Cooking adventures and more

They say “Too many cooks spoil the broth” and we proved them wrong.
We had invited 3 couples for dinner on a weekday and we had 3 hours to prepare a decent meal. I am still learning too cook so I wasn’t much help but somehow me and my roommates got into the kitchen, showed great team work and had the dinner prepared on time. We prepared Chole, puris- lots of them, fried rice, Alu-gobi and Gulab Jamuns for dessert. The food was great, lot better than expected and we managed to surprise our guests not only with the food but also how well it was served.

We got invitations for dinner the following week and enjoyed not cooking for 3 days in a row.

This apart not much is cooking on the GMAT front. I have started solving problems from the OG and have been trying to do that daily. Most questions seem a lot easier as compared to Kaplan. I haven’t prepared much as yet and with only 6 weeks to go for GMAT, I am thinking of putting everything on hold (apart from work) and concentrating on my preparations.

On the application front, I mailed all schools to clarify some specific doubts. Also contacted my University to understand the procedure for requesting transcripts. I am looking to get this part of the application process taken care of as soon as possible.

I have contacted one of my recommenders and set some expectations regarding the same. The difficult part of choosing recommenders has been that my managers have changed ever so often that no-one could possibily highlight all the qualities that I would like mentioned on my recommendations and quote examples for the same. I am hoping that my recommendations highlight my analytical skills, problem solving skills, team-work, leadership and Client-interfacing skills. This would help me make a strong case for my interest in pursuing management consultancy.

Btw I have created my own Radio station. Here is the link if someone wants to check it out.
My station

Trying to get back on Track

I have been getting some positive feedback on my blog and I am glad people are enjoying reading the blog as I love posting to it. That’s all I am going to write about this as I recently saw ‘Devil’s Advocate’ once again and Al Pacino’s Final Remark ‘I love Vanity’ is still ringing in my ears.
I want to thank everyone for the encouragement.

Well! What Have I been up to for the past couple of weeks.

I have been trying to get my GMAT preparation back on track. A difficult proposition considering that work has been picking up of late. Infact, I have put in atleast 8-10 hours of work since I left office on Friday. I could have done a better job over the week and things wouldn’t have been so bad. Anyways some good comments from Business finally way made to my leadership, so good news on that side as well. Business has time and again appreciated the work I was doing but I was wondering when they would communicate the same to my bosses here.
Oh...oh…. ‘Vanity’ …. Again.

I did manage to study almost everyday but wasn’t able to take the practice test I planned as I lost patience less than half way down the 4 hr test. Not a good sign but I am sure this would not be that big a problem by the time I reach the actual test date. I had take Powerprep test -1 earlier where I got 650 and Kaplan diagnostic scoring 650 again. Anything less than 700 on the GMAT would really dampen my chances and is something I can ill-afford. Next step is to start tackling problems on Official Guide. I am trying to get more simulation tests for more practice.

On the other front, I am still working on refining my goals and tried to do some more reading on management consultancy, though not as much as I wanted too. I got a good talk from DivineMissN (LBS Class of 2007) on career goals and essays and she has posted some advice regarding this on her blog.

I have also been trying to get the details of transcript process. I finally managed to get a response from my University but some aspects of the process concern me. My experience with Public Office bureaucracy hasn’t been great( I did my under-graduate from Govt. College) and is one of the reasons I have been worried.

On the lighter side, we have an event called Alive after 5 that has been running in downtown from June 1st and would continue till 23rd. They also have events at noon called Tunes @ noon with some bands/singers playing some blues/soft rock and country for an hour. I and a friend have been catching this daily during lunch time. Even though I am Hard Rock fan, I enjoyed all the performances and especially of talented Miss Joanna James who has a great voice to go with all the instruments she can play. Her music is little bit reminiscent of Norah Jones but lot more lively.

Hope the coming weeks are lot more productive in every aspect.

Not tagged – but I’ll play anyway

Just noticed other bloggers playing ‘Tag’. I saw this on several blogs and even though I haven’t been tagged, I’ll join in and Tag others who are still out.

Directions: Name 5 books you last read and then tag 5 other Bloggers to do the same.

Last 5 books I read

Monk who sold his Ferrari – Robin Sharma – This is a philosophical book gives pointers to lead a better life. Slow and boring to start with but becomes interesting and inspiring later on.

Prison Diary – Jeffery Archer – Archer’s experience of his first 21 days in high security prison. Very biased but an interesting read.

Sons of Fortune – Jeffery archer – Something on the lines of ‘Kane and Abel’ but not nearly as good. However archer does get in his knowledge on politics and business to make this interesting.

Janson Directive – Robert Ludlum – a gripping Novel like most of Ludlum books. Fast paced, eventful and good entertainment. Must read for Ludlum fans.

Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand – Currently reading this and seems very interesting and different. I guess Ayn rand tries to mix philosophy in her stories and that’s why people are still reading her books more than 50 years after she wrote them.

5 bloggers I tag:-

Nivedita
Simba
DivineMissN
Brit-Chick
Metal