New Year 2010

What plans have you all thought of to ring in the new year.

All of us are in the learning mode, including myself. There are dime a dozen websites available online for free suggesting you how to plan your new years. And here is one from self-help guru, Robin Sharma that he emailed last night to me.

To create the single best year of your life to date. Most will waste this opportunity and make the new  year a repeat of the one just past. Sad. But true. But a few will wake up to the possibility and do 7 things that will ensure 2010 is the most unforgettable twelve months they have experienced yet. Want to be one of the fortunate few? Here's what to do:

 

Step #1: Evaluate 2009. Do a written story recording what went well this past year and, even more importantly, what areas you could improve on. Also list all your wins and as many high points as you can recall. Get a clear picture of how you showed up.

 

Step #2: Set Your Theme. Come up with a theme for 2010. It may be "The Year of Financial Freedom" or "The Year of Work Excellence" or "The Year of Fearlessness". But get a theme into a document you can start reviewing every week.

 

Step #3: Create a Mission. The next step is to develop a one paragraph mission statement and put it into this document. Clarity precedes mastery so the more clear your ultimate mountaintop for 2010 is, the greater your focus will be. And the most positive results you'll see.

 

Step #4: List Your Big 5. OK, now ask yourself this powerful self-coaching question: "What 5 things need to happen between now and December 31, 2010 for this to have been the single most successful year of my life to date?" Write down those five goals as simply and clearly as possible into this document.

 

Step #5: Sequence Your Big 5. Now break your Big 5 down into quarterly goals. Set 5 core goals for the first/second/third and fourth quarters of 2010 to ensure you nail your Big 5. Review these every week. Reflect on them everyday if you really want to win. Make these strategic objectives the sole focus of your life.

 

Step #6: Refocus Every Morning. Life's job is to distract you. Your job is to stay staggeringly focused on what's most important. Take 15 minutes during your morning resetting period to reflect on your goals, to envision your best moves and to track out a day that's productive, passionate and fun.

 

Step #7: Get Devoted to Learning. The #1 skill of super successful people is that they are relentless learners. While others are wasting time on low-value websites or watching mindless reality tv shows, they are listening to audio programs, studying books on leadership and success and basically creating a rich, beautiful and meaningful life. As you journey through each day of 2010, make the time to fuel your brain with ideas on excellence and creating your absolute best. Nothing's more important than that. And please remember that all it takes is a single idea to transform the way you lead and how you live.

Do give me your thoughts whether you have any other advice that can help others..

Happy Xmas..

Until then 

Sharad

Quote: Wake up at 5:00 am. It is God's time. Anon

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

Dear All,

Resolutions are critical for everyone but only if we implement them earnestly. At least we should try!

Like all human beings, I am sure your list is bubbling with pointers for efficiently ringing in 2010. But what are you thinking about to have on your list. Is it studying harder, saving more, completing assignments quickly or having more fun.

I know of students who put all or some of these as their new year resolution goals. But how many of them actually follow through is another story.

What have been your experiences of your friends and family who make new year resolutions.
Would be wonderful if you could share how your friends and family use the resolution tool. And maybe we can all learn from them.

And do share your one resolution that you can actually follow through on.Well atleat try with full earnestness. It could be just on saving money on making international calls, renting a car, movies or just partying.

Lets see what 2010 has in store for us.

Meanwhile let me quickly start writing my 2010 to do list.

Cheers

Quote: A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.



Anonymous

ENTERTAINMENT SAVINGS.. PART 2

While last time I wrote about sharing your entertainment experiences, this time I am writing to you on a definite saving on entertainment expenses.


Whether you are spending on movies, eating out, travel needs or amusement parks, there is one companion you cannot do without. And that is the "Entertainment book" of coupons. I am sure you have heard about it and deliberated its worthiness.

Take it from me and hosts of users, it is a MUST HAVE. With your investment of under $35-45 per geographical area, you save atleast 3-4 times on your usual spends. And god help you if you are a shopping afficianado. In my personal opinion it is almost impossible to exhaust all the coupons.

Here is the concept behind the book. Amazing saving coupons from branded retail outlets for the daily user to the shopaholic.

You need to remember that while you can buy the book anytime of the year, coupons are valid from start of the Year i.e. Jan-Dec. So why not promise yourself and start saving on what you spend on anyways.

Contact me if you would like to order the book and save additional $$$$ over any other offering.

Cheers

Quote: "The most valuable function performed by the federal government is entertainment."

— Dave Barry

Not Just Phone Savings

While I blabbered more than once on phone savings, no one can just endlessely be a couch potato and just phone talk. You gotta go out in the real world. Entertain yourself.

Be it movies, concerts, stand up comedy, nba basketball games or driving on highway 1 in california, a student has to spend smartly and yet live it up.

It would be interesting to hear from students who have entertained themselves in traditional/creative ways and saved along as well. Or one cannot have fun without blowing wads of money. Lets share..

Write in to share your own entertainment secret and how you creatively saved $$$$$$

Cheers

Quote: "I am amazed at radio DJs today. I am firmly convinced that AM on my radio stands for Absolute Moron. I will not begin to tell you what FM stands for."

— Jasper Carrott

TELE SAVING TIPS CONTINUED

I continue to blabber this time on phone savings.. Although I wait for students to join, I have been informed to help students even more on international phone calls, Airtel has announced another first. Per second billing when you call to India. The $6.99 calling card, which includes an administration fee of $0.49, enables the customers to make calls at just 0.03 cents/sec with the $6.50 on the card. The calling card is valid for 30 days.

Not only in the US, Airtel CallHome is also available in the UK, Canada and Singapore.

Have any of you tried it and found the service reliable. Is their anything else available that beats this offering..

Keep us informed..

Cheers

The Quote: I like my new telephone, my computer works just fine, my calculator is perfect, but Lord, I miss my mind! ~Anonymous

Calling Home

All of you must have already made your phone calls home. What services have you used. I have heard good feedback on Airtel prepaid. How about any feedback on Reliance/Matrix calling cards when making your international calls to India. Good/Bad and the ugly.

Also any call drop/overbilling issues with the standard phone companies within the US or the popular ones that you use to call India.

Has anyone considered using skype for making those calls. And that too for free. All you need is a computer and headphone on both sides. And your international calls are free. How is the sound quality if any of you have used it.

This is a recurring expense and whatever we can save for everyone is wonderful. Isn't it.

Keep me posted on any other options that all of you have used on calling India.

LIGHTEN UP!

Hello everyone,
Lets face it. Life does sometimes become drab and nothing perks life up than a dash of humor.

Cross accents, how you doins' from strangers, the overt American friendliness, no trash thrown around does take time getting used to.

I remember how my Indian roommate would try very hard to teach me the correct pronunciation of Cool (Kewl). He would go. "Sharad, stress on the o, say it slow, say it fast, get it right". He did try hard. Maybe not as hard as Kishore Kumar in Padosan, teaching Shorrrrrrrrr. Arre baba Shor. Did I get it? No. But when I look back, his serious efforts to teach me to pronounce the "correct" way was funny at the very least.

And please don't think you are facing life's music alone. When an international student moves to an alien culture, it’s a ready-mix of fauxpas waiting to happen. And if that is not enough, Anurag mathur's classic "The Inscrutable Americans" ensures that an international students experience are remembered for posterity.

Consider these lines from the book.

As I am picking up bags he is looking directly at me and saying "Watch your ass". Now, brother, this is wonderful. How he is knowing we are purchasing donkey? I think they are knowing everything about everybody who is coming to America.

Or

They are rolling down a screen and showing a film but I am not listening because air hostess ladies are selling head phones for 2 dollars which is Rs.60 and in our beloved Jajau townwe can sit in balcony seats in
Regal Talkies for only Rs.3. I am asking lady if they are giving student discount but she is too busy. I am also asking her for more Coca-Cola but she is looking like she is weeping and walking away. I think perhaps
she is not understanding proper English.
It’s a must have in your book collection. Of course you can borrow it from the library or buy it used or have a peek online at http://download-bookz.blogspot.com/.

While some Americans have criticized it for killing the language, it does tickle the funny bone.

Have you had any recent experiences that could count as "funny"? Maybe not when it happened but in hindsight. A visit to the supermarket, a misunderstood accent, throwing trash, jaywalking or maybe at the airport. Do write in and let’s vote for the most humorous one.

More later..

My promised quote

"Smartness runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my teacher was in my class for five years." George Burns

CALLING HOME

Hello everyone,

My last entry requested information on telecalling experiences. Since our blog is not indexed yet, I will continue from where I left and you can join in once we are live. So here are some  tele-alternatives.

1. VOIP: Besides skype (incase you haven't tried, download from http://www.skype.com/ and voila you can free calls to skype users anywhere and cheap calls to regular phones), another interesting one that I found is http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/07/04/free-international-calls-from-pc-to-phone-with-google-talk-and-talkster-gtalk-to-voip/. Has anyone tried this, any good/bad/great experiences. Considering  both these options are free, the sound quality is excellent. Have you experienced it otherwise. Any tips. 
2. From Phones: I am told Airtel one happens to have the best rates (1 cent/min), giving about 600 minutes for about $10 (inclusive of monthly rentals). Although difficult to believve, I also hear there are some issues with customer service, call drops etc but the voice clarity is top of the line. Any interaction
3. Calling Cards: Obviously there are many providers but callingcards.com seems to have excellent options.

 Are their any other services, besides the above, that you have experienced and would heartily recommend as well as comment on the alternative mentioned above.

More later

STUDENTS IN THE USA

This blog would remain incomplete without the sharing of ideas of not only current but the earlier lot of students who continue to live, study and have made US their home. Any tips for a smooth transition from back home would be more than appreciated.

This blog also welcomes participation from our hallowed teachers and professors who have made us complete in their own inimitable ways. Your ideas, tips and experiences dealing with international students are as welcome to share with one and all.

Have a great week

Sharad

So You have landed

The Eagle has Landed. The famous quote when some dude landed on the moon. While you certainly can't get to the moon, for now at least, this landing is nothing less than the moon.

Either way, I hope you have happily settled in your abodes. And have your computers up and running.

I am going to ramble off and on and use this platform to share each others experience of living and studying in the US. And yes, I also happen to be a one time US student, went back home and now again away experiencing unexplored parts of Asia.

I thought it would be nice to exchange notes with the current lot. Please chime in and share what all of you are up to.

Since most of you who landed in Fall have had around 8-10 weeks, how has been your experience till now. Anything unusual, exciting scintillating, embarrassing.

And how different was your first Diwali in the US.

On the serious front, how many of you have spent money on calling home to your friends and family. And lets see who has made the longest call till now. More when you all respond.

I am also going to dish out a parting thought for every login. Here is for this one.

"Enjoy every moment while it lasts".

Until next time.