Open Letter To Indian Parents

Dear Indian Parents,

I am writing out today to you not to criticize you but to help you broaden your perspective on things have changed from the time you were growing up, till the time we are today. I am not saying you are wrong, but I am saying that there are things we might be right

I am going to touch about one thing only today is this letter although I do feel there are a lot more issues we can speak about. The thing I want to share with you today is about your children's career choice. Why I am choosing this topic, that is because I feel here is where Indian parents play a decisive role in their children's future.

Over the last 7 years as a student, I have asked many Indian parents this question, "Uncle/Aunty, what course do you want your kids to take after they finished SPM?" and this is the most common answer I get back from there. Its either "I want them to do medicine" or "I wan them to do engineering" or "I want them to do law"

In some cases, yes the children do want to pursue this courses. At first I was under the impression that, this is what they want to do. When I ask this children is this what you want to do and their answer would be yes. Fast forward a couple of years later and ask them do you want to do this course? Most of them would answer no.

So why did they agree to do this course the first place? When I ask them this is what the most general answer would be." At that time I didn't really know what I like, Appa and Amma was asking me to do this course and I did well in my SPM in this particular subjects so I took it. But now I know I don't like this, but I like something else which I am good at"

You see Indian parents, the biggest problem here is that your kids are actually very very talented individuals, but at the age of 17, they still don't know what is their passion. What goes wrong is that, at an age where they are indecisive, you thrush your idea of doctor, lawyer and engineer to them forcing them to take it up. Most of them do so because they don't want to disappoint you. What happens next is that they would go on a life time working something they have no interest at

Here is some ways how you can make things right Indian parents. First of all, understand that there is more than just law, medicine and engineering out there. Perhaps at your time, this 3 courses would ensure most success, but trust me, I am a chemical engineer and it is not easy to even get an interview call. That is how competitive things are out there. Instead, broaden your perspective and see the different types of courses available out there. There are photography, journalism, film making, fashion design, and many more. Remember if you are passionate enough about something, you will become successful.

Next, you could help discover your kids passion from an early age. Some of them are into arts or dance or acting. Don't stop them from doing so. They could just make a career out of it. Being successful in life is not just about getting into science stream or scoring all A's in SPM. I've got friends who were in art's stream, did not do so well in their SPM but are now being so successful in life because they followed their passion. Guide your children Indian parents, not instruct them.

You are just like any parents out there who wants their kids to be successful and that is not wrong, but always remember this Indian parents, those who pursue their passion will be successful.

Warm Regards,

An Indian guy who followed his passion

5 of The Greatest Athlete of My Era

I was going through one the Arsenal Facebook group and I came across this interesting post by one of the member. He ask us to name 5 of the greatest athlete you have watch during your time. It was interesting and quickly catching on with the rest of the members and that got me wanting to write a post here .

*Note: I can't choose people like Pele as I never watch him play and he is not someone from my time

Michael Schumacher

 

Without a doubt the greatest driver to grace the Formula 1 sports industry. The rain master was in a class of is own during his prime in the sports. He is the 7 time world champion and still the most successful driver in the industry. He once dominated the sports so well, whereby he won 5 consecutive world championship. He is also known as the Master of Rain, where he often wins races in wet condition with ease. He is one of the biggest reason why I follow this sports today and why I love Ferrari. Get well Schumi!

Thierry Henry

During my time, I am blessed to watch many great footballers in action and watch all those fantastic goals. Among those who I've watched, Thierry Henry will always be the greatest and most complete center forward to have grace the sport. The guy can score, assist, dribble and take your breath away at lighting pace with the goals against Liverpool and S*purs where he just ran through those players as if they were invincible. Indeed Henry was invincible and part of a team that went on 49 games unbeaten. Henry represents what the beautiful game us all about. He makes football so much of joy to watch. A hallmark of any great player is to have rival club fans adoring him and yes I've known of many United and Liverpool fans who hold Henry at high regard. A real legend of the game

Roger Federer 

I don't usually follow tennis as intensely as how I follow football. The only time I watch tennis is only during the 4 Grand Slams and usually from the Quarter-Final Stage onwards. Having said that, I am pleased to say that I was alive to watch the greatest ever tennis player of all time play. When comes to tennis, no one comes close to the great FED-EX. He makes tennis looks so simply on the eye as he changes pace and those backhands. A true great of the sports. 17 Grand Slam tittles and spent 302 weeks consecutively as world number 1. Both this records are still to be broken and he is still competitive in his game despite aging up and recently once again made it to the final of his beloved Wimbledon Open. I can't wait for the moment he clinches his 18th Grand Slam. I believe there is still one more Grand Slam left in him

Lionel Messi

Some might say that Christiano Ronaldo is the greatest player in the world. Well that is only true because The Great Lionel Messi is from another planet. For me, he is the greatest player of all time, surpassing players like Pele and Maradona. The only thing he has not won in his professional career is the World Cup and Copa America, which he has successfully made it to the final. That is the only thing they have against him. Putting that aside, Lionel Messi is an upgrade of Ronaldhino. They make you fall in love with the beautiful game all over again. The way he plays makes you think you are actually playing FIFA. Such is his class and skills. He does things which makes you lose your mind. A master of beautiful goals and a great team player. He loves assisting as much as he loves scoring. He has rewritten the history of football and he can only get better. Lionel Messi, the greatest ever footballer. 

Nicol David

Squash may not be the most popular game in the world but it is one tough and intense game. It is not as easy as it looks like and I am so proud to say that the person who is ruling the female category of squash is our very own Malaysian Star Nicol David. 108 consecutive months currently as world number 1 and has 8 world open tittles to her name. She is the face of squash and a true icon of the game. If only squash were to be part of the Olympic Games, Malaysia would have won their first ever gold medal, because Nicol David can be very unbeatable.

The Ten Faces of Innovation

Innovation has something I have always fancied about. I truly believe that innovation is the best way forward to achieve success. It’s an ever evolving world and you need to innovate in order to be able to cope with the current world trend.

For example if you look at smartphone companies like Apple or Samsung, you can see that almost every year they will come up with a new smartphone. These smartphone would be an upgrade from the previous version. The will update the features of the current phone to a better version for their next phone

Updates like better camera, new operating software/system, better hardware and tolerance. This is called innovation. The innovate their current technology to a better technology. And the result of that is that, these companies rack in millions in profit. There you go, innovation leads to success.

 

Some might say that innovation is not easy; it is very difficult and challenging. Even if I come up with an innovative idea, someone is always there to shoot me down and say that this idea won’t work. Have you been in such position before? Whereby you are in a meeting and you propose a new innovative idea, and someone across the table says that it won’t work because of certain reason. They throw out your idea. Have you faced this situation before?

Well these are the people we call the Devil’s Advocate. They are the type of people who would focus on all the negatives and tell you why your idea won’t work. The smart thing about the Devil’s Advocate is that they don’t reject your idea because they don’t believe it, but they will say considering from a consumer’s point of view or as a third person who will be using your innovation I don’t think it won’t work.

It’s a smart way to reject your idea, because you can’t say that the Devil’s Advocate rejected your idea. He/she has planted the thought that they don’t reject your but the consumer/third party would reject your idea.

So how do we beat the Devil’s Advocate? This is where the Ten Faces of Innovation comes into play. You will need this 10 faces or attributes to beat the devil’s advocate. These 10 characters carries 10 different types of attitudes and mindset you need to have to beat the Devil’s advocate. You may not have all of 10 attributes, but in a group if every one of them can play one of this roles, than you are on the right path. 

Sometimes you can play more than one of the roles. Just like how in life you are one person but you play the role of a son, brother, friend, and student. One person but 4 different roles, and it is the same thing here where you can have more than 1 of the Ten Faces of Innovation.

The Ten Faces of Innovation are called as:

1.  The Anthropologist- The person who brings new learning and insights to the group by observing human behavior and developing a deep understanding of how people interact physically and emotionally with product, services and space
2. The Experimenter- The person who prototypes new ideas continuously, learning by a process of enlightened trial and error. The take calculated risks to achieve success through a state of “experimentation and implementation” 
3. The Cross-Pollinator- The person, who explores other industries and cultures, then translates those findings and revelations to fit the unique need of your enterprise.
4. The Hurdler- The person who understands the path to innovation is full with challenges but builds a character to break those challenges.   
5. The Collaborator- The person who brings eclectic group together, and often leads from the middle of the pack to create new combinations and multidisciplinary solutions.
6. The Director- The person who gathers talented people and sparks their creative talent to life. 
7. The Experience Architect- The person that designs compelling experiences that go beyond mere functionality to connect at a deeper level with customer’s latent or expressed needs. 
8. The Set Designer- The person that creates the stage on which innovation team members can do their best work, transforming physical environments into powerful tools to influence behavior and attitude. 
9. The Caregiver- The person that anticipates customer needs and is ready to look after them. They are the reason why you see situation where is service is really in demand. 
10. The Storyteller- The person that builds both internal morale and external awareness through compelling narratives that communicates  a fundamental human value or reinforce a specific cultural trait.

Now imagine you are in the same meeting again, you propose a new innovative idea and the Devil’s advocate rejects your idea. But this time you have people in the meeting who has The Ten Face Of Innovation and one of them steps to be The Anthropologist and says “I have seen many people who are difficult without this product, and this idea might just be the solution to their issue” or one of them steps up to be The Experimenter and says “We could prototype this idea in a week and get a better understanding to see if where are unto something good or not”.

Now with having The Ten Faces of Innovation, the Devil’s Advocate may just silent up and allow you to proceed with your new innovative idea and who knows that idea might just change the world. Every great invention starts off with an idea. If you believe in your idea hard enough, one day it will turn out to be an amazing product.

Some of the roles of The Ten Faces of Innovation may not seem practical for university students to use at classes or meetings. Nevertheless it is good to have students practicing these attributes early as it will give them a competitive edge when they start to work. Because companies today are looking to innovate from time to time and with this attitude and attributes you might just be the person they looking for.  

*This post was based from a book titled “The Ten Faces of Innovation by Tom Kelley with Jonathan Littman” The 10 characters and the Devil’s advocate concept can all be found in this book”  

 

What Should Najib Do Next

Recently the news broke by Wall Street  Journal about Jibby having the 1MDB funds channeled to his own account in Malaysia. It can’t be said that Malaysians were any surprised at all with that news. In fact there were many “I told you so” people who been saying this is bound to happen

It only strengthens the cry that Jibby should resign as PM as soon as possible. As much as I would love that to happen, I can’t stop but to wonder if it was really that Jibby did this or was he being framed up. Jibby is a smart guy no doubt, or else there is no way he can still be our PM despite we all wanting him out.

So that got me thinking, if indeed it did take all those money, would he actually put it in his own local bank account? Shouldn’t he know that he could get easily caught? Instead why didn’t he open accounts in foreign banks or companies under a benefactor’s name and have the money channeled to him. I’m not sure it will work but it does seem smarter.

I’m not defending Jibby, but it just seems too good to be true. I smell foul here. More like a set up to have him overthrown as PM.Is it by Mahathir or Muhyiddin or the opposition? That is a question I don’t have the answer too.

Now, what should Jibby do to rectify the situation? He needs to save his integrity in front of the world now. He needs to show Malaysian that they still can trust (as if we will ever do). He needs to save his career. If he did take the money, than god help him. On the other hand, if he did not take the money, well this is a top class political career assassination.I can only thing about one men in Malaysia who is capable to pull that off.

This is what I feel Jibby should do if he did indeed take the money. No I won’t admit that I took the money, instead I would issue that this is something being framed up to throw me out. After some time, he should announce that he is stepping down as PM because he no longer feels that it’s best to lead the country under these circumstances. At least he would go out with some grace instead of being overthrown. After that he has to battle it out this allegation against him until a verdict is reached.

Now let’s say Jibby did not take the money, this is how I would react if I was him. Come out with a strong statement condemning these allegations and file a case against The Wall Street Journal. Next try to identify if there is anyone within his party trying to overthrow him. 

Example try to find out if his DPM is trying to over throw him. If he is, try to get him sacked off that position and replace him with a guy who would support him as his DPM and continue to deny these allegations. Eventually resign as PM citing that it is not right to be the PM of this country with this kind of image. As the new DPM would be the PM and hopefully still supporting Jibby, he will eventually prove that this is a false allegation and have his reputation intact.

Well politics is a dirty game and the sharpest and smartest will survive. This is how I feel Jibby should handle the situation. Well who I am to say this after all. I am just a normal citizen hoping that one day I would see my country be a leading nation that’s all.

What 3 SUPERPOWERS Do You Want To Have

Superheroes are one of the few things that could get a 40 year old adult as excited as a 5 year old kid. Most of us started following superheroes when we were kids through comics and cartoons. No doubt one of the best gifts Hollywood has given us are superhero films.

From Spiderman to Batman to the Avengers, every superhero fan will not miss a film let it be they are from Marvel Comics or DC Comics. People follow these superhero characters as if they were cult religious figures as they are so into them.

You could find online debates why one superhero is better than the other. Heck it, even I was once involved in a 4 hours group WhatsApp debate on "Is Ironman Better Than Batman". Recently it got me wondering, if I could choose superpowers from 3 different superheroes what will it be.

It was really tough to decided because there are so many superheroes who I deeply adore, so it was a real challenge to be able to pick 3 superheroes power while ensuring their power does cause harm to one another. Finally I came to a decision and these are my choice

1. Professor Xavier

The first superpower I would like to have is Professor Xavier's ability to read mind and telepathic powers. I find it extremely powerful to be able to read people's mind and control things telepathically. From the place you are, you can get things done your way with this superpower

2. Wolverine

Next superpower I would love to have is Wolverine's ability to heal. There is a reason why I did not pick to have his adamantium claws and bones as there will be a conflict with my final choice of superpower. Imagine being a guy who can read people's mind, control things telepathically and  prettyt much immortal. Now that is one badass superhero.

3. Magneto

I would love to have Magneto's ability to manipulate magnetic field. The reason is because it looks super cool in those X-Men movies on how Magneto controls the things around him. I find it as a touch of class and coolness. 

With these powers from the 3 superheroes, I would be unstoppable and perhaps the most powerful superhero ever. A guy who can read your mind with telepathic powers, manipulates magnetic fields and just wont die. Now that beats a class 5 mutant including Jean Grey

Credits To Kugarubaan For The Picture Editing

If you could choose 3 superpowers what will that be?

Under the Spotlight: Papanasam

For  those who are not aware, Papanasam is Kamal Haasan latest film outing. Unlike other actors of his stardom, there were not much promotion going around about this film and many like you and me might not even know when this film was released. That's the magic of Kamal Hassan. He can do a low key film and yet hit a sixer in it.

Papanasam is a remake of Malayalam film Drishyam which was starred by the great Mohanlal. It was the first Malayalam film to gather more than RS 1 Crore in US and UK and became the highest grossing film in the Malayalam Industry not to forget the awards it won as well. 

The idea of remaking the film was first mentioned with the idea of Rajinikanth playing the lead but eventually it went to Kamal Haasan and from here you can already see what a quality film we have in store with Papanasam. With Gauthami making a comeback after many years, Papanasam has all the ingredients to be one of the best movies of the year

Story Review

The movies starts of at police station whereby a TV program is being telecast about a quiz relating to cinema and films. Kamal answers the question correctly and it is revealed that is a murder accuse. They film than brings you to a flashback which shows Kamal as a man who owns a cable tv network in the town of Papanasam. He is happily married to Gauthami and has two daughters.

Kamal is shown as a movie buff who would spend as much time watching films, where he gains his intellectual knowledge. He is shown as someone witty and smart who jokes his way through mocking people. Scenes with his family later reveals that Kamal is a thrifty guy and that is the basis to how he became successful.

He is shown as a guy who likes to buy second hand stuff only and records down every single expenditure he spends. He follows the lifestyle of the past despite his kids teasing him. In a whole they live a beautiful happy life.

In a twist of events, The Inspector General's son was murdered by Kamal's family and now he is left with two choice. To surrender to the police and face jail or to go all means to prove his family's innocence. This is where you will see the best of the film and Kamal. How a man with a education background of the 4th standard and knowledge gained through his beloved cinema helps him steer away from trouble

Kamal comes up with a genius fool proof story which he makes sure his family remembers when the police questions them. He ensures they maintain the same story no matter what happens and creates evidence to ensure his family is not guilty.

From here to the end is all about the police trying to pin the case and Kamal and his family while Kamal keeps proving their innocence right until a fantastic climax which will keep you to the edge of your seat. The only down side of the film is the running time of 181 minutes which may seem a little draggy although once the movie kicks in a gear you wont feel it.

Rating: 4.7/5.0

Director Review

Both the original and remake of the film was directed by Jeethu Joseph. This is his first venture into the Tamil industry and he picked the perfect story and actor to make his debut. Hats of Jeethu Joseph for giving us this one of kind cult film experience. It was a true joy to watch and considering this is just his 6th film, he has done very very well. He managed to bring a the best of his cast and made them feel they are real and not actors. He kept the pace of the film well and knew how to play with the suspense in the script to keep the crowd entertained throughout the film. He has surely set the bar high for him now

Director Review: 4.5/5.0

The Cast

Kamal Haasan

Is there any role this man can't do. He is indeed a genius and it's a gift to be able to watch him on screen work his magic. An actor of true class and isn't afraid to do different type of roles. Here in Papanasam, Kamal plays the character of Suyambu Lingam, a man with an education background of 4th standard who runs a cable tv network in his town.

From the minute go, you will be in awe with Kamal's on screen presence. He carries the weight of the film and he does the comic scenes, the suspense and of cause the emotions as well. He makes it look so flawless as if he wasn't even trying. Such is the man's quality.

His accent was perfect and watch out for the end emotional scene, that is grand master at work. He belts out of the best performance and just schooled every other actor how to act. He shows you the beauty of acting scene to scene proves to you why he is the best ever actor in India.

Rating: 4.9/50

Gauthami Tadimalla

Making a comeback after 16 years and she shows that she still haven't lost it one drop of it. Playing the role of a middle class wife, yet loving towards her family and husband. She emotes the naiveness of the character so well until you would actually believe it. Her performance is so real whereby you would actually believe that the character can be genuinely brave and gutsy, despite being a timid, naive homely mother.

As all good films does, Gauthami's character (Rani) has proper screen time to make her presence felt and plays a key role in the transformation of the film. I was indeed glad this role went to her instead of other actress. If you felt Jothika did a good come back in 36 Vayadhinile, well Gauthami took it one notch higher as the realisticness of her character triumphs

Rating 4.5/5.0

Niveda Thomas & Esther Anil

Both these girls plays the role of Selvi and Meena, daughter's to Suyambu Lingam and Rani. The girls came up with an excellent yet realistic performance throughout the film. From being the cute loving daughter, to being terrified, scared girls until enduring all struggles to prove the family's innocence, they were top class. Credit to the director for mapping out such strong roles and bring the best from them

Rating 4.4/5.0

Kalabhavan Mani & Asha Sarath

Kalabhavan plays the role of police constable Perumal who is shown to take money out of the people of Papanasam and develops a grudge with Suyambu. In the first half of the film he is shown to be wanting to get Suyambu into trouble while the second half of the film he is shown trying to prove that Suyambu is indeed guilty. He is already not a very flexible and talented actor, but in this film he gave a solid strong performance and one which he will be remembered for.

Asha Sarath plays the role of Geetha Prabhaka, The Inspector General of police and the mother to the murdered son. She provides a good strong mature performance of a lady stuck between being a police and a mother. She was able to see through Suyambu plays and does all she can to pin the fault on him.

Rating 4.2/5.0

The Music

M.Ghibran

He seems to becoming Kamal's preferred music director as this is his 2nd consecutive film with Kamal and has another two movies line up with Kamal. No doubt why Kamal seems to be going with Ghibran because the guy is good and knows how to place the songs to fit the film.

In this movie there are only two songs, both very well placed in the film and they are not for you to shake your hips. Instead the presence of the songs won't be notice much as its a medium to let you travel in the film. Credit to the director for placing the song at right place of the film and Ghibran for composing a tune that lets you flow.

His background score and rerecording was terrific. The key reason why those suspense and emotional scenes work is because of the underlying music behind it which makes tweaks with your emotion as well

Rating 4.3/5.0

Final Verdict: Papanasam tells the story of a Superdad, that will go all the way  for his family. This is one for all Superdads out there.

Final Rating: 4.5/5.0

In The Limelight: Kavithraa Baskaran

Next on "In The Limelight" we have the beautiful and mature friend of mine I made during my time in UTP. Introducing to you the elegant Kavithraa Baskaran
*Start Interview*

Question 1
Everyone who knows you, knows that you are Actress Trisha's number one fan. So why Trisha? What is it about her that you love so much and how does she inspires you?

Well yeah I'm a great fan of Trisha since the film "Laysa Laysa" and "Samy". Coming from a normal family background and venturing this field successfully is hard. I love the way she acts. A bonus point of cause being drop dead gorgeous till now, even thought she's aging, she maintains her looks and never looked old. 

Besides, she keeps herself healthy by exercising and make sure she keeps herself updated with the current trend of clothing's and all, love her dressing sense. She looks beautiful in all outfits. What does inspire me most about Trisha is being herself, I could see how independent and strong she is. 

I was really impressed with her effort in taking care of homeless dogs and her cares towards the environment; it's very rare to see an actress to get involved with social responsibilities. Really love her confidence and bold character, where she stood up for her rights and supports her family and friends no matter what happens. In all I love everything about her, being beautiful in and out.

Question 2
Now I can see why you are indeed Trisha's number one fan. Moving on, if you could pick one thing that makes you stand out of the crowd, what quality or character of yours would that be that makes you different and why?

One character that would make me stand out of the crowd would be that I'm not afraid of saying "I don't know". Well I'm not ashamed of asking questions, as a matter of fact, I would consider it as knowledge because no one can personally know everything. 

Besides, I would say I'm able to start up conversation easily face to face; also I have a habit of smiling towards people and thanking for everything. In addition, I would say I'm able to identify people's mood (adapt to their mood) and also towards any situation.


I always make myself look presentable, and carry respect towards others. Ohh yeah one funny thing, that I have a really loud voice :D

Question 3
Recently you voiced out an issue about poor drivers on the road. If you were to be in a position of power and influential, what would you do to solve this issue?

Firstly, I would say that everyone on the road should know how to respect others, because they share the road. Why when others can wait but now you? It all depends on the individual; they can make changes if they're concern enough. 

On the other hand, if I was given a position on this, I would think of having separate roads for bikers and cars, because most of the accidents results in death to the bikers. So I guess they have the rights to have their own space as well. 

In addition, policeman should make rounds during peak hours to avoid traffic and to take action against those who don't obey the rules, such as using emergency lanes and cutting the line, this would definitely reduce traffic.

Question 4
If you could wake up in the body of someone else tomorrow, who would you pick and what will you do 

If I could wake up in the body of someone, I would choose Angeline Jolie. Besides being beautiful on the outside, she is the most synonymous names when it comes to supporting causes and empowering communities. 

 

She was one of the first celebrities to adopt a child and this became a big trend and also her long term relationship. She's a very tough woman I would say, she fought over her breast cancer ans started an AIDS & Tuberculosis clinic in Ethiopia. She also opened a school in Afghanistan because she discovered that girls there did not have adequate educational opportunities. 

You may want to read the article in this link "How Angelina Jolie Became An Inspiration" to know all about her good deeds.

Question 5
The final question would be something a little personal. What quality and character do you see in a man before you decide to date him?

Hahaha, well I don;t expect anything but if I wish, I could have someone that is easy going and also a spontaneous person since I make plans all of a sudden. Outgoing and loves traveling of cause. They should exercise personal responsibilities, the person doesn't have to be on the exact same life path as you, but your trails should converge in enough places so that you can both reach your final destination together. Respect both families, have a life outside the relation.

The person shouldn't expect you to spend every waking moment with them, because I have hopes and dreams beyond the scope of your relationship. And besides, two people can only spend so much time together before getting fed up with each other, so a little bit of space will be good for both of us.

Teaches me something new and of cause trust me. Maintain a healthy relationship with socializing. Last but not least, love me unconditionally. Well it's just  wish to get a man like that and I don't expect it though, happens in movies but not real life. Will be grateful with what I'm going to have.

Thank you very much Kavithraa Baskaran for that wonderful interview. I must admit that I really did enjoy your interview and hope the readers would love it to. Without a doubt you are the most mature and broad thinking junior I have come across in UTP.

*End Of Interview*
Coming up next: An Interview With Mohanan Rooparn