2 Weeks worth of B-School experience, 1 Blog post.

I have two weeks worth of B-School shenanigans to report as unfortunately, the last week kind of got away from me and I didn’t have the time or the will to write. The week had begun on a high note with us going on a ‘City Tour’. It would have been much better if this particular global learning activity had happened weeks ago, because.. as established previously- Singapore is extremely small. Wherever you go, you have to cross the entire city so every drive essentially looks the same. The City Tour, hence, was not something that was required two months after being in the city. It did include a beautiful bridge though, and what an amazing view. Believe it or not- it was a brighter, better version of the Manhattan skyline.

The roomies on the beautiful bridge with the awe inspiring (though cropped) skyline in the background.

After going to Chinatown and such for what seemed like the millionth time, it was a good change of pace to see something new. My love affair with all the bridges of the world continues (Ex-bridges include the Millennium Bridge in Newcastle, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, The Tower Bridge in London, The Charles Bridge in Prague, The Pont de l’Archeveche in Paris with the love locks and the little dainty bridges in the city center of Dublin).

Marina Bay Sands in the background of the Selfie-in-Progress. What a marvelous feat of architecture! 

The rest of the week progressed as usual with studies and quizzes.

Oh we did have an industry visit to the office of Thomson Reuters. Now you must be wondering why MBA students will be taken to a News Agency- well because we were taken to experience the cutting edge research work that the Lab of Reuters is doing. You can know more about it here. It was mind boggling how much data is out there in the world and how geniuses deal with it. A lot of people got very excited about the prospects of data mining in the future. I understood some of what was happening. Not as much as the engineers did, but enough to know that the future is online, it is global and it is all public. Privacy is a dying concept.

On our way to Reuters, Definitely listening to our fave tune at the moment- ‘Shape of you‘ by Ed Sheeran.

The week ended on a low note because  we had an exam on Monday and so the weekend was spent studying. It paid off though- 82% in Financial Accounting!! Who would have thought! I’m so proud of myself right now. I am starting to feel my left brain stirring and stretching just before waking up. It has been dormant for all these years while my right brain took over all the intellectual functions. Numbers are slowly starting to make sense… slowly. I can’t take all the credit though. A friend worked hard and tutored us. Thank you dude! ❤

Oh also Marketing classes finally started- thank God. Something that I can finally get a hang of without struggling. It’s theories and concepts. It doesn’t require me to crunch numbers. I can use the brain powers that I am accustomed to- learning, creating, thinking. These classes are going hand in hand with Data Modeling and Optimization classes though. That subject I don’t know if I like yet. It is extremely interesting but it has graphs and numbers- so I’m essentially struggling with the blasphemous fact that I might be liking something quantitative. Hmmmm…. More comments on that later.

The best thing that happened  in all my time here is that two of my closest friends became a little more than just friends to each other. Not to sound cheesy or anything, but the wide smiles and the stolen glances (who do they think they are kidding) are adorable to witness…  at least for now (don’t get anoying you guys)! Feels like we are back in high school where we tease and laugh and enjoy with the people who’s relationship is just blossoming. I hope its a happily ever after for these two- cheers to more laughter, and blushes and the cheeky remarks! ❤ you guys!

Two months left in this beautiful city of Singapore. I wish I can come back and stay here for longer, even though I know right now it is more the people who I’m with than the city.

I miss my dog more than ever. Six more months before I can cuddle with him. 😦

Tonight I’m missing an awesome beach party as well as a silent disco. I have been reminded that the assignment that I have to submit tomorrow is not what I will remember 1o years down the line. Both the parties were being sold to me  by different friends, but what can I say, even though I really really wanted to go, I have a submission tomorrow! I’m here to study along with making awesome memories. Today studies are kind of getting in the way, but there is always another evening, another weekend, another party! The late night dance breaks in the room is a memory that is going to be with me for life though- don’t worry peeps!

XOXO

 

Changing the Scale- Thank you Sir Silas

I remember when I was maybe around 13 or 14 years old, Music was extremely important to me.  At that time I just wanted to sing my little heart out. Music was the glue that joined all us friends together and as such we were all part of the Western Music Choir in school. I had tried and given up on the Indian Classical music already by this time, but singing is innate to me. I can thank mummy for that. Today when I was listening to Adele’s All I Ask, I noticed how she changes the scale towards the end of the song. Now, this is a feature that used to show up very often in songs of old but in the latest pop songs, I don’t see it happen too often. While singing the song and realizing that the scale change isn’t really hard for me, I thought of my wonderful Western Music teacher in School, Sir Silas.

Words cannot describe the respect that all of us had for him and the way he taught us, with all his heart and soul. He was much more than just a music teacher. In our confusing adolescent years, when all emotions are heightened and stupid things seem more important than they are, he was a teacher that kept us grounded in reality and listened to our rants about our studies, other teachers and also our friendships.

He would always tell me that I had a skill that I should be proud of and in the very little time that I had with him, he tried to train me as much as he could. One hot afternoon, He sat in the open hall of the junior section, strumming on his guitar as a bunch of us sat on the ground near his feet. We were singing Edelweiss from The Sound of Music, suddenly he changed the scale and told me to try to start singing from there. I would sing a line and he would change the scale again. High, low… every which way his scale went. He would change it and I would listen intently, try to match it with my voice. This little piece of learning stayed in my mind without  me even realizing it. Today, I may not be the most skilled singer but because of Sir Silas I can proudly say that I can successfully change the scale in the middle of a song.

He left us too soon and I couldn’t meet him  one last time because I kept thinking that I would someday in the future but I lost that chance when he passed away.

Thank you Sir Silas. You are missed terribly and this one is dedicated to you.

All I Ask- Cover by Ridhu

Please click on the image to zoom in.

The Beast and the Plans

Beauty and the Beast (TV Show)

She lay on her bed, her heart palpitating every time thunder called out. There is nothing to be afraid of, she knows that, but she can’t help it. She misses his warmth around her but she is a feminist so she isn’t going to admit it even to herself.

Women don’t need men to survive happily.

But then it’s nice when men put their arms around you and suddenly you feel like you belong right there, to them.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head she smiles. She’s fine; she has a plan that she has to follow. She is raring to face the world. But then at nights why does this tiny voice call out to her? “You miss him, you need him, you love him, call him.” She  has always ignored the voice successfully and wrapped her arms around herself. She has her books and her TV shows to keep her company. She also suspects them to be the cause of the voice. every day looking at damaged men with issues being taken care of by beautiful women.

A man has no place in her plans for herself right now. Especially the man she’s missing – The beast, the scoundrel, the devilish angel. She wants to be ravaged by him– but she has plans.

And those always came first.

Please click on the photo to read

The Momentary Lapse in Judgement

The crowd was screaming their adoration and appreciation. He  smiled, put his arm around her waist and waved. Her touch so familiar and so warm, he never thought that it would ever disgust him, but today it did. He didn’t flinch or show it. He just waved and grinned that famous grin that millions of girls all over the world swooned over. They would soon know of the pain behind it. He knew they would share his heart break, but the thought wasn’t helping.

He felt the urgency in her whole aura, but they were actors. They could fake any emotion. She held his hand tight as they walked off stage, into the wings. He pulled out his hand from her grasp before he even wiped the fake smile of his face. “Rob…” He heard her call out as he unplugged the microphone from his shirt and paced as far away from her as he could.  How could she do this? How did she expect him to react?

“I have to tell you something.”

“Right now babe? We are on in a minute.”

“Rob, this is important.”

“What is it?”

He heard her say it, he saw the pain cloud her face as her lips formed the words. There was nothing that could have prepared him for the blow or shielded him from the sudden vertigo.

Before he could say anything, their name was announced. They automatically turned on their public personalities and took to the stage. They had made an obligation and the tempest that was their personal life didn’t matter right now.

He replayed what she said again and again in his head. She was following him, he picked up his pace. He didn’t want to be anywhere near her right now.

“I love you, I love you and I’m sorry”

He heard her say right before he entered the noisy dressing room and banged the door shut in her face.

A Thousand Years

Original song by Christina Perri. I wanted to cover it since yesterday night. Why wait? 🙂

The Connection

Why are some people more important than others? Taking family out of the equation, I think it is a very weird phenomenon the way we connect to some people and simply cannot with others no matter how hard we try. I have friends who have been there for ages now, but i’m not really in touch with them. Still if I meet them it would be like we never stopped talking. There is another friend that I have who I just met 3 months ago and have gotten so close to that i’m sure we will  be in touch for a very long time, if not for life. There are people who I met and studied with, they were fun to hang out with but that’s that. And then there is a relationship that I have with this one friend, which I cannot explain. We both know we can do anything for each other, we care just a tad too much about each other and we fight like arch enemies. After one great fight which lasted for 3 years during which we hardly ever communicated, it finally got over. I thought I had lost her forever but in my heart I knew that this can’t be it. This weird relationship I have no name for. I don’t know if anyone else has it with any one else.

If i have to say I will say from all my heart that she is the most important friend to me. I don’t have a reason to say it, but that’s how I feel. So some may argue that the importance of people in life depends on the affect they have on you, how much their presence matters. She was completely absent for these many years and yet the importance did not diminish. Some say it depends on how much they care for you and your feelings. I was hurt by her words and she by mine, there was no communication to resolve it too.

I can say is that both of us have strong minds and strong wills. We are complete opposites of each other but so alike that it gets scary. Even after all the years apart when we finally talked it was like our minds were working at the same speed. We call it our ESP and I don’t share it with anyone else. I cannot explain this etherial connection that I have with her, a connection that cannot be severed no matter how hard either of us try, if we try.

So all I can say is I know why I care about (or don’t care about) everyone I have in my life, but this one friend of mine, who I have so many memories with that it is hard to even remember and who I have had more fights with any one else stands out like a beacon of light. All I know is that if I need someone to take care of me, she will do it without a whimper and if I do something wrong she will smack me on the back of my head without a thought. I can’t imagine my life without her and even if I never talk to her or I make very very good friends, I know she will still be my one and only Best Friend.