I am excited to announce that I have been accepted for the Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA) program at the Anderson School of Business at UCLA. I will start attending classes this fall.
Although now just a blur, the last few weeks have been the most hectic of my life. The strong academic reputation and ranking of the program attracts a lot of applications and henceΒ it commands a high GMAT (around 700) along with a strong application. When I got the go ahead for the MBA from work shortly before I returned from India in April I had 5 weeks to the application deadline. Ideally 6 months are required to write four essays, prepare for and score well on the GMAT, get two recommendations and complete the entire application.
I knew I had my work cut out but nothing could have prepared me for what was about to come. Writing introspective essays is tough as it is without the additional pressure of meeting a very short deadline. GMAT requires huge amount of unwavering concentration which I found was impossible because of the jet lag. Add to it a 8 month old baby and a full time job and the situation seemed to be a lost cause.
With just three weeks remaining I confessed to S that I did not believe that I would make the deadline. But although I was ready to give up, she was not. She promptly volunteered to run the entire household by herself. I found hot food on the table at dinner time, freshly laundered clothes in the closet, Nanu Coder was taken care of and the house was kept immaculately clean. She abstracted away all non essential work so that I could concentrate solely on application. She worked harder than me and at times it seemed that the MBA meant more to her than me.
On 26th of May after spending most of my waking hours on the application I finally clicked the submit button. Then began the hourly exercise of checking the application website and my email inbox for admission decision. Fortunately the suspense did not last long and on the 3rd of June Dylan Stafford (the admissions director) called with the good news.
I know that the hurdle Iβve crossed is only the first one and itβs only going to lead to bigger and more difficult ones, but I feel relieved and cannot wait to get started.
Tagged as:
LCannouncements,
mba,
S
I have yet to watch this DVD I got as a gift from my brother over 2 years ago. It does not help that I do not have a DVD player. I am the only one I know who doesn’t have one.
This is day 4 of the 7 day Project 7 challenege
Tagged as:
Project7
These were made by S two summers back when she took a pottery class. I love how talented she is. I’ve wanted to photograph them for a while now but I didn’t have a lens that could do justice to them.
Tagged as:
Project7
Today, Syracuse beat Villanova in front of a record crowd of 34,616. I wish I could have been there. When the crowd gets involved the Carrier Dome can be a once in a lifetime experience.
Although it’s been 6 years since I graduated from SU, I still remember the thrill of watching Carmelo in the Carrier dome, as Syracuse won it all in 2003.
Tagged as:
Project7
I miss S and NanuCoder very much, since they’ve gone to India for a vacation. The house seems cold and deserted without them. Every small thing around the house reminds me of them.
This is the Wilshire skyline as seen from my bedroom. Even the sun decided to skip us this morning.
This photo is part of the Project 7 challenge.
Tagged as:
Project7
Project 365 is in a challenge where a photographer is in a challenge with himself to click, process, upload and write about one photo everyday for a year. Itβs a daunting task because,
- It takes discipline to carry your camera around everywhere.
- It takes discipline to commit your time and stick to this challenge.
- It forces you to learn the tools required for post processing. (I use Adobe Lightroom).
- It forces you to develop the post processing workflow that works for you.
- It forces you to leave your comfort zone and learn new techniques.
- It forces you to be creative, or your photos look repetitive, bland and boring.
Iβm planning on taking a βslightlyβ shorter version and do it for 7 days (Project 7). I hope to use my Canon T1i and my new Canon EF Lens – 50 mm – F/1.8 lens. If successful Iβll try to keep going asΒ long as I can. Stay tuned.
Tagged as:
Project7
Last month I turned 30 celebrated my 30th birthday. Unlike the last few years, the presence of Nanu Coder and my mom made it special. S thought it would be fitting (and fun) to usher in what is supposed to be the best decade of my life, by celebrating the arrival kiddie style. She organized a party where the menu read: pav bhaji, wafers, ice cream cake and Pepsi. Decorations included βHappy Birthdayβ captioned balloons, and the entertainment included yours truly receiving birthday bumps. It really cannot get any more retro than this for an Indian who was a kid in the 80βs.
Tagged as:
Life,
S
This blog has been dormant for a while now. And no itβs not because of Nanu Coder. Iβve been flat out busy at work, even working weekends. With the little free time I get, I try to create a semblance of normalcy in my family life. However we are near the crescendo of work associated with the product release and things should quiet down after that.
I leave with a photo of Nanu Coder taken a few minutes after he was born.
Tagged as:
LCannouncements,
NanuCoder
Nanu Coder loves it when I hold him in my arms and walk around. If he is crying he immediately stops. I guess it comforts him and makes him feel safe. But the moment I sit down he starts getting restless. And if I donβt get up and start walking immediately he starts crying. No amount of me rocking him or swinging him with my arms helps. Amazingly as soon as I start walking again, heβs happy again. How does he know that I am sitting? I mean this new born, who doesnβt know that he has arms or legs, knows that I am not walking? How? How does he know?
Tagged as:
NanuCoder
After the initial announcement of the expectation of a new addition to our team at Lukkha Coder, we are pleased welcome Nanu Coder. Although happy to be part of the team, his start date was delayed by 7 days. The delay was capped by a tough 36 hour negotiation process, which left S, who handled the negotiations, extremely exhausted. Although still recovering, she is delighted that Nanu Coder resembles her in more ways than he resembles me.
Day 1
Day 4
Accomplishments so far:
- 7 pounds 14 ounches
- 21 inches long. Promptly went to 20.5 inches in a few days. Yes he became shorter. This happened when his cone head lost the cone.
- Resisted attempts to induce labor for more than 24 hours.
- Saw the light of the world after a c-section.
- Made mommy wait for 7 days past due.
Tagged as:
LCannouncements,
NanuCoder,
S
