Accent..

Was sent a link to a Russell Peters show on Google, and he mentioned something that I just realized was very true, at least for me. When we say something in English, we carry teh accent of the place where we are, but when we speak in Tamil or our native language we sound very Indian. Its like Singapore, when I speak in English its Singapour and when I speak in tamil its singapoor.. think about it...

Leadership is not about domination

Who should acknowledge your leadership skills? Your own team or the the outsider? So, spinning that a bit, who is a better leader, one who dominates and rules by fear or one rules by example and gets everyone to follow willingly? I am not going to argue the fact that we have many an example for great successes using the former approach, but again they belong to a time where people were classed and the public accepted tagging the line as long as they had a roof to live under and food to eat. We dont belong to such an era anymore, the individual (and egos) demands personal attention for everything these days. These are times where men and women pay another person £20 an hour for standing besides them while they are doing 20 mins over the treadmill, 20 mins over the cross-trainer and the rest doing sit-ups and push-ups. Not that I am very prudent with my money, but even by my poor standards this is plain stupid.

Getting back to the main topic, while at a meeting recently. One of our partners, a major force with the IT Sector was fronting a bid for a govt project. At teh open house, the leader (We shall not reveal the sex of the person, so as not to be judgemental) chose a public stage to exhibit to others gatthered there, who the boss really was. I was just sat there thinking how wise a move it was, because this person just had exposed the single point of failure for every single competitor gathered there. If I were on the opposing side, I would go, 'Break that one and they lose'. I personally would prefer a leader who makes the team look invincible, bring out the best in them so the opposition has to second guess the driving force behind the team. That way the team learns, and if one has an off-day, another steps up

Irony!

The Mercedes advert for the new C-Class that was run during the grands prix had a fair degree of irony given what had gone on during Stepneygate. The voicover ran "I'll see your idea and raise it - that's how real design works."

Is everyone out there to get us? Can they really?

Amongst us, there are still many of us who are afraid of not knowing the other person that we worry what they could do to us, that bit of mistrust that always comes first. In doing so, we don't realize that we are admitting that others are smarter than us and we expect everyone else to earn our trust. Why don't we believe in our own ability, take the chance and deal with whatever that comes

BMW M3 CSL - Its an automatic

I have had stick from my friends for over a year now for driving an automatic, even today at lunch.. we were at the pub and the guy who was paying because he was leaving us shared how people who loved cars would buy a manual....
As much as these 'men' who need a gear paddle and a clutch to prove thier manhood amuse me, I try and ignore them, until now that is, I just watched the Top Gear show that reviewed the BMW M3 CSL, not just the M3, which by itself is a very mean machine but the CSL... go google it, read the specs, read the review and SHUT IT ;)

Lying.....

I had this strange question pop up in my mind, what if someone tries to lie to you and you know that they are, yet just because you dont want to make an issue of it, you play along. So who has won here? The person lying or the one who knows it a lie..... guess both, because both achieved what they wanted :)

Hope

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge -- myth is more potent than history -- dreams are more powerful than facts -- hope always triumphs over experience -- laughter is the cure for grief -- love is stronger than death - Robert Fulghum

I dont want to die an animal!

As the rajni song goes, only a child or a saint (not the ones that own 300 million) who has truly renounced the world can claim to be really happy. How I wish I can still be a baby, without a care in this world, fed at regular intervals, never understood thus never judged upon and never can understand others, thus innocent and more importantly always truly loved by everyone. It is not to be, we all are born, and then as we grow, we begin to use the one advantage we have over animals, the so called sixth sense, the ability to think and reason, we ask questions, some quite stupid. To answer these questions and because our parents know best, we learn, from people around us, schools and as and when we are ready to take on this world, we are let loose on the society.

Most often that not, this is where we prove life goes around in circles, we start lose our one advantage over animals, we get sucked into routine, doing what others what us to do, to behave like animals and we do nothing much but hunt for ourselves, reproduce and die! The education that we had gained that so is the only things that differentiates us from animals then just becomes a tool that helps us to hunt for more, a tool that helps our vanity. How many of us can really claim to have made a difference to this world?

I look at myself now, I get up, work, eat and sleep, wait for my weekends, have fun. As for the future, I want to share my life with someone special, see the world, raise children and when its time, die peacefully. But as I explained my life is so boring, the prospect of sharing it is not exciting anyone, no marks for guessing that I am single, more on that when I really am drunk. When we see men/women of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men/women of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves. Inspiration does show its face now and then, it’s not easy to find, but there are many people who have followed something passionately (Other than making more money) and made a positive difference. I so want to do something different, something that I can be proud of, something I can give to this world and say ‘There you go, thank you for having me’ – so my aim now is to find out what I am really interested in aiming for and until that dawns upon me, I shall dream of leading India into the 2040 FIFA World Cup as underdogs and finish as WORLD CHAMPIONS!

Its a disease that I have...to wish for things I cant get

Just today Raj was online on MSN and told me all about the Holland & Germany trip that I was supposed to be a part of, it has been brilliant so far, trying to get high at Amsterdam, not doing it right (his own admission), driving around Germany in a VW Golf, fan fests.........as I was listening to him, I was so damn jealous and wished it was me sharing this with the world rather than listening to it....it was really painful, I dont know what I did wrong with the planning that I screwed up so badly......I was thinking of it since January!!!

The World Cup is finally here

The date is 09/06/06, the World Cup is here and although I am quite sad that I wont be in Germany, being in England is probably the next best thing and guess I have to settle for second best (yet again).

My Predictions
Winners - Portugal
Dark Horse - Australia

From that two options, its quite obvious my predictions are based on the coaches and guess both Mr. Hiddink and Mr. Scolari will have a very good WC like the last the one.

Players to Watch - Riquelme, Gerrrard, Ronnie, Ruud

My first Choice England XI - Robinson, G. Neville, Rio, Terry, Cole, Beckham, Gerrard, P.Neville, Lampard, J.Cole, Owen

My Dream Team - Van Der Sar, G.Neville, Terry, Hienze, R.Carlos, Beckham, Makele, Gerrard, Ronalinho, Rooney, Henry.

Should Rooney Play? - Nope.

Omen on 06/06/06!

Went to see 'The Omen' yesterday, which is 06/06/06. The movie is just the same script as the previous one and not even half as scary, which was very disappointing. The Nanny and the child were not scary enough...coming from me, thats an insult to the casting manager. Only difference is that they have tied in all the recent disasters including Sept 11, Tsunami with the story explaining why the world needs to be worried about the Anti-Christ.

The only good thing about yesterday was the ticket stub thats says 'The Omen' 06/06/06 on it!

Can we change our mind?

I am still gathering my thoughts on a question that was put to me recently....if you were "attached/committed", would you give another person a chance? - Exact words

For the sake of discussion, X is the person you are with and Y is the person that you fancy. My intial response was the very point that this question or doubt arises means that you are past the loyalty stage...it only shows that you are not so sure about X and its only fair that you open up about this to X before you bring Y into the picture.

Now to the second part of the question. Does Y deserve a chance - Yes, its the next 40 yrs (assuming ppl marry in thier late 20'ss and live into their late 60's) that we are talking about and there is nothing wrong in taking your time to decide. Again when we say decide, it depends which decision is THE decision that matters - committment/engagement/marriage. Whichever stage you feel is important then after that stage, its important that once you have made your choice, you stick with it and make it happen with that person and not look around :) I personally think engagement is the most important stage, after that its one-way, no going back!

Thats one more down on the to-do list

09-05-2006, the True Captain Fantastic, Mr. Roy Keane said he will remember this date for all his life, so will I! This is the day I set foot onto the Theatre of Dreams, home to Manchester United, the best football club in the world! What an occasion, to do it too....to say Thank you and Goodbye to the person who defines leadership like no one else has done so far, doing the right things right and getting his team to do the same.

Left my place in Swindon at half past eleven to drive my friend to his new workplace, then started from there at two heading towards Manchester. Reached at half past six, parked a couple of miles before the stadium, bought scallops with fries and curry for dinner. Since it was a fairly decent distance and we had to be seated half hour prior to the kick-off, we ate as we marched towards the stadium. The Celts proved their reputation as the party people by forming groups, singing their songs and as they walked past, others would join..........

It really does not look huge from where we were walking from, but as soon as I got to Sir Matt Busby way, there was no better sight for me. I like an Idiot forgot my camera and had to rely on my phone to take a snap of myself before the stadium, then we went through the famous turnstiles and climbed 4 levels to get to my seat which was on the East stand, opposite to the Stretford End. The players were warming up and I was shocked that even from where I was seated you can easily follow the match and view was simply brilliant. I assumed that one cannot see the players clearly, I was pleasantly surprised.

Even when I was seated it did not really sink in that I was at Old Trafford, watching my team being lead by my favourite player for the last time ever. Just before kick-off out came Keano with his kids to the guard of honour from both teams and it was nice to see Sir Alex line up alongside them. The whole stadium went - "There is only one Keano, Keano". It showed the love and respect he commands from every one associated with Manchester United, especially the fans.

The match by itself was just another Sunderland at home performance but during the second half it was easy to see why United of late cannot dominate central midfield anymore, because the central midfield partnership at display has come to their "closure". Scholes and Keane may not be the most talented individuals but I dont think there is any combination that matched these together. Beckham/Keane/Scholes/Giggs across row 2 of any team would most often than not be the winning side. I really miss those days and I think Yorke and Cole are the luckiest strikers ever to have had such an engine feeding them.

The game got over and as everyone else, I was surprised that Keane decided to address the crowd, he thanked the crowd and the team but significantly left out Sir Alex. One can only hope that no amount of money on offer will convince both to fling mud on each other, ever.

MBA Blogs

http://www.mbablogs.businessweek.com/

One of the articles talked about 2 Indian guys who started a business providing loans to students whose parents had a poor credit history or something like that....they are now worth over a 100 Million USD!

Attitude

I had been away long, funny that while I was in a country where the pace of life was so fast, I could blog daily and while I am in a sleepy little town, I cant get myself to share anymore :)

UK so far has been brilliant to me, been around a bit - Went to Devon for the Easter weekend, booked ourselves into a resort with caravans instead of chalets and the experience was good, reminded me of the Chalets on East Coast Park, although the beach here was no where near as crowded as Singapore. You can go on to my yahoo photos for the snaps (http://photos.yahoo.com/shan_kumar_2000)

Getting back to what prompted me to write again - I spoke with my dear cousin recently and she had something to say which bothered me over the entire weekend. She had seen the photos and suggested that I wear a wig, one of the new costly ones that are done up to a fine level of detail. I had none of it and she said people don’t believe my age! I have had that since my Higher Secondary school days so it definitely was not news to me but I do appreciate her concern. The punch line was when she said she IS worried about my marriage, whether any girl would actually agree to marry me - definitely got me thinking......will I ever get married....I never knew that there was money riding on the vacant seat alongside me

I hope to get married actually, if not for the really devastating loss of my young cousin, there would have been few of us in my family who would have tied the knot over this year and the next, starting with my sister. So what can I do about my looks, well I have started with the gym....lose the excess weight, looking to get down to 70s....preferably 75! Started at 91 and am at 86 now. Next, as with every other bald person, shave whatever is left on the scalp and grow a goatee...done. Finally pray...hahahaha....

Seriously speaking though, except for what I have mentioned I don’t think I will doing anything more.....I read once, in life, what happens to you is only 10% and the rest of the 90% is how you react to it, I have accepted the fact that its not growing back again. So the question is do I feel inferior? Never and never ever....one can never feel/made to feel so without his/her permission and as my gmail signature goes, inferior compared to whom? I certainly do know people who at the moment are on a higher pedestal but I don’t want to be relatively happy....but happy! I am a firm believer in destiny and I believe I am destined for great things.

I do have list of things I want to achieve, a list whose contents have been and will be modified by the important people in my life but the direction, never! I hope to be remembered for the legacy that I will leave behind. A legacy about what I had done and what I helped people around me to do. Like my grandfather, who despite losing his wife at an early age, educated his 6 kids including the girls so that they can lead a better life than him. He was not educated and clearly that did not limit his visionary thinking. For me there is no better role model. It’s not about working within your limits but working the right way around……

Astro Sketch from Shaadi.com

While I was posting for my sister, I found out about this feature where you can give shaadi.com your birth details and they will give your character sketch, based on your Tamil Moon Signs. Obviously I was tempted, so I did add myself and promptly did hide my profile. I gave my birth details and this is what the website has to say about Mr. Shanmuga Kumar.

Your Astro Sketch (A brief profile based on your birth data)
The Mesha (Aries) male is freedom loving and assertive and tries to have his own way. With his original and independent thinking, he is likely to make and break his own rules. Pioneering, enterprising, dynamic, creative, original are the qualities that readily come to mind when one thinks of a Mesha male. Immense self-confidence and strong will-power helps them surmount the tallest mountains. Courage and vitality sees them through all their difficulties. Their frank nature could hamper their relationships. Nevertheless, the Mesha male has the power to adjust and overcome any circumstance. Commitment from the Mesha male would be easy as they are decisive.The Mesha male is aggressive and hotheaded. He can be impulsive, restless and selfish. Diplomacy may not be a virtue as he can fly off the handle when provoked. Fickle-mindedness and impatience are traits that others could exploit. He has extremist tendencies and may not be willing to play by the rulebook or the society rules.

Some famous persons born with Mesha Rashi:

Dharmendra, Sulochana, Tippu Sultan, L.K. Advani, Sharad Pawar, Prince Charles, Jackie Onassis, Aldous Huxley, Ingrid Bergman, Geena Davis, Elton John, Monica Lewinsky, Karl Marx

Generally found qualities of persons with Mesha Rashi:

Favorable: Pioneering, enterprising, adventurous, brave, direct, enthusiastic, active, autonomous.

Less Favorable: Impatient, impulsive, aggressive, egotistical, inconsiderate, selfish, temper, rash.

To the Gym

http://www.fitnessfirst.co.uk

The best thing that happened to me this week - joined the gym! After the induction which was basically15 mins wasted on how to operate the "sophisticated" controls of the treadmill, I did 20 mins on the cross-trainer and 5 mins on the cycle. The knee seems to take things nicely and did not have any after-reaction, god bless Dr. Sivakumar.

Challenged by a friend to have a flat stomach within 2 months - I agreed :) As they say if u reach for the sky, u may atleast get to the stars....The big picture is that I will be joining Raj and Mohan to go for the World Cup in June and you cant go to the WC and not kick a ball right? I would love to play again by then....hopefully the gods keep smiling at me

Also I recently bought my first phone(contract) in the UK, with the 3 network - Rumour is that its the worst around, maybe not after it has me on its books :) Back to the phone, its a Motorola V3x - the latest in the V3 series, reminds me of the Motorola flip phone which was a big hit in 98 during our first year in the U. I like the deal here, for 17.50/month(12 month contract) - I get the phone and the bluetooth device free plus 400 mins anytime and 100 sms free! Singapore contracts are really such a rip-off....well we never had much of a choice when all three supposed to be competing service providers offer deals rarely offer any deal this good!

Happy New year to one and all

To those who have been patiently reading to all of my thoughts, Happy New year and a big thank you. Sorry to have not been updating this page, been down mentally to be thinking of anything else rather than my personal situation...

Started reading this book aptly titled "The Monk who sold his Ferrari", and the first chapter actually discusses worrying and how it spoils the mind....it has made me realize that this has been probably my biggest mistake, I worry very easily even over most trivial things that I had no control over...

So the Moral is not to worry too much and live life for the moment.....atleast try to....

"Arrived" in London - Part 1

The Flight to London
---------------------
After ending 2 and 1/2 months of pampering by my parents, relatives and friends I boarded British Airways BA36 to London on Saturday, 5th of November. It was non-eventful flight, watched 2 movies, ate 3 meals before the flight landed safely at the Heathrow Airport Terminal 4. I have to get used to these long flights but after seeing the majority of my co-passenger make their way to the Transit lounge awating another long flight to the US, I did not feel that bad..

First Impression
-----------------
Unlike any metropolitan city, you will not see any highrises or flash buildings. No one can claim to have understood the definition of the term 'Old School' until you have set foot in this Country. They rightfully pride in their history and traditions. If you can gather how the Indian Parliment looks, here every other building looks similar. And to complicate things it seems within London your house should confirm to a certain design and no 2 adjacent houses can look different! That explains a lot doesnt it? The pace is a lot less frantic than in Singapore and better than Chennai. People on the road have a lot time for each other, a lot more patient. Town centre is to the Uk what downtown is to the US. Any day of the week, any time of the day the town centre is always quite crowded....

Job Search in the UK
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Companies turn to recruiting agents to recruit staff, they give out specific requirements i.e. A job description and basic/desirable requirements. These guys advertise and screen CVs before forwarding the 'chosen' ones to the Firm. The firm then chooses whom they would like to interview and you are notified by the recruiting agent to attend the interview. After the interview the feedback is sent via the recruiting agent and if successful the agent gets paid by the Company for his/her service.

First Month in the UK
-----------------------
To be continued....

Visited an Astrologer on Thursday...

I had been to an Astrologer last Thurday to consult him on my future. It was a very comical experience actually. As soon as I went it, the person there asked me to write down my name, date of birth and time of birth. Then I was made to wait for about half hour, the fella was supposed searching for scriptures that had my future predicted.Out came a very young fella, probably around 17-18 max, he did bring a set of scriptures and the show started with some hymns.

He started asking questions about my birth day, my past, my father' details, my siblings and mother's details. Except for 2 things, everything else was wrong, and I being the dumb idiot that I am kept correcting him with the right information. After realizing that this was going no where, he said he had brought the wrong scripture and went back to get the right one. After just 10 mins, he was back and the show started again, but this time he was spot on, but then I did not forget the fact that I had told him all this just 10 mins ago!!!!! I played along and confirmed everything and the little bastard did have the balls to ask me 'Have all that I asked you correct?'. Amazingly I did manage to keep my cool, which amazed my sister. As I had confirmed that my life was in line with all the scripture had mentioned, he said that this iwas the right scripture and my life would play out exactly the way the scripture had been written.

After this he brought out a small book and kept writing something with a handwriting even doctors would find hard to decipher. This went on for nearly an hour, then he started 'predicting' my future. he said the usual stuff, marriage, kids, job, money, car....and a long life. After all the glorious predictions, he used the magic word "BUT", then he mentioned that some of my stars were parked at places they were not supposed to be, and I had been a very bad guy in my previous past and had a lot of bad Karma. Coming to the business end of things, he charged me 300 Rs for doing a parrot and repeating whatever I told him. He did talk about a pooja where he would pray to Lord Shiva daily after dark for 96 days, if I compensated his efforts with money, I would live a life that almost all would kill for.

I must admit with the life he promises you once the 'pooja/ceremony' is done, its quite tempting to play safe and pay him to do so. Its quite a convincing act that these guys put up to tell you that can alter destiny! I just paid him the money for the consultation and later told him that I need to talk to my mother first before subscribing to the pooja and got out of there as fast as my recovering legs could take me. Was definitely an amazing experience, nowadays its so cheap to play god!