Experiences.

mba.. finally.

Rathna Kumar — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:45:07 +0000

It was Sept 18th and finally received my diploma through mail from the LU Bursar’s office. It really felt good to open it up and ‘enlighten’ myself with the fact that i graduated with an M.B.A.

MBA Diploma

The package and the care they took to deliver it was impressive.. the diploma, quite big in size, was rolled and put in a tall cylinder shaped UPS package.. I would like to believe that even my effort to make it up to this was a diligent effort and an erstwhile dream come true. When was it?.. long time back in the UG days when i discussed and discarded most of the other career options. The path i envisaged was with few years of corporate experience and a premier b-school in India through CAT. Well, reality wasn’t near to its inception.. hopped jobs.. onsite efforts.. and then GMAT.. quite bleak efforts and somehow made it to Lehigh..

The past 2 years has been wonderful in terms of learning, MBA experience, free-mind thinking and of course, more and more dreams. College assistantship, some part time jobs and my work with a Philly based start-up funded my tuition and my living here. . had a good time going places, making trips and getting some experience. I am very much grateful to all those who helped and enabled me to make the right decisions at the right time.

And its time now again to push myself for a tough decision. And as before, i hope things go well and in the long term, ithellaamae sappa matter thaan.

older..

Rathna Kumar — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:03:35 +0000

listen.. this happened a couple of days back when i was going to 30th street station in the Market-frankford rail line. the girl sitting next to me took out a small fancy notepad from her handbag and started writing something for the next 20 mins.. i pressed the ‘next’ button for abt a dozen times in my player to hold on to a good number. she got a call and that’s when i cud see wat she was writing.. it was a bulleted to-do list for the wknd.. saw some words like ..finish.. wrap up.. no sleep.. send fotos.. when was the last time i did something like this? may be in 2003-04.. with all the bubbling energy, i did that.. took pleasure in crossing each task after completion.. those days.. i feel now that am old and aged.. age is now added to my list of uncertainties.

Aaromale..

Rathna Kumar — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:36:03 +0000

Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya (Will you fly across the sky and come for me?)

Fav Dialogs:

un kan vazhiyaa yaarum enna paarkala pola..

——

antha ponnu en uyir nu solraaru sir.. enna line sir..

avanukku epdi theriyuthu antha ponnu un uyir nu..

avarukkooda theriyuthu sir..

——

kalyaana podavai la romba azhagaa..

——-

veetukku koottu poi amma kitta ivala thaan naan kalyaana panna poraen ma nu sonna santhoshama avanga seri nu solluvaanga..

——-

kadhala thedittu poga mudiyaathu.. athu nilaikaathu.. athuva nadakanum.. nammala pottu thaakanum..

——-

Gautam sir, aduthu oru ponnu enna thaakura varaikkum intha thaakam enakulla irukkum sir…

a good movie with lovely dialogs and music!

10 Amazing lessons

Rathna Kumar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:40:46 +0000

The best i have seen on philosophy, learning and takeaways. Maybe the timing did it all

From Sir Albert Einstein.

1. Follow Your Curiosity

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

2. Perseverance is Priceless

It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

3. Focus on the Present

“Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”

4. The Imagination is Powerful

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

5. Make Mistakes

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

6. Live in the Moment

“I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.”

7. Create Value

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

8. Don’t Expect Different Results

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

9. Knowledge Comes From Experience

“Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.

10. Learn the Rules and Then Play Better

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

life..

Rathna Kumar — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:30:19 +0000

The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth.

2010 New Year..

Rathna Kumar — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:14:38 +0000

Feels good to start the decade and next year with good things.. I bet most of you would agree with this.

’3 Idiots’ – Very high calorie as my friend mentioned and it was a good one to watch on the eve of New Year. It generated some fresh thoughts in my mind and gave some confidence to sustain the best of them on moving forward. Two new things that I learnt about passion and trying to adopt them is:

1. Follow the passion and work becomes play.

2. Work on what you wanted to do; success is continuum.

The last one was something new and difficult to take in seriously. The idea and concept of success had taken several definitions in my life and this one is a new form. Enjoying what your doing, treating it as instant success and the feeling of getting paid is as hard as it gets.

Wish you all more fun and the enthusiasm to enjoy more this year!

Sure as I am..

Rathna Kumar — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:44:25 +0000

amazing song from Into the Wild.. till date, the movie I like the most and the one which I feel very close to my heart.

Sure as am breathing..

Sure as am sad..

I ll keep this wisdom in my flesh.

I have been wounded.I have been healed.

these songs and Eddie Vedder’s music have always been ringing in my ears. there is not a day that ends without hearing them.

I realized what i could have done.. what I wanted in life.. what I want in life moving forward.

January 8th was a good day :)

Rathna Kumar — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 07:46:38 +0000

I recollected the thought that a person enjoys/gains the most when he expects the least out of it.

Same thing came true on Jan 8th when i expected it be the same as the previous day..cozy weather, into the comforter, watch some videos n of course the best thing.. sleep!

but.. it was different. Started the day with the movie ‘The Insider’ and ended it with ‘Before Sunrise’. I still don’t know what was special about today. Solved a couple of sudokus, published a post in wordpress (not this one), good songs, spoke with a good friend,TED India videos and some good articles about India and the society.. that’s it. but it was special.:)

I was able to perceive few things from that day’s experience and make some connections deep inside. Each different experience and every thing i did had something to tell me, had something to make me aware of.. I guess it is the other way around, like today I tried to learn from what I did and so I got wat i was supposed to.

Whatever, for some unknown reason I felt better and good! Hope I feel the same some other day this year.

questions?? enough da..

Rathna Kumar — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:09:41 +0000

same questions.. no answer.

In the past couple of months (or I guess more than that), the second question that follows the ‘How are u…howz life’ types is this..

‘Eppo graduate aagura?.. howz ur job search?.. enna plans? no plans of settling here??’

even before i could answer the first, this one comes in next and i start to fumble. Neither that I know the answer nor that I don’t want to disclose it.

I guess its high time i figure out the answer and help myself in answering the question.

finding Nemos!

Rathna Kumar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:27:40 +0000

First, let me put this straight. I am not trying to advise you on finding your Nemo or tell who mine is.

Like Minded people.. In all stages of my life, finding like minded ones has been a continuous process. From the time I stopped wearing uniforms, from the time I was supposed to think and take decisions individually, it has been tough for me to find such people. I sometimes have to override compatibility with adaptability. Its been 9 years since i stepped out of school and I could just name a few.I am not sure whether I made a conscious effort to find one in the alma mater years, but recently I decided to do so. I had to widen up my close circle, avoid a few to find the ones with acceptable values, principles and perceptions on life, money and marriage. (the appropriate criteria for me)

Gender? Nope, its almost equal in both men and women. Age? Yeah, few were with a wide age gap.

It may be an evidence to the fact that change is continuous and evolves. I sometimes used to think I would be the only person thinking and worrying about all these, only to realize later that its a good thing. One’s friends, mentors, buddies and their influence on self is an intangible gain in my life and the experiences that arise are new. I value those relationships, experiences and will be on a relentless pursuit of the same.