Buzan iMindmap

 

I have recently started using this software - and after the recent updates/ redesign done, I must say, this is terrific. Drawing Mindmap's on the computer is very close to the ones drawn on paper.  I rarely recommend a software, but this definitely is one of those for those who are keen to try mindmapping- and want to use a software to help them out.

This version has been developed ground up by Buzan himself along with the team- to ensure it adheres to the original vision and the rules of creating a mindmap.  Try it out. I am sure you will love it.

Here is the link - www.iMindMap.com

I am sure you will not be disappointed.

 

The future of India - Children of India

 

I was recently in an Event organized by SKOCH.  They had this bunch of school kids from Sangram in Arunachal Pradesh (north east India for those who are not sure :)) who came and gave a dance. To my surprise, they, then went to on make a small presentation to tell us about their village - and the hardships they face.  Despite the tremendous hardships, I was touched by their hopes for the future- and how they had high expectations of the future- and the country.   It also showed me just how little I know about the realities of rural India.  They opened my eyes to the challenges- and the sheer opportunity we have, as a country. 

Education is key- and there is significant opportunity for making an impact in that space.  Do think about what you an do in this space. Impacting even 1 child in some meaningful way, makes a huge difference to a bigger audience. 

And then I remembered  this video from Times of India. Truly touching.

 

It happens only in India :)

 

Whoever said only humans can have fun in the beaches of Goa? Nothing beats the early morning saunter on the beaches of Goa- even if it is the Cows & dogs :) They surely seem to having fun. 

Rules for Indian Roads

Partially taken from : Mohan Dadlani , Outlook Lounge

After driving around in Singapore for the last 10 years, taking to the roads in India was an exhilarating experience.  Singapore driving teaches you to follow rules, and over the years, I had forgotten just how much of an experience Indian driving is.  Sitting at the airport (as I am now), I came across this article which I just have to reproduce (with some minor variations- due apologies to the author Mohan). 

Excerpts from the article:

For the benefit of everyone daring to drive on the Indian roads, here are a few hints for survival. They are applicable to every place in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer.  Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best and leave the rest to your insurance company.  The hints are as follows:

1. Do we drive on the left or right of the road?  The answer is both. You start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess. (it could be in inches).

2. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed.  Adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality.

3. Most drivers don't drive, but just aim their vehicles in the intended direction. Don’t you get discouraged or underestimate yourself. most other drivers are not in any better position either.

4. Dont stop at any crossing or Pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.

5. Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest but to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance or just a wake up call to a dozing cow in the middle of the road.

There are other points- but this really hit the mark for me.  I am sportingly taking the car out - and taking it for a drive every now and then.  I spend more time waiting in corners waiting for someone to stop and let me go- much to the chagrin of people behind me!  Of course, I have learnt to ignore the horns blaring around me- and am re-learning the joy of pressing that horn- which gives an immediate release to pent up frustrations.  The other learning is the ability to rapidly look at all the mirrors in the car- and also in the front of the car.  I realized that it is not necessary now- most drivers just don't care- as it is not their responsibility to worry about someone's else's insignificant life.  The others will take care of themselves - and they do.

Lastly- don't get attached to your cars! Especially if you cannot stand scratches & dents. They tend to appear magically even when parked on empty roads.

Having fun! Honk Honk. 

Whose Life will you change?

 

For some reason, I always thought the ads in the US were of high quality, and something interesting to watch by themselves.  After 4 days in the US, the ad quality, I must say has been a big let down, and mind numbing, to say the least :).  Most are so imminently forgettable, that I frankly do not remember more than an ad or two.

However, I saw this ad- for the American Red Cross, and it touched me!  Rarely do ads really touch me, but this one - with its line of "Whose life will you change?".   Not just did it make me appreciate the ad, but also got me started thinking...  whose life will I change.  

Going back to India, and doing a role which can make a significant impact, I am thinking to myself- that I may be in a good place, at a good time, and working for a great company, that could help me answer that....  Got a lot to be thankful for in this life.  

Ryna in the 2nd Performers Piano Recital

This is a link to Ryna in a Piano recital she did at NUS last weekend.    NUS had organized this session called the 2nd Performers Recital  and had children (around 220 of them) who had the opportunity to come and present a piece or two.  A wonderful opportunity for children to showcase their experience and also for the younger ones to get used to to the concept of practicing piano in front of a crowd.   Ryna's teacher Ms. Janice Ong obviously knew how to make this work and this effort is all thanks to her... Ryna is obviously very excited with this experience.   And we are too :)

Atrial Septal Defect - ASD > adieu

 

Over the last three and a half years, we had this issue that irked us - that of the minor heart condition that our daughter had. It is called a Atrial Septal Defect , ASD for short.   It was the last of our outstanding issues which we wanted to close before we left Singapore - and today's Echo test confirmed that the hole had fixed itself :)  Whilst nothing serious per se, it was still bothering us - till today.  Now we can go back to India in peace.  Lot of other issues to look forward to - but no ASD. Hooray!

Just as a tip, for those of you who may have young kids are wondering which doctor (pediatrician) to go to- I recommend you go to one of the best in Singapore - Dr.Sivasankaran from Kinder Clinic in Paragon.  He has been a huge pillar of support for us right through the last 8 years for both our daughters... 

Now to look for someone as good in Bangalore!

Back to India :)

After 12 fantastic years in Singapore, we have decided at last, to move base to India.    Whilst the decision was taken after some deliberation, it was made easy when one puts the core reason for going back in focus- which was for the children to settle down and get familiar with their motherland (and their relatives).  Also other personal reasons which made it relevant to consider going back.   Continuing to work at Microsoft, a great job in the Public Sector were the icing on the cake :)

Singapore has been fantastic to us..  We came here with 2 suitcases 12 years ago..after long stints in IBM and Microsoft and a comparatively short stint in Iomega, we go back with 2 kids, a container load of stuff (which we did not know we had,) and tons of memories -mostly good (except 1- which was the loss I made on the car :) - overall it has been a great run.  Singapore has changed our lives - and set us up for the next innings :)

Sad ? - yes.

In two minds? - no.

Absolutely excited to be going back to Bangalore - and getting in at a time when the whole country is BOOMING! 

What is also interesting is to see the sheer number of NRI's returning back - and all for a reason - to ride the wave in India...  

I am looking forward to it - but for the time being - it is chaos - as we finish our packing - and more importantly, figure out, the pending work - which seems to be popping out of every nook and corner :)

Selling my car has been my biggest grouse though :(. I guess I will come to terms sometime soon :)

In the meanwhile - India calls... Will land in Bangalore End June :)

Keep you posted on what develops as we go along...

Back in circulation

 

Been out of circulation over the last month plus - and it is never good to stay out of touch!  Been busy with some "life changing" activities (I will talk about it later when it actually turns out to be real!), and as a result not been able to get the stars aligned to blog more often. I am hoping to keep at this and make this move forward as more and more things become clearer to me in the next couple of weeks.

We will be making a quick trip to India later this week for a few days!  Will keep you posted - and really looking forward to going back to Bangalore and more importantly getting a taste of the new airport!    From what I hear, it is great- except that it takes a LONG time to get there :)  

Mind Maps and Tony Buzan Certification

Singapore -24-27 March 2008

One of my key goals in 2008 was to get certified in Buzan's Mindmapping.   It gets me a step closer to my longer term goal to be a trainer and help people achieve their untapped potential.  And the sheer opportunity to do this is amazing.

I am currently undergoing the certification course to become a "Certified Trainer" and hope to start some level of training in the near future.  This also gets me the learning to a)officially and b) correctly train people in this fantastic technique.

Nevertheless, over the last 2 days we have had a series of thoroughly enjoyable training sessions which have taught me some new things about Mindmapping- which I had not practiced earlier.   Working with Henry and his team has been an interesting experience & I am looking forward to the rest of the 3 days to complete this.

I wanted to share this interesting output. I have absolutely no art background and when we were asked to draw a portrait it obviously had me running for cover.  But with some great ideas, and simple techniques I managed to generate the drawing below. The better looking one is the original ;-) (in case you are wondering).

 

I am obviously delighted.  The exercise to Juggle Balls was a completely different story!  Will get there as well in the near future :)

All said & done, I hope to complete this certification done by the end of this week. 

Wish me some luck ;-)

Innovation for your bread :)

 

I have been meaning to write this for the last couple of days. Could not come to it because I got busy with a training I am attending. (More on that later). During our weekend dinner outing to the Katong area, we came across this simple innovation that bowled me over! Whilst we (Indira & I) constantly think what might motivate my daughters to have their breakfast without their daily complaints (and grumbles)  - one never imagined that the solution could be in something this simple! So interesting, that it had ME interested in eating the bread with more interest!

It has to rate as one of the most innovative "tool" (I cant think of what else to call it).  This is a plastic unit that creates an imprint on the humble bread with a word that says "SMILE" - it had me say WOW looking at the bread.  I wonder why most hotels have not yet seen this or used this!  It would definitely impress their clientele. I know I would have been if I had seen this in any of the hotels I travel to.

>>

Innovation is still possible on small things that all of us take for granted....

Truly impressive!  In case you are interested, I bought this in Cold Storage. 

 

Wealth- What's it to you?

 

 

I saw this ad a couple of weeks back in Fortune.  I frankly did not know about Barclays Wealth, and I don't believe I am their target audience for this ad ;-)

That said, I was attracted to the message - and it got me thinking.  What exactly does Wealth mean to me?  I have been mulling over what it really means to me. 

Wealth is important - and for me, the primary goal for Wealth Creation is to ensure the well being of my family- wife & children and to ensure that all their basic needs are taken care of in case something happens to me.  Secondly - I want my daughters to have a financial safety net that I did not have as I started working and building my life - so that they are always free to test their limits in this world without having to worry about "what if..". Lastly, I look at wealth to give me a platform to do other things that matter to me in life - starting an orphanage (sometime in the future) and helping people in need - especially old people. 

Wealth, unfortunately is a necessity!  Without it, one cannot do many of the good that one may otherwise want to. 

This ad was great. I may never be a Barclay's Wealth customer- but then, this ad did touch me.  For that I will always remember this ad.

Dollar Droops!

Times are indeed bad.  I saw this on the Reuters when I was outside my office. Dollar "droops"? Sigh - the effect is being felt even more deeply  :)

 

Visit to Nepal

I was in Nepal last week for an important meeting that I had to attend with some important Government officials.  I love going to Katmandu & I like the people, the pace etc. It is slow paced, peaceful (to an outsider) and despite numerous problems they are facing, they don't complain as most other people in other countries are wont to do.  (There are numerous power cuts, long queues for Petrol etc.). I did not hear anyone complain against the government or make any other adverse kind of remarks.

Notwithstanding the beauty of its surroundings, I saw these 2 aircrafts - of all the places, in the airport.  Imagine the effect it has on ones confidence when you see these kind of aircrafts just off the runway.   Though this did not bother me too much, a couple of passengers near me got a bit worked up :)

Something that does not do wonders for the Tourism Industry there :)

 

All said & done, it was an effective trip & as usual I enjoyed it. Allen - my colleague in Nepal, took us (we had 3 friends from Intel there as well) to a great place for dinner.  We experienced some of the songs & dances of Nepal there. 

Weather was great - I believe it was around 10-12 degrees Celsius.

Here is another view of Kathmandu just as we took off from the airport.

Out of circulation for a few weeks

 

I have been out of circulation for a few weeks. Work obviously took a lot of time.

Of course, it is not fair to blame "lack of time" - after all if it is interesting enough, one does find time.  I have been in a lot of meetings, travel, and a bit of introspection - of what to do going forward in life.  I am curious to understand if people really spend so much time thinking of these things..

Will be updating my blog with some thoughts/ and recommit myself to keep it running smoothly :)

 

Singapore Terminal 3

 

Despite traveling quite a bit, today was the first day I came into the New Terminal in Singapore and needless to say, I was truly impressed. Well planned, great facilities (Movie etc. is a great idea). Just curious about WHO selected the carpets!

 

 

Technorati Tags: Singapore,Airport

Goals! By Brian Tracy

 

Click here for the link

Over the last 3 weeks, I must have spoken to at least 6 people to whom I recommended reading this book- Goals- by Brian Tracy.   To me, this was one book that changed my way of doing things, and made me sit down to write down my goals.  It has made a tremendous change to me, and I thought that it would help other people as well to do this.  Many of them, I know are trying to buy this book and some had also planned/ or ordered this on Amazon. 

So imagine my pleasant surprise when I saw the above link which actually gives this book as a free e-Book.  I am putting this in my blog because this should be a "must read" book for any executive who wants to make a difference.  And if you are reading this, do take the trouble to download it. You will NOT be disappointed.

Note: Of course, it is effective only when you are leaning a bit towards getting a feeling that things are getting out of hand :)

Happy Reading.

Technorati Tags: Goals,Brian Tracy

Fitness First

 

It is 1 week since I decided to move to the new Gym- Fitness First. The 2 days I went there has impressed me quite a bit. The earlier gym I went to, was ok- but not as good. This is much better-newer equipment, better view and of course much better facilities. 

Looking at achieving some clear goals over the next 3 months - reduce weight (70 kg to 65 kg, Build some muscles (yeah, at this age), and stamina to run longer distances.  Will update when I achieve my first goal of the weight reduction :)

From the Gita

 

This is by far one of the best prayers ever.  So intense, that I tend to read this every time I feel frustrated [which has been quite a few times recently :) ] 

Why do you worry ? Why are you scared ?
Whatever happened, it happened for good.
What is happening, is also happening for good.
Whatever will happen, that too will be for good.
What have you lost for which you weep?
What did you bring with you, which you have lost?
What did you produce, which has perished?
You did not bring anything when you were born.
Whatever you have, you have received from Him.
Whatever you will give, you will give to Him.
You came empty handed and you will go the same way.
Don't be remorseful about the past , nor worry about the future. The present is before you .
What is yours today was someone else's yesterday and It would be someone else's the day after. You may think all of yours is for you to keep. This is the main cause of the sorrow.
Change is the nature of life. Remove the thought "Mine and yours" and "Little and big" from your mind. Then everything is yours and you belong to everyone.
Then what are you? surrender yourself to the higher power, the only source of your strength.
He who realizes this will be free from fear, worry and emotion.

Technorati Tags: Gita

Economic Times/ Other Times of India publications - as is

 

Click here for the link

I was just browsing the net and came across an online version of the Economic Times and the Times Of India - which is an exact replica of the newspaper.  I believe it has been online for some time, but I was obviously not aware.  This, if being actively used by the Indians overseas (and possibly India) opens up a great opportunity for the newspapers to share their news with the Indian overseas.  Great way of adding value to the brand. If and when I go back- I will have Times of India & Economic Times right on top of what I will sign up for.

 

More investments in India - Time to go back to India?

 

Click here for details

India continue to boom with more and more investments coming in from various sources.  I have been actively considering a move to India for professional reasons - but after the trip in December, the family element has made it even more compelling.   I believe, after 12 years in Singapore, it is indeed time to go back.  Getting a job may not that easy anymore ;-). Anyway, time to start planning a move in the next 12-18 months at the latest.

All said and done, 12 years in Singapore which has been my longest stint ever in one city (I have spent my whole life moving from city to city- when my dad was in the Indian Air Force), is not easy.  Too many roots here - so may just move to India and keep all else as status quo here in Singapore.   Let us see how it all plays out.

My favorite Dilbert :)

 

I found this very funny and I laughed for a long time. Next time someone says, their work is "fine" I am bound to think of these lines.

Technorati Tags: Dilbert,Humour

Alexandra Hospital, Singapore

I was at Alexandra Hospital earlier last week to take Puji, our helper, to get her hand stitched after she cut her finger. Unfortunately for her, she also cut her tendon partially for which she had to go & get it stitched up. For the first time since we came to Singapore, I went to Alexandra Hospital.  Located across town (we stay in the east and this is in the West).

I must say I was very impressed with the Hospital.  Starting with the Emergency ward & the doctors, all were helpful & went that extra step to make us, and I am sure, the other patients, comfortable.

What impressed me was the "spare glasses" (photo on top).  I thought it was a very kind gesture, considering the possibility, that many people may rush to the Emergency Ward and may have forgotten to take their glasses along.   Indira was curious if people actually use & leave those glasses back.   I suspect, yes.  

The No Smoking was another nice touch - unlike the stern "No Smoking" warnings that most of us are used to.

Good customer service.

Not that I want to go back there (after all it is a hospital), but I did come back with some good impressions - which I did not get when I visited some of the "private" hospitals here in Singapore .

Technorati Tags: Alexandra Hospital,Singapore

HCL MiLeap - HCL News Release

http://www.hclinfosystems.in/news97.html

Pricing for Low Cost Notebooks is touching new lows :) This is a great sign and HCL as usual has taken the lead in addressing this market opportunity. 

Price is obviously the selling point here.  When this price point hits new users- they are bound to be enticed. But that is just part of the story.  These users - if they are newbies in the computer world, are bound to be a "bit disappointed" (sic!) at the lack of features that these first generation notebooks come with.  

That could have a bigger impact in the longer run & the companies coming out with the Ultra Low Cost PC's risk hitting a bump by turning off a number of new users who may be buying a "PC" for the first time.   I wonder if anyone (Gartner/ others?) are thinking about doing a customer survey to track the user satisfaction. 

Chinese Blogger beaten to death!

I guess we have a lot to be thankful for. 

A Chinese blogger has been beaten to death by Government authorities for the crime of attempting to record a protest on his mobile phone.

When Wei was present at some sort of confrontation or protest by local villages against municipal authorities when more than 50 municipal inspectors turned on him, attacking him for five minutes.

According to CNN, the killing has sparked outrage in China, “with thousands expressing outrage in Chinese Internet chat rooms, often the only outlet for public criticism of the government.”

The Chinese Government has moved swiftly to detain those involved, arresting 24 municipal inspectors whilst investigating more than 100 others in relation to the incident. Notably (for China) the story was published by the official state news service Xinhua, in what is believed to be an attempt to head off dissent over the mater by demonstrating that the Chinese Government does not condone those involved in the beating.

Project Shiksha - Terrific results!

I read this article earlier today and I thought this was one of more the most impactful work Microsoft has done in India ( I know there are a lot more such initiatives which have been done by MS). 200,000 teachers in India trained - who have in turn trained 10 Million- those are BIG numbers.  

I was recently reading a book called "The Elephant & the Dragon" by Robyn Meredith.  Well researched, it had a lot of information on what China & India are doing and how they have reached the tipping point & are poised to become the powers of tomorrow.  What also stuck me was the way China was moving faster and faster than India- because of its Communist Government and their implementation of policies.  India on the other hand struggles at different levels because of its politics & internal issues. 

Coming back to the original point - What struck me in this article - was the comment from the Free Software Foundation, who apparently compared this to a Cigarette manufacturer handing out free samples of cigarettes.  It got me thinking on what exactly does this Agency do and what have they done that makes the MS effort like that of a cigarette company.  Education - cigarettes- the connection misses me- but then, maybe I am just slow :)

I searched the net and came to their site. I looked for some idea on what they have given/ what they have - after all it is the "FREE software foundation".. and this is what I saw.   So the gist of the list of "free software" they have listed includes all of 23 software (this includes utilities & libraries).  To me this reeks of a anti-Microsoft tirade as opposed to objecting to something that genuinely requires help.

This is the ailment that affects India. Some people forget a good cause and the results that it drove.  I am sure Microsoft, notwithstanding, its positioning by the Linux players, has done more good than what many company together have achieved.   I don't say this because I work in Microsoft, but I genuinely believe this company has done a LOT to change the lot of the people in India - and the other parts of the world.

Give due credit where it is due.  Comments like are upsetting because it reflects the lack of depth in many organizations who hide behind the "freedom of speech" to just condemn any good.  All without really doing much for the people who need it the most.   

http://www.gnu.org.in/fsdirectory

 

Microsoft has trained 200,000 teachers in India on the use of computers, ahead of its original target to train 80,000 teachers in the country during the five-year period ending December this year, it said.

The company introduced the program, called project Shiksha, in 2003 with the objective of raising the computer literacy of Indian teachers and students in government-run schools. The 200,000 teachers trained so far have in turn trained about 10 million students, a spokeswoman for Microsoft India said on Monday.

The moves by Microsoft to offer free or subsidized software in India have however come in for criticism from the Free Software Foundation, which compared Microsoft's philanthropy to that of a cigarette manufacturer handing out free samples of cigarettes to students.

The communist-run state of Kerala in south India is actively promoting open-source software in schools, but most other states and the federal government are beneficiaries of Microsoft's programs.

Microsoft works with state governments to help teachers use its technology in school administrations and also to include it in their curriculum and teaching methods, she said. While the state governments provide the classrooms, Microsoft provides the hardware and software, and a team of trainers for the teachers.

Although the company has reached its training target, it's not stopping the program yet. It did not say how many more teachers and students it plans to cover under the program, though.

The company has introduced low-cost, starter editions of its Vista operating system, as well as local language versions of its Office suite to target both the academic and e-governance markets.

Technorati Tags: India Free Software Project,Microsoft,Project Shiksha

NComputing - $75 "PC's" based on Virtualization Technology

http://venturebeat.com/2008/01/13/ncomputing-raises-28m-to-spread-cheap-computers-to-poor/

Yet another "Ultra Low Cost" Solution for the emerging market segments & for Education solutions .  Unlike the other PC's like OLPC, CMPC etc, which are based on their individual architecture, this is based on a Client Model and designed on Virtualization.    This is a hot new area, and a terrific solution to bringing down the cost of ownership. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Consider these price points -

1. US$75 for the cost of a device

2. Resellers will make 10%

3. Cost of the machine is around $11.

My take?

- This may be the beginning of the model for the Virtualization technology moving into the Low End of the pyramid. 

- This will entail more and more opportunities as the business model evolves.  

How will this end?

- Any  new technology  needs the ecosystem to develop. At these costs, forget about having an organization selling these products.  This will need to be in the domain of partners who will drive this.

- Solutions need to evolve for this - and this demands new licensing to sell the software.

- Many software vendors are beginning to explore this model - but it also affects their current revenue stream in a big way.  It will therefore take some time before they fall in line & put their maximum effort. 

In my view, this is a good evolution - and, it is just that.  It will take a few more iterations, as the entire ecosystem evolves & till then, these are good test studies/ cases. 

Technorati Tags: NComputing

Mindmaps

 

This is a mindmap that Ryna made earlier last year. Was just cleaning my computer when chanced upon this mindmap.  Mindmaps are a great way of capturing notes & remembering them. I will update these mindmaps for books I read.

Part of my 2008 goals is to get certified by the Buzan Institute as a certied Buzan Trainer. Let us see how that goes amongst all the things that I have identified as go-do's for this year.

Technorati Tags: Mindmaps,Buzan