Another tassel in the hat!

Somethings that did stick through the quarters of the MBA:
- Debits and Credits
- Incentives change behavior
- Positive NPV projects
- Statistical significance
- Sunk Costs
- 4Ps and 3Cs
- Leadership
- Bottlenecks, Kanban and Kaizen Bursts
- Decision Trees
- Value Prop
- Corporate Responsibility
- GDP and volatility
- Conjoint and bundles
- Listen to your customer
- What's your BATNA?
- It Depends...
- Segregate gains, aggregate losses
- Be Lean and Agile!
- Less is More.

Oh wait, did I mention the awesome people, life-changing experiences and the endless fun?! That stuck more than anything else :-)

#Gradution2014 #EveningMBA#2014 #UWFoster

Respect

"The only power they have is by the respect that the people have for them, and if people lose that respect they have nothing.”
~ Ingrid Seward  

Mom-Dad always said, "Be Happy!"

Friendships

How strange it is...

We wish to earn loads of money, 
but we had the best of times 
when we had just 10 bucks in our pocket...
We wish to wear pricey brands, 
but we feel most comfortable 
in pajama pants...
We wish to sit in Taj and Marriot with elite people
but we enjoy roadside vendor food 
with friends the most...
We wish to own big cars and go on long drives
yet we talk our heart out 
only while walking down a long road...
We have 64GB iPods filled with songs, 
but sometimes a song on the radio 
brings a smile that can't be compared...

Life is simple indeed!
We make it complex 
by running after what never gives us joy...

Love life!
Take note of small things.
For when you achieve the bigger ones, 
you can smile and say...
"I Have Lived It"

Three Cups of Tea

I've been wanting to write about this book for a while now, just haven't had a chance. But a will finds a way, and noone personifies it like Greg Mortenson does. 

'Three Cups of Tea' is a story of one man's promise and its extraordinary outcome. It is a story about a failed attempt to climb K2, but a commitment to climb the inner mountain. It's incredible how Mortenson turns stones into schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, overcoming all hurdles, the most astonishing part being he gets the girls to go to school even in the forbidden terrain. What he accomplished with pure tenacity and determination makes me think we've done (and given) so little! The sacrifices that he and his family made are staggering. Its bewildering what difference just one person can make... it's a must read!

The part that was most heart-warming was when the little girls came to Mortenson and thanked him; told him that they wanted to become doctors, teachers, even a superlady. And said - Education was like water, important for everything in life. It was the only way to bring peace to the world.

I'll leave you with a quote from the book that resonated with me - "A smile should be more than a memory" ~ Greg Mortenson

Never Give Up!

The minute you think of giving up, think of the reason why you held on so long ~ Anonymous

Pink feet. Happy feet.

~ Saloni (Seattle, WA)

The 3-DAY FOR THE CURE (Seattle, September 16-18, 2011) was one of the most exhilarating, humbling and rewarding experiences of my life. Each person I met and shared with along the way made the journey even more enjoyable, couldn't have done it without them. The energy, the tutus, the ta-tas, the boobies, the bras, the hats, the pins, the scarves, the tees, the banners, the pom-poms, the clappies, the cheering, the police, the bikes, the support, the flags, the friends, the emotions, the families, the love, the veterans, the strength, the survivors, the courage, the stalkers, the fun, the route-views, the pictures, the walkers, the injuries, the sweep-vans, the crew, the food, the pit-stops, the porta-potties, the campsite, the showers, the tents, the dancing, the stories, the mail, the ceremonies, the holding, the laughs, the tears, the pride, the people, the donors, the cause, the pink... OMG, I can go on and on and on, but I'll stop right here.

Are we really free?

In Yoda's words:

“Fear is the path to the dark side.
Fear leads to anger.
Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to suffering.”
Terrorism is a living example of it. Needs to be eradicated by killing the root cause of it! It's only then we'll be truly free.

It's been a month since the Mumbai blasts, and no real action has been taken yet. The efforts of the government and dedicated search team are way below expected. It all seems like a facade. The hype in the media lasted for a week tops, and the fervor against the terrorist activity soon fizzled out. The entire city got back to routine the next day, as if nothing had ever happened. It's amazing how everyone seems to forget such tragic events almost instantaneously, when it should be killing them. But then this is India we're talking about. Feel sad to bad mouth about my motherland, but no one seems to be going after the wrongdoers. They need to be punished, I'm talking about harsh punishment that would leave an impression on people's minds, such that noone else would dare to make the same mistake again. We are missing those great men, the leaders that showed us the path of justice, to independence. Today, our system is so corrupt, putting an end to this nonsense seems next to impossible. And we live in a democratic country, for crying out loud! It's time for common man to step up and bring a revolution.

One thing is to abolish this uncanny behavior, and other is to spread the message of harmony. A mutual feeling of trust needs to be built. Nothing can be achieved by warfare, by terrorism! What pleasure do they get by killing the innocent? A radical change needs to be brought in society. Brotherhood and love needs to be instilled in people of our own country, and neighboring ones too. We are after all humans on either sides of the border - a man who was given birth by his mother, a man who has a wife waiting for him at home, a man who is eager to play with his child at the end of the day. We forget we were once part of the same nation.

Today, on independence day, I would like to quote Abraham Lincoln: "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battle-field, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearth-stone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

May there be peace! May we find true independence!
Jai Hind!

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara