Three Books…....

Thanks to my recently acquired weird reading habits, I have somehow managed to complete reading three books in about the same time. All three of them belong to different genre. While one is about the story of a phenomenon called Google, the other two are kind of memoirs.

The Google Story is a story detailing the spectacular rise of Google as a company. It entails from the first meeting of its cofounders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, as Ph.D. candidates at Stanford to their company's latest projects like building a genetic database and creating a virtual library. I've always been fascinated by Google's success. Its immense rise at the time of the dot com crash makes you wonder how these guys pulled it off. And this book does answer that question. The book gives fascinating insights to the company such as all of its employees have to spend 20% of their company time, or one day per week, working on any project they want or from the vibrant young culture with minimum managerial intervention. The book talks about various other offerings apart from search such as news, print and email and how some of them were conceived as a result of 20% rule. If you haven't read anything about one of today's most influential companies, I would surely recommend this book.

The second book is from Sudha Murthy (Infosys Foundation Trustee and wife of Infosys Technologies Chairman N R Narayana Murthy) titled Wise and Other Wise – A Salute to Life. I didn’t know about Sudha until I read her article on how she met Murthy and her seed contribution of Rs.10, 000 which paved way for Infosys. My respect for her grew twofold when I happen to read on how she managed to get her first job in a male dominated profile at Telco (now Tata Motors). Now you know my motivation behind picking up this book. Sudha Murty shares her experiences she has gained both as a teacher and as a social worker in form of short stories. Filled with humor and homespun wisdom, this book gives a vivid account of Sudha's work and her philosophy.

All the stories in this book are based on real-life experiences. The author has only changed the names and added some narration. Sometimes, simple people, who have had fewer opportunities, have taught her many lessons. In many of her stories, the characters have a situation with which they react differently - Wise and otherWise. I liked the language used by Sudha; it’s very simple and cut off from esoteric words and convoluted sentences. All in all a good read.

The third book is amusingly titled “How to Placate an Angry Naga”. While someone might rubbish it off as another “How to do…” self help books, but wait. This one is actually about life in the civil services. I might have never discovered this book until I read the review. I have always been fascinated by Civil Services but never quite got any insight. So I thought this book might just quench my thirst. As I went through the introductions and initial chapters, I was quite disappointed. I expected the authors to tell a story but instead they have just noted down experiences they have had at different stages of their career.

The book gives a peek in to a civil servant’s life with some very interesting topics about transfers, handling seniors & entertaining juniors and managing huge events such as the kumbh mela ( and that’s where the title come from!). I particularly liked the last chapter where authors categorize officers in three slots. One kind of officer who has high regards for his ethics and will not compromise at any level. Another kind being the practical one, who is indifferent to the system, but has his integrity intact. And lastly, the compromising one who crave for power. You might not find this book entertaining but it surely is interesting.

3 different books. 3 different stories.

“Read”y for more,
Neo

Only the Paranoid Survive

Written by Andy Grove, this book is not really about Intel but it is about what one can learn from the experience. The book can be summarized in one quote:

Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure.
Only the paranoid survive.

Andy explains his point through a strategic inflection poin(SIP)t. When a company is going through an SIP, all the business rules suddenly change. A company that is able to spot this and act upon it will be the one moving forward. Frequently, it is not possible to recognise the strategic inflection point until it is actually occurring. For this reason, the most successful companies are the ones that are always questioning and looking over their shoulders. The outcome of an SIP is illustrated aptly:

The book is full of common sense, backed up with case studies from the world of successful - and not so successful - businesses. This book reminded me of a quote by Charles Darwin:

It’s not the survival of the fittest or the most intelligent species,
But the one who is most adaptable to change.

Truly - Only the Paranoid Survive.

Watchful,
Neo.
img courtesy intel

Who am I?

I would like to share a piece written by Bob Conklin, found in "The Difference Maker" by John C. Maxwell

I can make you rise or fall. I can work for you or against you.
I can make you a success or failure.
I can control the way you feel and the way you act.
I can make you laugh ... work... love... I can make your heart sing with joy... excitement... elation...

Or I can make you wretched... dejected... morbid...I can make you sick... listless...

I can be as a shackle... heavy... attached... burdensome…
Or I can be the Prism's hue... dancing...bright... fleeting… lost forever unless captured by pen and purpose.
I can be nurtured and grown to be great and beautiful... seen by the eyes of others through action in you.
I can never be removed.... only replaced.

Who am I?
I am a THOUGHT.
Why not know me better?

Truly,your thoughts will be lost forever unless captured by pen or purpose! Thoughts must be written down or lived. Only then will they become building blocks of your life. Know I can relate to the old proverb of sowing a thought results in developing a habit. Habits shape our character which ultimately leads to creating our own destiny.

When what we think has a profound effect on our behavior, then why not know a thought better

thinking,
Neo

The Fifth Mountain

I am an avid reader, but I must admit that recently my reading habits have become wierd.Never in my life I have left a book in between just to start another one. And this time I have some 4-5 books which are half read.

Right now there are a number of books I’m struggling to finish reading but still I finished The Fifth Mountain one before everything else because a borrowed book has to be returned and its relatively shorter than the others. And of course I did like it (though didn’t loved it completely as The Alchemist by the same author)

I am not going to post a review or a summary of the book, but instead some really thought provoking lines from the book. Hoping these lines will help you scale your mountain



When we delay the harvest, the fruit rots. But when we delay resolving problems, they continue to grow. Learn something.

At this moment, many people have stopped living. They do not become angry, nor cry out; they merely wait for time to pass. They did not accept the challenge of life, so life no longer challenges them. You are running the same risk; react, face life, but do not stop living.

All life's battles teach us something, even those we lose.... you'll discover that you have defended lies, deceived yourself, or suffered for foolishness. If you're a good warrior, you will not blame yourself for this, but neither will you allow your mistakes to repeat themselves.

A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.

Take advantage of the chance that tragedy has given you; not everyone is capable of doing so.

The greatest wisdom is blinded by the glare of vanity.

Make whatever decision you wish but never forget one thing: all of you are much better than you believed.

pensive,
Neo.

The Alchemist

I have read "The Alchemist" twice and want to read it again. The Book is a must read and unfolds beautifully. The book is loaded with some of the great quotes.Some of them are below

The Alchemist
It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. (p11)

What's the world's greatest lie? It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. (p18)

The boy didn't know what a person's "destiny" was. It's what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny. (p22)

And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. (p23)

People learn early in their lives what is their reason for being. (p25)

When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision. (p71)

Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life. (p77)

When you want something with all your heart, that's when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It's always a positive force. (p82)

The alchemists spent years in their laboratories, observing the fire that purified the metals. They spent so much time close to the fire that gradually they gave up the vanities of the world. They discovered that the purification of the metals had led to a purification of themselves (p85)

"I learned that the world has a soul, and that whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of things. I learned that many alchemists realized their destinies, and wound up discovering the Soul of the World, the Philosopher's Stone, and the Elixir of Life. But above all, I learned that these things are all so simple they could be written on the surface of an emerald." (p87)

I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living now. (p88/89)

Because people become fascinated with pictures and words, and wind up forgetting the Language of the World. (p91)

In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly subjected to tests of his persistence and courage. So he could not be hasty, nor impatient. If he pushed forward impulsively, he would fail to see the signs and omens left by God along his path. (p93)

When you are in love, things make even more sense, he thought. (p105)

Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World. (p117)

Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure. You've got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense. (p122)

"There is only one way to learn," the alchemist answered. "It's through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey. (p132)

The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect. God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could understand his spiritual teachings and the marvels of this wisdom. That's what I mean by action." (p133)

All you have to do is contemplate a simple grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation. Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there. (p134)

People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them. (p136)

Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.

Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him. (p138)

Every search begins with beginners luck and ends with the victor's being severely tested. (p139)

The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other. (p141)

When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there's no need at all to understand what's happening, because everything happens within you. (p155)

Five Point Some One

I have yet to figure out the best part of my job but commuting to my workplace is quite enriching. Though the trains are crowded to the last centimeter, I find a way to read a book. Recently I laid my hands on a novel titled “Five Point Someone” by Chetan Bhagat. He is an IIT, IIM alumnus. The story revolves around three friends and their life in an IIT hostel.

The style of writing is simple and very young full of common youth lingo. The book is not a great piece of literature but classics are not meant to be read, right. Three friends- Alok, Ryan and Hari are the central characters, and the whole story is narrated by Hari. I could identify with some part or other with each and every character but Hari is close to my heart.

There is not much to think about the story or any takeaways. But is that everyday kinda stuff which happens to normal guyz.

Help yourself to get a copy and read it