2 hrs before take off...

Music is universal , check this one out pretty cool. The bollywood copy is making rounds everywhere The Indonesian rock err... alternate whatever really rocks! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZTqg1MgkTY

Narayan and I chatted with singer Mathangi(ex Star Vijay hostess) at the ISB cafe for close to an hour. The current crop of celebrities are very approachable and friendly. She did most of the taking as we listened. Check out this link to read more abt Amit Heri the lead guitar performer and his band http://www.theotherfestival.com/2002/amith.html Keith Peters played some lead pieces on the bass. Hows that for mastery! Amit Heri did his jig with the lead guitar . The duo scaled new heights and left me awestruck.Mathangi sang the carnatic alapanais beautifully and I loved the Yaman Kalyani piece. The show was very satisfying . They played Hamsadhwani ,Nattai(Mahaganapathim) and Yaman Kalyani (Krishna Nee Begane) with guitars and the flute to support the vocals. Very well composed and executed...kudos to the troupe

What a surprise! I bumped into 'The God' of bass guitar in the indian music scene today morning outisde my student village. I had no clue who he was though i saw the guitar hanging on his shoulder. I made up for the lost opportunity by getting introduced to Keith at the cafe. I got his autograph on a torn visiting card.I also expressed my pleasure on meeting him and passed on a compliment . Keith had no airs about him and my compliment took him by surprise. A smile followed:-) I am looking forward to the rock show in the evening . Fusion music is 'in' these days and the evening promises some great entertainment. Man-Jerry

I am posting some pics taken at the show yesterday. This is the best sound system i have performed on till date .I felt like a rock star!!

I have been hearing 'More Saiyaan' by Fuzon and 'Kandisa' by Indian Ocean for close to 8 hrs now...humming it all along . Bob and Rahul must be thinking something just hit me. All those classical music aficianados might understand how it feels to discover music thats close to ones heart. Its not often that you get to hear something this soulful. I am really amazed by the classical depth of Fuzon. Brilliant songs!! For all those who are wondering whats all this ga-gaaaing about..listen to them! Check out 'More Saiyaan' and 'Aankhon Ke Sagar' by Fuzon Here is a intro to Fuzon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuz%C3%B6n_(band) PS: All the other music geeks can laugh at my sheer ignorance . I was the only one in yesterdays get together who hadn't heard them before.So this post goes to the likes of 'Man-Jerry' who haven't been upto date with the fusion music scene for the past 5 years or so.

Well if you are wondering what the title of the post says ..Hmmmm i have been upto something ludicrous. Popped a cifran thanks to the sarovar food and washed it down with 4 pegs of bacardi ! I must say it hit me big time..been listening to floyd for a while now,...have to post these line to express what i feel "Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines Hanging on in quiet desperation is the english way The time is gone, the song is over, thought Id something more to say" These line are from "Time" one of my favourites , Daaa Da Daaa..the night is still young..i can hear "Hey You" on my iPod now . All the walls around me are spinning:-) Vivek

The scene last sunday was that of a peaceful week ahead. I had 3 classes scheduled for 5 days ,a rarity at ISB . Today if i count the total number of hours i slept this week it would barely cross 15 ,damn!! My presentation skill levels hit rock bottom on wednesday ,I have decided to work on that more from now on. I got hooked to karoke singing last night and recorded 3 songs at one go ! All that at the expense of Logistics and Supply Chain pre reads:-) We plan to get some good Italian food for dinner tonight . Good food is always welcome . And yes my life line the Nokia mobile went into coma..needs a battery transplant ..I wish my dear friend a speedy recovery and hope to have him back to service!

The Karaoke night on the 16’th of September was super fun. Its been close to 4 years since I held a microphone and sang. Sometimes I feel why I have to push myself so much to work, to do an MBA when all I love doing in life is listening to music and singing. My section decided to have one final party at bottle’s and chimneys. The party had its own high’s and low’s but all’s well that ends well. The DJ played ‘Coming back to Life’ to cheer up all Floyd fans at the end. I had one of my best trips that night, realized that we don’t see life happening around us in our mad race to scale peaks. I sat back and watched things happening around me, every minute move people were making and gee I must say I enjoyed every bit of what I saw. Wish there was a slow motion button somewhere I could use to slow things down! I am going to Coimbatore on the 9’th of October. It will be fun to hang around ‘Puliyamaram stop’ (read ‘Tamarind tree stop’), the ‘Annachi shops’ (read grocery stores) and visit Ann

The Onam celebrations at ISB had a great looking 'pookalam' thanks to the enthu shown by students and spouses. The food was very non mallu ,the best the sarovar guys could manage i guess . I am posting a few photos taken yesterday

It was great to sip Chivas after so long . The drink was really smooth yet I managed to break the glass at Warty's place. Got a much needed hair cut at the newly opened L'Oreal saloon in the city.L'Oreal has launched a franchise model based chain in India and being a B-school student i could not resist checking out the place.Neat interiors and lots of telugu speaking hairdressers . My telugu is super ,yet i did have trouble conversing with the guy who gave me the hair cut ..Damm need to learn this language I was watching the owner selling a hair gel to a rich 50 + 'dude' . It is really interesting to see how vulnerable human's are when they are not prepared for a business transaction. This 50 + dude did have a good mane , yet felt the need to ask the saloon guy regarding the kind of gels he sold and in 10 mts was convinced that he wanted a 500 + L'Oreal Fx wax :-) Gone are days of good old coconut oil ! .By the way even I have a unopened Redeken and Crew Fib

Section A decided to dress up for this term . I managed to borrow a blazer to comply with the theme . I am posting some photos ...

Finally i did plan something to perfection . We had a party to start term 3 . I decided to get drunk ,came back early and am listening to Floyd . The party is still rocking but i guess Floyd over 4 pegs of White rum is something different! Its been a wierd week till now the weekend seems to promise some great fun . Sundar my high school buddy is getting married . The trip to chennai will be an opportunity to meet old friends . I can't believe Sundar is getting married !! I still remember the math exam for 9'th grade when sundar first helped me out with logarithms and all the fiasco that happened during the exams ..hahhahaha . Yan my Deloitte buddy is joining the shanghai office,thats great news .I wish him and Sarah a great time ahead. Last year this time was like hell . I had a broken arm and was all alone in Redmond ...this is much better than that state ..Floyd over rum :-)

Term 2 break was quite relaxing . Motorcycle Diaries and Hotel Rwanda were really classy movies.I have been thinking quite a bit after watching these movies .Loads of confusion and some nostalgia . I am meeting up with a bunch of old colleagues from Infy Mangalore tonight. Lots of talk is gonna happen over alcohol . The weather outside is just awesome .I also saw a baby cobra yesterday ,looked dangerously stunning :-)

It was so good to chat up with college buddies after 5 years . We had a great time at KK's wedding .Bangalore was nice and cool and mom's Jack fruit jam('Chakka Varattiyathu') made the day for me. It was crazy travel...I have been depressed since saturday night ,Brazil's exit from the world cup being the main reason . I need some energy today ..the feeling is killing me

To see Brazil play at thier best is to watch a Salsa preformance by a genius . From the 45'th minute till the 15 minutes past the half time it was magic . Even a sluggish Ronaldo managed to score 2 goals . I reacted in true spirits by stretching my vocal chords to thier limits. Brazill!! La la La la La La La Brazilllll!!!

We decided to start the mother of all terms in a colourful fashion ...

Term 1 officially ended yesterday. Writing exams after 5 yrs was quite an experience. B&C (Barrels and Chimneys) plays sad music especially if you want to listen to rock over alcohol . The campus looks deserted but a bunch of us have stayed back to make to most out of the 5 day holiday. Planning to watch a few movies and cross the 6 km barrier over the week . Thats the short term goal

This week is loaded and the title conveys the state I am in . Economics and Finance are killers atleast for me .I ran 5 kms today and still I am stressed Gosh! Nitin got dunked and this picture was taken right before the ritual.

Saw 2 friendly snakes on campus over the week . High probability of sighting one i must admit . Got invited for a ISB photo shoot ,this was another random event . News spreads thick and fast on this campus . The final version of the friendly snake story was that the snake tried to take a shot at my eye and i had a narrow escape . Gossip at its best . I don't even know if the group photos we took will come on the ISB 2007 brochure. Neither do I intend to have another close encounter with those snakes. Wild wild ISB ! I have to finish my statistics lessons gosh...

The ISB crowd does work hard and play harder. The Thursday night bash at Ahala ,Taj Krishna was full of action. Drinks were very expensive ,thanks to the white rum i gulped down at SV 3 before leaving I had some fire in my belly before I saw the drinks menu at the lounge. We did our first assignement yesterday and have one coming on Wednesday and between the 2 deadline there is one nice little party squeezed in tonight :-) Looks like the ISB recipe for student life is parties sandwiched between assignments and quizzes and topped with some end term tests.I am having a great time ,made loads of friends . Yeah Manu made me attend one Salsa class too .I don't wanna comment on the feedback I got . I think its better to stick Tambi Folk and Urban Dappankuttu for naturals like me !!

I am posting a few snaps that we took during the first week . Frisbee final win,the group song for talent night etc...The Drum band comprising of Megh and I did generate a few decibels :-)

I partied like mad during the first week here. Shyam told me the ISB parties are great and yes I must admit the 2 i have attended rock! Rain dance on 16'th night was super ..but the alum sendoff yesterday night at Student Village 1 was awsome!! There was ample space for loners like me . GR and mama made the occasion special. I did dance with lots of interesting people in bits...networking The B-school mantra:-) The Frisbee practice today was great fun. I have bumped into so many people I already knew here.A High school batchmate, Infosys training batch mates,Infosys colleagues . No one from Deloitte thankfully that makes me unique. I dont think i'll blog much once Term 1 starts ... Adios

I did'nt have time to get over the jet lag...the mumbai trip happened in a jiffy! I should say the hangover of consulting life has stayed with me.. Met the next generation of the Manjeri clan...Sharmistha,Aditya, Slokh ,Aansh and Manu . I had a great weekend in Mumbai..Kids are so talented these days...I was laughing,playing...making monkey faces .Shammu gave me a compliment too ...she felt I was cute..hahahaha..wonderful kids Oppol and Ranganath ettan were perfect hosts...has anyone tasted a beetroot ladoo before?? I did thanks to Oppol...I must admit my family has some great cooks... Air Deccan the 'no frills' airline needs to hire some better pilots..the air conditioning duct hung loose after we landed in coimbatore yesterday..courtesy the pilot who was overspeeding after we touched down . I saw a few relieved co passengers after we un boarded the A-320! I have been prompt with my running regimen..Coimby is hotter than Mumbai..I am off to Sabarimalai today

Came to San Jose yesterday night ...The Seattle skyline from the airplane window looked awesome. Have a few send off treat's this weekend before i head to chennai tomorrow late night from SFO.

I have a fascination for the temple town of Thrissur .My best summer vacation after i finished my 6'th standard annual exam was spent there. The Thrissur slang ,the Thrissur Round,Vadakkunnathan temple, the speeding buses ,Thrissur Pooram,Nandappettan's friends are unforgettable memories.This time when i went with Dad, many old timers remembered the 12 year old kid from Coimbatore who sat under the Banyan tree eating mangoes ,watching the buses race each other .I was trying to pick up Malayalam reading the names of buses those days... After 2 years of wait i get to see this classic again.I sat up till 3 a.m to download the movie yesterday . Every time I see this flick there is a sense of contentment .I think the climax has a lot to do with this . The movies keeps haunting me for hours after i watch it and this happens every single time. Especiallly the background score when Jayakrishnan first sees Clara in the rains ..wow ! Padmarajan's characterization of Jayakrishnan is f

Exactly 2 weeks and 2 days to go. I came to the land of opportunities eager to go back in 3 months. I must admit ,these 2 years have changed my life .,my thought process ,my way of looking at problems. I have been lucky to say the least. Its been a wonderful stay . I am riding a wave am I? ..no i am not a surfer ,but I can feel the excitement of one. Work has been good during the last few weeks . Order Management geek ...nah ! Everybody in Deloitte had nice words to say .I think I did far better during my 1.5 years at Deloitte than during my 3 years at Infosys. The firm has treated me very well. I have been watching too many movies of late .'Brokenback ' was wierd .If you are not 'Queer' (Yes am using the same term as the protagonist did in the movie) ,you will find this one Wierd. heheheheh ...i can't help laughing at this line 'Capote' was much better..classy especially the climax ..Philip Seymour Hoffman has come out with a riveting performance.I hate to

July 16'th(05) -->Oct 8'th(05)-->Feb 27'th (06) The day i broke my arm at college inn , I knew that the incident happened as if it was all preplanned. I sat down fighting depression,homesickness and all the negative thoughts that would surface everymorning . The only support that i could cling on to was faith that all things happen for good. The 3-4 weeks prep for GMAT gave a not so great looking number on the scorecard.Some people suggested i take another shot at the test.Still I stood by my faith that if July 16'th happened for no fault of mine ,then something good is in store. Today morning I woke up to start working at 6.00 A.M .I saw this gmail pop up flashing that i have made it to ISB PGP Class of 2007.For a moment i thought it was a nice dream ,coz the results were expected to be out tomorrow. I didn't react for a while ,all that happened was a tear drop falling on my mouse pad! Woke up my roommate and thumped my fist in the air..poor guy he was startl

Its 5.13 a.m on a Sunday morning.I saw Mahendra Singh Dhoni in action for the first time..India pulled off a victory chasing in the so called trademark fashion in the Hutch Series. The thing that impressed me about this win was the attitude shown by Yuvraj and Dhoni during the chase.Yuvraj has matured ,I never doubted his talent esp after seeing him in Sydney making 140 odd against the Aussies in the VB series. MS Dhoni is raw talent...awesome bhp when he's revved up..The four sixes esp the last one off Mohammed Sami was a sight worth the night out i managed! This lad has potential ...I wish he smashes the Aussies at Perth or MCG in the coming years in a similar fashion...Go Dhoni Go!!

Philadelphia was a heavy dessert to top the Idiyappan that we cooked today. Tom Hanks was apt , Denzel Washington was his at his funny best trying to stay put against all the non hetrosexuals hitting on him. At least the movies was not as depressing as the Million Dollar Baby I decided to go for the Starbucks kick next and guess what a pigeon spat crap on me..what a memorable experience...Idiyappan,followed by Philadelphia and Pigeon shit to top it all... ...Jabrooniiiiiii!! It can only happen to me but i have had this experience once before .I was riding to my tutions when i was in 12'th grade and a crow spat his/her crap right into my left eye...Now i leave it to the reader to work out the probability of that happening geez:-)

Reactions after we hiked up Little Si last week ..Hmmm Can't figure out the way to upload that video yet:-)

Last week was unusual..it rained forever nothing unusual in Seattle,but i was outdoors most of the time. Now thats drastic change in behavior ..last august i had one month at home ..hardly stepped out of E127 Chelsea Square when it was sunny outside. Watched a few movies Munich is a good movie from Mr Speilberg after some time ,its a long movie but the Mossad --> CIA --> KGB --> Palestine plot was very informative . Memoirs of a Geisha has a pretty Ziyi Zhang and some good photography . Rang De Basanti ..the talk of the town was 'Ok' .The media hype and reviews were playing in my mind when i watched it ,sadly I felt the movie was a drag esp after the intermission. Aaamir Khan lived upto the expectations..I wonder what would have happened to 'Rang De' minus Mr Khan ..Still a welcome change in Bollywood Yan and I climbed up Little Si ..yes i have conquered a peak ( read it as hill ...).The 6 miles round trip ...in wet weather ,after having put on 3-4 kilos thanks

Fairfax VA was not as cold as I expected..the training was really good .Having a person with Consulting experience doing the teaching makes a big difference.Mr Phil Leary was probably one of the best trainers i have had in my 5 years of corporate life. Apart from the 8 hrs inside the training room ,we did 2 desi dinners,PF Chang's and one chipotle, I ran 10 miles last week ..Well it was covered in three tread mill sessions ,averages to 3.33 /session Not bad!! Have plans to watch Rang De Basnati...go trekking...and praying that the manager from Chicago does not call me this weekend:-) Its Yesudas singing Hamsadhwani..gotta plug my ears into that ...... TaTa!!

Phew 35 days just evaporated! The holiday was FUN Mom and Dad gave me great company .Mom broke down a few times during the last week ,I had to control my tears on more than one occassion, like some Desi movies of the 80's..:-). I sang for them a few times...when you see tears in mom's eyes after you sing..hmmmm can't think of words to describe that feeling! The first week was the best coz most of the happenings were unplanned . My top 5 for this trip goes like this ... 1.Pongal music festival in coimbatore...Unnikrishnan & Gayathri/Ranjini Combo were just mindblowing...Unnikrishnan's Bhairavi krithi touched new heights.. Jan 12'th -17'th 2.Trips to Kerala .Mulamkunnathu kavu guest house was better than i expected..The Melam at the temple on Dec 17'th for the annual flower festival('Niramala' in malayalam) made me jump in the air a few times. Guruvayoor and Vadakunnathan temples have an aura of thier own . Hotel Shree bhavan at Ollur serves some b