Carpe diem?! Sod it!

A Sunday morning in March
I am half awake inside by double duvet.
I know what I'll see when I open my eyes
A heap of unwashed clothes that may start smelling anytime
just behind the door.
Two laptops, both switched on;
One has on a pornographic story that failed to excite
and the other has the reason why it didn't:
the unfathomable finance problem that only Lance Moir can solve.
Accumulated wisdom on People Management, Supply Chain, Macroeconomics,
Strategy, IT management and Business Law
spread out all over the place as sheets of paper. All mixed up.
I'll have play hopscotch all the way to the loo!
I open my eyes. I can see why it feels colder than usual.
It has been snowing.
I turn around curl myself into a ball,
hugging the pillow tighter than before.
Boy! Bachelorhood sucks!

Ennum Ezhuththum Kannena-ththagum

It has been a fascinating two years of reflection and learning leading to better self-awareness and confidence, and I have enjoyed every moment of it. There were some highs this last year and very few lows. As always, I think, I have learnt more from the lows.

Being back at school doing something as formidable as a full-time MBA has meant that I have had to tackle my personal demons. The biggest of them - my faith in my own numerical skills. I passed my school final with 98% marks in math and didn't do too badly in my GMAT either; but in a class of 115 people - most of them engineers from premier institutions in their respective countries - I was one of the few who hadn't had to use anything more complicated than fingers and toes to do our most complex calculations at work. So, accounting and finance were, naturally, quite intimidating. I can't say I have conquered them - but I can last all 12 rounds in the ring with these demons and hope for a tie, and that's all that matters to me.

As far the written (and spoken) word, I must say, I have been much luckier. I have often been appreciated (by mates and teachers alike) for my approach to issues under discussion. As I see it, my approach to writing has always been the same - convey logic in an interesting way. But, isn't that what math too is all about? I wonder. Anyway, the trick is to play to your strengths and manage your weaknesses at the same time. I am happy I am mastering this trick.

(Interestingly, Auvvai and Valluvar both used the analogy of eyesight to stress the importance of the written word and number-skills more than 2000 years ago. Tamil never fails to surprise.)

Hasta Luego!