Mid-year self-assessment

I'm a very check-list kinda person. I like to  need to make lists for thing to do and goals to achieve and to eventually check off the list. Every January, I send myself an email listing my goals for the year and then go back and review it at the end of the year. It's a ritual. So imagine my chagrin when I couldn't locate my goal list for 2010. I looked in my Gmail inbox, drafts and even trash bin, but couldn't find the list. I think I may have never written one down. I have a vague memory of making a fleeting resolution to be more easy-going and spontaneous in 2010.  Perhaps that explains the list-less-ness. :P

Not having fixed goals actually worked out for the best in 2010. The GMAT and subsequent MBA application and acceptance may never have happened if I'd had grandiose aims like "explore Europe and South America" and  "read at least 24 good books". But since I realized that not having a goal-list made me uneasy at the end of the year, I made me a list for 2011.

A little over half the year later, how am I doing? I thought I'd look through a part of my list (the part I can share publicly).

- Read at least 6 good books outside school stuff. (Considering I only finished 2 books in 2010, 6 will be a huge improvement.)

Status: I'm mid-way through "Atlas Shrugged", "Predictably Irrational", and "Liar's Poker". Can I count that as 1.5 books?

- Learn to swim over the summer.
Status: Didn't happen. Yet again!

- Work out more regularly.
Status: Meh. I'm doing alright but could do better.

- Bike to work once a week.
Status: My cycle is sitting in my office with a flat. Since May. Shame on me.

- Take investment risks.
Status: Yet to dip my toes in.(I feel more confident after the introductory Finance class.)

- Participate in more MBA events and competitions.
Status: Participated in one case competition, signed up for some clubs. Could do more.

- Stay on top of class homework and readings. Stay awake for the whole duration of the classed.
Status: Er, I think I'll defer this to 2012. 'Tis hard!

- Make at least a couple of international trips either for a vacation or as an MBA elective.

Status: In the works.

- Keep in better touch with my long-distance friends and family.
Status: Hahahah what a joke. The intention lingers, but time doesn't permit.

Alright, so I'm not doing too great. But I'm glad I have a few more months left in the year to fulfil the list at least partially. And I just thought of some more agenda items to add to the list. So much for last years resolution of being easy-going...

Dear Netflix

Who on earth designed your new pricing schemes? I currently pay $9.99/month for unlimited streaming + unlimited DVDs (1 at a time). You say you're going to charge me $ 15.98 for the same package starting September in order to "better reflect the value of the services". A 60% hike! What do you take me for? Frankly, an additional $6 doesn't make a dent in my pocket but it's the principle of the thing. You should know that.

Granted, you're offering me cheaper alternatives. $7.99 for unlimited streaming only or $7.99 for unlimited DVDs only. And okay, I barely watch 1 DVD a month so maybe you thought I'd jump at the $7.99 streaming package. But I'm not jumping. Firstly, because you have newer movies only on DVDs. And I like having an unopened DVD lying around at all times even if I don't watch it right away. And secondly, your streaming collection sucks.

Then why don't I just get the unlimited DVDs for $7.99 you ask? Because you frikkin' allow only 1 DVD out at a time and I like having a selection to pick from!

So where does this leave me? I gave up my cable service because of you! And you let me down. (Over a nondescript email which I almost missed). For shame. Now I have to mutely accept your tyranny for a service I barely use (but like having). Or, I cancel altogether and go back to my no-TV lifestyle from grad school.

But hey guess what? There are other options out there! That's right Netflix, you don't own the entire online TV space, even if you're acting like you do. So I'm going off to join one of your competitors and I think I may be just as happy with them.

It's not me Netflix, it's you.

Disillusioned former admirer,
Fembagirl

I'm curious to see how this pans out and to understand the thought process behind the pricing strategy. Perhaps Netflix's customer base is largely composed of families with the extended plans (which will see only a 20% hike) and the new schemes work out well for them? Perhaps Netflix believes that streaming is the future and they plan to release all new movies on streaming? Or perhaps they have some other trick up their sleeve...


In the meantime, will customers like me simply walk away? Will it boost business for competitors like Hulu? Will it affect Netflix's profitability? Their stock price? Time will tell.

Reflection

One year of MBA got done on June 11th. Time sure does fly when you're having fun. Now I'm on a four week break from school and I'm trying to catch up with regular life. Giving my all to work projects, making those long pending phone calls and visits and getting other major essentials (like my US visa) out of the way. In fact I'm working from Mexico over the next few days while waiting for my visa interview at the US consulate here.

I attended a leadership class at my workplace a couple weeks back where the coaches stressed the importance of reflection at the end of each day. I thought it was an excellent suggestion, and made a mental note to practice it, in order to improve efficiency/productivity etc. Of course I never got started. There was always the next activity to plan, the email to respond to, the dinner to attend, the movie to watch. Why would I spend precious minutes thinking back about what I did well or badly during my day? But now, stuck in a hotel room with spotty Wi-Fi, Spanish language TV channels, and the inability to make local phone calls, I feel compelled to reflect. Not only on my day, but on the past year.

One year of the FEMBA program. What had I hoped for and what have I gained so far? How has it affected my personal life and my day job? Would I recommend this to others?

I can confidently claim that I’ve gained a diverse (yet like-minded) set of friends, broader life perspective, and confidence in my driving skills. And I've been having loads of fun in the process. The FEMBA experience can definitely be a drain on one’s personal and work life, but it can be managed. I would recommend this program to anyone who is simply seeking new experiences and is happy to learn new things just out of interest.

But is this program helping my current job or career prospects? Am I progressing towards some goal while learning, making friends and having fun? Has it helped me chart out my future in some way? Is there something else I should be doing simultaneously?

I don’t have all these answers yet. My reflection so far has mainly yielded questions, but I guess it’s a good start. After all I have a few more days in Mexico to figure my life out ;)

Mid-terms done, can I please sleep now?

Last week was ridiculous. Economics group assignment, a very confusing accounting group assignment and the econ mid-term to prepare for. Between work and all of that, none of us got much sleep. Hence, I decided to treat myself and planned on staying in bed all Sunday.
But naah, I couldn't stay indoors. The weather was simply perfect, and I was in a terrific mood so I took out my long-neglected bike for a beach ride at sunset.

Best. decision. ever.

Here's the proof.

Happiness is..

75 degrees in winter

The Hype Cycle

Despite working in the technology arena, I somehow never knew about the technology Hype Cycle until today. Or perhaps I had read about it in passing and never given it a second thought.

According to technology research firm Gartner, which coined the term, the hype cycle is a "graphic representation of the maturity and adoption of technologies and applications, and how they are potentially relevant to solving real business problems and exploiting new opportunities."

Their website explains the cycle in detail. Very interesting from a business perspective. It applies to upcoming wireless technologies like LTE and devices such as the iPad.

Tongue firmly in cheek, I think the chart can be slightly modified to represent other life situations as well. 

For instance,

Or, a more identifiable situation like the following. :P

Tale from the road

En route to work this morning - Unusual traffic jam on the road leading to the freeway. I was stuck right before the ramp, such that it was impossible to turn around and neither could I make it to 805-N ramp.

After the car had only moved 5 feet in 5 minutes, I decided to act smart. I got on the 805-S ramp (which was accessible), planning to turn around at the next exit.

Turns out other people had had the same bright idea so the next exit was jammed as well.

So I decided to take the exit after that one. I hit the accelerator hard, and promptly zoomed right past the next exit. Shit.

Just as I finally got off 805-S, my phone started buzzing. I looked away for one second to see who was calling and managed to miss the 805-N ramp.#$%!

After waiting (cursing) at the longest red light in the world, I got back on another freeway and exited near my office.

Being unaccustomed to that route, I proceeded to make some more dumb moves. Like hanging out on left-only lanes MULTIPLE times when I needed to go straight. I literally circled all around my office campus before I made it in.

It took me 50 minutes to cover 7 miles to work today. Other colleagues from my my neighborhood who just stuck it out in the jam made it to work in 35 minutes tops.

Certainly not the smartest day of my life!

Oh, Saturday!

Yesterday, thanks to the Thanksgiving weekend and no MBA classes, I took my road bike out for the first time in months. It was a glorious day, perfect for a long ride along the beaches. 

The  view along my biking route.

Of all the things people sacrifice for FEMBA, being stuck indoors all day, every Saturday, is the most painful. Especially for an outdoorsy person like myself who used to bike/hike/run outside on weekends. 

That's why I plan to make the most of the few class-free Saturdays we'll be getting between quarters. Ski trip, see you soon!

Defining Nothing

Last week:
Q: What are you doing over the Thanksgiving break?
Me: Absolutely nothing and really looking forward to it! I desperately need a lazy weekend to rest up.

Since yesterday:
Person A: You're coming to XYZ's place for the Thanksgiving dinner, right?
Me: Oh yes, I even promised to cook a traditional dish for the occasion.

Person B: We're on for long bike rides, yes?
Me: Absolutely. At least twice over the 4 days.

Person C: I'm hosting a movie night at my place, you in?
Me: Sure!

Girl friends: We totally need to shop on Black Friday.
Me: Of course! I have a long list of stores to visit and things to buy.

Mom: So are you still planning on turning out your closets and cleaning the house?

Me: Yea Ma, I can't push it out any further.

Atlas Shrugged/Under the Tuscan Sun/Liar's Poker: Dude, you gotta finish reading us.
Me: I fully intend to over the weekend!

Final exam: I'm right around the corner! Don't you need to study?
Me: Er, yes yes. I plan to catch up with stats over the break.

And that's how I'm doing "nothing" over the upcoming long weekend. I hope you guys do a better job of sticking to your original plans! Happy Thanksgiving!

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head

It is gray and rainy outside and I'm loving every bit of it. 


When I was around 8, I remember running outside to get wet in the first rains of the season, sailing paper boats in the flood waters, being punished for jumping in dirty puddles...
At 15, I remember studying for the boards with soft music playing as the rain lashed on my window, often reading by the emergency light because the rain had felled some electricity pole nearby. I remember throwing open the window in the school bus to get drenched on the way back home, and then drying my soaked books with a hair dryer before my mom found out.
At 20, I remember enjoying "cutting chai" and spicy "vada paav" in the college cafe as it poured outside, I remember sitting on wet seats in the buses and auto-rickshaws and entering the classroom dripping wet and very late, I remember watching the rains from the sloped terrace of our engineering school...


I will always remember the smell of first rains on parched Indian soil, the promise it brought far out-weighing the inconveniences. 


Oh California rains, you don't come close to the Mumbai monsoons, but I'll take what I get. 
In honor of the current weather, my typical Pandora and Youtube playlists have been replaced by old songs dedicated to the rains. And no bitching about the weather on Facebook :)


Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Cryin's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothin's worryin' me...
(from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)

Rich Student, Poor Student

Last week, I paid my first-quarter MBA fees and almost choked when I hit 'submit' on the payment website. So MUCH money! I was once again a pay-check to pay-check poor student!

Well, perhaps not that poor, since I'm earning substantially more than my graduate assistant paycheck. That was one of my reasons for not opting for a full-time MBA. I already went through the extremely-poor-student phase at the University of Maryland (Go Terps!), and while I had a good time there, I'd rather not have to repeat that experience. I wanted to be a 'rich' grad student this time round!

Looking back, life was kinda tough then.
- Four girls shared a 2-bed, 1-bath apartment. The 2-bedroom part was manageable, the 1-bath part was a nightmare. Many an argument took place over time spent on showers.
- As if sharing the bathroom wasn't bad enough, one time, after a particularly violent snowstorm, we had to share my BED (to sit and study on) because that was the only spot in the house that was catching a wireless signal. I didn't have a car to drive out to a coffee shop as I would do now.
- Our only other furniture was a ragged couch that was handed down from earlier student generations.
- I survived on Taco Bell's 99c bean burritos for lunch and badly cooked frozen vegetables for dinner.
- We didn't own a TV set. Yep, two years without television. Dinner time was spent discussing our classes and job application status.
- I shopped for clothes only twice a year, mostly at Walmart.

Fortunately a FEMBA programs means that even with the fat fees, I can afford a lot of the things that I couldn't back then.  Good food, better apartment, a car, shopping in non-Walmart locations, cable TV, vacations, etc. However, with full-time work, classes and homework, now I don't find the time to enjoy any of that. No time for TV, no time for impromptu road trips or shopping sprees, no time to cook healthy or eat dinner with friends, no time to stop and breathe...

Suddenly, I'm not sure if I got richer or poorer.

Time Management - Fail

In an attempt to be more efficient, I tried out a web service that logs the time I spend on various websites. Yesterday I saw the weekly report and was *shocked* to find that I'd spent an average of 2 hours (mostly past 4pm..hmm) each day on Facebook. Shame on me. So I decided to do something about it. I installed this software called Stay Focused and proceeded to set my allowed time for the entire day to 20 minutes. (Yes, very ambitious.) As you can expect, around 3pm, with one minute left for the software to block the site, I desperately rushed to change the setting to allow me 60 minutes.
This is the ensuing conversation I had with the SF software.

SF: You have one minute left, you're not trying to cheat are you?
Me: Proceed. (as opposed to the other given option - "You're right, I changed my mind.")
SF: Seriously, don't do it. You must stay focused. Do you still want to proceed?
Me: Yes.
SF: What's the point really? I'm supposed to help you be more efficient. Are you sure want to go on?
Me: Yes.
SF: Have you no shame?
Me: No.
SF: I can't help feeling our relationship isn't working. You're not listening to me. I'm afraid this may end things between us. Are you okay with that?
Me: Yes.
SF: I can't believe you said Yes.
Me: Proceed.
SF: Fine. But just so you know, if you click yes again it may cause a thermonuclear reaction that will kill millions and orphan many children. Do you still want to proceed?
Me: Yes.
SF: I'm telling your mom!

And then my settings were finally updated but SF wasn't done yet. A new tab popped up on my screen - http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/procrastination.html.

After that, I didn't need to actually log on to Facebook for a break. I had already been thoroughly entertained. :)

Update: A number of readers asked me about the tracking/blocking services I mentioned in the post. You can find the tracking site here - http://www.rescuetime.com/. It's pretty cool. Even tracks offline time spent on Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, etc.
The blocking feature is a Google Chrome extension - https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/laankejkbhbdhmipfmgcngdelahlfoji. I'm sure there are tricks for other browsers as well, I just haven't looked them up yet. Good luck with productivity now. :)

I'm feeling lucky..

Why is it so cold in the midwest and SO hot in the west today? What is that song I heard on the radio that goes, "Swear I've seen you before, I think I remember those eyes, eyes,eyes.."? What are those pretty long stemmed flowers that wave at me against the clear sky on the freeway ramp? Should I watch Wall Street? How hard is it for an adult to learn to swim? What does bootstrapping mean in the business context? What did my friend mean by "muy bien"? How does one counter caffeine related acidity? What is netvibes? Where exactly is Casablanca? Is the attention span of a goldfish really 3 seconds? What is the difference between attention span and memory span?

All the above questions came to mind today as part of work, conversations, IMs, while driving, or simply out of the blue. Luckily, I have a very reliable and super efficient go-to person for everything I could ever want to know. Anything and everything.

Happy 12th birthday dearest Google!

Reason #43 why I miss my former room-mate(s).

I picked up random groceries on my way back from work. This is what I found in my bags when I got home.

1. Milk
2. Bananas
3. Cereal
4. Bran muffins (some mornings I don't feel like cereal.)
5. Granola bars (I may get hungry during class.)
6. Frozen veggie burgers (I may be too tired to cook after work/gym/class/studying.)
7. Bread (for the burgers)
8. Gingersnap cookies (taste awesome with chai, will ensure I don't finish the box within a week this time.)
9. Feta cheese (they taste good on salads! Umm, no other salad ingredient bought.)
10. Canned soup

Hmmmm. No vegetables, no fruit (other than bananas) and all processed foods. Until last week I was regularly cooking daals, curries, rice dishes, pastas, hakka noodles, thai curries, and making salads, panzanella, smoothies and soups from scratch. Sigh. Hello again student life.

Speaking of food, favorite email comment of the day from a former roommate and close friend - Good luck for school tomorrow! I wish I could pack you some lunch in a box and wave you bye =)


:):)

Fear of embarrassment - conquered!

"When you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance." 

- from one of my favorite songs, by Lee Ann Womack.

I would like to live by those lines but sometimes, just sometimes, I get an attack of shyness. I am fairly confident and extroverted for the most part, but there are certain situations where I'll take a backseat and become reserved. It is almost always in scenarios where there's a potential chance of embarrassing myself. Like getting up on stage for the improvisation session during orientation week. I'm sad to admit that I was among the very few people who chose not to participate for a round of improv.  I was terrified of blanking out or saying the wrong word or simply being unfunny. Needless to say, I started regretting my decision exactly one hour after the session ended.

That's why, when asked if I'd like to participate in a surprise flash mob sequence for my company's anniversary celebrations, I readily agreed. The plan was that we flash mobbers would be mingling in the crowd until the music began. We would start casually swinging to the music and then suddenly break into choreographed steps with the professional dancers.

To be honest, everything about the plan made me anxious. Right from the part where we start dancing in the crowd, up until when we finish the sequence on stage in front of 10,000+ people including all our executives. There couldn't possibly be a worse situation where I could make a fool of myself. I had visions of forgetting my steps, tripping up on stage, or worse - tripping up other people in the crowd! A friend who was part of the plan sent me this before the event - ‘Nervous? In 5 billion years the sun will burn out and nothing you did will matter. Feel better?’  Mmph, thanks Alex!

But I'm happy to report that yesterday, I did it! No fiasco and no injuries, just a whole lot of fun. I even got rewarded with VIP access  for my participation which meant front row seats to the Dave Matthews band, VIP lounge, open bar and hobnobbing with executives. Not a bad deal, huh? :)

We're not being pretentious, we're networking!

Sometime last month -

It is a class of '12 and '13 FEMBA networking event at a downtown lounge. It also happens to be the night of a bachelorette party and a high school reunion so the place is chaotic. I walk in with a couple of girlfriends and start looking around for familiar faces when an NDS (nice-looking but drunk stranger) suddenly grabs my arm.

NDS: "Be my date tonight and let's go make new friends!"

If I weren't caught so off-guard I would never have let him drag me away but the next thing I know, we're in a crowd of people and NDS puts his arm around me and starts talking to a friendly looking couple.

NDS: "Heeeyy good to meet you both! How's the night going?"

At this point I'm squirming and trying to get away but his grip is tight and I don't want to create a scene.

Friendly couple: "We're great! How about you guys? Where are you from?"

NDS: "We're great too!We're from around here and looking to make new friends!"

Friendly couple: "We're here with our MBA friend. Are you here for that party too?Where do you work?"

NDS: "I studied sports medicine but we don't wanna talk about jobs and careers okay?"

Me (finally struggling free): "Actually, I do want to talk about it. But I need to go find my friends so if you'll all excuse me...."

NDS: "Yes, let's get out of here. Such a pretentious crowd! Asking me right away about my job and stuff. Damn these MBAs!"

Me (grinning): "Yeah, I can see why you think that's pretentious. And Oh!, I'm with that crowd. So I think this is where we say goodbye."

Don't feel too bad for the NDS. I believe he had a grand time with the bachelorette party later that evening ;)

Action, Reaction

Me: "So I'm going back to weekend school for my MBA."

Parents and sister: "So proud of you! You're gonna rock!"
Colleagues: "Good for you!"
Hang-out buddies: "Cool but why do you need another degree? This means we won't ever see you at weekend activities!"
Close friends : "Wow, that's awesome. Maybe you'll meet some great guy at the program! :)"
Other relatives : "WHAT! When will you ever get married??"
......