It happens sometimes when you are updating a blog after really long gap that you come up with a title as weird and vague like this. I’ve been busy keeping up my schedule on reading, case analysis, home works, mid term and what not? But I did miss the writing as much as you missed reading (For those who follow this blog).
The first part of my title is probably because I saw a malayalam movie by name Ritu (means Seasons), where the movie ended with a question “Seasons change, do we?”. What I understood from the movie is ‘Yes, we should change like seasons’, but its highly unlikely that we return to where we were. May be because of too much of Organizational behaviour class, I started analyzing characteristic analysis of the characters in the movie. Oh I’m not getting into details though. The movie kind of moved me though. Do comment in this post if any of you have a different opinion on the movie.
Another reason is that the season here has changed from Summer to Fall. And I tell ya, Weather is awesome! Temperature fluctuate between 11 and 25, no humidity and cool breeze most of the time. Today, as I write, we are almost at the ending of Labor Day weekend, which is when officially fall begins. I’m Hoping to see the colors of fall soon and hoping that we get a delayed winter.
The second part of my heading is because of the quant classes that I’m attending. It was in 2nd year 2nd sem, when we had Prof. Rajan lecturing on Probability and Random variables. The entire semester’s syllabus + some linear programming is our Quantitative analysis subject. The application of those theorems and concepts is different. I’ve faint memories of that class, so every day, every topic that I see on the slides is like… Déjà Vu, though I don’t feel very nostalgic about them! Good thing in Quant is that I don’t have to learn any derivation. It’s a joke here in MBA that Engineers are always behind deriving formulas than actually applying them. Sometimes our professor after explaining a theorem says “If Engineers are interested in proving this theorem, they are welcome, but only after the class”!
Coming to some specific events that happened in the last 10 days in the reverse chronological order, we had labor day off today, so this weekend was kind of relaxed. So I did my laundry along with Sino and Rolince (fellow batchmates). Kinsley and Sibin (phd students here) visited my place on Friday. John, a US Coast guard commander now, who sits beside me in my OB class, threw a party on thursday for a promotion from Lieutenant to Commander. I did go to have a few beers. On the same day we had Real Admiral Tom Ostebo, in charge of the logistics and Engineering of the Coast Guard deliver a lecture on leadership and ethics. All the military folks in our Class were dressed up in their uniforms and it was good to know that more than 15 people in our batch is from military of different countries.
Last weekend Rakesh and Laxman, visited my place. They had come to see the Moto GP race in Indianapolis. Though I couldn’t join them for the race, I definitely enjoyed their company on that weekend. It was so much like old days. This time, I did feel Nostalgic! One of the things that I’m happy about after coming to the US is that, I never felt away from home so much. The first week here, I was busy speaking to many of my friends that I almost felt like home here. Many a times I felt like I had just moved from Kochi to Hyderabad again!
Last Friday of august, we were taken to a camp nearby, where we did a bunch of team building activities. It was kind of fun to do those activities and we did take a few lesson while returning home. Below are some pictures taken on that day. I’ll introduce some of the folks I work with here…
We were trying to balance a seesaw kind of a thing. Team mates Josh (in Blue) and Chun chun seen in picture. The one behind me is Kijee.
While trying to cross a fictitious acid river with just 3 planks of wood and 25 people.
Together, trying to place one tennis ball in its place holder.
Josh, me and Steve caught napping in the middle of the event!
That’s team Tune up: Standing beside me is Jeremy, our team mentor and others sitting from left are Kwanshik, Kijee, Somak, Steve, Tao; second row: Chun Chun, Amber, Pierson (Team mate), next two names I’m unable to recollect!, third row from left: Josh, Mike, Teresa, Deena and Amilcar.
P.S. I’m sorry, if any of you read this post and find your name spelt incorrectly. I’m too bad in spelling.
Later that week in our OB class, our Professor explained about why such camps are necessary and why do Organizations spend a lot of money on such activities. He taught about Hawthorne effect which was very interesting. To me the Hawthorne moment was when many asked me over the weekend about the inactiveness of my blog. I’m glad that I could post again, and I will keep posting.
Dude .. ur team is truly global.
ReplyDeleteDude... you look very cool in the pics..
ReplyDeleteIts great to know that as expected you are not feeling out of place. Hence proved that the entire world is Nikhil's Home.
Nikmo glad you posted this one. At least we, the expectant readers were worried for a while :) Between in dude parley this is what 'hitting the wall' means and you don't need to explain your breaks. This will happen again, don't worry. Methinks you already have this experience with your now-can't-remember old blog.
ReplyDelete15 different military units? Hmmm..that's really great.
Ritu-seasons..did you download the movie or a fellow mallu gave it to you? I bet you downloaded it.. didn't ya? you fatso..! :D
Firstly, why did you stop your narration with 'do we get back to where we were if we change how we are?' It is really a great thought especially on the subject of what exactly is 'we' in this context is. I will try posting a entire different topic on this..
A mighty thanks for the new pics and only one complain though. The last pic ordering is very confusing. It took me quite a while to understand it. Use some paint or such tools to get rows (1),(2),(3) on the left. Then, it would have been easier.
Final note, as Niks says you look really cool in the pics..Again, are you by chance doing any editing with photoshop? Your fat just doesn't look alright at all!
@Karthik: Your roomie must be having the movie with subtitles. Watch the movie and then post!
ReplyDeletesecond, photoshop... you are kidding? I kind of mastered the Yoga aasana I used to practise a lot in India!
@Karthik, added to the above comment, Its not exactly 15 different military units, more than 15 people. Of course most of them are from Coast guard, marines, and some of them just returned from an Iraq assignment. There are military folks from other countries as well, mostly sponsored.
ReplyDeleteBut these guys bring amazing experience with them. Like the other day in OB class we where discussing on rewards in Organizations, John brought in his experience when one of the choppers in his fleet crashed onto a mountain and the other chopper accompanying them landed nearby and rescued all of them. They couldn't complete the mission though. To most folks, they were heros. But should they be rewarded? Interesting case ain't it?
Oh..the shavasana you mean? You were acing it with special dolby effect too. :P Definitely will check with takla on Ritu..
ReplyDeleteComing to the military folks, somehow all the movies and the media generally typecast them as these machines with no heart or mind of their own. I mean like a lazy ignorant robots with no thinking capacity. Its only when you get to here from people like you, that we can begin to think that they do have intelligence and studies behind them. Their formidable appearence and physique is borne out of necessity as part of the job.
Anyways I just detest American military forces the unlawlful nature in which America continues its vengence non-stop. I just hope you be motivated by their events rather than their justifications. Heroes? - not in my book.