Following your personal legend
Saturday, October 24, 2009

Has it ever happened to you that you hear about something quite often that you think you already know about this "something"? Has it happened to you that you have already an image built about this "something" that you think you know it very well? It happens to me and one such thing I realized recently is about the book "The Alchemist"...

I have heard about the book, noticed being marked favorite by many friends, foes and strangers and yet I haven't actually read the book myself....until now that is. One of my friend finished this book recently and recommended me highly. As it could happen with things familiar to me, I gave it a half-thought and said yea, I know it. It didn't take much this time to dawn on me that I actually haven't read this book that everyone is so excited about. But this time, even before I realized, bingo, I purchased the book with "One click" on Amazon. This "one click" on Amazon was quite useful, because it charged my credit card before I changed my mind. Now getting back to the book, Yes, I actually did buy the book and completed in one night.

"The Alchemist" is all about the boy Santiago following is heart, called the Personal legend. The book takes us from Andalusia to the deserts of the Pyramid and back to where it all started. The book is amazing, motivating, thrilling and excellent. I would rate this book highly and place it among my other top-favorite "Who Moved my Cheese". These two books can just beat any 'self-help' books available in the market. These authors pick up a story, relate to a morale and they persist until the goal is reached.

Basically every one of us has to understand, first, that we all have a personal-calling. Well, as important as realizing that fact is also the truth that you should have the courage and perseverance to follow that personal-calling. Either one of them, doesn't finish the deal, and it is the package that brings us to the consummation. Now, I officially highly recommend "The Alchemist"

Posted byPraveen J at 4:59 PM 0 comments  

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a man has gota do what he has gota do
Thursday, February 19, 2009

I stumbled upon an interesting opinion on Barack Obama, the celebrity American president who rode the hope wave successfully and landed in the white-house with quite a comfort. The concentrate of the juicy discussion is, Barack Obama can be worse than George Bush if the first indications are any proof of his presidency. You can read a brief interview here

Reading this news, I wondered how on earth something like this could be said about a man who just months before has been celebrated as America's hope and world's saviour and a man who drew crowds as much as only a Pop star can do from LA to Berlin. I concluded that no one on earth can become and remain popular forever, even if its Barack. George Bush opened up war on several fronts and no matter what the world says, One has to carry out this war for a successful finish. Even though everyone is well aware a successful ending for a violence is never possible and its always an interim truce until it starts all over again. Even the most successful wars ends only in dialogue. Having said that, there is a lesson for just about everyone. One has got to believe in something and that could be karma, destiny or whatever you wana call it. But believing in something and sticking to the belief no matter what the world says about you, good or bad, savior or destroyer, the belief that you are up to something that you believe is good for you and the people around you is the only thing that would carry oneself in good and equally bad times. As far as Obama, in the end, the man, has got to do what he has got to do.

Posted byPraveen J at 10:18 AM 0 comments  

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Collection of great links!!!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Hey folks,

Off late I have been collecting some valuable links on topics ranging from Environment and sustainability to Strategic issues. I have added them in the "Lists" section of this blog on the RHS. There are also hidden news sites like "Boloji" that are presenting objective discussions about news emanating from India. I found them interesting, thought provoking and just valuable enough to keep following. I am damn sure that you guys following this blog would also find it interesting. Take a look and let me know your feedback on those sites. I intend to add more valuable sites as I find them. If you have any good and interesting book markings, please feel free to leave a comment and I will add it to the list.

Hope to hear from you guys!

Posted byPraveen J at 10:43 AM 0 comments  

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Blogging
Sunday, June 29, 2008

Blogging can be time consuming and very demanding, especially if you were to have a good fan following. For small fishes in the big pond of blogging, it serves a dual purpose. First, to put the random thoughts in perspective and second, to stay in touch with friends. Blogging improves my writing skills and helps me make concise, clear and correct sentences. Like any skill, blogging is perfected by practice. Its also a forum to immediately express your learned skills and to archive the path treaded.

Blogging can be a great source for learning too. There is so much amount of knowledge sharing going on. Would be managers, technical specialists and MBAs, all are sharing and sharing big time. Sometimes it makes me feel, its just too much out there. The challenge is to filter out all the relevant information (hei, a great idea) and to get just what one want and how one wants.

Blogging is a great forum to display creativity. Todays web2.0 is all about user generated content. Its an opportunity for many and lost business case for few. For all the people on earth whose creativity never had a forum to display, Blogging is the golden gate and the worlds biggest stage. The whole wide world is there to see and appreciate. On the other hand, content makers ought to rescript their business plan to adapt to the changing world order. What surprises me and is exciting to live in this changing times is, the fast pace of this change.

Posted byPraveen J at 7:18 AM 1 comments  

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What a Semis it was!!!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Today was a very good day. We got feedback from the customer and some were positive ones. But come on now! As soon as the meeting was finished, it was planning time for the Semis. Our customer was erecting a huge screen at the company and so were all the pervasive beer gardens in Deutschland. Its all about killing the time and waiting for the clock to tick 20:45 in Basel, Switzerland. And it did, but sadly neither a minute early nor a minute late.

Mannnn....What a game it was. The Turks hit the first goal. The German fans turned quiet in the other German speaking nation. Then the Germans equalled 1:1 and its the turn of the turks to start biting their nails. Then, it was time for Germans to take the lead, when only 7 minutes were left. The Turkish fans were prepared to take the defeat, but what the heck, Turkey equalled 2:2. Everyone was back in the game. The stadium roared again. The German chancellor was on her toes, so was all the more famous Franz Beckenbauer, the erstwhile German footballer. Its a game and its twists and turns are the drugs that push you high. You do not know why you shout, and you wouldnt realize tears are rolling down your eyes. Yet, you are happy and thank god your brain doesn't remember the last night fight with your girl friend. Yes, before I forget, let me tell you the whole story. It was just a minute to go, the Germans hit their third goal and then there were 4 minutes extra time. But then, since the winning team starts playing the "time wasting" game, extra time almost never works. After so many years, Germans are going to the finals in Vienna. Nowww, it was time for the normally quiet German cars to honk their horns, non-stop. At least till the midnight stroke and wake the other folks hoch. (hoch- high)

It was a real game! If you had not watched it.........mannnnnnnn, nothing changes, you can watch it later :)

Posted byPraveen J at 10:44 PM 0 comments  

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Itz Football time!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008

I have a love hate relationship with football. Living in Germany and that too in Munich, doesn't matter who plays, one can never miss the unrelenting celebrations in Leopold Strasse. Coming from India I have been always forced to grudgingly defend cricket and the boys in blue. I liked Cricket, but that was long long time ago. The narrow roads and grassy gardens were the grounds that I hit a six and proudly looked at the girl across the street. Those are times long gone. These are times, I see cricket as a business. Hitting a six and winning a holiday is todays game. No one plays the game for the games sake and its the money stupid. Its a known pity that games like hockey wouldn't even qualify for the olympics that we once won. Yet, living in the heart of Europe does make me enjoy the football and Germany being my second home, I naturally like to woo for the Germans and boo for everyone else. Tomorrow is a big day, well not the biggest day yet. But, you can't miss it. Our project closure dinner party is cancelled because our customer would like to make themselves busy with a beer mass and the football semis on screen. Munich based Bayerische Motor Werkraft, in other words BMW, has stopped its production for tomorrow, so did the Stuttgart based Daimler Chrysler, I heard.

Tomorrow, its gona be interesting, exhilarating and amazing. No matter who wins, celebrations on the streets are a sure thing. Its because Germans are playing against the Turks, who incidentally count to 2.5 million out of around 82 million populated Germany. I have got my fingers crossed and probably am myself heading to Germanys most famous Beer garden and would watch the BIG match on the big screen.

Posted byPraveen J at 11:05 PM 0 comments  

People are the most important asset!
Saturday, May 31, 2008

"People are the most important asset" is a cliche to anyone exposed to the corporate language. IT companies, Manufacturing behemoths and small businesses invariably agree on the importance of people to their organisation's success. But the truth is, very few companies internalise the "people"s importance" in their corporate culture. Very few organizations have a people face. Though people taking a back seat in a world that is shaped by the "survival of the fittest" theory is reality's truth, that does not in anyway lay less importance on the people who eventually make the company succeed. Still, giving importance to people cannot in any way discount the factor that firing people is one of the most important steps in running a lean organization. At the same, it is also important for the companies to understand that people leaving cannot always be a one way process in which only the company can fire and people should always have the maturity to understand. The companies also has an obligation to understand that that the talent can go any time voluntarily and the company itself should have the maturity to appreciate talent when they leave and welcome them back when they are willing to bring back their experience. This kind of mutual understanding can only be prevelant in very open organizations. And, the organizations that has internalised this understanding as part of its culture are on the right road to success.

Posted byPraveen J at 10:42 AM 1 comments  

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