Some great speeches / talks

In the last couple of days, I've come across 2 really good articles/videos by imminent personalities Narayana Murthy and Warren Buffett.

I think there's a lot of really good learning that one can take away from both these people.. read/listen to the following if you have some time. Really good stuff..

Narayana Murthy's address to the graduating class of 2007, Stern Business school (NYU)

Warren Buffett's address to the graduating class of 2006, Graduate Business School (UFL)

Cause and Effect - & Women

Warning: A rant is about to follow. Do not read if you're looking for some entertainment. This is going to bore you to death.

Cause and effect. Why is that some women can NEVER differentiate between the two, when it comes to personal relationships. I write this post out of frustration 'cause now I have experienced this multiple times in the last year. I'm hoping some learned person will educate me on this.

Consider this event.. where a friend (girl in all the cases so far) does / says something that causes some damage to my relationship with them and causes me some grief/anxiety. Now, I try not to react to that event, and let it go. But the same keeps happening over and over again, and I get creamed every time this event happens. First time, I probably will having a talk with the person on how this affects me.. and ask her to not do it. But when this keeps happening over and over again, I'm forced to react.
Now, there are only a few things I can do in this situation
a) Whine, kick, and make a big deal out of it / start advising the person on the "right" way to handle the situation with me :- I personally try my best not to do this. I'm nobody to tell another adult how to behave. And the "right" way is all subjective. What may seem right to me, may not to another person. So, I guess this option is ruled out. Plus, this option would make me feel like a tenth grader! :-P
b) React to the grief/anxiety inflicted on me, and go on offensive mode.. and start giving it back to that person.. 'causing as much grief / anxiety to the person who's doing that to me... just so that they realize the pain they're causing me.
Now this seems like a very childish thing to do. But, sometimes its a very human thing to do.. and I try my best NOT to do this too. Sometimes, in spite of all my efforts, I end up doing this.. which I don't think should ever be justified.
c) Take it as it is (accept it)..
d) Put some distance between me and the situation/person. In hope that the distance is enough to stop causing this pain.. hence solving the problem.


Now, I straight away rule out option (a) and (b) 'cause they're very silly immature options. The only two real options are (c) and (d).
Now, if could do (c).. trust me, I would. But the pain/grief/anxiety is for real.
So, I"m forced to do (d) after clearly explaining the reason for me stepping away.

Now comes the part which I'm eternally STRUGGLING to understand. Now when I step away.. then for some reason.. they get really worked up.. they take it as a sign of me suddenly acting pricy or distant or haughty or whatever.. (when all I'm trying to do, is to save myself of some pain).

The situation goes into a downward spiral from this point. They start behaving irrationally after this point. They make some extreme decisions which totally kill whatever can be salvaged of the situation in the long run.. citing my reactions as the cause for the demise of the relationship.
Now, if they really wanted to fix the situation, all the would have had to do, was to fix the cause of the problem.. which is them.. in the first place.. and everything else will fix itself. Once the cause has occurred (giving me pain), then I have no real choice.. but to step away (which is the effect). If the cause was killed.. then there won't be any need for me to step away.

Stating very clearly..
cause = them causing me grief
effect = me stepping away

I cannot be the cause in such a situation. And I don't see why this is so hard to understand/fathom. It's almost like they don't want anything to do with me.. and then do something to cause me to react.. and then finally blame it all on me.
:-s. Looks like most women (and hopefully not all), will always remain an unreasonable enigma to me.

So, my guy friends.. have you faced such situations before (or am i some sort of freak of nature)?
my lady friends.. please attempt to make me understand this.

If this is a common happening, then it seems like a rather unfair fight that no guy can hope to survive.

[Edit] After a few people asked me, I'm forced to put up this extra note.. this is NOT the girlfriend/boyfriend type of fight. I'd like to put up this notice loud and clear at this point.. that I'm single and available :-P. Dang.. looks like any personal note on men/women has the dangerous potential of taking you out of the singles market when you're actually still single!

Inspiring view at the Shanghai airport

I was sitting and playing on my Nintendo DS very intently at the Shanghai airport. It was sunset.. kind of annoying as the sun was glaring right at my face..
At the end of one game of Yugioh, I suddenly became aware that there was no sun on my face any longer. Looked to the side, and saw this awesome scene. I was seated in the tree's shadow. Breathtaking.

Managed to get a picture of it!



Makes me wonder if good pics are shot by luck, or by skill?

ISBian amongst Asia's Top Entrepreneurs

Vivek Pahwa from the ISB class of 2006 has been selected as one of Asia's Top 20 Entrepreneurs for 2008!

In the past 2 years, Vivek has successfully started multiple ventures, starting from DesiMartini.com (which eventually was sold off to Hindustan Times) followed by SecondShaadi.com (India's largest matrimonial for re-marriages) and recently Gaadi.com (India's No 2 Car portal)

Wooot! Way to go Vivek! First among the ISBians. Many more to come!

The nominations are available in the following link
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/10/1008_asia_young_entrepreneurs/22.htm

ET Madras Plus Second Article on Chennai Ultimate Frisbee

Yaaaaay! 4 photographs that I shot made it to the front page of the ET Madras Plus supplement! I'm kicked! This was a breath taking half a page article (followed by a contd on page 2). This scanned version does not do justice to the effect it has on the newsprint actually.

Nevertheless.. I'm kicked! This is the second time ET Madras Plus is covering CUF. Thank you Madras Plus!


THE NEW BEE IN TOWN!

This bee is buzzing. And has people leaping into the air with excitement. Ultimate Frisbee is here!

Deepti Sivakumar

Come sunrise; the Elliot's beach springs to life with people. There are the aspiring cricketers, the joggers, yoga practitioners, laughter club members, the bluegreen health concoction vendors… Amidst these groups, there is one more. One that has people cheering excitedly. Ultimate Frisbee. As even a quick internet search will tell you, the sport is mostly called Ultimate since frisbee is a trademark brand name for the discs.

Chennai Ultimate Frisbee (CUF) is a group of individuals who are passionate and committed to the cause of turning unsuspecting beachgoers into Ultimate addicts. For the uninitiated, it is a lot like playing rugby or American football as far as the game-objective is concerned. Teams have to score points by passing the disc between its members in the opposing end zone. But unlike rugby or football, Ultimate is a nocontact team sport, which means if you have a broken nose, you can have no grudges.

Though Ultimate's origins can be traced all the way to North America, the sport is gaining popularity in many parts of India too, courtesy the people who fly to the US for education, and expatriates. Ultimate is only about four-years-old in India, but the national teams are already gearing up for one of its biggest tournaments. On November 29 and 30, Chennai will play host to around eleven teams; ten from across India and one from Sri Lanka. "There have been national tournaments before, but participation from ten national teams makes this Ultimate Frisbee's biggest so far," says Narayan Krishnan, one of the founders of CUF.

What's interesting about this game is that even at the international competitions, there are no referees; the game is self-refereed.

Ultimate is a sport that believes in fostering the player's sportsmanship over everything else. That explains the total absence of sledging or heckling on the Ultimate grounds. "We will win because we are better than the other team in skill, speed and stamina; and not because we can cheat, bully, sledge, trip or push them around," explains one of the Ultimate pamphlets. "Sometimes people get too caught up in the competition and they forget the spirit of the game. We're just a bunch of people who have got together for the love of the sport," trails off Manu Karan, CUF's pillar of support.

The CUF members meet four times a week to practise their dives, catches and throws. But besides that, they also teach Ultimate to children from the underprivileged sections of the society. In fact, in cities like Ahmedabad, Ultimate is being adopted by NGOs as a method to inculcate confidence, teamwork and leadership qualities among different communities. As a sport, Ultimate is associated more with the sheer joy of playing more than the "win at all costs" spirit, and the focus is more on team work and camaraderie between the players.

The fitness angle cannot be ignored too. Ultimate goes a long way in giving the players something to look forward to, at the end of the day. "Most of us have full-time jobs; some of us are techies, some business analysts. But the work-home-work rut is a little difficult to break away from, once you get sucked in. Ultimate is my breakaway from the rut, even if it means waking up earlier on the weekends," says Manu. For some, the game is that last push one needs to make or break a habit. Muthuraman, an Ultimate lover, can't wait for the tournament to begin. "Ultimate helps me take my health seriously," he says.

Currently, CUF has around 35 members. "Newbies come over weekends to watch us play and some of them become regulars," says Manu, but he does add that the awareness levels are still low. For a game completely devoid of on-field cursing, Ultimate is surprisingly competitive, and even after the game is over, you can always catch the players practising their catches and throws. What's also unique about Ultimate is that it's unisex. Regardless of your age, sex, height and weight, you can play. Go on, be a part of the frisbee experience!

Action Photography Time!

Due to my hamstring injury, I'm forced to sit out for the next 4 weeks. No Ultimate till then. So, I've decided to work on my action photography skills. Here are a few decent pics I've got in the last couple of attempts..