Story 2009

With New Year’s resolutions fresh on our mind ..after thinking so hard >>finally zeroed down to start blogging..again.. .Now the matter of major paradox was how to start n what to write about after all...my mind is like a TV set ,100s of channels running simultaneously n thinking about a particular thing is practically impossible job for me,u know ...kinda inborn defect or umm.. may be a sixth sense that god has given me..(ok that way am kinda being “over optimistic”. J)

What could be better than starting my first episode by the recap of the last year! Applying my MBA skills .i finally thought of doing a SWOT analysis of 2009 of my life. Now those of who are reading and wondering “What the hell is this SWOT analysis?”

· JSTRENGHT
· LWEEKNESS
· JOPPURTUNITES
· LTHREATS

In short " SWOT" . SWOT needs no introduction to people who have done MBA(PGDM), because we guys have done SWOT analysis of almost everything and anything, be it international business, apple. Google, Nike, Starbucks, Financial investments, Lehman bros ,Merrill lynch going on to BSE, NSE , rat , cat , dog , leopard , bats, cars , places, Cockroach Africa, America Singapore, u name it we have done it. God help us!!!

Ok back to topic ...

So the year 2009 started with regular classes as usual with lots of presentations ,assignments ,industrial visits , market research , projects of all size (mini micro n what not ;))and the majors events that brought some colour in our black n white life were sports days, Panorama, then various management fests like Talentime , winning prizes and many more. Those were the happy days..no doubt abt it.I call it MANIA TIMES ..MAN(managers) I(in) A(action)..well that was the name of the first management fest our 17^th batch went for ...we wer a team of 10 ..Literally we ruled ther..still the hooting n howling of SCMS SCMS SCMS RULESSSSSSSS echoes when i look back. [APRILS ENDS..just like that in a blink ]

Now ,The award for the worst month of the year goes to month of MAY..watta month man..so damn hectic..i never prepared for 5 presenations in a day ,wrote 20-25 pages assignments in one night..prepared for exams simultaneous n all happening in one day..most of the days of this month were like that.n moreover my lappy (HP pavilion dv2000)decides to break down.My lappy is a great piece of ---- whenever i have something really important to do..it just stops working N everything goes haywire..however i wrote semesters with the help of my roommates laptop(Compaq..simple one..bt it works ) (MACHIS J .my roommate .my only saviour .my beacon of hope in those days)..i love u sweetheart for yr help.[May ends]

The project saga began in June and i was out of Kerala like a free bird reaching new heights, back in its own nest in Hyderabad. There is something about this city which appeals me so much to be here always. It was a great feeling to be back home after one year of Hassel, stress, pressure, hard work, horrible food, homesickness and all the blah blah that comes with it. I gotta feeling that this 3 months is going to be the best days of 2009... i ate in my favourite restaurant , met old school friends, learned guitar , learned how to put kajal and mascara from hyderabadi potty(gal), (rather by observing only eyes –rest covered –thanks to BURQA)..n to add on to the agony ...i worked with sharekhan ltd for 3 months..n i was the only girl in the organisation after the receptionist.(wow perfect)..(imagine the love polygon).. ;) 2 gals against the whole staff.(male).

life throws all emotional stuff at you wen u don’t need them at all..three months ended with lot of complications which includes all the hell that goes into SPSS for analysis of the project data + strangled relationship + shattering dreams +bull****+ c**p.[AUG ends] L very badly)

Back to the place called Ernakulum (cochin) (the name i never pronounce correct)

After a nice 3 month hiatus (sep 12^th 2009) , I begun going through the inbox and started adding all the new MBA-related blogs. There's a plethora of '09 applicants roaring to write about their experiences..waiting for placements to come..project submission..n all the gyan in ther head waiting to come out . SO life officially spun back on track>> Back to Jail..gateway to hell as we call our “college” bocz of some of its weirdest rules n regulations u will ever have to go thru L in LIFE( yes i said life)

I passed the winter sweeping, cleaning my room, scrubbing the cream colour hostel room, washing clothes in my two by two washroom, then some days seeing my pink hands writing/scribbling something without any reason..Sometimes drawing this spooky looking patterns .

sometimes felt like shipwreck survivor, no shore in sight, only miles and miles of water, a feeling similar to what Tom Hanks have in the movie Cast Away. I dint know where was i going? what i was doing.???...someday simply walked dragging my fingernail along the wall of hostel corridor and someday simply sat and wondered in amazement about the Kerala beauty in rainy days .Someday spoke with friends for hours, all utter nonsense (am sure they would have banged their head on the other side of phone). There is a insect called ACID FLY which is found specially in Kerala..which created lotta fuss in college in rainly days,they are deadly and our campus was full of it.

Someday just sat on my bed and wondered... ” This tall huge coconut tree is so important for Kerala, it actually adds so much to the revenue of the state.” Its multi-purpose kinda thing here..Starting from doormats, to ropes, coir, my breakfast chutney, some powder that people eat with rice, every little thing contains coconut for sure and now going down to my bed in which I sleep everyday also contains a coir mattress..(Ya thats what they provided when i shifted to hostel from Hyderabad. It still pokes my back every night , good thing is only 2 months more to go.)

Kovalam trip during end of the year was great..Something that i wanted very badly that time..Still something was stuck in my mind..i kept thinking abt it on ...n on...n on..

Finally the last day of the year..no calls ..no emails ..no wishes from anyone..so thought to go on a ego diet and ruled out the option for waiting 4 calls ...i called my loved ones.I felt fire in my belly to getta time machine n rewind all the episode of my life...all wrong moves .all wrong decision and “START AFRESH” as someone told me this year. N i wrote something in my note pad

“Now hurricane/cyclone/tsunami/Katrina whatever it was , has passed therz a deep silence within n it feels bad......... bt better...........wen u see the damage................... it hurts ..coz it will take time to rebuilt everything again”

Lessons learned :

1. Never in my life i will go for HP products.

2. Acid fly is a bug worth knowing about.

3.A old friend is never miles away ..just a mail away..never shun from calling them.

4. MBA= PGDM...no matter what u do, where u study..!!

5. IIMs no more give a edge...all MBAs/PGDMs are equal.

6.Recession dint hit India..but it hit SCMS !!! (jusssst kidding J)

n finally the "SWOT "part..now hu the hell wants to c another SWOT analysis. FORGET IT FOREVER.J