We Wish You A Very Happy New Year!

Lord of the Rings!

Finally I started reading Lord of the Rings. I was thinking about it for a really long time and somehow I was a bit scared given the length of the book. Scared in the sense, will I able to finish it? I am an obsessed reader who would finish a book, once started reading. If I ever feel that I won't be finishing a book, I won't start it. I feel its a wrongdoing.

Anyways. I have been a huge , rabid fan of the movies since the day each of them was released. I have seen all the movies in theaters and then on DVD numerous times. I have seen both regular and extended editions and even done back to back LOTR runs. Now this is what I call, Obsession. But I think for me these movies and characters go beyond the magnificent productions. They are like watching Epics. I have read Ramayan and Mahabharat again and again and have followed the TV series about both Indian epics. LOTR is an epic. With all the different characters, movements and the of course the eternal conflict between good and bad.

Someone interestingly said that LOTR is based on a religious philosophy. I would say its based on philosophies of the world. How do you want live a life? "Even the smallest person can change the course of history", what an amazing thought. The lust for power and the fall of empires thereby, is wonderfully portrayed in the book. And if we take a look at the human history, nations and people have died to get control over the ultimate power.

I am totally in love with LOTR. Many of my friends find it a mere fantasy. For me it goes beyond fantasy. It is a reflection of human behavior and history. I am very excited to read the books now. Hope, everyone will read them and enjoy them as much I do.

Bush and Shoe

I just could not help laughing and rolling on the ground!

...And its vacation!

Finally my school work got over last Friday. I handed over two of my term papers and scurried hurriedly out of the 411 building. Could not wait to go home , crash and switch on the new Samsung 40". I was so tired at the end of the semester that I totally needed a long nap and guess what, I ended up sleeping for straight 12 hours. Phew!! Man, I was tired. This semester was particularly tiring for me. The course load was not unmanageable , but I think all the classes were intense. I had to read a lot every week. It was actually gratifying to go through all that work and hand over good work (according to me) at the end of the semester. Lets see ! Grades are not posted as yet.

I think I was more tired particularly this semester because of the feeling of getting out of school soon and being on the job market. Actually this should be an exciting moment , but given this economy and hiring freeze everywhere , I am really nervous about my prospects. A single thought of being idle at home, sends chills through my spine. I am almost a workaholic (I can be pretty lazy during breaks). But I need that challenge to do good and do more all the time. So what's going to happen after August , the thought is killing me. According to V , I am as always going crazy over unknown. But if you are a Type A person and working efficiently is your mantra, then such craziness is bound to happen. But I am taking some steps to see hows things will work for me and SPA faculty members and Alliance staff is more than supportive.

During the Winter break I would end up working for Alliance. The Light Rail starts running on 27th December. So it would be easy to go to downtown. As of now ,shuttle is my only preferred way of commuting and it will stop running during winters.

There is a winter class which I have enrolled in. So that would be some good amount of work. But the class starts towards the end of December. Till then I am free. I have lot of pending reading on my hands. I am just done with Tolstoy's biography written by a Marathi author. Clash of Civilizations is taking pace. Also looking forward to some of the Russell's essays on morality. Twilight and the similar are on the list.

Movies is a big deal for me all the time. I have Clint Eastwood festival planned. Let's see how that works. Hopefully Netflix has most of the movies I wish to watch.

I think this is a huge plan for one month. I am not sure how much of it will take place. But no harm in planning.

Weather is gorgeous. It's been raining for few days now. Cold and moist! Perfect weather before Christmas. Friends are coming over for graduation. So the weekend looks awesome. And yes ,forgot about Lion King at Gammage. Too many pebbles to throw in the pond.

Hope you too have a busy vacation and enjoy the festivities. Tempe looks amazing with the lights around the Mill Aveneue. I will post some pictures soon. Till then Adios Amigos!!

PM and citizens?????

I recently came across an interesting article about the dissociation between school work and work experience. Well I am not too excited about it. The article gives an example of an ASU alumni and his dissatisfaction with the school's curriculum. Well I am not an education expert nor an expert in PM. However I know one thing that when you apply for fellowship that particularly deals with "How to become a good city manager", you learn how to become a good city manager. You can not expect to learn how to become a good policy analyst or evaluation expert. When you seek for being an evaluation expert you seek a school that makes you one.

I totally agree with the importance of PM in public sector. I find this field very interesting and so as an RA with AFI I have chosen my area of interest to be PM and value. This gives me an opportunity to read, know and see different approaches in PM. This is just a beginning. As I will progress in my professional area, I am sure I will be learning a lot more.

ASU has fellowship devoted for students who are interested in issues of PM. I know students who work with this fellowship because they are interested in the area of PM.
Secondly, I feel SPA is perhaps one of the few schools where you can even walk into the Director's office and discuss you concerns about program. As I understand school offers a reading and conference class if a student wishes to learn a particular subject that interests a students but is not offered as a class. Well in SPA you can definitely ask for an advice about anything and you get it.

My point is in SPA we have urban management focus, which I think goes hand in hand with being in city of Phoenix. I would personally love to see some course in PM or a module in PM. But it does not mean I can not learn it right now if I want to. After all graduate school is what you make of it.

I feel it's not very apprecitative to go on honking bad news about your Alma Mater when you land up in a position through your Alma Mater. Well to each his own. But I am confident that in SPA not a single concern goes unanswered when you know how to express it.