Babel is a saga with a single incident connecting different individuals in different parts of the world. Its like bringing to life the characters of a good storybook. The movie is intense; bundled with moments of pain, anxiety, fear, desire and happiness. There is an amazing sense of ‘connect’ between the chain of events throughout. I liked the way events are mapped to their respective timezones.
Just to give you a feel of what is this timezone stuff am talking of, the landscapes include the Moroccan desert, the Mexican – American border and the buzzing streets of Tokyo.
The background score is too good; you will love the base guitar snippets.
Brad Pitt has proved his merit again. Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal and
Koji Yakusho have all acted wonderfully.
I never give away the story in my reviews as I feel it spoils all the fun, will follow suit here too :) But believe me, ‘Babel’ will keep you engrossed from start to finish!!
My rating: * * * *
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Kabul Express - take a ride!
Decided to watch this despite many friends telling me that this film isn’t worth a silver screen ticket. Well, I liked ‘Kabul Express’. It is a short and straight movie without the usual running around trees stuff and conveys a subtle sensation of the life of an abandoned soldier in a god-forsaken, war-plundered place. In a way, it depicts the softer side of the harshly branded ‘talib’.
John, Arshad, Linda Arsenio (Jessica – a US war reporter), Hanif Hum Ghum ( Khyber – an Afghan) and Salman Shahid (Imran Khan Afridi – an abandoned Pak Talib) have done their bit to make the movie interesting. I personally liked Salman Shahid….wonder where was this chap all these years?
The background score is neat and the dialogues are good. However, the landscapes tend to repeat and the scenes seem to be amiss now and then, but still its worth taking a ride on the Kabul Express!
My rating: * * *
John, Arshad, Linda Arsenio (Jessica – a US war reporter), Hanif Hum Ghum ( Khyber – an Afghan) and Salman Shahid (Imran Khan Afridi – an abandoned Pak Talib) have done their bit to make the movie interesting. I personally liked Salman Shahid….wonder where was this chap all these years?
The background score is neat and the dialogues are good. However, the landscapes tend to repeat and the scenes seem to be amiss now and then, but still its worth taking a ride on the Kabul Express!
My rating: * * *
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Bhagam Bhag – a quick review
If you want to beat the blues, laugh your lungs out and still bite your nails, then Bhagam Bhag is a film etched for you. For the first time, I watched a Hindi movie that’s got a good story churning out rib tickling comedy amidst high drama with some twists and turns (Munnabhai ofcourse had a story line too).
It was fun to see good old ‘Chi Chi’ aka Govinda do what he is best at (although, I didn’t see a high pitched role for him). Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal have mastered the act of making people laugh over the years ever since ‘Hera Pheri’. Lara Dutta, Asrani, Rajpal, Jackie Shroff, Shakthi Kapoor and others too add sweeteners to the already sweet ‘laughter cake’!
My rating: * * * *
It was fun to see good old ‘Chi Chi’ aka Govinda do what he is best at (although, I didn’t see a high pitched role for him). Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal have mastered the act of making people laugh over the years ever since ‘Hera Pheri’. Lara Dutta, Asrani, Rajpal, Jackie Shroff, Shakthi Kapoor and others too add sweeteners to the already sweet ‘laughter cake’!
My rating: * * * *
Friday, December 22, 2006
Who says there's no night-life in Bangalore?
Just back from a short trip to Bangalore :) Met some of my close friends and relatives. Went out with friends on Wednesday night.'13th Floor' in Barton Center kept us ‘high’ upto the Zero hour. Then, we walked all along MG Road and Brigade Road in the middle of the cold winter night. It was good fun – we found some ‘chai’ and ‘chaat’ stalls on the pavements. There were quite a few motorists standing by; smoking and chatting. Brigade road too had some couples roaming. After the long walk, we were very hungry. But where could we find a place to eat at 1.30 am in Bangalore? - We went to the KSRTC Bus Station and had lemon rice (chitranna) at some fast-food restaurant! We were still hungry and could not find anything good to eat at that place. So we hit the Railway Station. We had some roti+mixed veg+dal makhani at a restaurant called 'ComeSun' there. By the time we were done, it was 3 am! Then I dropped my friends and reached home around 3.45 am. Never have I loafed around Bangalore so late in the night. It was a good experience, but no way close to Mumbai’s night buzz. However, now I (and you)know how to manage a bit of night-life even in Bangalore :)
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Some cool pix
The black and beautiful Cannon:)
Elephanta Caves and the Taj!
Vinaya and I had been on a trip to Elephanta Caves on Thursday, the 14th of Dec. We took one of those fast trains from Andheri to Churchgate and then a taxi to Gateway of India. From there, we had to take a ferry to Elephanta Caves. The ferry journey was really good. I met a friendly retired German sailor on board who told me a lot of things about tankers, containers, their tonnage, power, etc. In about an hour, we reached the Elephanta Caves. These caves look like they are man-made and have some great carvings, but almost every second carving has been plundered.
We still had about 2 hours left before the return journey. So we decided to trek up the Cannon Hill. We never knew what we would find up there, but we wanted to explore.
In about 15minutes, we could see a wall with holes in between….yes, you are right – these holes were of the size of the mouth of a cannon. We quickly went up and found that from the other side of this wall, we could directly see the foothills of the Elephanta Caves. In just about 100 metres from this wall, we found a black beauty; yuppie –an old cannon! It really felt good that the decision to trek the unknown route showed us something fantastic. The cannon was locked onto a metal shaft and routed to the ground below. There were steps next to this cannon that went underground. We went down and found two rooms, one of which had some old rusty machinery. It looked like these rooms were used to store ammunition. There was a passage that led straight out to the far end outside – something like an underground escape route! All this was beautifully camouflaged by land and grass. The experience was like flipping through an adventure novel!
Later, on ferrying back to Gateway of India, we were very hungry. So we decided to dine at the Taj! We freshened up and decided to go for the buffet. The food was excellent – we tried out almost everything that looked new and inviting. We just enjoyed every bite, every gulp, every slurp! I really am not sure if I can call it an 8-course meal as I lost count of the number of desserts I had. The ambience was also classy!
All in All, a fabulous weekend!
We still had about 2 hours left before the return journey. So we decided to trek up the Cannon Hill. We never knew what we would find up there, but we wanted to explore.
In about 15minutes, we could see a wall with holes in between….yes, you are right – these holes were of the size of the mouth of a cannon. We quickly went up and found that from the other side of this wall, we could directly see the foothills of the Elephanta Caves. In just about 100 metres from this wall, we found a black beauty; yuppie –an old cannon! It really felt good that the decision to trek the unknown route showed us something fantastic. The cannon was locked onto a metal shaft and routed to the ground below. There were steps next to this cannon that went underground. We went down and found two rooms, one of which had some old rusty machinery. It looked like these rooms were used to store ammunition. There was a passage that led straight out to the far end outside – something like an underground escape route! All this was beautifully camouflaged by land and grass. The experience was like flipping through an adventure novel!
Later, on ferrying back to Gateway of India, we were very hungry. So we decided to dine at the Taj! We freshened up and decided to go for the buffet. The food was excellent – we tried out almost everything that looked new and inviting. We just enjoyed every bite, every gulp, every slurp! I really am not sure if I can call it an 8-course meal as I lost count of the number of desserts I had. The ambience was also classy!
All in All, a fabulous weekend!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Celebrations Galore
After the stunning placements here; Vinaya, Vatsa and I feasted at the JW Marriott – We were in Marriott between 00.30 am and 3.30 am on Friday, the 8th of Dec. JWM is a place where you can find all the rich and famous people of Mumbai. It really felt good to see ‘namma bengaluru boy’ Nikhil Chinappa in about 2 metres distance :). The food was great and the ambience – just world-class!
The next morning, the PGDM class of 2007 felicitated everybody who helped us in our placements. Vatsa, Vinaya and I went to the Gold Class show of Baabul (a social film with a strong and meaningful message) at Cinemax, Infiniti Mall. The best part was that we watched the movie on a full and comfy recliner – all for just Rs 150/- Later in the night, some 8 of us went to Shirdi and came back on Sunday night. We had a good darshan of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba.
The weather is great here and some of us are planning to go on a short trip to the Elephanta Caves tomorrow (Thursday – our weekend)
Hey, the classes of the last term before internship have also started in full swing from Monday, so we are not done yet!
The next morning, the PGDM class of 2007 felicitated everybody who helped us in our placements. Vatsa, Vinaya and I went to the Gold Class show of Baabul (a social film with a strong and meaningful message) at Cinemax, Infiniti Mall. The best part was that we watched the movie on a full and comfy recliner – all for just Rs 150/- Later in the night, some 8 of us went to Shirdi and came back on Sunday night. We had a good darshan of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba.
The weather is great here and some of us are planning to go on a short trip to the Elephanta Caves tomorrow (Thursday – our weekend)
Hey, the classes of the last term before internship have also started in full swing from Monday, so we are not done yet!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Ways and Means to FUN around SPJIMR
Spread over 40 acres, our institute is located in Andheri (W) which happens to be one of the most happening suburbs in Mumbai. There are quite a few places to hang-out around the college.
Shopping: You can go shopping for daily stuff @ Apna Bazaar, you can shop till you drop @ Lokhandwala or Infiniti Mall (2.5km) or InOrbit Mall (the biggest mall in Mumbai - 8km),
Food and Party: You can have healthy South-Indian food @ Navaratna or Sri Krishna Bhavan, you can try some great Mexican and Lebanese food @ Bombay Blues (Shoppers Stop building – 2.5km), you can throw a party @ JW Marriott (4km) , you can hit the dance floor @ Club Escape (2.5km),
Movie: You can catch a movie @ Cinemax (Infiniti), Fame Adlabs or Fun Republic (all 1.5km)
Sports: You can indulge in sports like Badminton, Tennis, Squash, TT, Swimming, etc @ Andheri Sports Complex (stone’s throw from Boys Hostel), you can go bowling @ Fun Republic (1.5km)
Nature: You can laze around on the Juhu beach (4km), you can even trek up the 65million year old Gilbert Hill (1km).
Transport: Autos ply all over Andheri. The local station is just about 1.5km and the airport is around 8km.
If you are a connoisseur of food, you should check out these: Sasuraal, Poush, Yoko, SreeJees, Chawlas, Mc Donalds’, Rajdhani, Moti Mahal, Radhakrishna, Balle Balle, Some Place Else, Patio, Woodlands, Utsav, Tian…..can remember only these many at the moment :) Let me know incase you need directions for any of these restaurants.
Forgive my spelling errors if any in this post :)
Shopping: You can go shopping for daily stuff @ Apna Bazaar, you can shop till you drop @ Lokhandwala or Infiniti Mall (2.5km) or InOrbit Mall (the biggest mall in Mumbai - 8km),
Food and Party: You can have healthy South-Indian food @ Navaratna or Sri Krishna Bhavan, you can try some great Mexican and Lebanese food @ Bombay Blues (Shoppers Stop building – 2.5km), you can throw a party @ JW Marriott (4km) , you can hit the dance floor @ Club Escape (2.5km),
Movie: You can catch a movie @ Cinemax (Infiniti), Fame Adlabs or Fun Republic (all 1.5km)
Sports: You can indulge in sports like Badminton, Tennis, Squash, TT, Swimming, etc @ Andheri Sports Complex (stone’s throw from Boys Hostel), you can go bowling @ Fun Republic (1.5km)
Nature: You can laze around on the Juhu beach (4km), you can even trek up the 65million year old Gilbert Hill (1km).
Transport: Autos ply all over Andheri. The local station is just about 1.5km and the airport is around 8km.
If you are a connoisseur of food, you should check out these: Sasuraal, Poush, Yoko, SreeJees, Chawlas, Mc Donalds’, Rajdhani, Moti Mahal, Radhakrishna, Balle Balle, Some Place Else, Patio, Woodlands, Utsav, Tian…..can remember only these many at the moment :) Let me know incase you need directions for any of these restaurants.
Forgive my spelling errors if any in this post :)
Friday, December 08, 2006
SPJIMR - 1 Year PGDM ROCKS--OFFERS DELUGE BABY:))
PLACEMENTS – PGDM CLASS OF 2007
(One Year Full Time MBA)
December 9th, 2006
The one year PGDM program of the SP Jain Institute of Management & Research scripted a fantastic success story with placements touching dizzying heights for the Class of 2007. The placement for the participants was conducted from 6th – 8th Dec 2006 and has been a resounding success with 33 companies giving a total of 151 offers to 57 participants.
The highlight of the placements was the first offer of the first day being the highest salary offer of Rs 24.35 Lakhs. The booming and the fast growing economy saw an unprecedented number of companies vying to recruit the experienced professionals of the one year program.
The Class of 2007 has 58 students, of which 57 participated in the Placements Process. 55 companies showed initial interest in participating in the placement process and finally 41 companies participated in the placement process with 33 companies making a total of 151 offers. The average salary offered to the participants was INR 11.35 Lakhs. A significant number of the participants saw phenomenal rise in their salaries from their previous professional portfolios. The average increase in salaries for the participants was 70%, which translates into an average salary increase of Rs 5.15 Lakhs, a little less than the program fee of Rs 5.53 Lakhs. The four women participants of the program also saw a roaring success with more than 15 confirmed offers to choose from.
Several of the blue chip companies like Infosys, Satyam, Reliance Retail, Mphasis, ICICI and Covansys offered more than 10 offers each to the participants. Some of the conglomerates participating in the placement process were IBM, McKinsey KC, SAP, Cognizant Technologies, L & T and TCS.
The participant with the highest salary offer and more than a decade of experience in the process industry had this to say, “After having worked in the industry for so many years, I had a feeling that my career was progressing at a slower pace than I would have liked to and this drove me to join SPJIMR. My one year at the institute has been one of intense academic rigour and I am specially impressed by the innovative program architecture and the structured approach of SPJIMR to the One Year PGDM program. I am especially enthralled by the fact that my decision to join SPJIMR over other foreign B Schools has been proved so correct. I am excited about the forthcoming challenge and the responsibility and looking forward to use my learning.”
The participant with the highest quantum jump in salary package of 342% over the last package, says, “Working for a leading industrial house in the field of Manufacturing was a pleasant experience, but I strongly felt the need for a Business Management education for an accelerated growth of my professional track. Today I am thrilled & excited to have received an offer from one of the leading global consultancy firms, where I would be able to leverage my previous experience and contribute effectively on a global platform.”
Professor Sunil Rai, Chairperson of the PGDM program, had this to say, “A number of participants had chosen to join SPJIMR’s PGDM program looking for value addition at a critical juncture of their professional careers. The PGDM program architecture was designed on the SPJIMR ethos of value based and dynamically innovative pedagogy. This is the only one year program in the country to offer specialisations in Information Management and Operations & Manufacturing. This makes the SPJIMR PGDM program a sought after program to help professionals to explore advancements and career shifts successfully. Some of the dramatic career shifts made by participants of the program include: A lady participant from the Merchant Navy joining one of the retail giant”.
The lady participant from the Merchant Navy, Sonika Joshi, the first woman Officer Cadet from India, had this to say, “I feel that this dramatic career shift from the Merchant Navy to high growing Retail Business area would not had been possible without the extremely valuable inputs and training I received at SP Jain. I feel that my people and project management skills from my professional experience and the business knowledge from SPJIMR will propel me to great heights.”
Prof. Abbasali Gabula, Chairperson, External Relations and Placements said, “SPJIMR plans to drive the one year program to a greater milieu of professionals by adding diverse but relevant courses as elective from Jan 2008. The institute strongly feels that the huge growth of economy and the rapid industrialisation will need an unprecedented number of managers empowered with the learning of a management education and endeavours to meet a significant number of these requirements of the industry.”
The PGDM program at SPJIMR has received the appreciation of the industry and has lived up to its promise of providing the corporate with highly experienced and focused mid-level managers with modern outlook.
(One Year Full Time MBA)
December 9th, 2006
The one year PGDM program of the SP Jain Institute of Management & Research scripted a fantastic success story with placements touching dizzying heights for the Class of 2007. The placement for the participants was conducted from 6th – 8th Dec 2006 and has been a resounding success with 33 companies giving a total of 151 offers to 57 participants.
The highlight of the placements was the first offer of the first day being the highest salary offer of Rs 24.35 Lakhs. The booming and the fast growing economy saw an unprecedented number of companies vying to recruit the experienced professionals of the one year program.
The Class of 2007 has 58 students, of which 57 participated in the Placements Process. 55 companies showed initial interest in participating in the placement process and finally 41 companies participated in the placement process with 33 companies making a total of 151 offers. The average salary offered to the participants was INR 11.35 Lakhs. A significant number of the participants saw phenomenal rise in their salaries from their previous professional portfolios. The average increase in salaries for the participants was 70%, which translates into an average salary increase of Rs 5.15 Lakhs, a little less than the program fee of Rs 5.53 Lakhs. The four women participants of the program also saw a roaring success with more than 15 confirmed offers to choose from.
Several of the blue chip companies like Infosys, Satyam, Reliance Retail, Mphasis, ICICI and Covansys offered more than 10 offers each to the participants. Some of the conglomerates participating in the placement process were IBM, McKinsey KC, SAP, Cognizant Technologies, L & T and TCS.
The participant with the highest salary offer and more than a decade of experience in the process industry had this to say, “After having worked in the industry for so many years, I had a feeling that my career was progressing at a slower pace than I would have liked to and this drove me to join SPJIMR. My one year at the institute has been one of intense academic rigour and I am specially impressed by the innovative program architecture and the structured approach of SPJIMR to the One Year PGDM program. I am especially enthralled by the fact that my decision to join SPJIMR over other foreign B Schools has been proved so correct. I am excited about the forthcoming challenge and the responsibility and looking forward to use my learning.”
The participant with the highest quantum jump in salary package of 342% over the last package, says, “Working for a leading industrial house in the field of Manufacturing was a pleasant experience, but I strongly felt the need for a Business Management education for an accelerated growth of my professional track. Today I am thrilled & excited to have received an offer from one of the leading global consultancy firms, where I would be able to leverage my previous experience and contribute effectively on a global platform.”
Professor Sunil Rai, Chairperson of the PGDM program, had this to say, “A number of participants had chosen to join SPJIMR’s PGDM program looking for value addition at a critical juncture of their professional careers. The PGDM program architecture was designed on the SPJIMR ethos of value based and dynamically innovative pedagogy. This is the only one year program in the country to offer specialisations in Information Management and Operations & Manufacturing. This makes the SPJIMR PGDM program a sought after program to help professionals to explore advancements and career shifts successfully. Some of the dramatic career shifts made by participants of the program include: A lady participant from the Merchant Navy joining one of the retail giant”.
The lady participant from the Merchant Navy, Sonika Joshi, the first woman Officer Cadet from India, had this to say, “I feel that this dramatic career shift from the Merchant Navy to high growing Retail Business area would not had been possible without the extremely valuable inputs and training I received at SP Jain. I feel that my people and project management skills from my professional experience and the business knowledge from SPJIMR will propel me to great heights.”
Prof. Abbasali Gabula, Chairperson, External Relations and Placements said, “SPJIMR plans to drive the one year program to a greater milieu of professionals by adding diverse but relevant courses as elective from Jan 2008. The institute strongly feels that the huge growth of economy and the rapid industrialisation will need an unprecedented number of managers empowered with the learning of a management education and endeavours to meet a significant number of these requirements of the industry.”
The PGDM program at SPJIMR has received the appreciation of the industry and has lived up to its promise of providing the corporate with highly experienced and focused mid-level managers with modern outlook.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Wisdom from the Wise
Over the last 8 months @ SPJIMR, I have had many opportunities to listen to people who have been transformational in their field of work. Some of the distinguished speakers so far:
Ajay Piramal (Chairman – Piramal Enterprises), Mahesh Murthy (Venture Capitalist and also a CEO), Rashmi Bansal (JAM Editor), Pascal Alan Nazareth (Managing Trustee, Sarvodaya International Trust)
All of them told us the way they have excelled in life and in whatever they did. They also shared with us their ups and downs. I sense two common attributes in all of them:
They all are deeply passionate about whatever they are doing.
They all have taken risks with a strong conviction.
We have also had guest lectures from many of the Industry experts which has been a good part of our learning.
I wish management graduates and laterals are recruited for roles that not only suit business requirements, but also ignite our passion.
Ajay Piramal (Chairman – Piramal Enterprises), Mahesh Murthy (Venture Capitalist and also a CEO), Rashmi Bansal (JAM Editor), Pascal Alan Nazareth (Managing Trustee, Sarvodaya International Trust)
All of them told us the way they have excelled in life and in whatever they did. They also shared with us their ups and downs. I sense two common attributes in all of them:
They all have taken risks with a strong conviction.
We have also had guest lectures from many of the Industry experts which has been a good part of our learning.
I wish management graduates and laterals are recruited for roles that not only suit business requirements, but also ignite our passion.
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