Impressions

Recently I got an opportunity to go for a college recruiting trip! Oh ya, I just grabbed the opportunity - not coz I want to get into HR someday - but just to see what goes on behind the scence - I was going to UIUC - one of the top engineering campuses in the US - I flew into Chicago and drove to Urbana - I had heard that there were just corn fields and the campus was really in the middle of nowhere - and it was true! It was going to be a week long affair - We had our presentations on Day 1 and then there was career fair for a couple of days followed by on campus interviewing - Seemed pretty simple - Since I am a technical person, I always thought huh, hiring thats all simple and fun - Jez was I wrong - it was a looooot of work - talking all days to students who were trying to put on their most impressive hats and finding the right match to my group - it was tough - I almost lost my voice on the third day I felt - But after the week got over - I realized one important aspect of life - balance - its all about that - I ended up remembering those folks who had it all - great GPA's, relevent projects, impressive internships, leadership roles, outgoing personalities - wow thats a lot to do in four years of college - Thats what we try and do on a daily basis in our lives - Be it relationships, work or anything in life, we try and do it all the time - it is so critical - so then came the conclusion that perhaps you dont have to do everything right, just have to do enough right to be successful! I will always cherish my experiences of recruiting - and thank my boss for giving me the opportunity!

Perspectives!

Some say life is mundane. It probably is - and at the time you start feeling that way - you really should do something different - One of my friends has a flying licence and we wanted to go for a good lunch to the coast and get back to work! But we are about 60 miles from the coast - So we decided to rent the cessna - I convinced my wife and he convinced his girl friend and the four of us - landed up at Twin Oak Airport the following Wednesday - We were going for lunch - This was the first time I was sitting in a plane that has no security systems or safety jackets - no cabin pressure - just a simple 70's cessna that flys about 5000 ft - It was exciting. We flew over the mountains - saw the entire cascade mountain ranges (St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams) - went over hag lake - the day was perfect - clear skies and about 80 degrees! On and off, we would have turbulence but hey it was great - We went over the capes of the oregon coast - tillamook and were back! My wife and I really enjoyed the experience - and I'd recommend to anyone who wants to do something different - When you start seeing the things you see everyday differently or from a height - you really cannot say that life is mundane anymore!

life in 2015

What will life in 2015 be like? Whats the next technology boom? Whats going to be the weather on earth? Which countries will be doing well? Whats going to be minimum education standards of people? The technology jobs that are shifting from US to India and China? What are the implications of that going to be? What will be the foreign exchange rates?

Daily double

Its always about execution - managing time, juggling priorities and completing tasks - I am learning this really vital skill with experience and time - When i was in graduate school i always asked my room-mates what are your priorities in life? It used to sound really stupid back then to most of my friends, but I guess somewhere in the back of my mind i knew that this was the single most fundamental question to answer - No matter what dots you may have thrown and what paths you may have chosen, the key is to execute them well - Working in a deadline oriented society, managing time and having the presence of mind becomes vital - Its pretty competitive out there - you know the big fish eat the litte fish - yes it is really true - and there is no dream land where everyone does the right thing - so time management is very important. Presence of mind is also equally important - one of the days i was driving home from my gym and i saw a guy who had pulled over in the middle of the road - he was trying to get hold of a box which had fallen off his truck on the road - instead of stopping on the road and allowing him to go get his box, i just barely slowed down - i sort of lost my presence of mind for a brief moment - that was stupid - its very important to do the right things in times of need - I really wonder when 9/11 happened four years ago - kudos to the rescuers who put their life in jeopardy and helped lots of folks - or when the tsunami struck this year - so many people did the right thing - In a nut shell, i think if you know your priorities well, can manage time, have the presence of mind, be active then you will be able to execute your daily tasks really well!