Another week goes by..

Week 2, Term 1: Less stress than last week for sure, and I think people are settling into a rountine. Circadian rhythms have been sufficiently altered to think of 0200 as "not yet time to crash." Eco and Stats have been horrific, whereas marketing has been super! Financial Acctng has yet to really strike us between the eye, it'll only get tougher. This week, I think I've hit the average. Woohoo! Yes, hitting the class average in ISB is reason to celebrate! No marketing case = chillout week. Chillout week = Mass dunking+parties. We had a basketball tournament and a Dumbcharades competition... for once, acads had taken a bit of a backseat!



In a fairly curious developement... I've been getting random Facebook alerts in my Gmail saying "So-and-so has just added the iThink application". Better late than never I say! More power to you dudes. That's a slightly roundabout way of coming to the point (Actually it isn't). My knee is sore because I missed a landscaping feature as subtle as a tree (A tree-log actually). I thought (maybe I need that Facebook app too) that there was nothing there. In my defence, it was dark, and I was drinking away at the party. Now to complete the fairly long roundabout way of getting to the point, we were having a party for the profs leaving us at the end of next week. They have been simply superb, and it's been an absolute pleasure to sit in their lectures. So, kudos to Messrs. Bell, Venkatachalam and Stine and to Amit, who we'll see and hear more of in the rest of the year!



David Bell: Marketing prof from Wharton. Amiable Kiwi... someone who has managed to arouse interest in marketing from even the most hardcore quant jocks. David has a great sense of humour and a fantastic way of handling the entire class, considering marketing has 20% marks designated for class participation (CP) and it could descend into a fish market of sorts. Great start to what could have been a subject that could have been all gyaan and faff. Ladies swoon over the man.



Bob Stine: Another Wharton prof., teaches stats. Has explained stats more clearly in two weeks than I could understand in three years of studying it. Feel very comfortable with the subject now, more than Eco for sure, thanks to Bob's clarity in teaching. Very witty again (guess that's a pre-requisite to teach at wharton!). Good man, and a great and no-nonsense teacher.



Mohan Venkatachalam: Fin prof from Dooook. The guy with by far the most energy from all the guest faculty that we've got. Makes something as dry as book-keeping seem the most exciting possibility. And has the ability to come up with some real gems worthy of standup comedians! Also loves to party with the students a lot. The only prof who dresses formally in class.



Amit Bubna ("Call me Amit"): Eco prof, humble, erudite and sarcastic. A killer combo. Great in class, but he makes sure his assignments are screwy. Very nice to talk to outside class, where he lines up just like the rest of us in the cafe. Has ensured that MR=MC will remain entrenched in our brains for ever. Again, for just half a term of economics, he has taught microeconomics better than most other profs I've studied under.

Footnote: Abhijit Kulkarni, ISB Co2008, TA for MGEC and future McKinsey consultant. The guy has the most unbelievable patience, taking on all six sections for Eco tutes. Four sessions over one weekend (without any substances!). Hats off dude! I think AK is teacher material to rival Amit.

In other news, the menagerie at ISB has a new addition. Two tiny snakes had been spotted in SV1. Things never stop getting exciting... so we now have a snake appreciation course of sorts (no credits, so guess waht the turnout will be!). I'm wondering now if that elephant with red dots that I had dreamed of will finally show up on campus.