Brain Freeze
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Arm twisting can get you placesA Dummy's Guide to Biz-School Or why B-schoolers have all the time in the world to write DIY blogs.
Courtesy: Binu Ninan Kovoor (The Mallu)
PGDM, Class of 2006, IIM Calcutta
Monday, February 20, 2006
"Oh! I am sorry...Did my back hurt your knife?"
-Rachel Greene (Jennifer Aniston- F.R.I.E.N.D.S)
While on the subject, here're some Blog updates (and grades)
- All new Blogrolling list. Yay!
- And for the pesky proxy problems, use Shrutz.tk Yeah. That's Shrutz. Battling the Proxy Problem. One url at a time. If this works, I am getting rid of the second blog, so please pay attention. My head (as well as my back) is hurting!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Wave your hands in the air
Yeah. Coming to the open air coconut farm near you....
Terbang'd And a Mall!...
Hold your breath. (Don't forget to wave your arms in the air, like you don't care!)
Monday, February 13, 2006
IIM-K GD/PIThoughts, Musing and Random Factoids You NEVER Wanted to Know About My IIM-K GD/PI Process!
Okay, so here she was. Shrutz in the Big Insti. I plonked my bags into a room on the IIMB campus a day early and went around asking seniors for gyaan on filling the forms! (Small aside here: You can get LOST in the campus. But it's really pretty. Also, Bangalore is too cold for my Mallu self. I can live without the cardigan/jacket, but the semi-lukewarm-water masquerading as hot water was too cold for me to take... literally!) I was put up in a really pretty hostel room from where I could look at the peaceful vistas of... construction work. Yeah, looks like many more seats up for grabs this year
But, yeah, the setting is really idyllic. Unfortunately, I got lost along the whole executive block-CCP-administration maze a couple of times. I am still not entirely sure where I had my GD and PI!PS: Looks like there's a nice Cafe Coffee Day outlet *somewhere* on the campus!
D-Day dawned as bright as a new penny.
My GD/PI process started at 2 PM. I was escorted there (no, not shouting and screaming!) by a friendly senior, who also helped in the nervousness department. ("Don't be.") After being mistaken for a PGP student by another of the prospective K-students ("Where's the K interview taking place?"), I plonked myself on the nearest seat (which was a huge cement block) near the interview rooms.
First impression: There were close to 30 people! Wall-to-wall. People looking nervous, checking the certis, yapping away, verifying their certis. And there I was, unusually quiet. (Poor me
) After verification was done, I finally met someone who wanted to TALK. We spent the next 5 minutes exchanging information (aka gossiping!)At 2 sharp, a very sharp gentleman escorted the 10 of us nouveau-acquainted souls into Panel#3 and arranged us along a table. Yours truly was #3. Our panel was blessed in that there were three of the fairer sex. Yeah, I am sure the guys must have been SOOOOO happy. (yeah, right!)
We were handed small slips of papers and asked to read through the passage and make points (if we liked) for 3 minutes.
I looked down.
10 lines.
10 lines that made sense only after I shook my head a few times.
"Modernity is an ambiguous word. It depends on societies. *yada yada* The present was its flower"
I shook my head again!
Squinted.
Thoughts of CAT VA came floating back into my mind, unbidden....
I pushed the treacherous doubts back and stared at modernity again, and decided to do what I usually do for GDs.
Fly on the moment...
Suddenly, "You may start"
Dead silence for 2 seconds while everyone looked at each other, wondering who the unfortunate neck on the chopping block would be.
"Ahem, friends, today the passage that has been given..." yeah that was me.
Yay! I started.. Uhm, So WHAT?
After 7-8 minutes of people talking in a very rational and peaceful manner, the moderators had enough. ("Where's the blood? the gore? the vehemence? Some good points, maybe?")
All in all, quite a peaceful GD, though I disagreed with one lady who said "the most peaceful GD I have attended." Makes me ask "How ARE the GDs in Hyderabad?"!
Not too many points were brought up. I wasn't too happy with my performance. I just tried to stay out of trouble and kept a low profile throughout, came into the GD only thrice.
Since you people have gotten this far into the experience, let's move on to the PI. (yeah, lucky you!)
Venue: Panel Number 3
Interviewers: Two extremely cordial and chill gentlemen (who even opened the door for me! Seriously!). P1 and P2, say?
Setting: Fluoroscent lights and very chatty, informal atmosphere.
P1 takes the file from me and starts looking through it. P2 is reading my form (oh NO!)
P2: "You have mentioned here that you an Army background and were inspired by your mother's entrepreneurship. Could you explain?"
Me: "Yessir! My father's an Army officer. My mom has a petrol bunk..."
P1: (interrupting) "She owns it?"
Me: "Yessir."
P2: "Where in Trivandrum?"
Me: "..." (No, not giving it to you!)
P2: (Ascertaining actual location...)
Me: (confirms)
P2: "Okay, let's hear something about you."
Me: "I am Shruti George, doing my eighth semester *yada yada* hobbies *blah blah* I believe in giving 110%."
P2: "Why not 120?"
Me: (Huh?) "Sir, it can as well be anything higher than 100. (sooo cliched!) Just a number!"
Me: "I am okay at acads."
P2: (looks down at file) "You call THIS okay at acads?"
Me: "You can always strive to be better!" (Hehe!)
P1: "Are you the topper?"
Me: "No sir, top 10% in class!"
P2: "Okay, you've said being the placecomm rep was a cathartic experience. Explain"
Me: (launching into long winded explanation)
P2: (after hearing everything.) "Yes, I understand. but why?"
Me: (confused) "well, sir..." *Another story*
P2: "What does cathartic mean?"
Me: "Life-changing"
P2: "Not exactly."
Me: "Sir, I will check it up!"
P2: "Do that!"
Edit: It's more to do with ONE moment that is life-changing. *Sigh* I had an answer to that too. Ought to have used it
P1: (closing the file) "So, Miss. George. You said you play the violin."
Me: "Yessir."
P2: "Name a famous Malayalee violinist."
Me: "Err." (Yeah! I ought to have seen that coming.)
After some painful exchanges....
P2: "Look that up too. So, can I ask you ANYTHING about your hobby?"
Me: (realisation ALWAYS dawns late) "err, sir, I actually learnt the WESTERN violin."
P2: "Ahh, yes! So what's the difference?"
Me: "Funda on chin rest, tuning, musical notations etc"
P2: "Are you a novice or are you good?"
Me: "I am quite okay. Gave three grades of ABRSM."
P2: "VSM?"
Me: "Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music"
P2: (nods his head and looks at P1)
P1: "So, Miss. George, what about your schooling?"
Me: "I had a semi-Army schooling."
P2: "Semi?"
Me: "Unlike most Kendriya Vidyalayas, our school had more Malayalees."
P1: "Miss George, Malayalees can be in the Armed Forces too."
Me: (hopefully, without missing a beat) "Yes sir, but my classmates were settled in Kerala for 12 years and were mostly bank officers' kids. This was peculiar to my school."
P2: "Pattom?" (Yay! Mallu alert
)Me: "Yessir. The school was marvellous!"
P1: "You're from Kerala. Whom do you think will come into power?"
Me: "Sir, it's obvious it will the Opposition. It's the pattern"
P1: "Why?"
Me; "Sir, Malayalees are very politically aware. Added to the anti-incumbency factor and the view that the government has done nothing to address the problems of the common man. The deficit is huge and the Treasury is in shambles."
P1: "That's been a problem for ages"
Me; "Yes sir. For a long time."
P1: "Do you think there's something wrong?" (Scribbling marks down)
Me: "It's easy enough to be in our positions and say 'This is wrong' I think the government, like so many others, got caught in the same old."
*Talk about IT-tourism and BMW-cum-hartal, trade-unionism*
P1: "What do you intend to take up as a specialisation?"
Me: "Sir, either Finance or Marketing."
P1: "Both are very different"
Me: "Sir, I intend to see at the end of the year what I am really good at!'
P1: "What makes you think you will make a good manager?"
Me: "Sir, I am very enthusiastic"
P1: "Just that?"
Me: (correcting self) "Since I have been young, I have been at the forefront of most activities *self glorification*"
P1: (nods head and smiles)
P2: "Sir, I have a final question. You talked about trade unionism. Did you ever have to face it in the business?"
Me: "Yessir. Once" (long story)
P1 and P2: Thank you.
I almost ran out....
Cross posted on Pagalguy!
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
1.2.3...A Fraud Guide to Instant PoetryBlogger, before you enter, be warned!
Shruti Fraud and Jax are registered BlogSpot versions of REAL people.
It's your lookout, if you come across either of us!
We take no prisoners!
"ARGHHHHHHHHHH", the scream of frustration resounded in the air in C#.
Shruti Fraud nearly jumped out of the brain, or whatever part of the body she inhabited. "What's wrong, Jax?"
Jax looked up, then looked around and finally realised 'twas nothing but the disembodied yet cynical voice of the Blogger Also Known as Shrutz.
He sighed and struck a dramatic pose, "Poetry is the soul of food, I have been told. Alas! If that be true, then I be starved, dear Shruti."
Fraud looked confused "Soul of food? Surely, you durst not mean food of the soul?"
Jax blinked momentarily, "To the educated mind, 'tis all the same. Food, soul, poetry, what's in a name?"
Fraud sat down and motioned Jax to do likewise. "I see your brow is lined with the furrows of worry. Is there something we ought to know?"
Jax sighed, "Yes, my friend, my heart verily doth weep. I wish to drown my sorrows in verse deep. My mind chafes at the smallest hint of pretentious prose. It serves only to make the situation worse. To wax lyrical, to the world about my innermost thought, surely that's not asking for a lot? It'd work, as far as I can see, if I wasn't stuck on line three. It was an idea absolutely divine, and so far, things were quite fine. Till I had to find a rhyme, (and I have been stuck on it for sometime) for a word as common as 'Orange', my dear Fraud."
"What is this in aid of, Jax?"
Jax hemmed and hawed.. "Well, it's poetry week on Blogger."
"Yeah, right!"
(Small aside here: Yes, girls, Jax here is single, and ready to mingle!... Go on, ping him! Here's his list.)
"I know it's getting dangerously closer to that time of the year again, Jax. Now, into which girl's shell-like ear do you wish to recite poetry into on February 14th? Don't be scared, man. You know, Shruti Fraud is here to help you with ALL your problems!"
Jax heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Well, I am not really asking for too much. It's just that I have become out of touch. So, Fraud, can you find it in your heart (or whatever part of the anatomy you inhabit.) to help a poor hapless soul like me, and publish a handy-dandy guide to poetry?"
"Done, Jax!", said Shruti Fraud and proceeded to blog about poetry....
The Shruti Fraud Guide to Poetry. It's As Easy As 1..2..3
- For starters, pick a topic to write about. WHAT? No, Ode to the Lint in my Pocket REALLY doesn't work. Do you really think Wordsworth started out that way? Or Milton? Or Tennyson? Even Browning, Frost and Blake? Yes, we're leaving Ogden Nash out of the picture. Okay, if you are so insistent that pocket lint is important to you, keep it. [Helpful Hint#1: It's better if you can pick a topic that evokes a lot of pain. Pain is an excuse for you to do whatever you want in a poem and pass it off as "It still hurts to think about it." Of course, don't write about experiences at the dentist. Well, unless you ARE Ogden Nash.] Recommended topics include the eyes of your beloved, the rise and fall of the Roman empire, the view outside your window amongst others.
- Now that you have fixed on a topic, we need to fix on a suitable title. God! Will you PLEASE keep quiet about your pocket lint? Now, there are two ways in which you may name your poem. Either start off with (yes, yes) Ode to the... or Musings on.., Recollections of.., Sonnet to..., as applicable. For a difference, of course, you can title your poem with a single word. Examples of this would be Life, Egg, Flower (And... even Lint!.. Damn, you're persistent.) [Helpful Hint#2: Either be short and sweet with the title, or be so discursive that people lose the track within 3 seconds. An example for the latter would be Random Musings on Penning a Sonnet to Ode to the Lint in my Pocket. Capsice?]
- Quick now! What emotions does your topic conjure up? Love? Anger? Hate? Awe? Or are you hungry after thinking so much? If nothing comes to mind, sorrow and pain might be a good idea. Just pinch your hand, squint your eyes and screw up your mouth. The tears will follow.... If you want to be happy, just think of my blog ;) With the Ode to the Lint in my Pocket, you'll need to feel the pain of the dhobi entrusted with the noble task of cleansing the garment from the iniquities of the lint. Be ONE with the dhobi (Now, now, Angel. Be good..) . Each rinse, each beating, every sudsy bucket of water needs to be experienced. This is a Zen-like state, achieved only by constant practice (and a few shots of booze/dope, I am told!)
- Congrats! You have got thus far. Now you are ready to write sheer poetry. But first.... A few deep breaths ought to prepare you. Yes.. That's the way. Breathe in. Breathe Out. Repeat. Nod your head to the beat. Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Wave your hands in the air like you just don't care. Be careful of the crystal, though. I would like you to care just for that. Okay, okay, wave your hands in the air like you only care for my crystal and NOTHING else! Done? Okay, now we're on to poetry....
- Rhyming is simple, Rhyming is easy, It's all in a day's work for me! Rhyme and metre are all very well... so, here's a crash course in the lingo the hep poets use ..
The concept of rhyme and its role in poetry vary considerably in different cultures. In modern English, and most European literary traditions, it is the final vowel/consonant combination found at the ends of lines that are repeated across the rhyming words. When words within a single line are rhymed, it is called an internal rhyme.- tail rhyme (or end): a rhyme in the final syllable(s) of a verse (the most common kind)
- masculine: a rhyme in which the stress is on the final syllable of the words. (rhyme, sublime, crime)
- feminine: a rhyme in which the stress is on the penultimate (second from last) syllable of the words. (picky, tricky, sticky)
- dactylic: a rhyme in which the stress is on the antepenultimate (third from last) syllable (hesitant, president)
- triple: a rhyme in which all three syllables of a three-syllable word are stressed equally.
- perfect: a rhyme between words that are identical in sound from the point of their first accented syllable forward. (sight and flight, deign and gain and quatrain)
- imperfect: a rhyme between a stressed and an unstressed syllable. (den, siren)
- identity: a rhyme that starts at a consonant instead of a vowel, or rhyming a word with itself. (gun, begun)
- semirhyme: a rhyme with an extra syllable on one word. (bend, ending)
- oblique (or slant): a rhyme with an imperfect match in sound.
- sight (or eye): a similarity in spelling but not in sound. (cough, bough, or love, move)
- If you had any sense, you'd have skipped the previous point. But, since you are still reading this blog, I have my doubts. Nevertheless, let me teach you lambkins how to pass a Fraud poem as yer own!
- The first line should introduce the subject of your poem in a dramatic way. It may also express your state of mind. Witness the selfsame Ottlimp (Ode to .... God, you ARE persistent). It can start start in many ways
- Alas! This lint in my pocket is irksome (Bad start. It's very hard to rhyme the word with words that DON'T end in some and also, the whole premise of the poem has been short-circuited. Always remember, the poem has to have inner meaning, even if it just means you had indigestion that day, or in this case, you don't brush your clothes off too often.)
- I wandered lonely as a cloud. (Famous way of starting. Sufficiently mysterious and safe enough to talk about anything...)
- My questing eyes, they fell upon the lint. (Again. quite satisfactory. But, more suspense might be created if your questing eyes sought many more objects till they alighted on the lint. But, never mind. This is, of course, your maiden effort.)
- A dramatic monologue will work out fine. A monologue is a poem in which one person (whose idea of good conversation is all about HIMSELF, proceeds to bore everyone else with rabid mutterings of, say, the lint in his pocket.) A monologue could start with That's my favourite pair of pants... Things might steadily get downhill after that.
- A good way to grab attention is to address the readers, as Mark Antony found out. This is exemplified in lines like Fellow sufferers, humans, unshod masses, Unite.
- The most powerful first line might be. Lint. I HATE.
- For effective rhyming, TRY and keep the last word short and simple. It's a pain in the err... sensitive parts to try and rhyme words like loquacious and pusillanimous (not to mention running for the dictionary every verse). Keep it sweet, keep it simple. Above all, remember the "Duh" factor. [Helpful Hint#3: For further explanation of the "Duh" factor, call me up ;)]. Rhymes can go like this...
- To rhyme well requires great artistry/Believe me, it's quite a rewarding hobby/ But, for you to rhyme as good as me/ With grammar, you may take some liberty/ The knowledge will not come free/You'll need to pay Rs.1000/- by DD.
- I don't know what Jax thought/When he asked me to write poetry/I don't this is what he sought/In fact, he's saying, "Oh dearie, me!"
- When you were here before/Couldn't look you in the eye/You're just like Angel/Your skin is too dry. [Hehe]
- Haiku is very popular nowadays.
- pocket lint/looks like cumulus clouds/very fluffy.
- this haiku/will automatically self destruct/when you're away [I know the format is NOT right... it's just a joke to display my ignorance of the genre. Kindly excuse!]
- You say it best, when you say nothing at ALL! All the best!
Thuh..thuh..That's ALL, Folks!
Friday, February 03, 2006
School of RawkSuch a feelin's comin' over me
All my friends are conspiring to see
Who can tag me with a post
So, Kaus you ain't the first
And I won't be surprised if this goes on.
Everything I want this blog to be
Is non-existent as far as I can see
And the reason is clear
It's because there's mediocrity here
It's the nearest thing to Blogger-Hell on Earth.
(*) I'm on my computer chair, looking down on Brain Freeze
And the only explanation I can find
Is the tags on the blog bore folks out of their minds
This fad is now getting out of hand.
Someone in BloggerLand has learned my name
And they're adding me on tags, good and lame,
From stories to about me's, books, music, wannabes
There's more here about me than in me....
There is only one wish on my mind
When this day is through I hope that I will find
That tomorrow will see an all new Blogger in me
I can finally write whatever I want.
(*)Repeat chorus
Tags! A menace to polite society the same way that the plague of locusts was looked at by the dignified Egyptians of 3000 B.C (give or take a few hundred.) By last count, I have done some seven of these. Hopefully, this will be the last. Well, unless a friend decides he/she hasn't gathered enough information about "The Blogger Also Known as Shrutz" and tags me with "101 things noone, and absolutely noone knows about the chimp on your computer table!" (Whoops! Did I say that aloud?)
That said, this tag business sometimes helps keep my blog alive, especially in times of great amounts of Writer's Block. Not to worry, an "About the lint in my trouser pocket" tag to the rescue. And here, I was thinking about blogging about the greenhouse effect and it's effect on the Earth. Maybe, I can postpone the "saving the world" business to another day!
So, here's what Kaus (aKa AwkwardSinusoidalFunction) has tagged me with
Me & My Music
I got tagged by CosTheta (aka Kaus, have you people BEEN listening?)
Total volume of music on my computer 15 GB, out of a 20 GB parition. About another 10 on CDs.
Title & Artist that I last bought Rang De Basanti, A R Rehman. But 'twas a casette, fair lady. It's really nice listening to the songs while driving!
Song I am playing right now Savage Garden's "To the Moon and Back".
Five+ Songs that I like/have been hooked onto
- Breakaway:Kelly Clarkson: I love her voice; it's husky and clear at the same time. She OWNS the songs she sings. The lyrics make so much sense, about taking risks and making changes in your life. I occasionally keep belting this number out, especially when I am stuck in traffic and getting frustrated
"Out of the darkness/And into the sun/But I won't forget all the ones that I love." - Sayonee: Junoon:The song is, of course, awesome. But, recently I saw the video as well, and it was one the most poignant and beautiful picturisations. While on the subject of Junoon, check out Jugalbandi Live. Fully revved and instrumental!
- Affirmation:Savage Garden: The first Savage Garden song I heard. Another of the feel-good inspiration type songs!
- Independence Day: Martina McBride A song of desperation and life going on regardless of what your history is. Yes, it IS country moozik, but to borrow a phrase from THE girl herself, the adjective is RAW.
- Behind Blue Eyes: Limp Bizkit I got acquainted with this one last year and it's been a favourite ever since. It's a feeling that a lot of us get on and off, and it doesn't hurt that the guitarwork is amazing in the song!
- Stayin' Alive: The Beeges Everytime I hear this song, I get a mental picture of Saif Ali Khan & Shah Rukh Khan making heads turn on the streets of New York. But yes, the song's very retro and interesting to say the least.
- Send Your Love: Sting The album was released around the time when the Iraq War was on the cards and Sting was promoting it heavily. I am a fan of the slightly Eastern touch of the background score behind all the beats. Like Desert Rose, that feel pulls the song up beyond the morass of techno-synthesized claptrap. Slightly eccentric songs are ALWAYS welcome and Sting particularly too!
- The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Music: Julie Andrews (Sound of Music) THE Diva. I am always struck speechless by the purity of her voice.
- In The End: Linkin Park "Tum Tum Tum Ta-tuh tum tum tum..." In the end it doesn't matter. An anthem for life!
- In the Shadows: The Rasmus I was always hooked onto the background score of Star World's lineup. Then, I discovered the song. I might reverse the stand I took 3 songs ago. This one is filled with beats, but the weirdness quotient is still there!
- Top of the World: The Carpenters ;) A bad tribute paid!
Hmm, whom shall I tag ??.....
- Auster He filched the doggy picture! No fair!
- Jax Pre-emptive strike! Muahaha!
- Oneirodynic I just feel evil!
- Senthil still snapping pictures and not snapping his fingers!
- Deepa She's being tagged like crazy too
About This Blog
About Me
Previously, On Brain Freeze
Ice Box
Defrosted
Proxy Wars
Psychos, Unite
BlogSpectacles!
Ice-Cold
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License.
Froze at this page
All thanks to