A few good men indeed

Watched an all time classic - A Few Good Men yesterday. It never fails to inspire me and drive home a point that a culture, a group, a society, or a team can be so tight that they follow a code, which though hurting, is acceptable. It's about wearing a patch in your arm to claim a piece of honor.

Startups are constantly faced with this struggle of finding the right people who can commit themselves to a proposition that can hurt sometimes. It's not easy fighting - but I guess its this fact that motivates a young team. I've been fortunate enough to work with so many different people, and at every stage I've seen and experienced a different level of this pride. The fact that not everyone can do it is pretty 'bookish'. And it goes against the very instinctive need to be comfortable, safe, and loved.

But as Mr. Godin says - if you really gotta cross the dip, get out of your comfort zone. Cause that's where the cherries grow.

Keepers

They say when you get cancer - everyone around you gets it as well. Adapted from a novel by Jodi Picoult, the story revolves around a 13 yr old, her siblings, her parents, and her cancer.

A struggle with the concept of the inevitable death, the ever-lingering 'hope for a miracle', and the ability to be bigger than yourself is what this is all about. It's tough to stick up for yourself in this bad world. It's tougher to stick up for someone else than yourself.

Not only is the story very mature, everyone part of the screenplay have pushed the boundaries of creativity.

An absolute must for people who can appreciate there exists entertainment beyond shakrukh's wide arm raises and sallu's chiseled physique. Truly a wonderful experience.

Why a loss brings perspective

One of the most admirable things about death is that it teaches you the value of life. It's just a matter of time before everyone you love will go - it's advisable you spend time and do what you always wanted to do with them NOW - don't wait.

You'll never be able to live with the guilt that you missed saying those precious words.

Vikas n Sunil (Part II)

Sorry for the sudden break in the story. Here's the continuation of Vikas and Sunil's love affair. Grounded - but love affair none the least.

2 weeks have gone by since Vikas left a copy of his 67 slides. Heck - he even left the flash drive on the table.

He's called Sunil's office 8 times in the last 4 days. His 4 row excel sheet tells him that. Crapucash is right on the top - marked in green. the other 3 VC firms dont' seem to be interested. Its obvious Crapucash is closest to a sale. Vikas' dream of a 4 wheeler just jumped about 600 cc of engine power. What was earlier a Swift or a i20 has now gone to a City or even a Skoda - if he gets his valuations.

Today Vikas is determined to get Sunil on the phone. He calls up Sunil's office.

A pretty voice - 'Crapucash how may i help'
Vikas - ah..umm... this is Vikas. Is Sunil there.

Voice - Are you looking for Sunil Kapoor ?
Vikas - hmm

Voice - I'm sorry - he's left for the day
Vikas - its 10 am. What time he came into office - 4 am?

Voice - I'm sorry - can i take a message
Vikas - ah...umm...sigh...its ok

Voice - thank you
Vikas - grump...

.....click.....

Vikas slumped in his chair. He's not sure why Sunil isn't interested. He was so excited the other day. Little does Vikas know Sunil was excited cause he was meeting a hot blond who happened to be in Mumbai that day - he was just hoping to catch some action.

Today is the 19th day since Sunil met Vikas. Vikas is beginning to get insecure. He's not sure if this is going to go through. There are no customers. The fund tank is almost dry. And his 2 engineer buddies have already got 2 job offers each. Tough tough tough.

Sunil picks up the Economic times on his way to office. Its like a routine. The headline catches his attention.

'Crapucash invests USD 300 million in Infoclit - a IT infrastructure management company'

Vikas is crushed. He's not sure if the papers got it right. Sunil told him they had no money. 300 M is quite a contrast.

As Vikas races to his office - he dials Sunil's office from his phone. His phone's screen is cracked. So he has to look at the number against the sun. The pretty voice takes the call and informs him that Sunil is busy with an interview. She tells him the she will give him the message.

Vikas sits in his chair staring at 2 computer screens when the phone rings. Its Sunil on the other line.

Sunil - Hey Vikas
Vikas - Hey Sunil. How are you doing?

Sunil - good good. You heard about our investment? We have been waiting for such an opportunity to come by for ages !
Vikas - really ? What returns are you expecting over the next 5 years?
Sunil - Man - Infoclit is huge and they're gonna be bigger. We're looking at a 5-7% annual growth on this asset over the next 5 years.

Vikas - so that means the USD300 M should be about 380M or at most 400M in 5 years.
Sunil - yeah - that's a certainty

Vikas - my business proposition could have taken USD 200 to at least USD 1M in a year.
Sunil - Really?

Vikas - yeah. our solution is a perfect fit for Cisco's XION series A hotspots. Its a direct fit.
Sunil - hmmm. You wanna talk about it?

Vikas - ok. When is a good time for you - i can come down to meet with you.

Sunil - Sure. Let me check my calendar. Do one thing. Talk to suzanne and setup a meeting sometime next week. I'm sure we can do something together. Incidentally - also get along a nice presentation - something that I can refer to later and talk to my colleagues about it.

Vikas didn't quite get it. But quickly the dots joined. He could bet Sunil didn't even know who he was or what the hell he was talking about. Just 19 days back Sunil had witnessed a 67 deck presentation about how Vikas had struck gold with an opportunity.

Entrepreneur Vs. VC - mock discussion

Our fella Vikas has a brilliant new idea. So much so that he feels he's gonna make a kill out of it. He's got time with Sunil - head of Crapucash Partners - a VC firm that's been setup to explore 'new opportunities' from India.

Brief on the 2 individuals:

Sunil - IIT, IIM, ICBS, QST, LMN and XYZ. He's 30 and believes he's been there and done that. Twice. His Rolex keeps him on top of his schedule and his iPhone ensures he can update people with his whereabouts in the world. Travel is status for him.

Sunil was with this up and coming investment bank in New York where he was staring at 4 X 30 in screens for 12 hours a day and being paid super well for it. Crapucash partners was formed when his company was 'sold off' for an unspecified amount to GS. With a 0.03% holding - he and his 3 other friends pooled in cash and returned to India with about USD 1 M in their bank accounts. However, because he has the telephone numbers of 300 wealthy folks on the west coast, crapucash partners claims to have a fund size of USD 5 Billion !!

Vikas is a young and energetic geek who's figured out a way of level 5 wifi security through a 5MB patch on any hardware. Enough said.

Let's go straight to the conference room scene where Vikas is about to meet Sunil for the first time.

- - - -

Vikas is entering the conference room and his heart is pounding. He's spent the last 6 months making a presentation in powerpoint that will make Crapucash give him all their money. He's confident but anxious. Time to go...

Vikas: Good morning Sunil sir

Sunil: Good morning Vikas - call me Sunil. In fact in Californeeeya - they kawled me Sun ! Snort snort..sniff sniff

Vikas: ?? (the look is not a look of question - its the look of awe. Vikas just saw the rolex. )

Sunil: So tell me Vikas - what's your idea

Vikas: I have a presentation sir. I mean sunil - i mean Sun - sorry Sunil.

Sunil: Chill man. You seem nervous.

(Vikas just cusses Sunil beneath his breath - of course i'm nervous. Your rolex will pay off my rent for the next 2 years)

Vikas starts his presentation. Sunil is impressed at the speed at which Vikas punched in his username and password. The desktop looks awesome. It's got a nice clean look. Sunil has never seen such a desktop before.

Sunil - man your desktop is nice. What are you using? Does Windows 2007 ship with this theme?

Vikas - Its Linux.

Sunil cringes. Linux ... yuck !

Vikas starts his 67 slider presentation. tick tock...

3 hours have gone by. We're on slide 49.

Sunil: Vikas - this is interesting. But you know we've pretty much maxed out our investments for the year.

Vikas: English please.

Sunil: What i mean is that we have no money to invest.

Vikas: But I dont need much. All i need is INR 80 Lacs. Its all i need to start off my plan.

Sunil: F$(# ! Your investment size is only 80 L? That's like USd 200K. Why didn't you tell me this earlier?

Vikas: I thought i'll tell you about my product and its earning potential. I thought you'll be very excited that my product has a USD 2 Billion market. And we can start off with just USD 200K.

Sunil: Look Vikas. I've been in this for a looooooooong time. And i can tell you that USD 200K will get you nowhere. You need to think big.

Vikas: But you haven't yet heard of my financials.

Sunil: No no - that's not the point. You see - one of the first things they teach you at ...

Suddenly Sunil's phone rings. It's got his child's laughter as the ringtone. Sunil takes the call and steps towards the window with his one finger pointing the sky. Vikas looks on in amazement.

Sunil: ahan... hmm.... ok..ok....cool.... sure... ok ...catchya later man...

Vikas is thinking what can get him to do such cool things.

Sunil: Vikas - i'll tell you what. Leave a copy of your presentation with me. I'd like to spend sometime with it. I think this could be interesting.

Vikas: ok great. (vikas can't contain his excitement. If this goes through - he'll be able to buy a new car)

Sunil: Listen - i gotta rush. Am meeting an old friend for lunch.

Vikas: Sure - thanks for your time.

Sunil: No problem.

Sunil gives a broad smile, takes out his iPhone and quickly dials a number while he exits the conference room. Vikas starts packing his laptop. He is proud and happy. Sunil must have loved the product. Otherwise he wouldn't ask for the presentation.

Vikas believes he's struck gold - at last !

Taking photography seriously

Just got myself a new toy - a shiny DSLR from Canon. For the ones who aren't familiar with DSLRs - they are just regular cameras - yeah like the ones our grandparents had ! The only difference is they have some fancy electronics, maybe an LCD screen and far far better optics.

So i'm now experimenting with friends like ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, and learning the art of light management. You can follow my photostream to stay updated with what i'm upto !

Alternative to Chrome

Have just moved to Chrome and was trying to figure out an alternative to ScribeFire. BlogThis was supposed to do the trick - but it wasn't working.

Figured out that it does not work on HTTPS pages !! Har Har... !

CGPA Teaching

Teach for India is looking for applications. They want people to contribute and commit to socially equipping India's illiterate population. Sounds impressive...

So i merrily plod along and visit their website to see if I could contribute weekends. I check out the application form and guess what - there are pages (multiple of em) asking for your school and college CGPA. Now i've never been a scorer in school n college but i'm thinking to myself - I've just been made to realize that without good scores I cannot contribute (its a story we're all too familiar with - and with 3 Idiots on the screens - you've definitely been touched by it)

Though the venture is spectacular - they fail at exactly the same place where many examiners have failed - testing the caliber and exploiting it. CGPA is soooooo wrong a way of measuring potential.

Sure India is a big country and selection by elimination comes naturally - but even so, there is no excuse for building a social impact without all spokes of the wheel. You could end up with 30 teachers who are all high scorers in school but none of them can teach children the devastating effects of alcohol abuse.

Part me thinks Teach for India wants academic geeks cause they don't want to 'risk' it. Betting on an academician is safer than betting on a non-academician. You should read the way people are discussing it on Facebook - its like they're all preparing for a job interview ! I mean we've missed the social aspect of completely or what !

Teach for India - if you are reading this - there's a reason you're missing out on the AWESOME applications. Good teachers are high on experience (life or otherwise) not high on academic scores. Start looking at the most unusual places - you'll find a wealth of willing minds who would like to contribute to this social cause. (Unless of course you're planning to start a school - just a regular school ! :) )

The BucketList

I'm a big fan of gentle, intelligent, and sophisticated humor. It's got nothing to do with any attitude - its just that I'm not very game for slapstick stuff.

(i've just realized my blog has turned into a movie review center !!)

What can two dying men say to each other on a hospital bed that will have you in splits !!

I'm not going to say anything on this one - a full 5 star movie.

Half Blood Prince

I'm not exactly a 'freak fan' of Mr. Potter - but i am a big fan of the sheer marketing that's gone into the making of perhaps one of the biggest phenomenons on the big screen in recent times. Let's not get into how they did that - it's beyond the scope of a blog post !

However, this is just a quick review of the latest - HBP a.k.a - Half Blood Prince. My personal opinion on the movie - trash ! I think that's cause the book isn't that mysterious. Except a major incident towards the end of the movie - there isn't anything else that keeps you gripped. And that's most unlike Mr. Potter. Perhaps i was expecting too much.

Other flicks to watch out for -

Transformers 2. Only if you're a fan of fiction to an extent that robots can 'transform' into your cigarette lighter. I am very skeptical of cars these days - god knows when one of em might just transform into a 100 ft. tall monster and start firing rockets at me !

Whatever happened to good 'ol cinema ! Or is it me whos getting older!

Chinese Secrets

A large section of people i know enjoy the 'Chinese' cuisine. They really relish the menu - right from spicy wantonese soups to those soft garlic noodles !

I've been experimenting with Chinese cuisine for over 2 years now. I cannot say i've perfected it but i have definitely picked up critical 'tricks' that should help the novice to medium cook who wants to stir up some 'slick' chinese menu.

TRICK #1
Always ... i mean ALWAYS use chicken stock. Sorry veggie peoples - but Chinese aren't exactly vegetarian ! use it for noodles also !

TRICK #2
Never hoard your wok. What this means is that always make servings of upto 2 people at the most. Your wok should be about 35-40% full when all the ingredients go in. ensure the wok isn't overflowing.

TRICK #3
Chop your veggies REAL FINE. And i mean - as fine as you can. Use a sharp knife. Especially hard to cook veggies like cabbage, onions, and carrots. (or leafy veggies)

TRICK #4
Use a WOK - yes. For my Indian readers - a 'kadhai' will not substitute. The wok is made out of a thinner sheet of aluminum - so it heats real fast and retains the heat longer. Unless you are making stew - chinese cuisine demands less time on stove.

TRICK #5
Don't throw in the Garlic when the oil is hot - it just burns the garlic. Especially in a wok. Ideally throw in something like Onions first. Burnt garlic takes the kick away from super noodles.

TRICK #6
Tips for boiling noodles:
- Put the noodles in the water ONLY when it starts boiling
- Keep the noodles just slightly undercooked - take em out and wash them with cold water
- If you can - boil the noodles in Chicken stock with some spices (like cloves, garlic, bay leaf, and salt)
- Post washing, dab the Noodles with little bit of olive oil and shake it well. The Noodles will retain their moisture.
- Timing is critical. The noodles should be ready just when they need to go into the Wok. Basically - they shouldn't be sitting on the kitchen slab !

I've been picking up some very interesting recipes from Sanjeev Kapoor's book. I generally make his recipie and then improvise every time. Sometimes i've hit rock bottom - but the trick with Chinese is to keep it simple and fast.

All the best and bon appétit !

Blame Twitter !

I never realized that its been over 2 months since i've posted ! Twitter is a really bad influence i must say. I guess 140 characters makes a deeper dent that 'freedom to write'.

Follow me on Twitter

Pardon the absence

I've not posted here for a long time now - have been bitten by the Twitter bug. You can follow me here.

Am compiling my thoughts on a MODERN DAY MAHABHARAT - bookmark this blog NOW - you dont want to miss this.

Harvey Milk - boy what a story !

i dont know what's it about such guys - are they great actors or great directors, or their technology is superior or WHAT !! God knows when a team at Bollywood can create something so remarkable as MILK.

Yes, yes ... i know. But you've only heard half the story when you know that its about Gay people in San Francisco. Sean Penn - the actor whos played Harvey Milk is outstanding.

The movie is so simple, so straight and so beautifully narrated. It's not as though there's a lot of camera work, or sexy dance routines. There's not even a heroine (per se) in this movie. It's a performance beyond measure.

However, a word of caution. Watch this movie only if you have an open mind and can appreciate art and talent at a level above Govinda. It's not going to make sense to you.

What an AD

I have been wanting to write a post about the new Limca ad featuring Sushma Reddy (who's looking very sweet for a change)

The AD is so beautiful and the jingle is just fantastic. it's a real treat to the ears.

Job very well done.

Mahabharat in today's times

Today was a very interesting episode on Mahabharat - Draupadi 's 'vastra - haran'. (No no - this isn't an enticing post !)

So i was wondering if Mahabharat happened in the present age and if this incident was to happen in the courts of a king ruling a present age 'Hastinapur'.

Duryodhan: Dushi (short for Dushasan)
Dushi: Yo bro ! What's up?

Duryodhan:  Go get that Draupadi here.
Dushi: Why the hell should i go - you go yourself ! Or else tell someone else to do it. I'm almost finishing off the tutitian castle in C on my P. (what he means is command and conquerer on his PSP)

Duryodhan: Common man, get off your ass and go !
Dushi: hmph !

Dushi (to Draupadi): Let's go man. Bro wants to see u in court.
Draupadi: Behave yourself - i'm your brother's wife
Dushi: Look - come fast cause i dont have my charger with me. I need to finish this game before we head back home. My PSP is almost out !
Draupadi: NO  - i'm not coming.

Dushi gets upset and catches hold of Draupadi's hair. He then drags the KUL WADHU right into the courts of the blind king Dhritarashtra. Of course, he's blind and with his iPod playing St. Anger, he can't really hear much of what's happened.

As draupadi enters the courts, the darbaris quickly scamper for a phone with a video camera - the humble makings of a fantastic MMS scandal.

Duryodhan: Take off her clothes Dushi !
Draupadi: Are you crazy - what's wrong with you?
Duryodhan: You called me a blind king's blind son didnt you - now i'll show you who's blind !

Dushi moves towards Draupadi.

Draupadi: Dushi wait. I'm wearing cheap undies. Let me go and change into Victoria catalogue's page 37. That'll be more appropriate. I am after all a KUL WADHU.

Dushi: Ok - but move fast. Bro will make ME take off my clothes if you make him wait too long. (dushi gets back into his game)

Draupadi returns in a hot slinky short pants.

Dushi: Cool man - nice outfit.
Duryodhan: Man - you're hot.
Yudhistir: Dude - that's my wife !
Duryodhan: F#@# you man - u're my daas now ! Dushi - go for it.

Dushi: ok brother. (Dushi realizes this can be more entertaining than the castle victory)

Dushi tugs at Draupadi's clothes. unfortunately they are too tight and dushi has to pull harder.

Duryodhan: pull u idiot ! Common ! U're in the gym 3 hours a day - what the hell do you do there !
Dushi: AAAARGH....Damn these clothes man - i cant get them off.

Draupadi: What the hell man. I'm getting a chance to show off my body, which is now below 7% body fat, and you guys cant even take my clothse off. Here - let me help you - MUSIC PLEASE!

Then draupadi proceeds to execute a well choreographed dance routine that involves powerful gyrations of the lower abdomen. Suddenly 30 other skimpily clad women appear in the background. The lights dim down and the music kicks in - ' Doob ja mere pyaar me ... move your body baby, move your body !'

This year's Emerging talent female goes to draupadi (who'se real name is 'precious'). She thanks the entire team at mahabharat and wants to specially thank the producer BE OUR CHOPRA for giving her the opportunity for such a challenging role.

Last i heard her prices have quadrupled.

Bangalore vs Pune

I dont mean to be condescending towards Pune - but Pune weather SUCKS !! Big time !

I'm in Bangalore right now - sitting at home without a fan ! Not only is this not possible in Pune, you really cannot even IMAGINE it if you're there right now. Pathetic !

What makes it worse is that Bangaloreans are calling this weather a heat wave ! ....sigh !

One of the reasons why Bangalore has such excellent weather is its fauna. The sheer number of trees in Bangalore is amazing !! You really dont realize it - but take a ride through town and the horizon will always be green - something i cannot say about Pune. Where the Horizon is increasingly becoming brown !!

What a refreshing Change !!!

I've been crying hoarse about the unorganized and absolutely neglected state of the so called excuse of a MUSIC INDUSTRY in India.

This was further aggravated by the below par production by Sony on the Indian Idol finale yesterday evening. I cant even begin to be disgusted ! All MTV and Channel V do is push Bollywood. IF YOU DONT SHOW THEM WHAT ALL LIES OUT THERE - HOW WILL THEY EVER KNOW PEOPLE !!

If you've sat through a finale of any of the 7 American Idol series, you'll know what i mean when i say 'Post Production'. 2nd week of LUCK BY CHANCE and the theaters were empty. People say - it's slow and boring ! Yeah cause there aren't half naken hotties gyrating their crotches into the camera !

In this appalling scene, its absolutely wonderful to see one of the pioneers of Metal in India - AGNI (now AGNEE), making an effort to present a bold and charasmatic face of Indian Rock. I know I know ... who pays for it when you can cheat and download for free.

But that's exactly the point. The tide must change. The MUSIC industry needs to stand up on its own feet and disassociate itself from BOLLYOOD. Else Anu Malik will continue to believe he's a super composer.

Imagine the sheer volume of opporunities this can generate. And history has proven time and again that breaking such shackles will only benefit. IPL - one of the best examples, is opening doors for young cricketers. Sports needs to evolve as an industry. 

Check out Agnee's new positioning on the web here.

Audacity of Hope

I was trying to think of how did he manage to swing a presidential vote towards him when the odds were stacked up against him right from the start. Here are a few very interesting points i noticed:

- Obama SOLD his story. He sold and sold and sold to every single American. The scale of direct sales was spectacular.

- He had a team of very smart political advisors who gave him the right advice at the right time. Though McCain and Clinton both tried to slew him, Obama's camp maintained a tight composure and ensured the 'purpose' was never lost. In fact in his head to head debate with McCain, Obama was surprisingly calm, collected and downright witty. McCain on the other hand was talking like a beauty pageant contestant.

- Obama leveraged his oration. He is an eexcellent speaker and he's learnt it the hard way.

- His color was a great standoff. Americans to a fair extent are sick of what's happening. This was a right time to 'Suggest' a change - a change in color, creed, policies and most importantly - an office administration. Had Clinton's camp run the 'CHANGE IS HERE' message, i'm fairly confident obama wouldn't have had such an easy run.

In the end, Obama's camp emerged victorious due to multiple factors. But the victory just goes on to prove that a well planned and alert campaign can generate far better results than a campaign built on previous successes.

Marley - the worlds worst dog !

Johnathan Grogan is smart - he made money from his dog !

But everything set aside, this is one helluva fantastic movie (the book is better) - IF AND ONLY IF you are a dog fantatic. Yes you read that right - not a dog lover, a Dog FANATIC. You need to be head over heels in love with your dog to really enjoy this movie. And i can assure you - you'll end up crying your ass off in the end !!

One of the fundamental things he's captured in the book is the 'life with a dog'. And that too a dog like Marley. Over the story, Marley continues to charm and there are instances when you'll be like - THIS IS JUST LIKE JULIUS (or whatever you named YOUR dog).

The experience in beautiful. If you are a dog fanatic, you MUST watch this movie. Watch it for your dogs sake - you'll start enjoying every second you have with him.

On another note, those of you who dont have dogs - this is just not going to hit home. You'll find it a sweet movie with an obnoxiously crazy pet. But you JUST CANNOT RELATE TO IT.

Sorry non dog lovers - this ones for the doggers only !