Sunday, June 19, 2011

IF : by Rudyard Kipling

Context : My All Time Favorite English Poem by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Back to Cooking

I love cooking and I used to cook a lot back when I was in UK and US. But back in India with the working hours stretching at your creative best, we ended up putting a cook. Now I was down to once a week, with making something the kid's like : Tomato Rice, Chicken Biryani, Pasta , Noodles Variation etc

This Summer Holidays I visited my sister's place (Rita @ Pune) and eating at her place made me look into the kitchen once again. She cooks with her heart and that is something no cook can replace. She reminded me of mum but on the same hand the recipes were not the same. In fact it is amazing that the same dish can taste so unique depending on the kitchen and hands that craft them.

Back in Bangalore I took out my Cooking Apron and dished out some curries. In the last two weeks I cooked
Standard Recipe like
  • Moong Dal
  • Rajma
  • Chicken Biryani
  • Plantain
  • Palak / Dal
  • Kichidi
  • Fish Curry
Some Variations like
  • Chick Peas and Chicken
  • Beetroot, Olives, Apple, Potato Salad !!
  • Orange Tea
  • Snake Gourd and Potato
  • Lobiya / Peta
  • Chicken in Mushroom Sauce !! (kids loved it)
Will I continue once College Starts !!!! Time will tell

Friday, March 25, 2011

All the Best

"A mail from a Teacher to his Students"

Dear Students,
Exams are starting and I know you all will be studying very hard.

I wish you all the best but do keep in mind luck favours the prepared mind

Like Doug Firebaugh said "Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow." In your case change it to Every Hour

Study in rotation in terms of Subjects/ Units
Take 10 minute break every hour when you study otherwise your one hour will end up having only 10 minutes of study
Ask your self can I write at least 1 line on each line item in the syllabus
Can I explain any algo .... can I walk thru the algo with example ..... then I will study the algo syntax
Studying should include recursive calls to reading, writing, speaking, verification
Is there something in this unit I definetly need to know for the exam
Is there something I keep forgetting or making a mistake .... how can I use a mnemonic or association to retain the same in the mind
Teach others in the process your concept will be clearer and preparation better
Reach for the exam 30 minutes in advance
Dont Pray for a miracle ..... because you are the miracle ..... Pray instead that you will be optimally able to use the time at hand and have the presence of mind when studying and when giving the exams.
I wish each one of you will do atleast 10% better than what you did in the previous semester

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Followership 3 @ Engineering College


Leadership Workshop at Christ Engineering College, Kengeri
Conducted by Balachandran K and Jibrael Jos
Date : 11 - Mar -2011
Participants : 17 students
Vishaka,Lucy,Christy,Anith,Alan,Thomas,Animesh,Cyril,
Albert,Anu,Neetha,Maria,Vinjohn,Jubin,Joe,Ajas,Sumith


Agenda



  • Followership

  • Self Belief

  • IPS

  • Leadership Traits

  • Building from Scratch

    Conducted some different kind of activities to make participants realise the importance of team work, planning and time management

    The enthusiasm of the participants was very heartening, A very talented bunch of student, they had a task to build a 5 feet long plane using bamboo, newspaper, thread, paint etc in a time frame of one hour. Both the teams did a wonderful job at it.

    Balachandran Sir conducted the session on Leadership Traits

Feedback
"Very useful and constructive session on leadership qualities. It was a great experience for all of us" Anu Anto


"I never felt so involved in the extra curricular activity held before" Vinjohn

Monday, January 24, 2011

Followership : A Leadership Workshop @ MindTree

Conducted a Leadership Workshop at MindTree Limited
Initiative of Dept. of Comp Sc. Christ University and Data Warehousing Practice, MindTree
Date : 21 - Jan -2010
Participants : 18 Employees with 2+ years of experience
Agenda

  • Followership
  • Self Belief
  • IPS
  • Getting Buy In / Selling Ideas
  • Leadership Traits
  • Career Plan / Organisation Alignment
Conducted some different kind of activities to make participants realise the importance of many of these areas.
One question which was raised by Bragga was that can leadership can actually be trained ? A very good question , I feel that my one day workshop is not meant to teach you leadership but make you appreciate the importance of it and make one see where they stand currently on the different expected traits.

Coming back to the question asked, yes I feel leadership can be trained but like most skills it needs to be honed, a mentor to guide and experiences and time to actually ripen

Dipanjan M faciltated the Career Planning / Growth Session. His frank and clear point of view was very refreshing. He highlighted the need for individuals to align to organisation goals on the same hand he shared that anybody in the DWH leadership team would be more than willing to help individuals to reach their career goals.

Sincere thanks to Pavan, Lijosh in helping to organise it.

I will post any feedbacks I get on this blog

Friday, January 21, 2011

Big Enough

Lyrics by Chris Rice

Context : One of my favorite hymns

None of us knows and this makes it a mystery

If life is a comedy, then why all the tragedy?
Three and a half pounds of brain try to figure out
What this world is all about
And is there an eternity Is there an eternity?

God if You're there I wish You'd show me
And God if You care then I need You to know me
I hope You don't mind me asking the questions
But I figure You're big enough
I figure You're big enough


Lying on pillows we're haunted and half-awake
Does anyone hear us pray "If I die before I wake?"
Then the morning comes and the mirror's another place
Where we wrestle face-to-face
With the image of deity
The image of deity

When I imagine the size of the Universe
And I wonder what's out past the edges
Then I discover inside me a space as big
And believe that I'm meant to be filled up
With more than just questions








Saturday, December 25, 2010

Salutation of the Dawn : By Kalidasa

Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life,
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:

The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendor of beauty,
For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow only a vision,
But today well lived makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day!
Such is the salutation of the dawn.