Must be a really big day..
... for him.. Know what,
Dr. CV Jawahar had a baby boy.. got a mail from him today.. he sent one to cvit-students and kept sweets for them in the cvit lab.. congratulations to him.. he's been really nice to us all through our project under him.. m srsly in love with him.. :P btw, he's still to give us the grade ;) and yeah, 'us' boley to
me and
rajesh .. so ppl, congratulate Dr. Jawahar in case u see him arnd..
Sincere guards of IIIT....
Thanks to my Nokia 6600.. It helps me capture 'Nokia' moments ;) .. First image has a lil bad resolution but then that's in night mode.. Yeah, it is the reading room above library (in complete dark).. Actually, sometimes I feel that guards aren't really wrong when they go off to sleep.. Either nothing happens at all or there's an attack by the naxalites.. In neither case, is a guard required ;))
Finally they agree...
.. and the placements start from 3rd of December'05.. Ma'm Padmaja must have been really convincing or may be Dr. Sangal got scared of the fourth years ;) Not bad, right.. and with this, the countdown begins.. 1 month to go.. need to study lot of things yet.. look it as this - i got to do my BTech in this 1 month.. :D and even after studying all the important subjects, m not sure of how much would be retained in the box..
good luck to all sitting for the placements.. and good luck to me.. god bless..
What the fk..
.. is their problem? why the hell are they playing with our futures, MY future.. I took admission in this institute thinking abt its reputation only in terms of the placements.. infact, i believe that most of us, atleast our parents consider job security to be the sole criterion at that stage in life.. Is the academic council kidding or what.. they delayed the placements by 4 to 5 months and then their fighting over this small issue of postponing it further by 20 days.. it seems that everyone involved is acting like a kid.. leave abt understanding our point, at times they don't even try to listen.. They act as if things don't go their way, this world's going to make fun of them or what.. such high egos.. such low respect for others' point of view.. i must say that m NOT going to leave back my caution money if they get rigid over the placements matter..
Google comes over..
When 2 of these guys from google came to IIIT for a pre placement talk today, we had all these reactions - "What stuff do they keep in google?"; "Is he a professional"; "He looks like some local college guy" blah blah.. Yeah, atleast I thot that way.. They weren't even dressed up properly.. Sleepers??? Man, can't one have a proper dressing sense.. I don't doubt those guys' technical competence but I definitely do doubt if they have any professional stuff in them..
About the pre placement talk, I'll summarize it this way.. It wasn't that great.. The guy cudnt even answer some of the questions properly.. They didn't declare the pay package.. There was nothing special as such.. From a company like google, u do expect 'something' unique.. We already knew most of the things that he told abt.. All the page ranking and indexing fundae, just an overview.. it wasn't much impressive.. and most importantly, they didn't even give any t-shirts or carry bags or some accessories etc as they generally do during the pre placement talks..
Just yesterday, there was this ppt by MS Research.. What personality those people had.. They looked like real professionals.. Such sharp looks.. You get this big feeling when u see such ppl.. Here I see the difference between google and microsoft.. I am not really polluted with the corporate politics between google and microsoft as of now.. But, in the last 2 days, I saw the presentations made by both of them.. If I rate google at 6 on a scale of 10, I'll have to keep M$ on 9.5+ .. Not that's a big victory.. isnt it.. One thinks big when he/she gets a chance to work in such a fast and competitive environment.. One needs to keep himself smart..
You know, I am really giving a strong thot abt changing my dressing style.. enuff of kurtas.. i need to get back to formals etc..
It feels so good..
... when someone gives you a word of praise.. That is exactly what happened with me today.. Mr. Madhira, our soft skills instructor conducted an excellent session for us here in IIIT Hyderabad that went on for 10 days, 2 hrs each day.. Though some classes weren't really frutiful, some others were awesome.. Overall, I'll rate it as 8+ on a scale of 10.. That isn't bad.. One could sit in Microsoft placements with that cgpa.. Hope that they lower the cgpa limit this time for me to atleast sit for the written test.. khair, coming back on the point, I met him after the last session basically to get feedback, if any and wish him luck etc .. Its always good to be in touch with such intellectual people.. Afterall, its our time to build up a strong network.. And I try my best to use all the social skills I have..
So, coming back on the feedback - he said - "See!! I don't need to impress you and I dont need to tell you this.. But I am a very out-spoken person.. I speak my heart out.. Akansh, you are a really nice person and you have a great likability index.. " And I was like what? what does that likability term mean.. Somehow, it didn't strike me for a second.. He continued - "People tend to like you easily.. You haev strong inter-personal skills.. And you generate affection in people for yourself.. I wish you luck".. Aah!! I never expected such a reply.. And I was stunned for a second.. All I said was - "Sir, I really thank you for such a lovely answer"..
So, this was like a really nice compliment.. I don't really know how much he really meant but it felt great.. And before I fill up myself with all the 'fooonk' is how we call, I better concenterate more on my technical skills because it'll basically be my technical competence which will matter in placements.. God bless..
Screwed...
maadar jaat.. haraam khor.. lalloo no. 1 .. u cud have made it easily.. u had an excellent chance man.. wat a grip that was.. there was no way that the glass cud have fallen.. u shud have coordinated.. u shud have kept an eye on all of them.. why didn't I just keep all the souls in their cool.. :((
There was this game that we had to play as a part of soft skills classes.. we had to lift a glass full of water using threads, rubber bands and paper clips.. after lifting up, we had to move a little and pour the water into an empty glass. my team (I was the leader) gripped the glass so well.. there was no way that the glass cud have fallen.. one mistake.. one silly mistake.. one of the guys kept holding the thread when they shudnt have.. i shud have kept an eye on them.. i shud have asked him to drop the thread.. mumma.. it doesnt really matter at the end of the day.. we lost.. and it wasnt that big a deal.. it was just a simple game.. but this mental failure of not making it a success.. that hurts.. that really hurts.. i just wanted to win.. infact, everyone wants to win.. but naah.. guess, i need to learn some of the things:
1) Instead of keeping urself involved in the game, i shud have concenterated more on the coordination of the team.. when u're the leader, u need to have an eye on all of them.. because in the end, its ur loss.. ok team too loses, but its mainly the leader's responsibility..
2) I should have imposed certain things on them.. I shud have evaluated each person and given them the responsibilities accordingly.. i gave one of the guys a task just because he asked me to give it to him.. I gave the responsibility to a wrong guy.. either u make him good enuff to do the job or give it to someone else..
3) Leaders shudn't get all tense, worried and occupied with the task.. they shud have a wider estimate/evaluation for everything..
4) Think before u execute.. u can't just make it up without u have an approximate ides of the success hidden in there..
Wat ultimately matters is winning.. Winners gain respect automatically and in the end it doesnt matter by how much difference they won.. And failures help u in learning a lot of things which in long run would definitely get success.. They definitely wud.. But for now, I am sad to lose the game.. Today's challenge seemed to be something like a competition in one of those episodes of Apprentice..
It hurts...
... when your close friends comment on you.. At times I am remembered of that dialogue from the movie DCH - "yeh zaroori nahin ki humein ek doosre ki har baat achchi lage.. kyunki har dosti mein ek hadh hoti hai jise paar nahin karna chahiye"... This dialogue fits in so well in our daily lives.. infact most part of the movie does reflect some part or the other from our real lives.. khair, movies apart.. it was understandable if the same things would have been sed by someone who isnt really that close..
why don't ppl jes think before they speak.. is that really tough.. i had been trying all my life not to say things that would hurt someone.. from time to time, i do make mistakes but then i give my best shot to compensate for them.. it can't really go this way.. disciplines.. values.. ethics.. watever.. may be there is a realization some day.. and best of all, lemme consider that the day may not come..
Too much of classes
Damn! These classes take up heck lot of time and hardly are we left with any for self-study.. Most of them for the placements preparation.. Soft skills - by two different instructors, aptitude classes and all this in addition to course lectures. They're helping, they're doing that undoubtedly.. But where is the gain without ne time left for studying on our own?
m tired .. tired of attending all these sessions.. can i get a total month off... off from FYP, off from course lectures, off from aptitude/soft skills, off from all the examinations and off from all the tensions so that i can prepare for my upcoming placements.. i m scared.. every nite, this time, my head starts aching like hell.. no, not that i've been studying the whole day long.. but from all the worries of not studying the whole day.. :( need to figure out a very practical timetable for myself :-S ..
FYP viva cancelled
Was worried about what's going to happen in the viva tomorrow. Dr. Sangal's in the panel and he's some man.. He'll definitely get to know if there isn't much work done.. Not that me and my project partner didn't do much.. But, there wasn't much to show. We read, re-read and experimented a couple of things.. Still, nothing concrete to show as such.. There was a lot of learning - kernel programming, setting gateways, NATS, learning the connection tracking, NAT helper modules in linux.. We got to know how to build firewalls.. Made a simple firewall too.. But then that's not at all related to the project. We did that because we went on a wrong track.. It was already too late before we got the exact project definition.. But Mr. Hemant's an excellent instructor. He's exceptionally great at helping.. At times, he'd even go out of the way to help.. Used to sit with us till 3 to 4am in the morning during our internship work just because we had problems, that too sometime very trivial...
But now, there's no viva tomorrow.. :D Mr.Hemant's at CMU, even Mr. Kishore's at CMU and Dr. Sangal isnt here this weekend.. We'll probably have it sometime next week.. But i pray that we dont have the viva at all .. It'll be great if they ask us to present our work only when Hemant's here.. It'll be cool no :D
Side effects of viagra
For all those who don't mind looking at porno pix, give a look
here For the rest, read other non-adult posts on the blog in the link above..
Most crucial skill for success?
This was the topic of our second soft skills session conducted by Mr. Madhira Vishweswar..
As some of the students pointed out, this is a short list of things that you need for success in life:
- Determination
- Dedication
- Discipline
- Passion
- Creativity
- Honesty
...... but which is the most crucial skill is the question.. Mr. Vishweswar pointed it to be this:
Ability to Handle PeopleThis in itself is composed of 3 other things or as one may say consists of 3 phases, considering handling people as a process. These are:
Understanding - One needs to have a proper understanding of the other person's behavior before planning for his own action
Predicting - One should be able to predict the reaction of other person before acting upon something.
Influencing - Once clear with the above two, one should go forward and try to influence the other person
Johari's WindowThen he told us something about this beautiful theory to understand people. You could look at it
here . One can see the image made up of 4 sections. These are:
Open - This section consists of our qualities that are open for everyone to see. For example, say Mr.xyz is an angry man. Now that's open to all and is thus considered to occupy the first section.
Blind - This section consists of our qualities that are known to others but we are blind to them. For example, say Mr.xyz has a really bad habit of interrupting people in between. Mr.xyz may be completely blind to his nature.
Hidden - This section is the one that we keep hidden from others. There are lots of things that we keep secret in our day to day life. We don't wish to disclose them to others considering them embarassed, humiliating, foolish or unacceptable by the society.
Unknown - This part is the one that noone knows about. We happen to know about it in extreme conditions. For example, some ppl living in Bombay never realized that they had such courage to go around in flooded areas and save the dying people. It was only in the extreme conditions of the need that such attitude came out.
Now everyone wishes to be acceptable, effective and successful in society. It's only when he/she has a large open section that people tend to like you more. This happens because they don't find you manipulative anymore. On the other hand, one should make such an attempt so as to make this 'open' section look bigger than it possibly is.
Now, to enlargen the open section, one needs to disclose his/her secrets. There is when self-disclosure comes into picture. Telling your secrets really gives you a sigh of relief. Believe me, I've tried it a couple of times. It's not really easy to disclose your secret but then everyone has at least one person in his/her life with whom you share most of the things and who knows you inside out. Catch hold of that person, disclose your secret and look at the consequences. Most of the time, they'll be helpful. They'll be very helpful.
To decrease the 'hidden' section, one needs to get feedback from others. Ask others to tell your weeknesses. Ask them to tell what they exactly feel about
you. Decrease your 'hidden' section by getting to know yourself through the eyes of others.
'Unknown' section could be decreased only when we start taking chances in life, when we start catching hold of the opportunities. Its only then we start to realize some of the great strengths and weaknesses hidden deep within us.
Some questionsLater, before the class got over, Mr. Madhira asked these questions. We had to answer them honestly. Believe me, this is how you get over your fears and enlargen the 'open' section of the johari window. It takes an effor just for the first time. You feel much relaxed later.
Q) Have you ever cheated in the exams?
My Ans) YES... a couple of times.. life would have been much tougher otherwise ;)
Q) Have you ever stolen things from your parents/friends/relatives?
My Ans) YES... I did some bad things when I was young. But then I was lucky enough to have very disciplined parents who gave me good values.
Q) Have you ever had mental sex with anyone?
My Ans) YES... Do you want me to disclose the victim's name :P
For the third one, he said that all those who didn't do such acts need to take an appointment from the doctor ;) .. Everyone does and there's nothing to feel ashamed about it. That's one of the most important parts in human life. There could be a couple of more such interesting questions that would let you open your heart out. It would take some effort to speak the truth but it'll be great fun.
just in case you are reading through this and feel interested, post some interesting questions and your answers to them ;) Others might post their answers too. It'll be exciting.
My question: Have you ever been attracted towards a person of the same sex?
My Answer: Thanks to GOd.. Never ever :D
Post.. post.. post.. don't let this chance go..
PS: No proof reading :)
Alcohol - Poison
That are two names of our soft skill instructor.. The name's Madhira (sounds like Madeera) Visweswar (Vish as nick). So, now you know the guy's name haan.. cool isnt it.. :D
Session 1
---------
Topic: How to create great First Impression?
1) He started the session in a great way. Those who didn't know him earlier found it completely dull. And those who did knew, understood the motive a bit. After speaking in that dull way for 8 to 10 seconds, he made a fresh start, this time with full of enthu and energy.
Motive was to indicate the kind of impression that we form for two different personalities that he displayed out there.
2) The instructor, Mr. Madhira, strikes a lot of non-veg jokes from time to time. And as sed earlier in one of
my posts , talking abt sex is what makes ppl laugh these days. But overall, he keeps the sessions quite entertaining to be missed.
3) Fifteen things that help others to create our impression:
- Smile
- Shake Hands
- Eye Contact
- Show Interest
- Remember Names
- Look Happy
- Behave like a winner
- Dress Appropriately
- Use Open Gestures
- Never Complain, Never Explain
- Give Sincere Compliments
4)
Voice-
Volume shoule be high enough for everyone around to hear you. Speak as if noone's around. Don't be hesitant.
- Keep your
tone sweet
- Take care of the
modulation. Don't sound boring
5)
Eye Contact- Improper eye-contact shows
lack of confidense- Maintain proper focus. Look at the
triange forming between your nose and 2 eyes. Looking at a spot above this triangle indicates
arrogance and looking at the spot below this triange (lips and below ;) indicates
sexual desire (commonly true with the opposite sex).
- Maintain proper
duration. Do not stare.
6)
Smile- It has been found that it takes 9 muscles to keep a smiling face while it takes 17 muscles to maintain a dull face. Decide if you really wish to work hard to keep a dull face.
7)
Academic Culture and Corporate Culture- In academic culture, theoretically, everyone could succeed. If person A could get 9+ cgpa, person B too could definitely get it.
- Its not the same in corporate culture. Here, we basically have a hierarchical structure. Sucess of person A definitely blocks the success of person B. We would choose 1 person to be a project manager. If selected, all the others can't be the project managers.
- Look at the image
here for clear view.
8) You WILL BE successful if all of these are the same - your job, your profession, your hobby and your dream. No body can beat you in such a case.
9) He was talking about the dressing sense and the way people keep themselves. Guess what, he specifically mentioned about the overgrown hair which is the first thing that you would see in me. So, had a shave and bath the very next day morning :D .. He cracked this joke - If one has a great moustache, you don't need a chhanni (filter) for the tea :)..
10)
Primacy Effect - This means the tendency to form impressions quickly. Every (normal) human being would have a high primacy effect unless controlled. One doesn't really wish to change his/her impression about someone, if once formed. Because that way you would prove yourself to be wrong in the first place. Research says that it takes 8 seconds for the primacy effect to take place soon after you see a new person. And its only after that you start getting the real facts.
11)
Body Language - Then he told us some techniques to get to know the state of the other person's mind while shaking hands with them. There were 3 basically -
-
To check arrogance, try rotating the other person's hand towards a direction where you get the upper hold. If the other person doesn't let you do that, it indicates his superiority
-
Shake with two hands indicates affection in a case where both the persons are really close. While on the other hand, it shows a hidden motive of the person who shakes one's hand with both his hands in cases where you meet for the first time.
-
Press on press - If you press the other person's hand a little, and the other person (especially in cases of opposite sex) presses your hand a little, don't misinterpret as a signal for setting.. At this moment he sed - "its been found out that 90% of the males are really frustrated and are always trying to look out for a girl. So girls are advised to stay away from boys unless fully tested".
12)
Wardrobe Engineering - This is a special type of knowledge domain that deals with the dressing sense of a person and the accessories that they use. It basically indicates the way in which one keeps himself (or maintains his/her wardrobe)
Well, further sessions to come over in future posts. Sleepy to write about the second session. If possible, will do it tomorrow sometime. But till then 'namaskar', 'adaab', 'khuda haafiz', 'sat sri akaal' and 'GOD bless you'
Most commonly used..
Some more light on the 'most commonly used' or 'famous quotes'. Source of motivation:
PKJ ..
Q) Which is the most commonly used word in Hollywood movies?
Ans) Fuck
Q) Which is the most commonly used word in Bollywood movies?
Ans) Pyaar
vaah.. wat a combination :D
Aptitude classes.. full toosh bc
The aptitude classes that are being conducted by career launcher here in IIIT are more of bc baazi.. The guy, Prashant's a great teacher. He's an expert in his field. He really is. He's friendly, cooperative, humorous and interacts really well. But then that doesn't mean that no one points a finger at the way he teaches. Nearly 50% of the lecture goes in extra curricular discussions (ECD).. By ECD, I mean everything except the topic that he's supposed to teach. Not that those discussions in the classroom aren't useful but we'll have all those sessions in our soft skills classes no. Why are we wasting the time assigned for aptitude classes? I got really frustu today. He was there for nearly 3 hrs and could have easily completed the test paper (he gave one to solve earlier) but as expected, efficient teaching wasnt for more than say 2 hrs. Watever!! These were some of the things that he was talking abt:
1)
Never ever say NO in your interview. Just in case they give u some problem to solve and u aren't really able to do it. They'll ask u if u are unable to solve. DONT accept ur defeat.. Tell them that if given more time, you'll be able to solve it. Just that it didn't click at that moment. Nobody would give u an extra time to solve. So, don't really worry abt that ;)
2)
Never say anything against the institute. Show complete loyalty towards the organization u're associated with. Don't even talk abt the inefficiencies of some professors. For questions like 'why didnt u perform well in xyz course/semester', tell them that u were involved in some other extra curricular activities and if lost in something, u did gain something else.
3)
Don't lost ur temper .. Interviewers might give statements like - "You aren't fit for the job" or "You dont seem to have worked hard in ur BTech". For these, give them properly framed answers like - "If I didn't outshine academically, I did work hard in other areas such as communication skills, leadership qualities, working in groups" blah blah..
4)
Respect them. Don't be over confident in front of ur interviewers. Show them that u aren't scared and that u're confident but doing things like being rigid at ur answer and not trying to understand their point or talking louder than u're expected is bad.
5)
Be clear with your strengths and weaknesses. At moments when u feel that the discussion's getting inclined towards ur weakness' domain, start telling them abt ur strengths before its too late and u lose ur confidense.
.. More to come with time.. Afterall, further aptitude classes too would have such non-aptitude discussions ;)
The 48 Laws of Power
Got this from
Catch's homepage .. but just in case u haven't read them before, believe me, they're worth reading..
Law 1: Never Outshine the Master
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite. Inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.
Law 2: Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies
Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.
Law 3: Conceal your Intentions
Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.
Law 4: Always Say Less than Necessary
When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.
Law 5: So Much Depends on Reputation. Guard it with your Life
Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once you slip, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.
Law 6: Court Attention at all Cost
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the bland and timid masses.
Law 7: Get others to do the Work for you, but always take the Credit
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you.
Law 8: Make other People come to you. Use Bait if Necessary
When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains. Then attack. You hold the cards.
Law 9: Win through your Actions, Never through Argument
Any momentary triumph you think gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.
Law 10: Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky
You can die from someone else’s misery. Emotional states are as infectious as disease. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.
Law 11: Learn to Keep People Dependent on you
To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.
Law 12: Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim
One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift; a Trojan horse will serve the same purpose.
Law 13: When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest, Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.
Law 14: Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is not an opportunity for artful spying.
Law 15: Crush your Enemy Totally
All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit.
Law 16: Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor
Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.
Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.
Law 18: Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself. Isolation is Dangerous
The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere. Everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from. It cuts you off from valuable information; it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.
Law 19: Know who you’re dealing with. Do Not Offend the Wrong Person
There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs clothing. Choose your victims and opponents carefully, then. Never offend or deceive the wrong person.
Law 20: Do Not Commit to Anyone
It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others. Playing people against one another, making them pursue you.
Law 21: Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker. Seem Dumber than your Mark
No one likes feeling stupider than the next persons. The trick is to make your victims feel smart. And not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.
Law 22: Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power
When you are weaker, never fight for honor.s sake; choose surrender instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the satisfaction of fighting and defeating you . surrender first. By turning the other check you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.
Law 23: Concentrate Your Forces
Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another. Intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.
Law 24: Play the Perfect Courtier
The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection; he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the mot oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership and there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.
Law 25: Re-Create Yourself
Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define if for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions. Your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.
Law 26: Keep Your Hands Clean
You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat’s-paws to disguise your involvement.
Law 27: Play on People's Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.
Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness
If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.
Law 29: Plan All the Way to the End
The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.
Law 30: Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work. It only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.
Law 31: Control the Options: Get Others to play with the Cards you Deal
The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.
Law 32: Play to People’s Fantasies
The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes for disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.
Law 33: Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew
everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usual y insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.
Law 34: Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one
The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated; In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown.
Law 35: Master the Art of Timing
never seem to be in a hurry. Hurrying betrays a lack of control over you, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.
Law 36: Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge
By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.
Law 37: Create Compelling Spectacles
Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power. Everyone responds to them. Stage the spectacles for those around you and then full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.
Law 38: Think as you like but Behave like others
If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.
Law 39: Stir up Waters to Catch Fish
Anger and emotion is strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calms yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemy’s off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the strings.
Law 40: Despise the Free Lunch
What is offered for free is dangerous. It usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price. There are no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.
Law 41: Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes
What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making: Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.
Law 42: Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter
Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual - the stirrer, the arrogant underling, the poisoned of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them. They are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.
Law 43: Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others
Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.
Law 44: Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect
The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them, making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of Mirror Effect.
Law 45: Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once
Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.
Law 46: Never appear too perfect
Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.
Law 47: Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop
The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arrogance and overconfidence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.
Law 48: Assume Formlessness
By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, you should instead keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect you is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.
Need mp3 player for Nokia 6600?
In case you need one, download the software from
here ..
Unfortunately, Nokia 6600 doesn't have the mp3 support by default and that didn't let me download mp3 ringtones.. but NOW, it's going to be exciting for sure..
Melon dog n cat + a cool sms
Soo kiyoot, aren't they..
And yeah, I just got this cool sms today -
"Many fools have not the watches Salaam Namastey. They are still the usings wrong english. Please goes and watches it. Learn the corrects english. Do you under ishtands. Igzactly.."
Placement preparatory classes
No.. No.. No.. These are not any kinda formal classes conducted by the institute.. Our dear Lohia sir has started taking the classes for placements preparation, right from today.. Thanks to him .. Afterall, who's been helping most of the grp to pass the various examinations all this time.. Seems like we're going to do the complete BTech course in this next one month.. Who says that you really need 4 years to get a BTech computer science degree.. Believe me, if you think from the learning and experience point of view, yes, we do need 4 years BUT otherwise, there's isn't really a need for most of the batch..
Goldman Sachs
A very reputed investment banking company.. Most of you must have heard about it from Apprentice' Season 1.. Quami used to work out there before he started his own company..
This company has recently visited the NIT Warangal campus for placements and has recruited some 4 students.. No Indian center means a foreign placement.. Students are being trained at a center in New York.. They offered them to pick up one of these 3 positions:
1.Application Developer
2.Technical Specialist
3.Business Analyst
Doesn't that sound great.. I am still not aware of the package that they offered but must have been really good.. You can't expect such a big company to offer small pays.. Ya, so I was talking to Mam Padmaja abt this who initially sed that there are great chances for GS to come over but then she sed that the work they're recruting for isn't that great.. I told her abt the 3 above job-positions which I read
here .. She sed that she'll talk to them.. Chances, though aren't that great for her to speak to them..
ppl generally say that this company won't offer you a great software future, then why go for it.. There are statements like - "Do you really think that you'll get a developer's job out there"; "Don't you think that there are better companies in software industry"; "Their IT section must be real small" .. But then I think that how does it matter.. Infact, in my opinion, getting a job in such a company is better than working in a total software industry, especially for those who aren't that great technically.. Once you enter a company like this, you could develop real good network arnd.. Believe me, you'll have a better recognition.. Much better than those in M$ or google.. Not that these companies have any drawbacks.. But the point is that companies like GS definitely have an edge.. I don't really find any major drawback joining a company like GS, Morgan Stanley or some other investment banking/finance company.. Do you?
Ever seen a more dangerous guy?
Look at this .. look at this.. He must be a don or something..
Caution: Do not dare to inform anyone about his existence :D
Soft Skills Session
Before I forget, lemme write something abt yesterday's [13th October] soft skill's session.. We had it organized by our placement officer, Mrs Padmaja Kanda and conducted by one of her close friends, Mrs Uma Rao who's the HR head of Asia Pacific, TCS.
Though excited in the early 10 minutes, most of the expectations went down when Mrs. Uma didn't even know that our placement season hasn't started yet. She started congratulating for the "hope-so" good placements that we must have had.. Do we expect a HR head not to know abt the placements in IIIT when we were told that she was in the panel at the time of recruting our seniors?? Strange..
Watever... So she finally started and it clicked me that very moment abt the session not being related to placements in any way.. But very soon she made the atmosphere so lively, so damn entertaining that everyone got mentally gripped into the session.. She started cracking jokes and sharing some of the cool experiences she faced. I'll tell you one of them.. She was showing this Salarjung museum, Hyderabad to one of her foreign delegates when he suddenly came up with a question - "why are the Indian women naked in most of the great paintings".. Though tempted to say that Indian women are the most pretty beings, she refrained herself from giving such an answer.. After thinking for a couple of moments, she made up this - "It shows the control of Indian ppl on their 5 senses".. =)) whole class really burst into laughter.. I've been noticing for quite sometime now that ppl find more humour talking abt sex than nething else. Is it just by chance or have i really made a point?
Back to the session summary. She made some really nice points abt sustaining oneself in the corporate world.. In clear terms (or rather in her terms) -
"Corporate world is NOT easy to live in. Ppl just won't let you sustain" .. I'll write the others in points:
1) Don't try to be all mushy, polite and flattering with your leaders and bosses.. Noone likes apple-polishing these days.. The day you get to hear from your boss - "You are a nice little boy", understand it deep within that everything's finished. We are NOT striving to be nice boys, we are striving to be
GREAT professionals. Put forward your point with confidense and stay up to it.. Listen to everybody but NEVER EVER let yourself get distracted from your final goal. Do not come in consent with anyone just because you're his subordinate or something..
2) Don't be two faced. Split personalities do not exist except in the cases of mental disorders or in all those fantasy movies..
Be yourself everywhere.. Yes, you got it right.. Be what you are. Most people do not have the guts to be what they want to be. I just started reading this book called 'Straight from the gut'.. m sure that most of you must have read it by now. Sometimes I just feel as to which decade m I living in. Such a great book and I get to hear abt it NOW.. I didn't even know abt Jack Welch until I read one of the posts on
Rastogi's blog. yeah, so that book mentions an incidence where Jack Welch, being the vice chairman, GE had to attend one of the board meetings and was trying to be more formal and all properly dressed up in crisp suits when he wasn't really in the habit of doing that. Chairman, GE came upto him and sed - "Jack! you look better when you are more original".. So, be the same everywhere.. Things are finished if ppl get to know your two-faced nature and believe me, no one's smart enough to keep that a 'secret' for a long time.
3) Don't always speak your mind directly.. Understand the situation and speak your point in a way that handles the situation in a right way.. She told this incidence - A guy was selected to get the full scholarship from the Fulbright Association for some social science courses in US. He was sitting right in front of the panel in USA for his final interview. And he sed this in straight sentences - "I do not like Americans, I don't like their culture, their attitude".. blah blah.. And came out confidently saying that he spoke his mind out and did a great job.. Obviously he was rejected soon after.. So,
understand the situation.. There will be instances when ppl would ask you questions like - "Do you like that guy?" .. Don't start forming biased/straight opinions or atleast don't let the other person know about it.. Speak up in a way that keeps everything balanced.. You could look at some of the episodes of 'The Apprentice' for more examples, especially the board room part..
4)
Do not procrastinate.. Take decisions at the right moment.. Don't postpone taking decisions.. You'll ultimately have to take them so why not do it right away and get rid of them.. There's another saying - "Decisions taken with complete knowledge are generally too late".. You'll never have enough knowledge to take a decision for something at its right moment.. We HAVE to believe in ourself, our intuitions and we should have guts to stand by our decisions..
... These were some of the major ones that I rmr.. There was a lot more that she told in that one, one and a half our session.. But believe me, m in no mood of being awake for some more time.. You could
download the presentation here:
The Need .. may be there's something useful for you in there.. It wasn't bad, as it looked like in the beginning, though there were lots of statements, such as 'ultimate bc baazi', 'faaltu time waste', made by some of my friends.. But that's ok!! Everyone has a right to form his/her opinion..
Good Nite if you're still awake.. And in case I don't see ya - gud morning, gud afternoon and gudnite.. ('Truman Show', for the un-informed)
Senior or Acquaintance?
Had to send a mail to students regarding the course human desires.. The marks for first mid sem are out.. I got 15 \:D/ .. this is the only course where i get marks ;)) .. Reason?? - not a technical course.. Yeah, so since there wasnt any mailing list created for this course, had to send it to students@students.. but fck.. that's considered as a spam.. Now, in general, the case would have been the blockage of my id followed by a post on
sysadmins blog .. but luckily that didn't happen..
s(i/m)r sent me a reply saying that i shudnt repeat sending a mail to students regarding human desires and he told me the mailing list id too :D .. so re-sent a mail to students asking them to subsribe on the list.. had it not been the case of being a senior or probably a friend, my id wud have been blocked.. thanks to s(i/m)r..
Hits you back!!
At times, things do hit us back.. Yesterday, 2 of my frnds were watching the 11th episode of apprentice, season 2 and I happened to see that episode soon afer Sudhanshu sent an IM abt it.. Thanks to Sudhanshu.. he's doing a great job by downloading this serial.. m sure that he'll get lots of blessings :D Yeah so I thot that it'll be fun if I tell them the end of the episode ;) But somehow, thots changed at that moment and I lost the idea..
today, when there's this 12th episode on LAN and I was planning to see it, some other frnd of mine told me the story #-o .. and to make it worse, another frend told more abt it :( .. i'll still watch it but most of the excitement is gone this way.. that idea did hit back on me ..
Moral: Think good for everyone around.. Afterall, they might hit back on us ;)
Encouraging..
These days I've really found out some ways of making myself work harder than I would normally do.. and yeah, they really help.. (atleast for me :)
Just before I need to take a decision, I think it from this perspective - Akansh, u have 2 choices, the good or the bad (mostly).. and then, I put forward a strong convincing argument for me to follow the good path which is in most cases the harder path.. Then I write down the worst that could happen on that track that I decide to follow.. Once u have the worst part written in front, believe me, the fear's just gone..
Another way is to ask yourself - "Is this the best you can do Akansh? Are you so incapable?" Most ppl have the tendency to work really hard in challenging situations.. Give yourself a challenge, a deadline that's really tough and give in ur best.. and believe me, if u reach ur deadline time, there won't be a more confident person around.. you'll start believing in yourself.. and that is all u need to be successful in life..
One more way could be this.. At times, this question could be asked - "Akansh!! when was the last time you ........" this dash could be filled in by things like 'worked hard', 'helped someone' .. i got this idea from the apprentice.. there was this competition in season 2 to prepare a commercial advertisement inviting ppl to join NY police.. and Andy came up with the idea..
Touching..
At times we read something really sad and just can't stop thinking about it.. I was going through some old business world issue, and happened to read about those riots against sikhs back in November, 1984. There was this old sikh who had 3 sons and 3 grand sons. In one of those brutal killings, all 6 of them (sons, grandsons) were wrapped in tyres and burnt alive in front of that old man.. Just in time, when ppl were abt to attack that old sikh, army came into the scene and took that sikh to the nearest gurudwara immediately.. the writer of that article happened to talk to this old man whose only sentence was - "beta! what did i do to deserve this?" .. What would have been that man's state of mind at that moment of death.. he must have asked GOD for his immediate end too.. but things don't generally happen the way we wish.. sad story..
Moments before project deadline..
With FYP's first deadling approaching, everyone's seen into the project work.. Our project's under Mr Hemant at 3Com.. The work's great and we wanted to do that kinda project.. Though went down to a wrong direction initially, we seem to have reached on the right track now.. The title of the project is - "Rate-limiting in the 4D Architecture for Network Control and Management".. This architecture is a new scheme for the internet, as proposed by CMU. It (in simple terms) is about a new kind of communication way between all the routers around.. CMU is into real research.. one can see excellent projects being worked upon out there..
m sure that Dr Kamal's going to fire at us once he knows that our project guide's there in Pittsburg right now and we use emails and chat (both voice, text) as the source of communication.. Hope that things get settled down smoothly..
Thngs change so soon..
There was this competition conducted by FMS Delhi, National Entreprenurship Challenge. Full of excitement, I started working hard to find good ideas for the business plan (we had to submit one for the competition).. I must have talked to nearly 10 to 12 ppl on phone, through emails, in person. It wasnt that bad. I got to know lots of things that are up in the market.. I got to know some cool sites too.. But whatever, when the day started approaching, all enthusiasm was almost finished. Things change so soon. I started wondering that this probably wasnt the right time to participate in such competitions and m sure that there'll be more opportunities ahead. Neither CAT, nor GRE n MSBR, it'll be a disaster, if (GOD forbid) I don't get a good placement.. Watever.. Hope for the best..
I find this foolish...
.. but still, one of the main motives behind maintaining all these artistic, funky and nicely decorated blogs is 'how famous is one's blog among ppl'.. More the no. of readers, more are we encouraged to write.. why can't one just write for oneself? believe me, it'll be more original and real.. It's been long since I made a post.. Didn't really feel like posting all this time for 'others' to read.. May be I was scared that there are no 'others'.. I used to think - 'm i writing for myself?'.. If yes, then better do it offline. But now, it seems that its not always the way you feel.
Maintaining blogs is a beautiful way of expressing one's thoughts. Its beautiful because we THINK before we post. We think because we know that the post's getting public. And that my friends, could probably be known as 'properly framed thoughts'.. And its fun when one reads his/her own posts at a later stage in life.. It'll be fun when 10 years from now we'll look back to see our condition of mind in these days.. And may be then, we get a reason to laugh at ourselves.. We're leaving our present to be the past in future.. And at any point in life, one needs his/her past to learn things in life.. So, if you dont maintain blogs, START writing something. Posts will definitely get better with time.. And I DONT find all this foolish anymore.
