On a lighter plane.

Well I just completed watching 'Lakshya' the zillionth time and getting inspired as many times. I guess for me it will go down as one of the finest movies ever made anywhere on the planet. It's inspiring, it's romantic, it's real and above all else, it's technically & thematically brilliant ! So I thought lemme create a list of my all time favourite movies and what I like about them (memorable dialogues, classic scenes..everything). Here goes.

1) Lakshya - Like I've said before, this one's gotta be just plain genius. It's got everything the movie-goer can ask for - cinematography, dialogues, music, direction etc...everything is special. Hrithik is awesome while Preity, Boman, Om Puri & the rest of the crew are at their best even though there's less to do quantitatively speaking. My choice of the most touching scene is one where Hrithik talks to his father Boman just hours before leaving for a near-impossible mission. Another superb scene is one where he meets Preity on the highway before leaving for the mission..the silence is just so beautiful and expresses such a great lot..the missing hug conveys emotions superbly etc etc..the list is endless.

2) Anand – A timeless classic, whichever way you want to put it. Rajesh Khanna’s best and most awe-inspiring performance merits many a credit but don’t forget Amitabh in his babu-moshai cameo. Most touching scene – the one where Johny Walker comes in to meet Rajesh Khanna and breaks down when he’s told about Rajesh’s illness.

3) Chak De! India – This one’s made it to the third position only because of Shahrukh. It’s Shahrukh all the way, even though the gals are superb in a supporting role. Sensational theme, slick direction and rock solid performance make it one of my all time favourites. Best Scene – the one where Vidya saves the goal in the final and India wins..you gotta see Shahrukh’s expression. He’s just outstanding in that scene. Another inspiring scene is the one where he talks to the gals right before the final – ‘Yeh Sattar (70) minute’… very well written indeed.

4) Independence Day – I’ve loved this movie, and watched it at least 10-15 times ever since I saw it first almost 12 years ago. The graphic effects and direction are simply awesome and so is the plot. Best scene is definitely the president’s final speech hours before the aerial combat begins, to save mankind. Here it is, just for keeps.. "Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind. "Mankind." That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests. Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom... Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution... but from annihilation. We are fighting for our right to live. To exist. And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day the world declared in one voice: "We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day! "

5) The Pursuit of Happiness – Brilliant ! That says it all. Will Smith at his best and more than ably helped along by a great script and theme. I particularly like the line which he says about his life when he achieves his objective of becoming a broker. It goes, ‘This…small part of my life, is called Happiness !’. Whenever I’ve failed at something, I’ve reminded myself of Smith’s character and how giving up is never an option.

6) Andaz Apna Apna – Well, this one’s come in last, but I’d put it above every other movie above in terms of sheer value for money. Every scene is a gem, Aamir & Salman are amazing and Paresh Rawal is good. But the one character that takes the crème is Crime-Master Gogo..Shakti Kapoor is simply a genius un-earthed ! Best Scene – Well I can’t decide..every scene is as good as the other but I think the last scene is very, very good.

The adventure of the GMAT !

A lot of my pals have asked me about the best GMAT preparation around, so here goes. My strength is and has always been Verbal, and I am an average math bloke. For GMAT structure, I would trust the Official Guide OR the official GMAC Website. However, for preparation here is my list of books/material, in order of fondness (call it quality if you like :)).

1) Manhattan GMAT Online Tests - Cost me $40 but is by far the best/toughest material I have solved. It's strategies and study guides are simply amazing because they focus on content (what) rather than style/tips/tricks (how).
2) Official Guide Book - It's the official thing and pretty close to the real exam, but it's Math is way easier than the real exam.
3) Princetons Review Book - This is an excellent (rather, the best) book to get going. Math & Verbal tips are very useful.
4) Kaplan GMAT Book - I liked this book but found it a bit harder than the actual stuff.

Apart from this, you could use Kaplan 800 but personally I think it's not as hard as they say it is. The one thing I want everyone to go through is the Manhattan GMAT Strategy Annex, I'd give it 100/100 for it's content & theory. Also, there is a lot of free material on the Internet (search 'GMAT' at www.esnips.com), but I'd say the above material is more than sufficient.

A note - Like my PR instructor says, the GMAT is an erratic exam - anything can happen, so be mentally prepared to fail, while still being optimistic and positive about your chances.

Manchester MBA Interview

Hellowwww All ! Just had my Manchester Business School telephone interview last afternoon. Here are some of the questions :-
1) Tell me about your onsite assignment.; what you did, what you learnt about yourself etc.
2) Whats the difference in working with Australian, Indian & US people ?
3) What qualities will your subordinates mention about you ?
4) What do you think are your strengths & weaknesses ?
5) If one team member is not doing well, how would you deal with him/her ?
6) Whats one challenge if you're to do an MBA at Manchester ?
7) How have you contributed to the process improvement ?
8) If there wasn't such a course as an MBA, how would you reach your goals or achieve your objectives ?
Like a lot of other people have mentioned, the interview is more like a conversation. However, it is important that we speak slowly and clearly. That allows us to chose what we want to say and how we want to say it. I've been told now that I'll be informed by the coming Friday about their decision on my application, so I am eagerly waiting for the news - good or bad. Hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst since it's so late in the application year that I have applied.

For a few dollars more

Ok, so I decided I wanted to stop being one of the million odd IT professionals this country has produced, and step into the more challenging world of Management Consulting. How ? I plan to get enough knowledge about it through a course in business management, specifically MBA. I can't comment on the returns on that investment as I haven't even got started yet, but I can say from the past results that there is generally no dearth of jobs as long as you're talented. On the face of it, getting into the top b-school across the world can be really simple to plan, but extremely hard to execute. You need to have a thing for competitive exams (read GMAT) and also have great academic (BCom, BSc, BE etc.) results. As if that wasn't enough, you should have great writing skills ( to write those essays) and an experience of at least over 3 years (ideally 5-7 years). In a generic order of priority, here is what you should aim for when you're still in college or about 1-2 years before you plan to apply.

1) Work Experience (more unique, the better..but if you're like a lot of others..then go for quantity. About 5-7 years should do).
2) GMAT & Acads (again, more the merrier. But don't kill yourself if you've got over 670 in GMAT).
3) Essays (People usually say Essays decide your application..but realistically I think they're a bit below the two above).
4) Extra Curricular Activities (yes, it's important. Go for community service, sports, adventure etc.)

Towards better living

Well today's post talks about a burning issue which I think does not get enough attention. It's about the enforcement of Law in India; be it traffic laws, municipal laws or whatever. I think you generally have the liberty to take the law for granted in India, at least as far as non-criminal activities are concerned, as long as no one objects. And no one usually does. For example, how many times have you lodged an official complaint against someone spitting on the roads, driving recklessly, playing the loudspeaker beyond the permissible time limit etc. Probably never. Because no one really wants to get involved in anything to do with the cops. But having said that, isn't is upon the cops to ENFORCE the laws ? I think it is. And I think it is time the cops started blaming all sorts of things from growing vehicles on roads, political pressure and the likes and started acting up. Legal punishment needs to serve as a credible deterrent to further acts of nuisance, and it's time we demand more discipline on the roads and in the society. It's time we demand that the cops do what they're expected to do. It's time to enforce - not our will..but our rights. Through my posts, I hope to bring people's attention on non-enforcement of laws in different spheres of life, both minor and major.

Welcome Aboard !

Hello Netizens...Here goes my first post ! Welcome all to the Crusader's den..to share my experiences and experiments with life. Here I'll cover a variety of topics which I usually have an opinion on. Am pleased there's a good outlet to my expressions and opinions...but I'll be happier when they're appreciated by the readers - yes..that means YOU ! To get going, here is something worth reading...is tells me who I want to be..and how I want to get there..Happy reading..

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. "
- Robert Frost