I could do anything... if I only knew what it was

I could do anything if I only knew what it was is a book by Barbara Sher that aims and helping you understand what you would be happy doing and gives you tips on how to actually get going.

I wish I had read this book in school. I believe this book should be mandatory reading for all students. It's a very powerful book with great exercises to help understand what we'll be happy doing. It has different chapters depending on the kind of help you need.

I was recently talking to someone who has been extremely successful in his career and decided to take a step (that would be considered a step down from others' POV). He is extremely happy with his decision. After 15 years of his career he realized what was important for him to be happy.

This book talks about exactly the same things this person mentioned he thought about when making his career decision.

I'm glad I read it after 2 years of my post MBA career.

Farmville

One of my New Year's resolution is to not play Farmville anymore. I've been addicted to the game since I first started playing. I've spend an hour a day at least since then.

Farmville is a game on Facebook on which the players own a farm, they plow land, plant crops and harvest them -- thus earning virtual money that they spend again on their farm. The game has been extremely successful with 11 million daily active users in less than 6 months.

What has led to this extreme success and addictive nature of the game?

Social collaboration - you not only harvest your farm but also help out others by fertilizing their farm. This earns you more points. Also, you can give gifts to your friends almost every day

Competition - I was competing against myself and my husband to get ahead in terms of level. Is that what drives us?

Materialistic needs - The more profit you make the more things you can buy - a bigger farm, more animals, trees etc. Are our materialistic needs so powerful in the virtual world as well?

Entrepreneurship - is it the entrepreneurial nature of the game? After all players need to be smart about what they plant in terms of profit, upfront investment, time taken etc. For those of us stuck in salaried jobs it's quite exciting to own a P&L.

Farming - is it actually the action of farming that is so enticing.

To farmville's benefit, playing it has made me a lot more sensitive to farming. I've developed a whole new level of awareness of farms, plants, land, trees, animals etc. It's an amazing game, try it!

Fashion Styling

I recently took a course on Fashion Styling from London College of Fashion. The concepts were very simple yet so powerful -

1. Style over fashion - you should focus on style (what looks good on you) rather than what's on fashion. e.g. Skinny jeans are the latest however they look good on very few people. You need a certain body shape to be able to pull of skinny jeans.

2. Balance and distribute - depending on your body type you should wear clothes that balance your body. e.g if you are broad at hips but narrow at top you should wear broader shoulders to even out the silhouette of your body.

3. Few classic pieces - it's better to own lesser clothes that are stylish rather than a lot of disposable fashion pieces. This is in contrast to the latest rave around fast fashion propagated by Zara, Top Shop etc. I have to admit my wardrobe is overflowing with clothes that I will never wear and my money was probably better spent on one good item versus 10 average things.

4. It's on sale for a reason - instead of buying a sale item on impulse, buy something that fits well and looks good on you. If something is on sale there is a reason -- no one else bought it. This one has really helped me as I'm a very impulsive buyer.

Egypt

I just came back from an amazing trip from Egypt. The history, monuments (some very well preserved) and the people all make for a very exciting experience. I did the typical route along the Nile - Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel.

In Egypt the no. 1 source of revenue is tourism. Everyone we encountered in Egypt gave us a big smile, recognized us as Indians and welcomed us to their city (note: not country but city).

I have to admit, Egypt was harder to navigate than other countries I've been to. Most tourists go with a package hence the infrastructure is built to support tour groups rather than independent travellers. For example, it's hard to find guides at the sites which is a problem I've never faced before. However, it is much more fun to do the independent travel -- the tours are limited in time and restrictive in terms of interactions with locals. Not to mention that it's at least 3 times more expensive to book a tour from UK instead of in Egypt.

It was heartening to see women in markets wandering alone in Cairo past midnight. A taxi driver explained to us that women are not required to cover their heads and it's entirely their choice. I'm not entirely sure if women actually cover their heads as a choice or as a norm.