Why dont they do something about their websites!

Medium is the massage !

Yes i agree , but why dont people understand that when in deep shit it is better not to communicate than to communicate anything which seem pretty ... ummmm funny, ironical and in a way -sad !


Sample this - (All websites accesed at 8.15Pm GMT +8 on 29th Sept '08)

Career section of Lehmann Brothers

Experience Lehman Brothers
Make an impact. Engage your passion. Realize your potential. Around the world, the Lehman Brothers team is growing. Explore these pages to learn how you can build a career with us, and experience Lehman Brothers for yourself.

Investment Banking
We provide corporations, governments and other large institutions with the strategic advisory and capital-raising services they need to achieve their goals. This includes advice on mergers and acquisitions, privatizations and debt or equity financings. You will work as a member of project teams, gaining strong corporate finance skills. Investment banking draws on talent and resources from across different industry, product and geographic groups to deliver the best solutions to our clients.

From the section BUSINESSES


Businesses
Lehman Brothers takes a "One Firm" approach to business, working together across our business groups and actively bringing all of the Firm's resources to bear for our clients. Lehman Brothers maintains leadership positions in equity and fixed income sales, trading and research, investment banking, private investment management, asset management and private equity. Consistently ranked among the world's top investment banks, the Firm's network and access to local and international markets enables it to quickly and effectively solve its clients' diverse financial needs

In the history section :

1840–1859
The history of Lehman Brothers parallels the growth of the United States and its energetic drive toward prosperity and international prominence. What would evolve into a global financial entity began as a general store in the American South. Henry Lehman, an immigrant from Germany, opened his small shop in the city of Montgomery, Alabama in 1844. Six years later, he was joined by brothers Emanuel and Mayer, and they named the business Lehman Brothers.

From Merrill Lynch :

Career section

What Merrill Lynch Offers You
At Merrill Lynch, we believe in the limitless potential of each employee, so we offer you unparalleled opportunities to work on challenging assignments, build your career and realize your potential.
Our premier brand, worldwide presence and diversified capabilities create a dynamic environment of exciting opportunities to explore on a global stage. Working alongside industry-leading professionals and thought leaders, you will experience the satisfaction of creating breakthrough solutions for our clients.
Expect to be a contributor, a collaborator and a colleague. Expect professional achievements and personal fulfillment. Expect continual growth and success.

SNIPPETS FROM MORGAN STANLEY's website

Company Information
From the number of our offices and employees to the experience of our management and the quality of our financial results, the facts about Morgan Stanley tell an impressive story.


CAREER SECTION
What makes Morgan Stanley a leader?
Morgan Stanley is one of the world’s largest and most respected financial services companies, with a long-standing reputation for excellence on a global scale. We have a remarkably broad and diversified business, providing financial products and services across all the world’s major markets.Above all, what has always made Morgan Stanley a leader has been the exceptional talents and passion of our people. Wherever they work they share common business principles, starting with integrity and excellence in all that they do. Our people help Morgan Stanley to foster long-term relationships by providing our clients with consistently rigorous thinking, reliable execution, and unsurpassed access to financial markets.


For the record let me state that i dont have anything against the i-bankers. They are a pretty intelligent lot.
Love the way the placements scenario at the IIMs and the top-105 colleges put forth every year and you can bet that the salaries are usually USD -> INR ( at the point when the INR is at the most depreciated level) . Would love to see the placement scenario this year.



Fine , i think you get the point . so i wont rub it in , but as they say that every crisis is a learning , at least this crisis proves to me

1. Professionals at any level can make mistakes
2. Experts should always carry a sack of Salt
and
3. No skill is indispensable . So diverify.

The situation is sad and ironical but lets learn before we get the 'ibank syndrome'

Cheers

ROCKING ON .

****1/2
Watching Rock on!! was like being transported to the day when our whole PG batch was watching DCH and guess what , this time I was watching it with office colleagues. One of my friends so aptly put it, "the movie world is changing with us"
This movie is definitely not about Rock music its about relationships in the backdrop of chasing ones dreams, making compromises , living life as per norms.
The movie is also about Rock music , complete with an "inspired" climax stage design from the Pink Floyd PULSE concert . All the tracks are awesome and after seeing the movie you will enjoy the tracks even more . In fact Farhan Akhtar is a revelation his imperfect voice is what gives depth to the songs. A rock song video simply wouldn't work when you know the guy is only lipsyncing. The songs just grow on you. Dominique is another revelations - great voice she has.

The only hitch, unlike DCH where you could identify yourself with at least one of the 3 characters or a mix of 2 , here not all the characters are fleshed out properly. You only get the hang of Aditya and Joe but the other two are merely sidelined and you cannot connect. Have taken half a star out just because of it. But again this is only because of the phenomenal precedence of a movie called DCH !

Thoroughly enjoyed it and reiterated my belief till now ; you may be good at your job but it doesn't mean that you like doing it. It is upto you to make a choice , and if you don't make your destiny somebody else will .
Cheers Enjoy

Brands which will not work... back home.

These are real pics and NO special effects ! these are ACTUAL popular brands in Egypt. .

Why they will not work in India ......Self explanatory !






Non Indian Readers who do not get the meaning .. please write to me and i will give the explanation separately :)



Cheers

Knight is Dark !

Awesome movie ... Christopher Nolan is a genius ...
I watched Memento, Batman Begins , The Prestige, The Dark Knight all in the last one week and boy what an experience .

Action, Masala , thrills , dialogues ....... with brains .

Watch it guys

Some gems from The Dark Knight

Why so serious??

****
Madness is like gravity all you need is a littleee push !

****
“Some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money.
They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with.
Some men just want to watch the world burn.”
****
If you are good at something ….
….never do it for free !
*****

“You either die a hero…
or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

*****
Now the Pièce de résistance

you either leave as an EA…….
or work long enough to see yourself become a CC


cheers

P.S the last one- for the uninitiated - EA - Exceptional Achiever , CC- Consistent contributor are the appraisal rankings and needless to say getting a CC is not an achievement ;)

The Antwerp Cut !

26th June , Antwerp

Wow- finally here in Belgium – the birthplace of Herge, the creator of Tintin. Have grown up on the adventures of Tintin and I can boast that I have all the adventures which I have been collecting from my 5th standard, securely stored in a trunk in Coimbatore.

Okay coming back to Belgium , here on work so not much time to see around , but still quite fascinated by the beauty and the sheer simplicity of Belgium compared to other European countries.

Just back from a fabulous dinner with colleagues , a Bengali and a Belgian! Quite a combo , must say ;)

Some interesting trivia which I wasn’t aware of , for one the origin of the staple French Fries . Belgians claim that the French fries is originally Belgian ! They had a custom to have small fried fish with their meals and when the lakes froze they didn’t have a choice and cut up potato into thin slices and fried it to accompany their meals. And the story goes like when British / American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War 1 they tasted it and at that point the official language of the Belgian army was French! . So one thing led to another and thus the grand invention of the ‘French’ Fries.


Whatever the truth , Belgians are supposedly the largest per capita consumers of potato.

So now you know it .


Another thing which my wonderful colleague revealed was that there are – note this – there exists pure vegetarian restaurants in Belgium. Not only in Belgium in most of the European countries ! Although they are a rare breed but they do exist!

This was a complete news to me , and I need to really see one . would take a picture and frame it .

So now you know this also.

Fine enough for now , gotta catch up on my sleep , long day tomo .
Looking forward to the evening as I have to go to Amsterdam where I am catching up with a few of engineering college mates.

That is something which has gotten me really excited. Should be good fun.

Catch you later .

Cheers from the city which is the largest trader of diamonds in the world and guess what, the Belgian Diamond trade is controlled by Indians!

Have given some snapshots from the country of Lace, Chocolates and Beer . Hope you like it .
Gdansk and Good night.

Cricket and Commentators

Cricket and Commentators.

Just read Aamir Khans blog and was intrigued by what he had written on 3rd June in the post titled “The Great Sachin”
---------------------------------------
The match last night was certainly exciting but what made it a unique experience for me was that I had Sachin next to me. You will find this hard to believe but Sachin was able to predict every ball before it was bowled. “He is going to bowl a bouncer next”, “This one is going to be a slower one”, “Full tilt outside the off stump”, “and Next one will be a yorker”,“ Short of length”. It was uncanny. HE GOT IT RIGHT EACH TIME!!! No wonder its so difficult to bowl to him. He has an amazing instinct. And he told me his logic for each prediction which I won’t share with you as I don’t want to reveal how his mind works. But all of us were dumbfounded with his instinct and his acumen. So at the end of it I told him next time we watch a film together I’m going to tell him what’s going to happen next!
-----------------------------------

This was a revelation. We have grown up on Sachin and have followed his rise to the pinnacle of cricketing glory. However these are some things which is not known to the public and it can only be theorized and anticipated. We will know for sure that he would know tremendously more about the game than any of us – but the fact that he can actually get into the minds of the players and give such kool insights is very exciting.

I am just waiting for the day when he becomes a cricket analyst and commentator. Just imagine what kind of interest he can bring to the game by his analysis and insights into the happenings on the field. This surely would be a welcome break from the current commentary levels.

In India almost every guy knows the nitty gritty of the game and can very well understand the basics and the happenings on his/her TV screen . But it is a sad state of affairs that the current breed of TV commentators fail to understand this and dish out their ‘sparkles of wisdom’ again and again through their microphones and we as sorry spectators are victimized to all this.

The IPL has been a success and has brought to light some facts which were not in the open earlier.
India has tremendous talent which has not yet been tapped
Indians and Pakistanis and Australians can play together in a team etc

Apart from the above , the audience was bombarded with 40 days of incessant commentary , from the so-called cricket experts ! We might not have noticed it earlier as the games were spread over , but the IPL has clearly brought out the fact that we are lacking good commentators and lacking BIG time.

Radio commentary is probably the toughest as you have to create the aura of the game in the listeners mind. Initially the transition from Radio to TV was not smooth , the commentators felt the need to describe the happenings on TV in full detail, forgetting the fact that now the audience can SEE !
This still hasn’t been understood by them over all these years .. and now they even go a step further by actually READING out statistics written on screen .

And to add insult to injury they give out some priceless gems by the way of analysis .

I am just jotting down a few which comes to my mind and right now I am watching the India –Pak Kitply cup final and needless to say most of them are being heard right now.

Category :
‘Expert Insights’

• It isn’t over till it’s over.


• The only way to slow down the run rate is to get a couple of wickets.


• They need a 4 in every over to cover up.


• Suddenly the match seems to be evenly balanced


• Everything can change in one over.


• He needs to bowl the Yorker now .


• They need to rotate the strike


• That 4 will really pep things up.


• Odds are against India but one good over can change it .


• It is going down to the wire.


• They need to keep their wickets and score runs.


• He needs to move his feet , he needs to judge the line and length and strike the ball cleanly.


• The field is set for the off-side , he shouldn’t be bowling down the leg ! ( as if The bowler enjoys bowling like that )


• This one takes the cake – at the beginning of a run chase – the batsman need to keep calm , keep wickets , rotate strike , keep the score board ticking and not allow the required run rate to go out of hand ! And I thought that they need to do something else.
  
• He needs to take a single and retain strike.


• I get a creeping feeling that it isn’t over yet - (if it was over you wouldn’t be sitting here and giving such lousy comments right . )


• LBW not given - Maybe it was jussst outside the leg stump.


• In the airrrrr – fielder getting underneath ittttt – and he misses ! ( I am watching it on screen buddy and I need a commentator to validate what I just saw !)


• While waiting for the 3rd umpire decision on a very close call – It is given Not Out – and the commentator says “It’s a right call” what the heck while seeing the umpteem replays he didn’t commit and after the decision is flashed he actually agrees ! C mon man you are a cricketer as least take a bloody call .
  

‘Some abused phrases and terminologies’

• The ball went like a tracer bullet. Ravi Shastri’s contribution


• .The ball is appearing like a football to him.


• They have to find a few boundaries now.


• No fast bowler will like to be hit like that! (As if spinners love to be hit)


• From here India needs a miracle to win the game.


• He is not playing his natural game. I cant understand what’s happened to him today?


• Dhoni was looking for this length and he gave it a good whack for the maximum.

On Sehwag:

Innings when is going good

• He is such a wonderful player he can make room and slam any ball and if he goes on like this the match could be over very soon

When he gets out on 7

• he tried something odd by making room and it was not required.

C Mon man give him a break and his due. He has at least brought India's name along with Bradman and Lara in Tests, even if you ignore his achievements in One Days and T20

Another gem from this match:

32 runs required 12 balls 1 wicket remaining and Dhoni on strike, Ishant at the non-striker end, Afridi to bowl and L. Sivaramakrishnan says - I don’t think he will be looking for a single , he should take a few boundaries in the first 5 balls and THEN take a single . Wow – this was an awesome insight from an expert commentator which I didn’t know at all!



If you have some more classics like this then do feel free to add on to it in the comments.


I am desperately waiting for the commentators to understand that their job is not to just describe whats happening on the field , they need to give insights , anecdotes , predictions , analyze those statistics etc and not insult our intelligence by rattling off what we can see.

Need more Harsha Bhogles desperately as now we are going to have many matches and we might as well start watching the matches MUTE.

Sachin you listening .

Mumbaiii!

The Marine Drive as viewed from right opposite the 'B' Road Then and Now

Had been to Mumbai, recently - after a year ! Had a great time with friends . Shuba came to visit and that made it really awesome. Went on a nostalgic trip down memory lane alongwith her on the Marine Drive, B Road, JS Hall ! (Summer of 2001) . The time of Summer internship when the Gullu gang discovered itself . I for one had one of the best time of my life in those two months . Staying with Rocky, GM, D, PC and Goyal + Sachdev and Amogh close by The excitement never used to end as we discovered and rediscovered ourselves. Even after 7 years we share a special bond and although most of us are living miles apart a common factor which binds us even now is the Summers! Cheers to it. Hopefully one day we will try to bring all the experience of those 60days into words!

MICA 2002 -1st year Batch pic

Power of mind : The slight 'tap'

Here is my reply to one of the posts by Amitabh Bachchan on his blog here http://blogs.bigadda.com/ab/2008/05/25/day-36/#more-109

Just some thoughts, Sensible - maybe or maybe not !

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

Hi Mr. Bachchan,
Have been addicted to your blog for last 2 weeks and this is the first time I am posting . Your post of the 'MIND' made me write .
I completely agree with you that we use only a fraction of the power of our mind during our life time . Although whether it is 33% or 10% is contestable . Nevertheless , the bottomline is that we dont use 100% percent of our capabilities.
Some people who are able to reach to the depth of their minds and cull out a extra iota of thought, idea and convert them to action are the ones who would be definetely 'labelled' as more successful leading to being famous /known/ or just more content.

However i would like to debate the point wherein you gave the impression that working long hours, stretching the day to the maximum, doing mind boggling number of 'activities' in a single day is actually akin to using more redundant unsed potential of the mind.
I would rather attribute it to will power and deep personal interest in the activitiy and obviously a more disciplined life.

According to me this is what makes a polevaulter get a gold medal , this is what makes an explorer discover a new land , this is what makes a man write an autobiography and influence people . BUT, the above did not lead to the invention of electricity or the concepton of the Art of Living or simple theory of Non Violence.
According to me using more than average potential of the brain would result in a 'tap' which has a Domino effect , which goes on to affect another being and another and another for possibly an eternity. The people who do that are the people who would have learnt the art of scraping the depth of the human potential .

Similarly , Mr. Bachchan would be remembered for being the star of the millenium , probably one of the most famous man , an entertainer par excellence, the best example of a family man , hardworking , astute, gentleman, an inspiration and a 'complete man' . However , the 'Tap' seems to be missing.

YOu know sir , my worry nowadays is that i dont remember anything about my great grandfather /mother and it has been only about 40 years since he passed away (i am only 30yrs) ... just imagine if ones own family doesnt remember anything about you in just less than half a century . Probably for a more famous person it would be about double that and for you it would be probably 4-5 times that . BUT what abt after it ?

Leaving a legacy behind is one thing and leaving a leagacy with a 'tap' for the next domino is another thing .... .

You have made a start by exploring your ability to influence people by this blog ... i am sure this might just be a beginning of the 'tap' which would create millions of ABs fr the future .

Pharoahs tried to 'force' their memory till almost 3000 years (till date) by building something which 'lasts' But i am sure you will agree that 'Jesus' would last more that the Pharoahs if we put them to a race.

Enough of my ramblings . Hope i made some sense

Cheers

Ups and Downs !

Life is like a roller coaster . I am sure you all have heard it many times , at least I have., Now what does it mean , does it mean up and down in career / love / relationships/ money/ lifestyle . Is it like a sinusoidal curve?
C Mon, it can’t be all that simple. The whole concept of that if there is an Up there has to be a DOWN. If we give this even an iota of our though then it wouldn’t make sense.

If we believe in the Up and down then this is what will happen:

You wouldn’t dream as you would , obviously believe that there is no use . After all you have to come back to the same level so what’s the whole f!@#ing point

You wouldn’t invest in relationships – what’s the point , things are going to be good for a while and then it would be back to normal or perhaps worse.

You wouldn’t want a promotion – same argument.


But I guess it doesn’t take a scientist to understand that life is not sinusoidal. The amplitude of the wave is not constant . The pitch of the wave is not constant.The ups and downs are not constant .

Wow that’s a different thought.

It means that if we do things properly we Can take it to different levels.
It means that if we put effort in a relationship it will pay off
It means that the more you dream the more you can achieve commensurate to your efforts

So ? you may ask . This even a paanchvi pass can articulate.
Yes ! I say . But we surely made more sense when we were in 5th standard than now .

Just thought of brushing up my memory. This is required when we are over 30.
Basic things are forgotten.

Good night .

Long time no see -

Intezaar ka phal meetha hota hai . Check this out.


My Latest trip to the SIWA OASIS. For those who dont know about this please google it and read for yourself.





Mind boggling place and highly recommended for those who like to tread a not-so-beaten track. Pic taken at the GREAT SAND SEA on the Libyan border

More pics here

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20397&l=1216b&id=524303960

I bet you will love it.

P.S - I know that conceptually this is not an original photograph but i guess somethings are just meant to be 'inspired' from .