Tuesday, May 30, 2017

MBAed in May!

The electives are almost down to a closure. Strategic brand management was immediately followed by Corporate Strategy and now after the long weekend, begins Mergers & Acquisitions, leaving behind a pile of assignments to work on! Working in teams on the corporate strategy activities was a fun and immense learning experience. The week also saw some interesting times out in the sun - the pictures below should speak! On Saturday, Deepika, Shiksha, Blessy and myself had a great time in Durham. Going around the cathedral, the castle, and walking along side the river Wear was just a fantastic experience not to miss the amazing company. The same day, Sarah, Lawni and Azree began fasting for Ramadan! Sunday and Monday were pretty much spent in usual chores, talking to friends, sleeping, chilling out and for a change very little work. Pankaj and myself also took a stroll around Hazelrigg and the eco-hub to literally step out of the house. Tuesday was yet again a laid back day but the exciting bit was getting to know about our Corporate Challenge projects. Looking forward to welcoming back our exchange colleagues this week. Just finished an Indian dinner evening with the lovely Mai and Chuan. A lot said and done in May. Truly MBAed! My favorite month sets in! #lovelancaster



Tuesday, May 23, 2017

VUCA world | Pray for Manchester

Truly a violent and uncertain world. London early this year and Manchester now. Terrifying! Hoping to join the vigil at the chaplaincy centre tomorrow at 5PM. 
Missing the full class here since many are participating in electives overseas.The in-house electives go on but with only a few 20 of us. 2 down, 2 more to go. Managing Strategic Change and Strategic Brand Management delved into the niche of some of the simple yet core business aspects. I personally had a brilliant experience participating in both these electives. Corporate Strategy begins tomorrow. Last week also saw Martin quit LUMS. The strong digital team that we were! I will miss the candid and friendly conversations with him. However I look forward to meeting him in August in Edinburgh. Good luck, Martin! You are definitely being missed. Friday afternoon was also well spent meeting up with Jane and Dan and brainstorming on the next steps for the project. Looking forward to see it progress.
In the meanwhile the weekend veiled in. Saturday was silent through the day however the evening turned out to be super fun! Stargazing at the duck pond was exciting. Lying on the grass, chatting, eating and playing as atypical college kids felt nostalgic and good. An amazing memory to cherish and take back from Lancaster. The following day, I along with Shiksha and Deepika, decided to join Manshuk and Joe to Samlesbury, near Preston to visit the historic house of Lancashire. Spent 2-3 hours of quality and peaceful time there in the midst of nature and heritage. Thanks to Joe for driving us!
Monday was off to a strategic start again and brought in some exciting and interesting experiences in negotiation and deal making.Thanks to Brian from the EMBA who also joined us for this elective. However, the end ended up being disastrous with the Manchester bombing. Truly devastating and heartbreaking. Hoping to attend the vigil tomorrow in the Chaplaincy center. The journey continues....
Samlesbury Hall
With Prof. Stefanos Mouzas
Seeing off, Martin!
Posing
Stargazing with the stars!
With Dave Galaghar!

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Weekend in Walney | Elective season | May is moving

Continuing from my last post, the last 2 days of the previous week went into the final presentations for the consultancy challenge. I must admit and my team will agree that working on this project was a good and one-of-a-kind experience. Lucky to witness and experience something as unique as this one being on the MBA. Friday also saw Kevin coming in for one last time and as usual we had a great time exploring ourselves further. The Friday evening, we all decided to head to the city for a much needed break post the consultancy challenge. The evening was well spent partying at the Gregson cafe. Saturday was a resting day for all of us and time for doing weekly chores. Sunday was much awaited!
Sunday morning, a few of us decided to go to Walney Island. About an hour and an half from Lancaster by train. Our first stop was South Walney Nature Reserve. The pleasant weather, the calmness and serenity of the island, the blue waters and the chirping of birds made the stay there seem like bliss. We all enjoyed every moment we spent there. It was also fun spotting seals pop their heads out every now and then. Pictures, lunch, long walks, jokes all the way added to the fun. Our next stop was Biggar Bank beach. A long pebble beach along the Irish coast was another fun experience. Overall, I must say I had great fun with great company. 
Monday was off to an optional start. Elective time already. 15 members of the cohort are off to various locations across the world on an exchange, while the remaining of us are sitting through audited and assessed electives here. Can someone put a 'stop watch for the time' please! :(
This week was also fun inviting Pavel, Patrick, Fabian, Marcos and Maite over for dinner and giving them a miniature taste of India. #lovelancaster as much before we leave Lancaster! May saga continues...

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Much in May, yet too little!

I walked into LT2 this morning just to sit for a while and breathe in some 'native' air. I could only hear the echo of the wind against the window. Calm and quiet as against the hustle and bustle of the class from a few weeks ago. Everyone is working really hard on their projects. Well, 2 more days to go, following which electives begin. Many are of to schools around the world for an exchange, while I along with a lot others stay back in Lancaster for the in-house courses. 
The last 2 weeks have been really busy and stressful with the consultancy challenge. In the midst of this came the Community Day. I did take a break and decided to immerse myself in the fun. I spent the whole day meeting new people, welcoming them, clicking pictures, having long conversations and enjoying the food and the warmth of Lancaster. Much needed respite from work. 
A walk along the wooden trail with Radhika and Pankaj, an evening of Indian dinner with Tim, Pom, Ploy and Alex, a birthday night with birthday boy Sharan, and chit chats with friends and flatmates filled the agenda. The exciting bit was also to hear from WEF Kenya about their success after implementing our recommendations from 3 years ago. 
While all this is fun, at the back of the mind the fact that we are off from Lancaster in <40 days is gonging hard. Much in May, yet too little. #lovelancaster