.. as there is so much to see, do, learn, implement, etc etc... that one can never get full out this mumbai nagaria !!..

Anyways...I hav been roaming around da whole city since the last two days.... went to Lamington Road, to exchange some dud DVDs which i bought which refuse to run on my comp.. but it did run on the DVD player of the shopkeeper... well.. he only xchanged 1 of them which wasnt runnin and refused to do anythin with the remainin ones.. one peculiarity of a lot of mumbaites are that they dont hav time.. and smetimes they are really Rude and Too Practical.. !!.. anyways... the day was filled with Train Rides !!>. frm Churchgate to Grant Road,,, frm Grant Road to Bandra ( nearly fell of the train !!), Bandra to Boriwali ... bt thts the way you SHOULD travel in mumbai to experience the real mumbai.. rather than hondas and corrolas !!

Met up with Siddhant !!(sids) after a long time.. he is my pal frm cal who is now working with Morgan Stanley in the IB dept.. gr8 guy to hangaround with.. so we went to crossword and spent almost 2 hrs talkin abt random stuff !!, girls, relationships, career, google, books, movies,girls again, girls !!... after which i went to bandra to meet Smriti Modi... a very sweet little fren who is originally frm mumbai bt ws in cal fr her grads and ws also in AIESEC... again.. we caught up.. discussed a lot of stuff abt career.. mumbai... boys and girls !... her frens.. etc... had food at Bombay Blues.. and again 2 hrs gone !>.. shopped at linkin road... and rushed of to boriwali ~~... in a virar fast local.. where ppl refuse to let ppl get down at boriwali..but the stubborn guy i am.. i made my way out !!..

Toda was again a family outing with Uncle, Aunt, Cousin and mom... went to a no of malls.. its nt even funny the no of malls this city has.. and the no of malls cmin up !!... trust me... if i am given a choice i will become an infrastructure builder and open a real estate co and replicate sme of the big malls in cal.. and earn a lot of money. imagine.. rahul saraf buit forum.. a chutku mall.. compared to the ones in mumbai.. and bcame world famous in call and earned tons of money !!... woooho.....

went to Hiranandani.. awesome place. its like going abroad.. tall skyscrapers.. amazin scenery.... go cartin.. rock climbib. very nice place !!>. i did rock climbin.. and Almost reached the top of the rock.. cudnt complete it :(...

Anyways... was good fun going around the city and learned a lot jus frm observin.. wil pen down my thoughts when i write the last post fr mumbai xp.. til then... keep watchin the world thru MY eyes !!

cheers

Niks

tHe mUmBai XP - shopping and more!!

2007-04-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

Helloooooooo from Hot and Humid Mumbai !!

Well another day just flew by.... and.. you can just feel the pace here.. its so fast.. you never know when a day passes by..!.. anyways.. here is a short xp sharing fr the say..

Went to this cousin Mamas place in Napean Sea Road.. who is my mom's first cousin.. they were very very nice.. was wondering y didnt i meet them b4... but mami (aunt) and mama (uncle) were very friendly and not like usual cousins !!.. anyways.. after lunch we went around the city.. (me, mami and mom).. i bought 4 DVDs for 50 Each, and in total of 22 movies !!( avg of 5 movies per dvd) .. now thats what you call a wholesale deal !!...

After which we went to this nice place called Phoenix Mills High Street... its a simple high street concept of branded stores, pantaloons, lifestyle, MCD, Dominos, Big bazaar etc etc.. bought a trouser and picked up food at MCD.. well.. my general impression is that the retail outlook is almot same now in all metros.. this place was quite similar to City Center.. ofcourse the Pantaloons was much bigger here.. but almost the same collection and prize...

anyways.. i picked up this book called : It happened in India - an autobiography by Kishor Biyani.. the founder of Pantaloons... at 99 bucks its a good read.. (just started).. its about how a small time entrepreneur made it big !!.. will be interesting...

Anyways... came back.. and read the Dhirubhai Ambani - the man i knew - book written by Kokila Ambani.. man.. this guy dreamt big and had the guts as all of us know.. but there are only a few things i like about Dhirubhai.. not everything.. and this book was a drag.. the same things repeated again and again and again.. !!.. it was like a flashback only.. nothing else....

I return to kolkata next wednesday and the weekend will be fun.. will chill with Sid, Priya and deepu.. if they are free and then with my cousins in boriwali. .. it will b nice fun b4 goin back to good ol borin kolkata !!

And... here is a glimpse of the invite sent to special people fr Mukesh Ambanis 50th birthday... :)

cheers till then

Niks

Quiz on me !!.. Nikuiz - the battle

2007-04-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys

Just found out this real interestesting stuff where you can Quiz your friends about yourself to test how much do they know you and to make them know you better..

Try it out for me.. best of luck

Take My Quiz on
QuizYourFriends.com

tHe mUmBai XP - News :)

2007-04-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

Breaking News : I went to the doctor finally today and he said ' no laser therapy needed as of now... it dos not hurt you yet.. why do you wanna hurt it right now ~!!... let da docs say what they want to.. take my advice.. dont go for any operation.."

The Bottom Line : I am not having an operation (laser therapy) of the eye done at the moment.. so its relief.. !!(or maybe not..) for sometime now..

Well... its a tricky situation... the situation inside my eye... is not that good.. its called retinal degeneration or lattice degeneration.. where the retina gets affected badly due to less blood supply and there are holes.... and .. there is no such cure for it.. the laser therapy also jus seals the portion but... it cant prevent more occurances.. and all of this can lead to retinal detachment.. so if i get it done or not.. it dsent matter.. the damange has been done.. but better safe than sorry.. so no touchin the eye rite now...

so... thats all what happened toda... went to Reliance Center in ballard estate to pick up the RIL doc. and then to wadala to meet Mr Natarajan.. who i met after 4 - 5hrs.. or eye drops and ipod... and he said that dnt hav an operation !!.. so now i am free as a bird in mumbai.. so my meetin up with people starts tommorow.. and hopefully i will hav stories to tell and pics to show..

till then

" its the eye of the tiger.. its the cream of the fight !! "

cheers

Niks

birth, death, marriage.. and a lot more..... thts life !!

2007-04-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

gooooooood mooooooooorrrrrrrrnin people...

A big hi from bright and sunny Mumbai :)... so todays edition of tHe mUmbAi XP will be released later in the day with better pics, and a lot of coverage of the city..

Anyways... was going through the papers and the subject of this post and the stories i read in the papers today, defines life to me !!..

1. Mr Mukesh Ambani - CMD, RIL, Celebrates his 50th Birthday ! - yea, and that too in grand style celebrations in the Jamnagar Refinery, and his wife has organised a small, family oriented party... where a biopic on Mr Ambani's life will be screened, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (RDB)... they sent special invites to the close family members... ( i saw one yesterday sent to masi... very well made.. blue colour... wil try and get a snap and upload it)... so heres wishing the 13th richest man in the world. a very happy birthday.. and may you create more wealth and opportunity for a lot of people !!

2. Abhiash !! - the media everywhere is just talking about Mr Abhishekh Bachchan's marriage with Ms Aishwarya Rai... the two most eligible unmarried people in india.. !!... there are reports of their sangeet and build up to their marriage... crores of rs hav already been spent collectively i guess to execute the marriage and publish it... !!... cabbies and rikshaw waalas are gaining here as a lot of people are visiting the place just to get a glimpse of the couple and the celebs... Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan danced on Kabhie Kabhie last nite.. (wish i could be there too...hehe)... anyways... wishing them a happy married life and a lot of good looking kids..

3. Minal Panchal Declared Dead - now comes the tragic part of life.. the mumbai girl Minal Panchal.. who studied in Virginia Tech Univertisty was finally declared dead when her body was identified .. what a loss of life of an innocent girl.. who wanted to pursue her dreams... My heart goes out to those 30 odd students who died.. and it reaffirms by belief that nothing is secure and safe in life.. and there is no point just building the future everytime.. you need to live the present.. as anything can happen to anyone !!.. just checked her Orkut profile.. and god.. hundreads of people praying that her soul rests in peace and scrapping her... i hope she reads it somewhere up there.. even i put a simple post.. and its not her.. even the people on her frens list gettin scrapped.. thts humanity for u !!...

4. 6 month old foetus found in a dustbin in mumbai : have no words for this kind of act.. i just hope the people who did it.. realise that what would have happened if the same stuff took place with them and their parents would have dropped them unborn in a dustbin !!.. i mean if you have the guts to have sex... then have the guts to carry the baby.. or dont do the mistake.. !!.. highly disturbing.. and i know only writing on a blog wont stop this.. but we all should take steps.. only to educate people.. as i guess education and the right approach will only solve the prob.. nothing else...

5. Web 2.0 not growing !!: well.. its the techie side of things... web 2.0 ( its the name for content on the internet where people can create their own content like youtube, flikr, blogging etc), is not growing at a very high rate... people as usual are more interested in viewing videos and reading blogs. than actually creating them!! (the coutch potatoes that they are.... )... only.016 % of people who visit youtube actually upload videos ( i am in that group.. yipppiee).. but i think as net penetration grows web 2.0 will also grow.. and it has immense scope of e commerce and online advertising!!

anyways... thanks fr reading this long post.. and i shall be back at the end of the day with tHe mUmBai XP... so keep reading.

urs in mumbai

Cheers

Niks

tHe mUmBai XP - drive | exibition | timepass !!

2007-04-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

so .. this is part 1.. my 1st day in mumbai is over.. and it wasnt anythin unusual.. or excitin !!... first and foremost... my appo with the doc got cancelled.. as he is out of station.. and it will happen tommorow... so the wait it still on...

anyways.. coming back to the story.. Mumbai... the city of dreams... glamour... money.. riches.. !!... and also.. the city of people aspiring to achieve their dreams.. the hard workers...... the poor... and the ones who make the rich and famous.. more rich and more famous...

As its definately there in any place on earth... but mumbai just smells ( good or bad is upto you to decide) of money, and the desire for it..... everywhere... and dnt get me wrong.. i am not saying its bad or good.. fr me its 90% good.. as with money comes a lot of things.. the motivation to do new things.. to work hard.. to accomplish dreams.. etc etc.. but i love the pace of the city... i kno.. ppl crib abt it.. and will tell me tht boss.. u have nt stayed on in mumbai fr more than a week,... so dnt put heroic comments on ur so called blog. !.. but wait... thts again my perception.. which may or may not change... but i love the fact tht there are so many things tht people want to do.. and ther is less time !!.. i mean .. the demand supply situation of time and work is reverse !!.. back home.. people have more time and no work.. here.. (as it should be), there is no time and more work... i think thts y people strive hard and achieve.. and its a chain reaction.. and it attracts more people to come to this place..

anyways... as i said.. i had nthin to do the whole day... so got the news that CHEMSPEC 2007 - an exibition on Specialities Chemicals is happenin in Goregaon... so decided to visit that.. and mom went to masis house in boriwali... well... again.. the 'becoming spoilt' phase has started.. as i said.. so sat in the accord.. and got dropped at goregaon...

on the way.. i was glued to my ipod... the cchhooo chwweeeet thing... and almost switched over all my songs once.. hehe.... anyways.. and there was also a lot of videos which i took ( will compile them and upload on youtube), ...and reached the exibition.

It was the usual fair with stalls.. and a lot of greeek written in all of them ( as i understand nthin but my own business of chemicals.. thts it), and there ws little scope fr us in the fair.. it ws there if we were lookin fr new suppliers.. but tht is nt my competence rite now.. so i jus strolled in the fair fr 2 hrs.. and observed hw people interact.. hw they sell..hw they purchase... hw the whole mechanism wrks !.. its competitive fr sure.. man 90% of chem traders are gujjus !!... nice nice...

after roaming in chemspec with ketul and uncle (cousins), boarded the car and again a loooooong drive to borivali... again ms ipod ws kissin the ears (cchhooo chweeet she is :) )... and after a brief stay in borivali.. back to walkeshwar.. after a 2.5 hr drive..

One thing in mumbai which i hav noticed in my 5 - 6 visits.. is half the time is spent travelling in this city as its huge !!.. and long.............. .. but i dnt complain.. luv looong drives anyways.... (jus tht i am not allowed to drive here :(

anyways.. tht was a boaring day... and a boaring start to the mumbai xp.. ( i wanted it better).. so hope to give u guys some good news tommorow.. after meetin the doc.. and hav decided to meet a lot of long lost frens here.. so watch out fr some fun stuff :)

leaving you guys with a hazy pic of a part of the diamond necklace... marine drive!!..

cheers

Niks

tHe mUmBai XP - Intro

2007-04-17T23:26:00.000-07:00

Hey !!

Well here is my take at story telling and info sharing... and again.. fulfulling my 1st resolution.. (fr ppl who hav read my prev posts).. of keepin this small little place alive.. !!

tHe mUmBai Xp.. is nothing but a short little xpereince sharing of my stay in mumbai.. and fr those who havent been to this place... you can watch mumbai frm my and my cams eyes !!...

I shall provide you with my personal reflections on the city.. its people.. my adventures (if there are any), and some daily small updates.. and ofcourse.. in true nik style.. some pics and vids of this wonderful and fascinating city..

so are u ready ..

So am I !!

To start with ... this is the view of the sea (partly) from my room..

Thats it for now

cheers

Niks

Pleasure.... in my hand !!

2007-04-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

As promised.. this is the chhoo cchweeet post of mine...

Introducing to you (and not boasting at all).. my cutest and newest possession....
the stuff that puts pleasure to your brain, hand, and every part of your body..

The APPLE IPOD - Shuffle !!

trust me people.. this cute little stuff is so cute,. and thin.. its an amazing stuff to carry !!.. and show off :).. hehe

This is a 1gb shuffle.... and comes at a good price of arond 5.2 - 5.4 K... and its damn nice.. the sound quality lives upto the Ipod standard.. and wht else do u need.. it can store enough songs fr u to survive fr 3 - 4 days.. or more... and its better than carrying a huge, video or the normal ipod tht costs a lot more !!... this guy at the airport was listenin to a video ipod.. the huge one.. and he got a complex when he saw me listenin to this cutie pie :)..

anyways.. so now my travel schedules will be filled with a lot of pleasure.. pleasure of music and apple !!

luv

niks

on da move !!

2007-04-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

hey guys

before writing anything.. will take some resolutions !! (bengali new yr jus went by.. so not too late !)

1. will update my blog more 'regularly'
2. will loose atleast 5 kgs in the nest 15 days.. (tough.. )
3. will finish all 'pending.. ever pending work !!
4. find an internship abroad soon.. ( need it badly !!)

well.. hi again... nw to atleast start fulfulling the first resolution part.. i am on the move... !!.. currently in Mumbai.. for this eye therapy.. and its a relief.. to be in another city after a loooooooong time... its nt tht i dnt like cal.. but.. i luv travellin.. and mumbai is one of my fav cities (nt tht i hav visited n number of cities b4 !!)

well.. as per my 'on the move' status.. its mumbai rite now.. and if u r in mumbai.. u hav to b on da move everytime !!... more abt mumbai in my new 'series' : tHe mUmbAi xP.. coming up after this post..

after mumbai i go back to aamar kolkata.. and then if the doc permits will be off to EYLN conference in Malaysia as a Facilitator.. its an AIESEC Conference on Entrepreneruship.. and given my ' ambitious' interest in the topic.. its gonna be a good fun and learning xp..

anyways.. cant wait to put my next post.. which is chho chwweet..so hang on !!

take care

NIks

Reminiscing XMC

2007-03-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

"when conventions are broken.. new worlds emerge" - TEAM XMC 07

having worked on projects, organisations, events, teams since the last 3 years of my life.. gives me a sense of satisfaction and confidence after the end of each and every project or event.... its always a fulfilling experience of working in a project or a team and event, of carving everything from scratch... giving it a shape.. structure.. plan.... glamour.. and executing !.. its entrepreneurship spirit at its best..

this post.... is dedicated to the spirit of XMC - Xavier's Management Convention 2007 !..

really dunno where to start from !!...since we entered college in BBA, we had a dream of hosting a fest !!.. like every other college student....after participating in so many fests, winning them... we always felt.. that we as management students can host a festival.. like a lot of undergrad management institutes do and create a niche for ourselves....

it all started with the ever enthusiastic, excited ankit and sudipto goin to father in the wee months of 3rd year with the courage of hosting a fest.. as a part of XAMS... and fr approving it... i mus admit.. in the begining... i was never kicked about participating in the preparations or planning and execution of the same... as i wsnt a part of xams, and never had a motivation to organise events after my experiences in AIESEC..... but somehow.. somthin happened. and i got convinced, that i can contribute to the whole idea. , and make it a dream come true !..

so, after the innumerable meetings, brainstorming sessions, fights, ego battles - emerged - XMC !!.. i remember that i floated the idea of having a planning day, as things werent goin exactly organised, and told sudipto, that we need to dedicate a day for XMC, plan every subsystem, make it structured, have chart papers !!.. everythin out of AIESEC !!.. and was doin some planning for the meeting back home.. and thought of the name - XMC - xavier's management convention... and thought this mite be da perfect, simple name for the fest.. and would differentiate it from other fests.. it wud be a management convention !!.. wohhhhooooooo... and the journey began from there !

Was made the head for corporate communications in a meeting i didnt attend (much like VP ER in AIESEC ), which i always wanted to do. .. raise money, brand the event,.. and meet a lot of corporate honchos... so it all seemed damn nice.... and the perfect next step after AIESEC and implement a lot of things i have learnt out there !!

slowly but surely, things started to roll on, and we had our designer fixed.. graphica.. and released our innovative event brouchure (courtsey : sudipto!!), which looked damn nice :

then... things rolled on.. appointments, phonecalls, meetings, making millions of proposals... convincing ppl to give money, support, ads !!.. crazy crazy hard work, weeks of anticipation, finger nail bitting!!.. it was fun... and had a wonderful team to work with !!..

The cream of XMC was PD - the panel discussion, as the idea was floated by fr to hold such a thing, my mind went beserk !, makin huge, huge, ultra XXXXL plans of the discussion, of inviting, CM, havin cnbc to cover and telecast it.. makin it a national event.. blah blah.. cudnt sleep tht nite only !hehe.... but every large dream.. starts with a small step.. so made a list of ppl, elite ppl, who wud be panelists with the team.. and ws thkin of makin one person solely responsible for PD, and da 1st name came to mind ws SHILPA JAIN !!. dunno y.. but felt she was the perfect sweet little, cunning and smart girl, who wud work, with al her contacts, and charm, and make it a success !!... so allocated her the responsibiity !!.. and the rest as they say was history... we got 5 eminent ppl for PD... so what if there was no media !, no superstar moderator.. but the whole expereince of makin it happen ws amazin, i still remember the day when me and ms jain ran all over kolkata, meetin the stars !!, and one confirmation after the other..... it ws amazing....

The panelists were :

Mr Rahul Saraf - MD Forum Projects
Mr Noomi Mehta - MD - Selvel
Mr Roopen Roy - Partner - PwC
Prof Sarkar - ISI
Fr Mathew - SXC

moving on... the best highlight of XMC, were the events... truly management in its genre and well thought of... i must say that sudipto and his team did a brilliant job of organising all the events in such a short time !!..... i mean, there were definately fuck ups, but those happen, but not the tune it happens in other fests, XMC almost went on schedule, and all people who participated enjoyed XMC !.... i too conducted the event called synergy !!.. a team bldg game, which was too much fun ..

overall, JDBI stood 1st with 33 points, sxc bba 2nd with 32, and sxc bcom 3rd with 31 points.. was a close call !!

the update part of it is over !.. the expereince of working passionately and dedicatedly all over again with a team, was an amazing feeling, and we rocked completely... rite from managing the printing, fighting over stupid small issues, critisizing ankit fr everythin, wrkin with the smart and beautiful girls, 4geting home, gfs, studies, office everythin fr a month, it was crazy times... and beleive you me.. organising a management convention in 2 months is no joke and we the team pulled it off !!

Well, thats it from me, for a looooooooooooong post..... do post comments. here are some pics from XMC !! - conventionality redefined !!

XMC ------------------------------Poster Putting Up XMC Banner in front gate !!

Banner at front gate of SXC--------------------------- TEAM XMC 2007

The Xecuters -------------------------------------3rd years at XMC

people at work !!-------------------------------- with director of IIMC, chief guest !!

Last, but by no means the least.. the intro video of XMC 2007 - it truly stunned ppl.. it rocked !!

For more resources and info on xmc.. mail me :)

congratulations to team xmc for making it a rockin success !!

cheers to all of us !!

Signing off !!

Niks

Budget of India : A Summary

2007-02-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys

Here is a short, and incomplete summary of my understanding of the Budget Presented by the Finance Minister : Mr P.Chidambaram today. I will put forward my novice point of views very soon :)

Education Cess Increased to 3% from 2%
MAT Introduced in IT Sector @ 11.33% of Adjusted Book Profits
Excise Duty on Cement Increased to Rs 600 Per Ton for bags above Rs 190
Bags Below Rs 190 Mark, Excise Duty is slashed by Rs 50
Non Taxable Income increased to Rs 1,10,000 Only
The markets were spared hikes in STT and long term capital gains tax,
Dividend Distribution Tax
There will be no surcharge on companies with less than Rs 1 crore taxable income.
The FM has raised the Dividend Distribution Tax on companies to 15%, and on mutual funds to 25%.
2 per cent interest subvention scheme for short-term crop loans. The scheme will get an additional allocation of over Rs 1,600 crore.
The effective rate of customs duty has been reduced.
The peak rate for non-agricultural products has been brought down from 12.5% to 10%.
The ad valorem component of excise duty on petrol and diesel has been brought down from 8% to 6%.
CST rate reduced from 4 to 3 per cent effective APRIL 1, 2007.
He has raised the exemption for small service providers from Rs 4 lakh per annum to Rs 8 lakh per annum.
Consequently, 2 lakh assessees out of a total of 4 lakh assessees will go out of the service tax net, resulting in a revenue loss of of Rs 800 crore.
Service tax will now be payable on services outsourced for mining of mineral, oil or gas and renting of immovable property for use in commerce or business.
The Budget has introduced a new exchangeable bond instrument. Using this instrument, holding companies can raise money through bonds against shares
He proposes allowing mutual funds to operate dedicated infrastructure funds.

Till the next post

cheers

Niks

the journey is over.... welcome to the real world !!

2007-02-17T09:34:00.000-08:00

hey guys

well, am a little nostalgic rite now, and i know my readers (the few i have) and my blog is very angry wth me, for not posting for a long time... but was a little busy .. but now.. will be regular..

well, today was my last day in AIESEC, was discharged of my duties, and resigned... it was a gr8 feeling to have contributed positively to an organisation, learnt so much, changed as an individual and inspired some people !!...

AIESEC truly is a wonderful place, which all youths and college going students should experience.. trust me... its smthing that will show you where u stand in this world !!...

anyways... thanks to all the people who supported me in aiesec.. locally and nationally.. and will definately be in touch with all of you

signing off

niks

On the dance floor... one more time !!

2007-01-27T11:30:00.000-08:00

Yea, it felt like decades after which i was dancing on stage again !!.. yea.. dancing.. one of my oldest and most cherished hobbies...

well. if you look at my structure rite now.. u mite jus wonder hw this fat ass can dance .. and that also quite well.. but u kno what.. looks are always deceptive !!...

This time around..it was XAVOTSAV, me and my sweet little partner Aditi, danced to the tunes of Love, in the event Nach Baliye. The song was pehla nasha.....

When we got the concept of love is in the air,, both of us were clueless on what to do,.. wher to start from... which song, what concept... and what STEPS !!... cos both of us are not that great at dancing.. jus decent.. and for me.. i had not danced on stage since 2.5 years !!.. so it was a comeback for me..... and i took it as a challenge.. and the best part was.. my so called busy schedule was gettin into my head.. and i seriously wanted to freak out !!.. and get that charm of being on stage back !!..

I mus say we put in a lot of effort.. hours and hours of practise with Ms Shilpa Jain, Swati Poddar, Sudipto 'hero' dey always there to make us dance and give their creative constructive and criticising inputs !!... i wud never forget those random chai and 'gatthiya' eating sessions we all had... the practise for the event was simply a rockin time.. and we had a ball !!

coming back to the dance.. a slow romantic theme of Love is in the air.. and the remixed version of Pehla Nasha... actually 'aroused' my inner love feelin all over again.. it jus felt that i wanted to be in love.. all over again.. and the song was so so meaning full !!... we just got the hang of it by the end. and the song and steps went into our cells !!... it was just impromptu by the end day !!..

we performed brilliantly on the D Day and everyone appreciated us.... we are being termed as the love birds.. and our dance created an atmosphere of Love all around SXC audi... no mistakes... perfect natural expressions.. confidence !!... love.. it was everything in those 4.5 minutes..

whateva the result.. we all had a ball preparing for this. and i was tooooo kicked on gettin back to stage... where i belong.. (or do it.. hehe)...

In the end.. i would like to thank Shilpa and Swati for being the most supportive and persistent choreographers u cud have.... Mr Dey for always being there and givin his inputs.. and dancing sometimes... and last but by no ways the least.. my partner aditi.. u were superb... and sorry for all my leg pullings and mistakes.. and callin u swati at times.. hehe

Cheers and have a great week ahead

Niks

the year of india?? India Vs India... lets wait and watch !!

2007-01-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

Time to Time, the corporate world does emerge with a strategy to reach out to the society, to reach out to the billions of people they are serving, to reach out to the masses. India Poised !.. a campaign by the Times of India Group, according to me, is such an initiative. It has got people talking.... it just trying to say things, that all of us knows, talk everyday, crib, gossip, but never ever try to come up with a solution. This post is dedicated to a simple analysis of the whole campaign, and a learning that can be extracted by the youth of today.

Again, i have given the youtube link of the Amitabh Bachchan Video of the India Poised Campaign, watch it,... and here are the words...

There are two Indias in this country

One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth and live up to all the
adjectives that the world has been showering recently upon us.

The other India is the leash.

One India says, give me a chance and I'll prove myself. The other India says,
prove yourself and maybe then you'll have a chance.

One India lives in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks
in the skepticism of your minds One India wants. The other India hopes. One India leads. The other India follows.

But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more
and more people people for the otherIndia have been coming over to this side.
And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic
new India is emerging.

An India whose faith in success is far greater than its fear in failure.
an India that no longer boycotts foreign-made goods but buys out the
companies that make them instead.

History, they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions
when it is making a turn.

This is that rarely-ever moment. History is turning a page.

For more than half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run. fallen, rolled over, got up, dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on
But today, as we begin out 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought
us to the edge of time's great precipice.

And one India- a tiny little voice at the back of the head- is looking down
at the bottom of the ravine and hesitating.

The other India is looking up at the sky and saying, it's time to fly. .

Some words of inspiration, motivation, patriotism, self belief, and dignity. Some words of looking into the face of reality, frustration, hope, dreams, aspirations, following, leading, etc etc.

Some of the words and phrases in the anthem of India Poised, are things we think everyday.... a lot of us plead for chances to prove ourselves, we need opportunities, we hope to win... we hope to succeed...while some of us, create our own opportunities, create them, have a hunger to win and succeed, and lead others to the same path...

i believe that this campaign truly represents the New Age Indian, times are changing rapidly and we will always have a double mind inside us... one which is always urging us to create the way and lead others into the light.. while another restricting us... and reminding us not to take untoward risks.. and following the success paths of others....

whatever be the case.. India as a country, and we as citizens, have come a long way since 60 years.. and have a longer way to go.... as they say.. sky is the limit.. and we are just learning to fly...

i am not here to give political statements, on whats good, or whats bad... in india, but this INDIA POISED campaign should be looked from the viewpoint of a challenge to every individual, to maximise their efforts, intellect, visions and ability, to make sure in the years to come, we live with dignity, prosperity and freedom... in a Balanced Developed India... the India of our dreams

Vande Mataram

Niks

the questions begin.... again !!... (KBC @ srk)

2007-01-23T03:10:00.000-08:00

Last night, millions of people across india vitnessed the rebirth yet again of one of the greatest TV shows of India : KAUN BANEGA CROREPATI (adaptation of " who wants to be a millionaire"), with a new host and dost - Shahrukh Khan !!'

When KBC Started around 3 years back , it was a revival of sorts for the then host :Amitabh Bachchan... and the same for STAR PLUS the media house. From a management prospective.. the channel wasnt the top viewed channel in India, and they had to do something BIG to get right up there.. and KBC was the answer

It was a perfect case of thinking BIG and thinking out of the box (daring to adapt a successful show.. and roping in Ambitabh Bachchan..). Big B at that time wasnt on the peak of his career and nor was star plus... but here is a classic example of how two struggling entities can synergise and create history.

Anyways.... Best wishes to Mr SRK and KBC for this year..... and the first thing i liked about the new KBC is the relaunch video !.. its damn cool ..

Watch it .. right here. !!

Enjoy !

niks

one of the best speeches.. watch it.. and hear it ..

2007-01-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

The following is one of the best and meaningful speeches that i have come across... its all about.. motivation... team.. leadership.. passion.. commitment.. and how to lead and live a life...

cos life is a game of inches... the guy who is willing to die.. will win that inch !!

watch it here.... AL PACINO speech in the movie.. Any Given Sunday... :-

Niks

the search for greener pastures is still on....

2007-01-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

"the grass is always greener on the other side..."

"Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong" . murphy's law

i think any 21 year old, who wants to launch into a career.. which will make him/her independent... will always connect to the two quotations written above....
its a dream for almost everyone to be very successfull in life.. and to have a brilliant career with a lot of cash, fame, and name !!... (except those who already have the three... hehe)... and every big battle needs to start with the first act of fight !!...

my tryst with career (if i may say so), began last year when i decided to appear for the entrance examinations for MBA in India, CAT, XAT, NMAT, IIFT, FMS etc etc...... with a dream of getting a call from premier institutes, and converting it eventually (like every 2nd person who sits for these)...

I guess i choose the right path (considering 2 lac people in india did the same), but the vehicle was not right... i was never determined to slog and work hard for it... nor did i study... strategise.. plan.. nothin.. jus went with the flow.. attending random classes at erudite... and tryin to show to ppl.. the attitude of " so what if i don study..i will crack it "... which works sometimes !!

i gave my last exam toda of FMS, and confident of not cracking it.. though it was the best exam i gave, but then realising ppl all over india hav done better than me (still fingers are crossed), and when i look back, i would say this has been one of the biggest failures of my life... blowing away around 30 Thousand of my dads hard earned cash....

i am still not that clear on why to do an mba rite now.. mayb for the proffesional expereince.. a tag... degree.. network it offers.. the work ex after that.. expereince.. skills.. competence.. yeah.. good enough reasons.. but.. only if i would have taken it seriously .. i would have saved my face among a lot of ppl.. but.. as i mentioned.. the grass is still not green here...

but... life moves on..

and i am made to believe that anything that happens happen for GOOD... and there are better things which await me !!.....

i am starting to get some decent offers thru AIESEC Internships abroad.. so lets hope for the best.. to have the best proffesional AIESEC Expereince abroad... and.. i would definately try for campus placements and AIESEC Talent Partner companies.....so options are still open..

I feel very happy for my two good buddies.. Anuj and Sudipto who got XLRI calls.. i pray they convert.. and will help them a lot.. and learn myself too (there is a selfish motive u see ...lol)

but.. its high time for some goood deeeeep introspection.. and to get the career mode switched on again.. and get it kickstarted...

" long way to go before i sleep"

cheers and have a great week

niks

In 4th gear.... gettin ready for the 5th !!

2007-01-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

The most common thing which I hear from everyone around me is " hello Mr Busy.. u dont have time for us !! "

and.. time is just like a beautiful girl..... the more you desire her..... the further she would run from you....

to be very humble and not to be boasting.... the last few months, have been like driving a shatabdi express !!... a lot of things to do.... a lot of speed.. and so less time... and thats what i like best... cos an idle mind.. is a devils paradise !

to mention about my recent endeavours ... as usuall AIESEC is keeping me working hard and hard as always... and I really feel like the time when i was just new to the organisation.. full of vigour.. passion.. enthusiasm.. cos.. its my last month here.. and i wanna give everythin my best shot... provide as much value add as i could.. cos after 18th feb.. i wont have the option in life to do that directly... !!.. so all my energies are now chanelised to YUVA and Recruitment... whateva i can do.. !!.. and not ot forget TRANSITIONS>.. the time when i transfer my knowledge.. resources... experience.. strategies.. to gargi.. my successor as vphr.. i really hope she does a fantastic job this year !!

second is as mentioned.. .XMC... to be really frank.. i was never gonna take up this project in college.. i was against a fest.. and had never organised one... but somehow ... somewhere i got a spark and insipiration to do something BIG in my last year in college.. and i took the plunge!!... and it is now enterin the blood !!.. and the team : xecuters would make sure it is the biggest undergraduate convention of kolkata !!..

third is my internship project at ERUDITE>.. i did this detailed marketing survey and now am preparing the report on the same. and need to submit it asap !!... but.. squeezin time for it is bcomin tougher day by day.. because of random appointments to rediffusion for the ad of YUVA... Transitions with gargi... college.. xmc...hehe

but whteva anyone says... i am luvin it... i am proud that 3 years of my college has not gone to waste attending tutions.. givin stupid extra courses.. or stayin at home ... i did somethin.. which will definately add value !!

cheers

nik

" Managing Conflicts !! "

2007-01-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

Well, a conflict is anything from a difference of opinion, ideologies, vision, ambition, intellect, knowledge etc etc.... and its the best learning expereince of any team according to me !

Last few months have been an exciting time, where 'we' have been a part of many inter personal and inter group conflicts in various teams (wud not like to reveal names :) ) and the whole challenge is to come out of it for the larger objective or keep fighting for your ego !!

I guess the biggest thing a conflict does in a person is it challenges his inner conscious to prove his ideology / point and make him work towards fulfilling the goal. OR it may just motivate someone to destroy the other person / group by attacking them and in the process the higher objective would definately be lost !!

Anyways.. enough of gyaan and theory... to me.. conflicts have always been interesting and motivating.. as i tend to loose direction sometimes, and conflicts / aggression gets me back on track !!... to prove that i still have the fire to perform !!... and that never say die spirit !!.

if anythin adds a value to a process / group it should be encouraged.. either it be a handshake or a war of words !!

on that note

cheers !!

'the boulevard of creativity !...

2007-01-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

'creativity is the state of mind, when you dont think... you just visualise 'different' things and have a good 'hand - mind' coordination !! '

whateva that meant to anyone.... i think people who are really creative and innovative need not always think out of the box, flashy, unconventional or colourful !!... creativity can come in a lot of forms and shapes.. and sometimes the most simplest and different things can be called creative !!...

i belong to this genre of " people with marketing in their blood" type !!... finances have never ever gone into my head.. and i am havin a ball studyin marketin as a specialisation in my final year of graduation ! !... atleast that creative side of me (howeva good or bad it mite be.. can be fully utilised.. and i can discover my hidden potentials !!..hehe)..

Last week was an amazing expereince of sitting at a rediffusion office and givin a creative brief to someone in the ad agency for AIESEC. I was just observin how that guy was observin and consumin all my blabbering.. and tryin to create a visual out of it !!>.. damn interestin !!..

well this post will be an attempt by me to put together some of the advertising creative works i have come across.... and a youtube video that i had uploaded... !!

1. Pepsi Vs Coke..(the killer !!)... when i saw this mail sent by Yousuf.. I was fascinated and overjoyed for 5 mins.. this is what you call aggresion and creativity at its best.. it may be false or smthin.. but who cares.. its a treat fot the marketing mind !!... here it goes:

Take a look at this hoarding by Pepsi. > > >This building is on TTK Road , Chennai.

Coca Cola has taken 2nd floor for their sales & marketing office and
recently fixed a board.
Two days later Pepsi put up a board in the same building where they
have no retail outlet...........
And this is how you have to market a product!!!

2. The 'Xecutive Launch !!'

This will be one of the closest things to my heart.. the magazine launch of our department... we had worked very hard for it... however bad printin quality it came out because of the carelessness of the printer... but we gave our best shot.. and this video was a dedication to the entire team who dreamt.. and made it possible !!... and await XMC !!... its becomin bigger !!...

3, Some other rocking ad designs... jus for your eyes !! :

thats about it for today !!.

" in the maths of life.... a + is = solution to the problem..... so always + !!" (read.. positive attitude)

cheers

nik

One Journey is coming to an end.. another begins... !!

2007-01-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

" life is a lesson of Journeys... expereinces... achievements.. failures and lessons..life is truly a lesson.. one which you only learn when you are through !!.."

This is the second time, I am starting to write a Blog, people know me as a very techie person, a netizen.. but its been a surprise to myself that i have not ever started writing a blog !!..

Actually i ve never had the habit of writing... but.. now i feel is the time to create new things... and embark on a different journey of rediscoverin myself !!

Well.. this openin post will be a short one... its been 2.5 years since ive been a part of AIESEC.. and this is the last month of my presence in the org.. i have explored a lot in myself durin this tenure.. learned.. falied.. achieved.. made frens which would be with me fr life.. and have had a wonderful proffesional expereince.. but now its time to move on in life.. and to make a value add to my career and to that of others !!

More about my aiesec xpereince in next blogs.. wait for the agm day.!.. all da emotions would come out..

hmmm.. thats the journey which is coming to an end...

but now.. for the new begining...

The urgent thing on hand is XMC 2007, the first management convention of xaviers bba which i am so deeply involved with... we have really seen big dreams.. and we will achieve it.. and i bein the corporate and ER guy.. do hope to contribute a lot to the convention... more on this also as life goes on.....

and theres my international internship coming up.. i really hope this new breed of aiesecers send me to a nice place :)

till then.. till i visit this place next...

" if something ever bothers you... u feel lost and alone.. look inside you.. u will find a voice. which is YOU.. talk to yourself.. and experience.. the change, warmth.. and positive energy that would generate... its a new start.. get set go !"

cheers

Nik