Shantaram!

"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured. I realized, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesn't sound much, I know. But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when it's all you've got, that freedom is a universe of possibility. And the choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life"

With a starting like that, who would like to leave the book! Atleast I couldn't :) And I am realizing why was everyone suggesting me to read "Shantaram".

The two little angels

Long time this is due, an update on my twin nephews. Afterall, they are one of the reasons I smile much more these days. The duo have matured (relatively, alrite!) quite a lot, and the elder one has even started greeting you (obviously, on hearing a codeword from mom :P).

Ashman, the elder one, is a serious thinker, and quite agressive at it. Believe me when i say, in any circumstance, he evaluates the pros and cons and takes the action which would maximize his utlity function. LOL. I know that does sound a little too much MBAish, but he does exactly that. He is the doer, the attention seeker, the brave, the protector, the ruler, from his expressions. He wants it all, for himself, and even knows how to get it. Its not surprising when he is found dominating the younger one (younger by 2 min he is :D), using force, intelligence to get over him and reach his desired target, which could be anything ranging from getting into grandpa's lap to driving the little scooter. Yes, they both are 1 year of age, so its a stationary scooter :)

Arnav, the younger one, is more emotional, less self centred, less (relatively) judgmental, and more childish. There are times when i feel he has grown up slower than ashman, but then i realize its not like that. In reality, the elder one has matured too fast, he is beating his age, and I am sure he is gonna be a strategic thinker/doer soon :P Back to arnav, he is so sweet that he would not resist much when the bro would snatch away the prize possession. May be he knows he can't dominate him, but whatever it is, he thinks less on material things, thats what i feel. He is happy making others happy, is more emotional, and pure. Saying that does not mean that the elder one is not all this, just that arnav has these characteristics a tad more than ashman.

There's a clear divide between people who like either of them more. The ones who treasure sweetness, cuteness, and childishness in kids like arnav more. But the ones u expect the kids to be highly active, understanding, and mature like ashman more.

Haha, thats where my analysis ends. I am watching n waiting for both of them to grow up, to see whether what i predict of them comes true or not. But anyhow, both of them are really really amazing kids, best on the block :)

PS: Blogger isn't been helpful in attaching pics, u can check them out in my orkut album

Long time no blogging...

Yeah, its a real long break i have had from blogging. But, i am back, back for good. Past few months have been very special for me, in a lot many ways. And i have been successful in rediscovering myself, for the good.

Well, the good news, as most of you would know by now, is that I got placed, and so the 2 yr break from work was justified (i know thats putting it curtly, but thats what truly it was!) But this break taught me a lot of things, truly. For instance, I came to know what my dear friend meant when he said "When u are ready to do an MBA, u are ready to shed away your innocence." So correct! These 1 and a half odd years have been like a dreamland movie, where I saw it all, and had to come out of it untouched. But the fun part is, that its very late when you realize that its just a movie :) Ok, I know that sounds complicated. Putting it simply, there are many things that you do in a bschool, with no intentions of having meant to do them, or even the slighest belief of the implication, good or bad. You do them, just for the heck of it, because you are in a business school.

These days, I have been giving sermons on why everyone should do an MBA. The prime reason I quote (:P) is that it teaches you how weird can people be, at times, and gives you opportunities to be effective in handling them. They say, that an MBA teaches you team spirit, organization, coordination, and all that jargon. I say, if not anything else, an MBA does teach you how to get your work done, in the worst of the situations, with the worst team that you could possibly have, with people having opinions as diverse as that of the japanese and the americans. Phew, to sum it all, it teaches u a lot, unknowingly...

There are a lot of things I want to write about, really. But for now, I would close this one, and come up with individual posts on those issues soon :)

Cheerio!