The Liar's Poker

I picked this book as it is supposed to be a must read for all b school grads. Not many years ago for all the finance grads Ibanking was a job to watch for. I was always a strategy student, even when i did not know what it meant :P. I understand finance well because it is a part of day to day life and somehow the complex products never made sense to me because by the end of the day the monay making in financal markets is a case of arbitrage opportunities and i dont think any structured book can teach it.

Anyway, getting back to book, YES, this is one of the most interesting and hilarious read. I love the mind of the writer, the way he has seen all the characters around him and brought out the vanity of the whole game. He has talked about the fall of mighty Solomom Brothers, the arrogance of its employees and what led them to failure. I somehow miss the failure bit and i get attractd to the risk taking ability of Solomon guys. The writer has the most fun filled explanation on every decision and every character in the bank. He has projected himself as a young victim to the tyranny of his arrogant fat money making bosses and how he was fooled day in and day out till he learned the money making game and adjusted to the non existent culture of the firm. He has in most simple langauge explained the fianancial innovation which led to loss of billion dollars in the market. I like the character sketch, the innocent eyes of a young guy who enters trading floor and how he watches the ruthless trading floor aspiring to be one of them, but not knowing how and also doubting if he will be able to survive the game.

A very interesting read, you will remember humour for lifetime. Its intelligent, subtle and you can just relate to writer and laugh at it. I loved it. This is a good writing by Michael Lewis and i totally give him star 5 for his sense of humour.

So, what do you think??

Hmm.. So, i havent talked about my childhood gang for long now. One of the ganster has this very very sweetly irritating habit of turning towards me and asking, "So, what do you think." (Ok, if you are wondering whats so special about it, he knows that while the whole explanation was on, i was in my own world, i wasnt listening to it.).. Ahmm.. Umm.. Yep, its gud yaar. Hee hee , "Whats gud?" Errr.. "The stuff you just talked about." "Hee hee, which stuff?" ( OK, i am not deaf, you were talking about some long term plans and all and life and stuff, i will be creative , dont worry, here's the "stuff").. "The stuff about thinking and being serious and about what one wants and not want, you see it all makes so much sense. The serious thing." :D "Hmm.. so whats your opinion on it." ... :P "Yep, you make sense dude and now spare me, you know i wasnt listening, dont get after my life, nothing new about it".. "Hee hee, how do you manage to watch a dog so diligently while such a serious thing is being discussed." ... :P "Errr... umm.. dog is also serious.. it deserves attention, just because its a dog, you cant ignore it. And you think your talk is serious and not the poor dog, just because its an animal. "(OK, i had no clue what was i speaking, but i can be really convincing when i get down to it, you see... :D).................................................Long Pause till 3 of them burst into laughter....................................

Here was the killer, the what do you think guy, "I know dog has every right to attract and probably dog and his attention seeking character is a really serious matter which i will sort with it. I understand. However, i fail to understand why dont human get importance in life, what is it that dogs bark have and human talks dont have. Why does barking dog get more attention than talking human?? WHY? Just because he/she is a human?? WHY?? "
............................................ :P
"Errr... i dont know.. may be.. but trust me being human is not all that bad.. dont start aspiring for a dog's life.. i lost the discussion mid way, so kind of started ignoring it and admiring dog.. but i do think, what you think is right about the stuff that you talked about.... " :D

Talkathon!!

Ok, now i am going to boast about the extra large friend circle that i have. Did i tell you my dear blog that i love to just talk and talk and talk, so i am basically branded talkative, but there is nothing much i can do about it. Thats the basic need for me. I survive on talks and people say i can talk to stone if nothing works out.
So, when your problem is talking, you come across some interesting discussions and you kind of wonder whats the point. I go for these walks at night for 30 min which is very dear to me. If i manage to catch hold of someone to walk with me, i happily do away with the ear phones and music. And i usually get some new people. As and when you walk with people for lets say 4-5 times, eone has a story to tell, sometimes about work, sometimes about relations and sometimes about aspirations. Aspirations have no end, i think eone should have it, but at the same time they should not take away your sleep. Just live life. Work: there is always a lousy, idiot, who makes life hell for all, so just chill, he/she is not worth being given so much importance in life. Relations: OK, this is one discussion which has various flavors, some are interesting. First is : his money, my money .. in my home all money is eone's money, its been like that for years and its difficult to tag whose is it and youngest at home is pampered in kind.. i like this.. ( OK, i know i am the youngest.. :P)
Location.. we all are earning.. hmmm.. But why?? anyway, who ever thought about it.. After all Geeta said,"Karm karo, fal ki iccha na karo, so keep earning, dsnt matter if 10 people work in 10 different locations, spend double the amount and fight everyday.. by the end of the day eone is earning.. I am amused.. :D i am also earning, but then issue is everyone else is also earning, so its not something unique to spend an evening thinking about..
And then there are loads of things which come out and i keep listening to them and thinking whats life all about by the end of the day? Is it about the million dollar deal we ran after in morning? Or about the lunch that i had with my colleagues? or the friends i made who just happened to be mine? or the family that waits for the time i see them? Do i have complains? YES, i am human i have reasons and complains in everythng that exists in the way it exists and thats what makes me do better in life. Issue is not that people have complains, issue is that there is no mindset to resolve. And there is bigger ego to protect from any kind of resolution to creep into life. In all my walkathons, i hear the same complaints, there are same characters, there probably is a solution, but then that will kill the stories of my walkathon, so i am not interested. :D

The Pursuit of Happyness!!

This is one movie i find awe inspiring. The story resembles some stages in my life and i can just see that hurdles make victory so worth living and there is always a reason which makes you stick on. Life is just the way we look at it. There are people who will have everything and they will still crib about life and then there are people who have nothing but they still keep the smile on. Someone told me once, Happiness is my state of mind and but for me no one can challenge me. :)
I have these various mood swings when i watch the movie, the story of rags to riches, of hopes, of efforts, and of times when fate takes away every scope of hope. I particularly love the dollar note tht someone borrows when every penny matters and how when time turns every penny comes back. Life does test us many a times, but yes the part is, there is always a part of life called "happyness" which waits for us right there. The strong and the persevering ones reach the destination. It is indeed a pursuit. This is one movie which makes me emotional and i love the fact that babies love you without conditions and sometimes all it takes to reach the sky is someone's unconditional faith. :)

Bhai Dooj - A day of experiments

This was a Bhai dooj i celebrated after long. Bro had this long list of food that he could eat "if" i cooked. I thought i must oblige him and this was day for Italian dinner. It took me some 4 long hours to bake pizza, cake and Calzones, but it was good. Hmm.. i am a decent cook and cooking is awesome fun provided you get paid for it either in cash or in kind. So, as usual my CTO brother have me fair deal. Thank You bro, i totally love cooking for you and somehow i experiment on you, but you are lucky that things just turn out good.
So, cheers to our Italian dinner and yes Noni gets a gift no matter what, so according to him it was baby dooj, so he should get a book or gift too and being the darling of the house (he is well mannered and decent baby), he is granted all his wishes. :)

My Performance Appraisal

Why am i becoming so fearless with every passing day? I love what i do and i do what i do. I have just stopped thinking on what not? There is just one target i see in this time and i am on it, nothing seems to be detering me. I have got this bad i dont know i want it and i will get it kind of spirit in me. I am not willing to look at anything which stops. I just know i have learned this from my nephew, he is focused about what he wants in life. But then i was wondering, what is giving me all this- i have never bothered about my CRRs all my life, i dont care about money (i make sure that i get paid my worth) and i dont care about job. I work for something else now, i have found my motivation and love.
I work for the 400 people in my account who smile every morning and feel good about themselves because they can earn. I work for those 200 people called customers who use the work that my lovely 400 people do for them. I work for my mind which loves to think positive and progressive and i work for my self worth, which should increase with every good that happens to poeple i love. I just love what i do because all these 600 people think i can think for them, talk for them and they trust me that i will take right decisions, do right things and make their work better with every passing day. At this point in life, i cant see anything but change and change and a change which should make all 600 people who are mine free to think and fly. I know change is never easy, i might fall flat, but then i am fearless and i can just see the focus. I just know that if one day these 600 people can feel any better, i would have been the star performer, i have found my appraiser and goals. :)

Long ago papa told me once that i dont know what dsnt work, i dont care, i just know what must work and also at any time many people work at same thing, some to make it better, some to stop it, whoever takes it farthest wins it. Have the hunger to do and rest everything will be taken care of.

The One Sided Talks.. :)

Hey
Hello.. how r u?
I am gud.. did u know?
w..
The thing that i was telling u the other day?
w..
Forget it.. here are some things i think we should do..
l..( i wanted to say "like")
Trr trr trr.. what do u say?
A..( I think we should rethink - i wanted to say this)
Ok.. so, let me do one thing.. since we are fine with it.. let me call you in 2 days and see whats you take on it..
u.. (um.. i am not sure if i am fine.. i wanted to say this.. :D)
It was nice talking to you.. now let me call u in 2 days..
aa.. ( two days for what?? )

This is an excerpt from a telephone conversation with a person i interact for work. So, person thinks he talks, but he just speaks without listening. So, while the person thought i was perfectly in line with what he said, i wasnt. The call came again after 2 days to take update on work and today i had decided to speak..

Hey
Hello
So, how about the work?
Which work?
The work we discussed the other day?
Discussed? I wanted to discuss but that never happened..
We did talk..
What did i talk about?? I dont remember speaking anything.
You did..
What??
Ummm.. Something..
What is that something? did you let me speak?
Umm.. hmmm... yeah.. so whats your opinion?
Let me know yours first and then we will talk..
Ok.. and i will make sure that i listen..
Thanks!! :)

Whats your Rashi

So, i wanted to watch a movie tonight and somehow got hold of "Whats your Rashi". Needless to say its a baseless, storyless movie. The storyline is pretty funny and makes no sense to me. There is this dude, who kind of knows everything and is flown back to India for marriage as his family has to pay back some money, so he should get married. :D And then there are 12 characters which showcase the sun signs and their attributes. The story just moves around money and a guy and this trail of women who agree to buy the person on sale. As ridiculous as it sounds, its out there for public to view.

ANY GOOD MOVIES PLEASE?? Ok, i will watch great debators next.

The Change Agents..

What are some of the factors which contribute to what you want to do in life. We all tend to be always in confusion about what we want to do. When we have good job, company and no structure kills, when we have good companies, too much structure kills. Sometimes we have both, but personal life goes for a toss. Loads of things always create an arbitrage opportunity based on which firms have people moving in and out. HR gives it a fancy term – Churn rate. Employees call is – A smart move to save the career. The idea finally behind all this is that it’s the opportunity created by imperfections and gaps at both end and in the game organizations usually don’t lose the base performers, they lost the smart ones. Of late I have started believing that after a stage in your career, from top its all about keeping the think tank of organization alive at all levels. Reinvent, question, challenge, think and change what is not working. Don’t become comfortable. Most of the large companies in India have controls and structures in which they normalize all performers as work force. The think tank becomes old, at some point stops challenging and institutionalizes everything thinking when they are gone structures will take care of everything. They miss one important point in life – CHANGE. When nothing is constant how can processes be constant. They have to change. Everything has to change, more than processes, these firms need “think tanks”- the people who are capable of changing with time and transform the processes to succeed. The Challengers. The Performers. The Creators. The Destroyers. The Innovators. The Leaders. The Managers. Have you identified them for your companies? If you are concerned about the next gen leadership for you companies, invest in people, know them, grow them, else your companies will die with you. Time and change will outsmart your processes and you will be a old juggernaut carrying loads of past. At the top of the pyramid - INVEST in people because they will make systems to suit time and need.
Is knowing people all that complicated? We are all humans and all levels and stages in life, we have some basic questions answered for us, by us or by the situations we fall in. Just know the people you want to keep and try to invest time in answering some of these questions for them. See if they fit the “Think Tank” needed for surviving in the industry. If yes, fit into their needs and retain them for that long lasting organization that outlives you:
· The basic DNA – You like process? You like challenges? You like structure? You like innovation?
· The way you like to be treated – Self worth – I believe I have mind and I want to use it, I like to be paid for it or I like to earn the same for myself.
· The Personal factor – There are people who make me happy, do you care about that part of my life? Is there a human element, do you accommodate me? I don’t care about anything as long as you pay me and give me growth which I feel compensates for everything else.
· The field that interests me – Domain – I don’t like to think about medical industry, I am supply chain, I like to think big, long term and I am pro at execution, give me free hand in kind of people I want. Do you care about what I want?
· Am I successful? I might be doing what I feel I like to do, but am I better than my peers and are my results showing that my skills match my interest? If not, I am doing someone else’s job.
· Can I make an impact? Can I speak up my mind? Am I heard by people at all levels when I think I can make a difference?
· Does my level of integrity and moral values match with my org?
· Do I get the recognition and name for what I do or am I being missed in the political or beaurocratic system? Am I one among millions?
· Does the person I m reporting to, deserve my services or it has to be other way round.
· Will I grow with age or performance?
Have some questions answered for those top 10 people in your org and work towards giving them a professional fit, put them through challenges that they will love to handle and been recognized for. The organization will have the feet of its own to stand on. I think despite all the people, process, and technology talk that I have heard in my education, I would put people at top. If they are right, process and technology will fall in place. So, next time when someone talks of churn rate – know at what level, if it’s the think tank, the org is probably dying.

New Clothes!! :)

Not that this is new, but sometimes you just love all the clothes that you buy. So, mummy is in town and i am at the heights of being pampered. Good food and good clothes + lots of stories, i am back to my childhood days. Today was amazing that way. We dint really go to buy clothes as i thought i had loads of them (though i thought i had got bored of many of them). But then i saw a peacock blue colored dress and i thought i should have something nice for my diwali wear. Ok, so thats comes in and then i try more and more clothes and Neha and mummy go on approving all. This is good, this is smart, this is cool. So, if not everything atleast some is mine. After trying all my clothes for nth time, its time for me to say gud night and dream about them. And yes, now i need to plan outings where i can wear them.
So, when Noni( He is 4 years) wears a new dress, i pick his dress and say wow, you have Mickey on it, this is lovely red in color, so one fine day when i was getting ready to go somewhere, he said wow, you dont have Mickey on your dress, but i like the pink color. :)

Interview with CEO's - Harvard Business Review

Wait for this review too.. :)

Lance Armstrong- Not about my Bike..

If you have any bending for autobiographies, this is a must read. The story talks of character, strength, willingness to live and if you love sports, you just hang in there, Lance has an amazing way of getting into the details of cycling without making i too complicated for your comprehension.
The books is about the cycling champion, who is detected with cancer in third stage, as science would call it, there is lesser hope, but there is willingness to live. Lance has given a heart touching narration of his life and fight with the dreaded disease.
BTW, this hero dint just come out of disease but rose to be the champion again. They say "Its all in mind", Lance just did it.
This is one of my favourite autobiographies. I like the spirit of survival and revival. The way life of a cyclist is described. Also, if you thought he had planned his aim in life, nope, you are wrong, he just had one option, he took it and focused on it, thats how he was a champ. There is just one thing special about the heroes - Never say Die! :) A must read life story.

Questions..

"So, what do you love the most in life?" - My frenz and her endless questions..
Ahmm.. Umm.. Everything thats mine. My mum, my bro, my bhabhi, Infy, my pillow, my bed, my books, all my frenz.. Everything.. So, ok, i missed Noni, i love him the most. :)
"Why?"
You have to know him to love him. He is crazy piece of creation. Our love started when he was born, he was this lil thing, pink and small eyes and he looked into my eyes and smiled, i was like Boss, till date i was the youngest at home, now you are born, so you have to be loved a lot. And then we all found him very exciting. He was dirty, always awake at odd times, all 4 of us at home were always tired of him, but he was happy to see us all in this condition. I remember how much i loved his smile that at times i would run from office early to play with him and he also waited for bua to come. He only becomes better, he is innocent and he loves you for everything that you are. I learn a lot from him. So, one day Mr Noni was struck in an elevator with everyone, the door was half opened and the opening was enough so that he could be given out. He was told that you go out with watchman uncle and as the elevator will be lifted up, all others will come out. He dug his head into Bhaiya's shoulder and said i will not go Papa, i will go with you. He dsnt know the desperation for life and death. He loves to talk and talk about everything that he sees and imagines. He has a long list of things that i can get for him when i visit home during vacations. He knows that corner of bed on which i sleep and knows that it belongs to bua. Basically, he loves and he loves me so much, that i just know that i have no way out. He things i am his age, so he can shout at me, teach me things and its cute when he teaches me good habits from his books. So, you can see, i dont have a choice. He ensures his space, rest all fit in theirs.. :)

Coorg - The Scotland of India

To pursure my love for travelling, it was time to see the so much talked about Coorg in Karnataka. As usual the gang of Kunal, krishnan( The usual ones) , Peeyush, Kapil, Shaiku and Kapil's mum headed towards the journey. We started at 4 AM in morning and reached the near abouts of Madikeri (Capital of Coorg) around 10 AM. We had no bookings done and we just went into the wilds with no plan. :) So, then started the hunt for the right plan to spend two days. We had two cars and hence the liberty to drive to all impossible places. We started with the Abbey falls.
These were lovely and water split all over in air as if it was raining. We moved from Abbey falls to the most wonderful place i have ever seen - the Tal Cauvery - Origin of the river. The drive to Tal Cauvery is absolutely wow. Given we has three boys to drive, i had the liberty to watch the greenery and lovely sky. The way up was like walk on the clouds. We reached to the top of the hill and it started raining very heavily. The clouds touched us and we were taking shelter under the doors of the temple. After some time the rain stopped, we took the stairs to the holy place and then we all saw some 200 odd steps into the sky. All of us got excited at the site and went for the ascent. The view from top of the hill was lovely. There were lush green moutains all around and there was too much beauty that i will fail to capture in words.

Our car was the last one to come down from the mountains. It was dark, raining, scary and we all were wet, but we loved every bit of it. We reached back to Madikeri, had food (Food wasnt the best part of the journey though) and slept to wake up at 7 AM in morning and search for Mukkodlu (Rope bridge) falls and then many kilometers into beuatiful wild in search of an arbit waterfall. Peeyush traced a snake and krishnan was a feast for many leeches. All in all nothing scary and life threatening, but there was sound of river water and nature at its best in all directions.

From there we moved to Dubare - the rafting and elephant site. This was kind of ok, i had done rafting before so level 2 was not an attraction for me given that it deamanded 4 hours of our total 6 hours in hand before we headed for Bangalore. So, while Kapil and his cousin statyed back for rafting, we moved for Chicklihole Dam and Harangi Reservoir to watch the dams while we drove to the Monastry. I was seeing a monastry(Golden temple) for the first time. It was grand and btiful. I kind of liked it, thought it was not something spectacular as i had heard of the one in Dharamshala.
This was the end of our one and half day trip to Coorg, we were driving back to Bangalore. Peeyush drove us back real fast, he is always the level headed one, concerned about the safe and timely arrival of us back to our destinations. Peeyush will head for canada in sometime, Kunal and Krish will head for US and i will head for UK. Work is splitting us apart. We have spent some of the best times in Bangalore, searching for food and travelling. We intend to continue this bit of life ever later. So, since Europe is pretty, everyone has to come to europe trip before i go and visit them in US. Its always been fun to be with frenz and new locations always leave these uncertainity in mind on will i get the same people again?? :)

Sangam Gacchami

Some of the best words i learned in last four months... These are the words i was taught in a course i did in art of living. It was a course on meditation, there was a lot that i learned in the 3 days. There was a lot of peace and positivity and then there were teachings to trust all and be kind to them. Most wonderful words which i needed to say to all strangers were -

"Sangam Gacchami - I will walk with you and i belong to you..."

These words are magical. When i feel that someone does not trust me, i just say these words silently in my heart and smile at the person, they work.. :) Its a soul to soul connect that all humans share, but we tend to grow out of these as we move in life. Smile and leave all apprehensions, understand that everyone around is yours and you will walk with them till one of you lay horizontal under ground. Often we make things complicated in life. If only we learned to forgive people and live in present, life will be less complicated. There is nothing called future and past is what we create from our present. We should learn to be humble and thank the nature for everything that is given to us. The moment you start questioning yourself on what did you do to deserve so much food, beauty and love that nature gives you, you will know that you have been blessed to be born and you must live this life fully, every moment of it, without cribbing and working towards making it better.

Thank You God, i think i have been fortunate to see the best in life in everything that comes across me and i know i will always be given the best because i will work towards it. Life is what we make out of it. So, next time when someone shouts at you or looks at you with distrust, just smile and say "Sangam Gacchami, I am human, i am a part of your soul and i will walk with you. Do you recognize me?? " :)