We won the cricket match yesterday! And also got dunked in the pool for the first time. Quite an experience! Everywhere i see, i see people sleep-walking... the study is intensifying as the exams draw closer.. it will be over before I know it...another 10 days...
I am feeling detached from the external world... hope to get into the city in the term-break and watch some real life for a change... I'm also planning to get a better routine in place..more time for fun and learning... and sufficient time for studies - not too much, not too little... Act Smart! I could not attend the panel discussion on bschools yesterday... might have been good...

Its been mind-numbing/sleep-inducing study now... Played cricket yesterday and we won, so that was a welcome break! Even after many years of work, it's great to see so much enthusiasm amongst us all. Hope everyone never grows up... ISB is becoming more and more homely as the days go by, and people here are becoming part of daily life... This one year is truly a year of knowing/discovering yourself... and the part I am happy (although drowsy about) is that I am hardly sleeping these days! A great way to get that much more out of life! I am glad that I have this chance of a hostel/residential-campus life which I never had so far... the camaraderie truly builds up and sustains itself throughout life... explains why the IITs, etc have such strong bonds until the very end...
Everyone is studying now, and its to know that this will end 10 days from now..for 5 days of total fun before the next term begins! Here's looking forward to the year ahead and wishing everyone the very best in discovering themselves and setting oneself up for a great life ahead!

Played some cricket today! Felt great to be finally getting off studies for a while! Am listening to some music, and chilling out... i think i'll take a break today... hectic few days ahead....
nice weather today... very morose also due to the death of the alum yest...
have the photo shoot tomorrow for the recruiter handbook... placements are already in the air! am meeting more ppl daily, and thats great!

Crazy, crazy days.... Was again up till 4 a.m. last night (morning!) working on the marketing case. Quite frustrating when work is not done 'smartly'. It was fun for a while with the late nights, but not when i'm suffering on my grades :(
Tragic story of siddharth sinha today... may his soul rest in peace. He had given a truly memorable speech to us - and got a rare standing ovation from the crowd.. Very lively, and his message was to have fun, live life and not get bogged down.... Dont know how life turns out sometimes for the very people who inspire others....
Things are heating up as term-end exams peek out from around the corner... so much to study too... i am making resolutions of a better effort next term already!! But I will give this one all I got!!!

Tired and almost brain-dead... this has been some hectic weekend... marketing case, eco-assignment and some accounting studies... phew! But i'm glad i got quite a bit of work done although as usual the social life suffers... No swimming since a long time.. :((
One thing's for sure.. none of us thought we have this much energy to work! So, that's good to know! Got a movie to watch tonight, but my eyes are dropping shut! It's fun though and I like being tired at the end of a fruitful day...

Stats mid-term over!! Phew!! It went off well.. i am so sure i have made silly mistakes, but relieved that i did not go unprepared about any topic... it's the learning that matters!! :)
collected the second eco assgt.. as usual got a few marks chopped off.. "in the end, it doesnt really matter - linkin park".
if this sounds like all-work-no-play, i also attended a talk by the Computer Associates' CTO. That was a good one. Good to know that people in high positions are down to earth, frank and beleive in themselves... gives me confidence to pursue my own principles, and not be afraid when they are challenged. After all, that's me! And I gotta live with myself!
Studying accounts now.. have been neglecting it far too long... this will be another long hectic weekend!

stats mid-term tomorrow!! thanks to the late-nights, i am not getting any sleep. have reached the top of my prep curve. dy/dx = 0. time to stop studying, else slope will become negative!! i think i'm ok prepared, but always the wording of the questions throws me off balance.. get muddled in the head, and it all starts falling apart...
GSB President's election today... voted for the best choice...although i dint know any of them well enough... really dunno how those dudes plan to balance the study-load with the extra currics! best of luck to whoever wins! :)
cool breeze outside...it's now almost 1 a.m... time to hit the sack, get up early and revise some stuff.. 40% of the stat grade is on the line tomorrow! God takes care of dumb people.... I hope!

did badly in both the assgts we got graded so far. below average in both :(( this is turning out to be tougher than i thought... i really need to make up for the shortfall in academic prowess relative to the fantastic brain-power available here at the ISB... It is one thing to think and strive for learning...quite another to face bad grades! I need to make up for this.
everyone is studying, and hence no spam mails since 4 hours! WHOA! that's a new record! i am taking it easy tonight, as i seem to have confused myself enough for my own good... Let the learning settle in...
Had a talk with my quad-mates on recession, oil, etc, etc... anything to distract ourselves from the job at hand - the stats midterm!!!

Graduate Student Board elections.... we had the talk by the nominees for the post of President. None of them seemed "capable" enough - however I do not know any of them well enough. Attending this talk was a good distraction from the crazy study schedule.. 2 of the professors left this week... Scott Ward and Robert Stine - phenomenal professors and they will be missed. We had a farewell party for them a couple of days ago... Am really looking forward to the term break!! However short it is, it will be much-needed!! Am getting to know more people and am constantly amazed at how smart they are... although not all are on my wavelength... Life goes on full steam at the ISB, and the mid-term for Stats is the biggest thing on my mind right now... NO time after that, as we get on with a Marketing case and the dreaded-and-despised Eco assignment!

Wasted 3 whole days (the weekend) doing the Econ assgt. It's taking up inordinate and crazy-shit amount of time. I am neglecting my other subjects due to this, and I realized today in accounting class, that I seriously need to get my priorities straight. Most definitely accounts and stats need more work...and stat mid-term comes up this friday! YIKES!
With the CAs and Commerce grads sailing through Accounts, Eco and Stats, I feel that the engineers are really the "diversity candidates" at ISB!! Heck, I dont know a single subject and here, they know 3 really well! And to think we engineers are a "typical profile"!!!
Anyway, I plan to study with pals for stats tonight... Need to get cracking for the mid-term.. No time for fun, altho watched the football match over the weekend... Need to get active, balance time and get priorities sorted out SOON! :) The weather has been HOT these days, and am waiting for the rains... but within ISB, it's like a separate world altogether and I feel I'm losing track of the real world outside...

Started the day with leadership development program... good round on MBTI... I was surprisingly good at guessing 8 other ppls' MBTI.. within 15 mintues of knowing them!! (Patting myself on the back). Then, some sleep and onto the eco assgt. YIKES! My brain shutdown, and refused to budge... Spent a good 4- hours deciphering stuff, and gave up.
Guess what! Sometimes the universe conspires! As soon as I sat down after dinner, I finished the assgt ( the unsolved Qs which took many frustrating hours) in record time - within an hour!! I dunno if my answers are correct, but it sure feels great! :) Picked up a Dilbert book from the library, to de-stress during the hectic times I am in....
Would have loved to watch a movie today..... but, damn assgt kept me busy..
The weather yesterday was 41 degree celsius!! It's hot! Looking fwd to a productive sunday - god knows when I'll ever relax! :)

Studying in the library...it's 12 midnight now. Strange how my natural habits have changed at the ISB! I was always a "morning person" - now I'm (or want to be) a 24/7 person! Was studying some stats today...it's interesting, although nebulous! Something like "I love how the Milky Way galaxy looks - who wants to analyze it tho"!! Attended the consulting club meet today...good, down-to-earth gyan from some consultants... I have realized one thing... Everyone brings a new perspective...but the key really is to have an open mind. Again, got into a small argument with a chap at lunch - he was saying the Mktg prof is just another Mktg guy - lots of faff, etc... Really ticks me off how much people claim they know and are willing to shut out others - even professors, for God's sakes!
Sec C tied the football match with Sec D today. Have decided to play some sports. Also decided to make the most of my stay at ISB - to hell with Acads! Gotta go now... some studying at home, hit the sack... got a leadership-devlpt-program tomo morn....

Phew! Finally the weekend is here. Finally, watched a movie tonight and felt relaxed... next 3 days will be packed with studies tho... Club-meetings are starting, and I'm in a quandry... But will give priority to studies, and try and get more confident on that front, before I venture out. Got my first assgt grade today... it wasnt too great, so need to work harder and SMARTER! The night is wearing on, and most people are out partying. I promise I will party hard during the term-break! :) ISB is getting very "known" now. But I know this one year will rush through... I am getting to know many people though, and that's second priority - networking! But I cant force it, it has to happen naturally.

I cant study!!! Information overload!! I am taking a break, downloading music, trying out some cool DJ software. Hope I get back to the study mode soon! This weekend will be gone in no time, studying for the mid-term exams due next weekend. Got up early today morning. I like the Hyd weather, since it keeps me just mildly uncomfortable -- i dont like comfortable weather since it's too drowsy...like Bangalore. Will grab some lunch (Maggi) before class....

I have become a nocturnal animal. Even when I dont feel like studying (pleasant change!), i dont want to sleep early....call it a "conditioned" behavior! Well, that's ISB. Roaming around in the dead of the night, u find souls in their own worlds walking around the campus... I wouldnt mind taking a walk right now... but am listening to some great music... courtesy Coolgoose. Also, reading some cool stuff on Product and Brnd management... that's my line of interest! Camps are forming in ISB and it's quite sad... Guess, the events, etc will open up the students and their groups to more outside 'intervention'... Attended the marketing club meeting today... quite a few opinionated individuals... also ticked off a sales guy at the dining hall by saying sales guys claim they know it all... he calmed down when i said i was from sales too... and am here to learn more! :) It's a protected environment here....am happier away from the 'real world'!

Phew!! Some weekend this was! Slogged over the weekend preparing for the case write-up in Marketing class, and the Economics Assgt... And to think of it - only one week is up! There has to be a better way of coping with all the academic pressure. Alums assure us we will all find our way soon - I sure do hope so! :) It's getting a little less "peppy" now, since everyone seems to have settled down... I sure hope to get to know a lot more people.. and am waiting for the club events to begin too... Am chilling out with my roomies more often... nice bunch...
It's time to hit the sack, although by habit - I am hardly getting any sleep! Slept at 6 a.m. today morning, so it's much needed! The profs though are fantastic, and I am not one to sleep and miss their class... Teach with a passion - that's the single biggest take-away from these awesome professors... Robert Stine, Scott Ward, Mark Finn and Amit Bubna. Great Term 1 learning experience!

Team-management is important. Everyone wants to do everything and is very passionate about their work. Hence, the study-group needs to be assigned roles per person, and then leave ample space for creativity. After all, what is a marketing plan without any creativity??!!
Times are getting real stressful, with loads of work, catching up of previous week, studying for next week and assignments!! Where's the time for fun ?!?!
But, it's all an exercise in time-management too. There are many things to learn from the ISB - MBA... and not all are explicitly stated! As long as this one year is full of learning and insight - the goal is achieved. I said "Learning"... not "Studying!!" ;-)

Assignments!!! The first of the year! It's been a mind-numbing first 4 days into the first term. My brain feels deep-fried. Guess, that's the INTENSE experience I wanted and now I'm getting it! Early in the orientation program, one of the faculty told us "Trauma Transforms!"... It's true!!
But, I am letting my hair down tonight..party on at ISB, and am gonna soak in some music, booze and leave the work for tomorrow. If Bill Clinton could take breaks during the Israel-Palestine peace talks, so can I! Discussed with some more folks about the "Acads/Experience" mental debate. Most are of the opinion that we are becoming (or rather, going back to) more and more academic bugs. ITS THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE, DAMMIT!
Am listening to some music, and then heading out for the party.. More tomorrow, when I take a break from assignments!

It's surprising how I've been changing my ISB-Motto for the past few days. What started out as a 'Acads ONLY, Career ONLY' to "Balanced Life" to "Only learning, no studying!". That pretty much sums up how I continue to change opinion about what I want out of this one year. And that's a very important definition to think about to set the tone for the next one year.
However, our Stats prof summed it up quite well today. "You can only learn so much in 1 month about Statistics. So, instead of worrying about how SIGMA is derived, think about HOW it can be used. A manager should not care how statistics was invented, but how he can use it in his daily work-life". So, now my motto is "Learning, and not just studying". Understandably, no one is here to be a master of Stats, Accounts, Marketing, etc, etc. We are here to know what these fields are, how they work together, and how we can use them in our daily work-life. Leave the invention to the inventors and the research to the researchers.
Am planning to start some physical exercises soon... A healthy mind can only exist in a healthy body. So, its straight to the gym after classes from tomorrow.. Also, more emphasis on networking and living the complete, balanced life at ISB - not just acads!!

Classes started today! As a study-group, we had spent a lot of time on the first marketing case, and hence I went in "fully prepared" for the first class. Truly, the case-method alongwith the study-group formation helps a lot in learning. I could never imagine so many possibilities and ways of looking at the problem had it not been for the study-group. Great stuff!
The accounting class was quite advanced as I had not attended pre-term. Will need to put in a lot of effort here, given my inherent hatred for quantitative subjects! It rained today, and the weather has turned cool and breezy. Great for a midnight walk, and hopefully I'll go out for a while. But I need to study basics of accounting else I'll be unprepared for the next class. What a sudden overload of information! Back to the books now....

Talent Nite was over yesterday, and hence the festivities end before the term starts. It was quite a sight to see the talent in our batch, from photography, to dance to acting. Hope the spirit of fun continues through the terms, but I think our batch is far more academic. And why not?! We've been hit by reading tonnes of material, and expected to retain, assimilate and perform on Day One!!! I read my first case today... frankly, I dint see too much to do and thought the CEO of the company was quite right in his approach!!! I need to improve big-time!!
The weather becomes great here in the nights... spread out campus outside the city ensures COOL (yeah, you read it right!) breeze. We went for a walk with an alum to Nirvana Rock. Couldnt step up to it since we were all terrified of snakes which are quite often sighted here. Construction activity was on near the Microsoft building, and guess it's scaring some snakes to come onto the main campus.
The alums were quite sentimental about their departure. Hope the next year makes me equally fond of this place... Quite a set of people here and alongwith the whole environment, it should be a great year ahead! Term 1 starts tomorrow and the palpitation is increasing!