Singapore..... Here I come!

Trying to pack your world in 30 Kgs is Fun. :) Many of us end up paying to the airlines for the extra baggage. Here is some info on how to avoid that.

1) Get your cosmetics and stationary. Its expensive here.

2) We have Mustafa center here where you get almost everything that you will get in India, so don't get worried if you can't get everything.

3) Getting snacks items is a good idea. ( Haldiram should open a center here @ SPJ)

4) Do get medicines, you can not buy them here without prescription and a medico consultation can cost you about 40 SGD

5) Money handling - Again, many of us get taxed with this. Please do not. Get enough money for 1st month and get your Indian Debit cards.

6)Personally, I strongly recommend having a credit card. I survived 5 months without withdrawing any money from ATM's.

7) If you space and weight allowance, the 3 in 1 ready coffee is a good idea.

To sum up I would say, do not tax yourself, have fun with friends and family.... enjoy it, while it lasts. :)

I am reachable at - aniruddha.gnov10@spjain.org

While packing your bags to Dubai ..

Here are a few things that you can get with you before starting to SP Jain, Dubai.

1) Microwave safe plastic containers and microwave safe ceramic bowls/plates ( Good Quality ones are a bit on the expensive side. If you have space, bring these ! )

2) A couple of spoons, knife, scissors and forks would help

2) Notebooks and stationary (it is comparatively expensive out here)

3) Rope to hang clothes and a few hangers as well

4) One suit would do for the first leg. Carry two only for the second leg

5) Basic medicines and balms

6) Indian Masala Maggi fans, get your stock from India! The maggi here has a very different flavor and not well liked by a lot of us here.

And, the following is for your info.

Toiletries and Cosmetics are available here at almost the same price elsewhere. So don’t bother carrying it along with you. Could save significant space in your baggage!

A washing machine, a refrigerator, a bread toaster and a microwave is available in all rooms in Dubai.

French supermarket Carrefour Express is available in the ground floor of our apartment. It’s just an elevator away! Prices are nominal and you get bread, apples and all you want!

For anymore specific info, shoot an e-mail!

- Sethu

My MBA Story… So Far!

After completing four months of the twelve month SPJCM GMBA program, I thought it would be useful to share my learning so far. The program is a once in a life time experience; each term goes like a season of super hit television serial, and leaves behind a lot of learning on your plate.

#1: Learn to take chance

The most important thing I learnt is to take a chance. Initially during the classes, I was sceptical about raising hand to give answers. But, now I put my hand up during class even when I am unsure of how ridiculous my answer will sound; because there are always chances that 1/3rd of the class is thinking the same thing! Don’t worry about your ego being bruised; a wrong answer is just as valuable as a right one. Challenge yourself to figure out how you can help your peers and make a positive impact in the class. Be there for your colleagues when they need you most, and share your talents and gifts; doing so will earn you respect and increase your influence in the classroom.

#2: Learning is important- not grades!

In a class full of people dying to get good grades (good grades can lead you to Dean’s list) it is all too easy to fall into the trap of being competitive with one another and to lose sight of long term picture. The power of an MBA lies in the learning and not grades. It is often said the true importance of an MBA surfaces many years down the road when you are more likely to leverage your network. The real competition is not with the 48 people doing MBA with you but with 4, 80,000 MBA students around the globe. The real experience is when you do your best to promote a collaborative environment where helping each other is a common practice. It’s surprising how helpful my class colleagues have been, and I’m finding that the more we help each other the more that behaviour gets encouraged.

#3: Manage the time your way!

A one year GMBA program is so intense that is can get your ass burning at times. So the first thing to develop is a sense of time management. We face the real pain especially at the start of the program when we are learning to get on our feet with respect to how to study and manage our time. Be sure to pace yourself and to give yourself a break once in a while. Although it is tough to avoid, don’t worry so much about the number of hours your colleagues are putting in; have faith and concentrate on being yourself (the same person that got you into the GMBA program).

#4: Stay healthy, keep fit

Expect to have tough weeks with little sleep, and expect to get stressed at times. There are times even you see the sun setting and rising while working on an assignment. I’ve seen many of my fellow students adapt to the MBA life in both positive and negative ways. I’ve found that getting a good amount of sleep and playing, jogging regularly is a key to stay healthy and fit both from a mental and physical perspective. Leading a healthy lifestyle will help you keep your immune system up at those critical times.

#5: The Sandwich Model and the Diversity

The SPJCM GMBA follows a sandwich model wherein each session is divided into two lectures and a work-application time in between to work on problems and case studies.  Coming into a classroom of accountants, engineers, salesmen, media, entrepreneurs and others is stimulating to say the least. As we discuss and debate a case in the classroom, expect to hear many different and diverse perspectives on issues. Have an open mind to what others are saying. Listen hard and you’ll find yourself learning from your peers and thinking in new and unique ways. This is the power of diversity with the sandwich model.

-Mudit

List of Committees and Clubs

The Industry Interface Committee (IICom)

The Industry Interface Committee at SPJCM is directed towards creating a higher degree of exposure to the real corporate environment and challenges among the GMBA’s in both Singapore and Dubai. The Industry Interface Initiative under the GMBA program has two unique components: ARP (Applied Research Project) and ALP (Action Learning Program) engaged during semester 1 and semester 2 respectively. A typical GMBA candidate enters in ARP phase as a researcher and emerges from ALP phase as a capable decision-maker, advisor and team player.

The Sports Committee (SportsCom)

A long and anxious wait combined with repeated cross checking and announcements about a Table Tennis tournament marked the start of the day. But all the anxiety ended in a gripping finale, and the cheering audience, was our trophy to mark the commencement of the first Sports event for the November 2010 batch. I cannot think of a better day to write about The Sports Committee.

The Sports Committee is coordinated by the designated members, but in it true essence it is formed by all of us together. Through sports we want to bring out a channel of networking and interaction between people. Sports have the ability to help us know each other better. When we play together, we have fun, we strive for our team, we cheer for our team, we support our team, we learn from each other and at the end of the day we celebrate together as one Family.

Sports can make a difference and with the following quote we are off to a start an Athletic Journey. “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination” – Nelson Mandela

The Placement Committee (PlaCom)

It’s a mixed feeling to give life the permission to take a reverse gear.. from being professionals back to students … its happiness, anxiety and fun all at the same time … from working professional spending hours and hours at work with all the responsibility, financial independence, pressure of deadlines and late night meetings we have moved back to student life with even more pressure but the question is ..why we have given this permission to our lives … lets give a moment to think on it and yes we get the answer right there ..it’s because we want to turn our lives again..we want to live the dream which each one of us has seen each single day.. this time the turn is towards taking our careers to new heights , new destinations, defining new horizons and the PlaCom Nov'10 is here with the batch in making that dream a reality