Spinal Tumor it is...

since long {aug 2009 to be precise} i was bugged by this bad backache...MRIs, X-Rays, blood tests revealed little. On Saturday, as i returned from my vacation, i learned that my dorsal spine is affected by a smal tumor...

As a child i liked heroes getting brain tumors and all..it seemed so cool...P.S i love you's Gerry....that was also cool...{I am not dying ;) ... mine is not so serious and is detected at a very early stage}..but i dont like the medicines...and the restrictions imposed on me....

medicines are damn heavy and make me sloppy whole day...it's heard to listen to people..i hear the chatter all the time but don't get what they re saying...i feel medicines are working...not experiencing the pain and stiffness in my back....

and yes am still working on Booth's WL...and my book :) ...

Resume Building

An impressive resume is important part of your application and also serves you well during job search. I have been involved in recruitment for a long time now and based upon some experience, advice from MBA students and other experts i have following points to share:

1. Attention of reader is inversely proportional to length of your resume -- don't prepare 3-4 page resumes highlighting all the projects that you have done in your job. Limit your resume to 1 page. At the max go for 2 pages {though not recommended}. Curb the desire to put everything on your resume, a crisp resume highlighting key projects and accomplishments is much better. Whenever i encounter a 4 page resume i start yawning as soon as i go thru the 1st page

2. Result Driven -- back up your claims with numbers and results. e.g:
I led a team on project to optimize the marketing campaign for insurance group
I led a team of analysts to optimize the marketing channels for insurance group, saving $XX Mn and increasing the response rate by 2%age points
It is important to show that you are a result oriented person

3. Get it reviewed by someone who knows nothing about your industry

4. Get it reviewed by someone who is an expert in your industry/ target industry

5. Below mentioned site is great for making cosmetic changes to your resume:

http://www.lifeclever.com/give-your-resume-a-face-lift/ {believe me this site has some really good tips..}

6. Kill the urge to review your resume 10000 times...and the urge to put everything that you have ever done in your life...always keep the target audience in mind...

vacation time.... :)

Essay Consulting - Admit1

During the app process i found people who straightaway quashed the essay consultants and then there were others who had great words to say about them. There are people who are better at soul searching, structuring their thoughts and writing precisely. Unfortunately, i am not the best of the thinkers and nor the prolific of the writers.

Squandering aimlessly after 2 dings and 1 WL, i saw Yael Redelman's blog. She is an experienced admissions consultant from NYU's MBA Admissions as well as a graduate of the NYU MBA full-time program. She has experience in Investment banking and hi-tech fields. And, she specializes in customized and personal admissions consulting for top MBA programs.

During my interaction with her i found her to be very friendly and helpful. If i am applying to b-schools during 2011, i will seek her help. for others who are applying during R3 or during fall of 2011 iwould suggest that you give Admit1 a thought. You can go to Yael's blog:
http://admit1mba.blogspot.com/2011/02/are-you-strong-enough-for-insead-and.html

For free assessment of your profile you can always mail her {her mail id is there on her blog}.

p.s: i do not have any personal interest in Admit1 and the views expressed here are my own..

Ijaazat - Review

The song - 'mera kuch saman' is enigmatic and i could not stop listening to it. Driven by the soulful music and ultra realistic yet dreamy lyrics, i played this song many times over on my i-pod. As i dug deeper, i found that the song belongs to Gulzar's movie called 'Ijaazat'. Once i checked the star cast, it took me no time to purchase the VCD and watch the movie.

Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha and Anuradha Patel are in the lead roles. Naseer and Rekha are impressive as always. Anuradha Patel has carried off sensuality and innocence with panache. I will get back to characters in detail but let me take a detour and address the plot.

The plot is very simple yet complex - Paradox -- but then its Gulzar :). The story is all about circumstances and misconceptions. Circumstances take toll of Naseer's love life and misconceptions kill his marriage. I won't reveal the plot else you might loose interest. All i can say is that Gulzar has nicely woven the tale and actors have beautifully exhibited the emotional turbulence felt by the characters.

I wanted to kick Naseer's character for not taking a firm stand and in the next 15 minutes i would be cursing his circumstances for spoiling his life. In the end all i could feel for the hero was 'Sympathy'. Rekha's character too is confusing and she has done justice to it. The pick of the actors was Anuradha Patel -- she has looked gorgeous. At times you feel she needs a psychiatrist and then you feel she needs love. And when you look at the bigger picture you curse her circumstances.

RD Burman's music is melodious and Gulzar has penned one of his best works. 'mera kuch saman', 'katra katra', 'khali hath sham ayi', 'chhoti si kahani'' -- every song is a master piece and is even more engaging in the context of story.

Ijaazat will bring out the philosopher in you and will create a feeling of discomfort. It's a kind of movie that you will want to watch again but would like to forget the plot before watching again..it's a kind of movie that would be hard to explain to others..but you will for sure recommend it to others... In nutshell, go for it...you won't regret...