A Frequent Flyer & Company

For a lot of you that have been shattered by my surprise disappearance from the virtual world over the past 3 days, don't despair - for I have returned.

Following a brief sms from a friend: 'McKinsey testing at LUMS on the 28th', I made a swift decision to fly to Lahore, completely unaware of how that experience would actually turn out.

For my lazy/busy buds: In a nutshell, they didn't let me test, yet, I negotiated to a somewhat positive outcome anyway. Thank You AIESEC.

For those that feel the need to indulge in me a little more, I shall narrate the events in slightly more detail:

I leave the house at 4am to see if I can get a cheaper ticket for the 8am flight to Lahore. While I wait on the waiting list (what else are you supposed to do on the waiting list anyway, I mean that's the name of the list!), I pick up the monstrous bundle of practice cases that Kirmani had given me to look over. Even at 4am after a very tiring day, I manage to find myself doing rather well at the cases (Either that, or I was really too sleepy to care..). Decked up with confidence, I make my way to LUMS only to find out that there is a prescreened list of people that can take the test! And of course, I'm not on it. On another day, I would have resigned that as bad luck, whined a little and moved on, but today wasn't it. I had taken extra care to ensure that the Career Development Office at LUMS had given me the green light regarding my test eligibility the morning before I travelled. So I storm into the office, very sure there was a mistake, only to be told by a lady pretending to be friendly that she was sorry and that McKinsey & Co had clarified the procedure to them only the night before. Bah!

So I leave the office, rather bitter about the state of affairs when I run into a friend (Bilal Rana, the savior!), that tells me he might have the contact details of the person responsible for the Middle East Office's recruitment. Next Obstacle: Internet is down at LUMS. So I call someone in Karachi to access Bilal's inbox and find me the numbers that I scribble onto the back of my hand. This is followed by a phone call to the Dubai office that has me meet a very sweet answering machine on the other side! Hmmm.. Can a random person like me really call up the McKinsey'ite on her cell phone. Well, nothing to lose.. Oh Wait, what am I supposed to say to her?!

After a few erm..s and errr...s, I find myself explaining that there has been miscommunication and that I have flown in, introducing myself as a LUMS graduate working with AIESEC (hoping to dear God she knows either!), and that I needed her help.. Obviously, she's not too impressed. Surprisingly, she's the actual test administrator that is present AT LUMS at the moment. She tells me that the venue did not allow her to host more people and being the cocky one that I am (coupled with my knowledge of VERY random details), I tell her that the testees list had 46 people while the auditorium accommodated 72! Before I do more damage, I ask her to let me speak to her in person, and if nothing else, get some feedback on my resume! Bullseye.

A little before I am supposed to meet her outside the test venue, I find someone looking somewhat lost. Joining the dots immediately, I swoop in to engage her in conversation! Bingo! We talk about the mess up and I tell her that I was just trying to make the most off my trip. I ask her to at least see my resume and give me some feedback. Now, my resume isn't much. Outside of my rich AIESEC experience, and some overachieving stats from school, I don't have much on my plate such as 2000 internships. Nevertheless, she scans it, and says the magical words, 'Hmm.. Why don't you speak to me in 10 minutes..!'. Well, I guess she did know AIESEC after all!

After what seems like an eternity, I get a signal from her to come into the test venue. She proceeds to show me the envelopes with individual names on it and explains the reason that I cannot test is due to the fact that she doesn't have a package for me and that she was simply not authorized to give a test to someone not registered through the procedure! So I ask her for a recommendation and she guides me to a way of applying such that my information reaches her directly and that if my resume is screened, she will be able to test me individually in a month's time when she comes back for interviews. Voila! Thank you AIESEC, for having given me the faith, confidence and skill to say 'Anything is Negotiable!'. It is. :)


This was followed by a couple of days with family, where I found myself selling 'Vision and Big Picture' to my parents as regards different opportunities (AIESEC and non-AIESEC) for next year - with some degree of success, and hanging briefly with some very close friends including a dear (and rather hot!) caboil! 3 days and 12,000 bucks later, it was probably worth it, still.

Am now back at home, and smiling widely as I look at an email in my inbox congratulating me for being shortlisted and inviting me to the assessment center for Cadbury Schweppes in London at the end of May.

The next month will be a crucial one for the direction that my life takes. I can only hope that it will continue to be as action packed with McSchweppes International!

Now, Back to changing the world.. with a closing thought: Do I have regional preferences for work? Should I? Does it make career sense to be in a certain part of the world? Or am I too young to be asking such questions?

Adios.

BitterSweet Symphony (Episode 2)

When I first envisioned writing this post, it was going to be more bitter than sweet. I wanted to discuss the ridiculous place that the Karachi Port is. I wanted to talk about the amount of corruption at that place, where everyone from the person that opens the door for you, to the person that finally clears your shipment will refuse to do your work, unless there is a handsome renumeration. It was the 3 most insane days that I have had to spend in Karachi!

I also wanted to discuss what's next.. I feel like I've thought about it enough and any factors that change that now will be external. And yes, there are external factors!

Adding to the bitterness is also this feeling of having let down my facilitators team for the conference I was supposed to attend in India. And the guilt of not being able to meet one of my bestest friends Akshay in his homecity having promised him I would..

But All that is insignificant right now. I've always told people that the MOST important thing in the World to me, without exception, are my closest friends! I love these guys so much I'd do anything for em. In return, these are the same people I know would do the same for me. Today, I feel genuine, pure happiness! Normally this level of ecstacy is only reached when I achieve something big. But today, for the first time ever, I feel really really happy because some other people have achieved something. I know a number of them want to be hush hush about this, but dudes you can go to hell!

This is what I'm ecstatic about, just hours before my Cadbury Schweppes interview!

Adeel - University of Warwick

Dude, England Scene On!!

Madiha - Carnegie Mellon University

Oh My God! Lady, You're going places! :)

Kirmani - Columbia University

The Dearest one! Kirmani, You My Friend, deserve it more than anything! That US Roadtrip is SO On!

Mehran - Yale University

Mehran bloody Gul! Yale. No more Words.

...And...

Salma - University of Chicago

My lil best friend. It could NOT have gotten better! No more whining out of you! I'll see you on the road to success (hopefully, in my rearview mirror! ;) ). I told you you're more impressive that you think you are! (and you DO think you are!)

So Ladies and gentlemen, here's the plan from here... I am going to organize the best party you guys have EVER been to for this! If I'm here in Summer, I'm also going to organize a nice weekend away for us!

You guys ROCK!!!! It's now truly bittersweet. Super sweet that you guys doin this. Yet kinda bitter that you'd be leavin.. Bitter that you've one-up'd me.. Sweet that its only for now! ;)

Yeh Cheese!

And goodluck to everyone who hasn't heard yet!

LUMS Grads Taking over The World of Academia!

BitterSweet Symphony (Episode 1)

Normally, I consciously refrain from making such posts for several reasons that will become self-explanatory as you read on... But today was one of those days when you just don't care anymore. In fact, I'm sure I wouldn't have been typing this had I decided to sleep over the events of the last 15 hours, instead.

The events of the day are not in chronological order. Bear with me.

Most important event of the day: My close friend Saba got onto the National committee of AIESEC Jordan. It's a huge deal to me professionally and personally.

Second most important event of the day: I am not going to India.
Allow me to give everyone a fairly simplistic account of the dynamics of this radical decision! The summary is that a combination of bad luck and incompetent diplomats when coupled with a volatile political situation, is sureshot recipy to failure.

Step 1: The Application and the 1st Drop Off
So all of this started when I was unable to apply for a visa at the same time as my delegation for that conference since I was in Egypt. When I returned, I realized I had access to cooler invites (Since I was Faci), cooler endorsements (since I had more contacts), and a cooler case in general (since I had 3 previous Indian visas) should be enough to do the job. Alas, I was right. However, the person that dropped my passport was told that all other things withstanding, I was to now file for a case for a conference visa rather than a business visa! Various people got involved at this point, since the initial person was only available on that date.

Step 2: The Random Holiday
The next day the Indian High Commission decided to take a random holiday. Since it was followed by the weekend, I was now tied in a tight spot. Booked my ticket nevertheless. Made huge partying plans with Akshay for after conference.

Step 3: The Application and the 2nd Drop Off
Another friend of mine dropped the passport on monday and even sat persistently with the visa officer for 2 hours in pursuit of ensuring I was good to go. The guy bought the case put forward, but still instructed my friend to pick it up the next day.

Step 4: The Pick Up and the Politics Kick In
Now, my friend had to leave cities that evening so I spent 3.5 hours trying to find someone who'd be able to help. I did. The entire morning was wasted in confusion of the pickup of the receipt for the passport from my earlier friend's house. In the mean time, Mr President has decided to shoot himself in the foot by firing the Chief Justice of the Supreme court of Pakistan. The same day lawyers decided to create massive protests outside the Supreme Court. Police decided to not take the bricks thrown at them for too long, and retaliated with Batons. Somehow, though, the guy managed to pick up the passport and dispatched it to me that night! Kudos.

Step 5: The Incompetent Diplomats
I confirm my flight for the next day, only to receive my passport with a notification that I can only travel to Bombay. The conference is in Hyderabad. I panic and start exploring my options, involving covertly smuggling myself to Hyderabad and Back! AIESEC International thinks it's too large a risk, so that's out. I rescheduly my flight and look for other options.

Step 6: The Insane of Panic, No Friends and the 3rd Drop Off
I decide to call up all my friends in an effort to find one that knows anyone going to Islamabad and can take my passport. Failure. I courier it. Passport is carried by a friend of mine to the embassy. He's told the process is fairly simple, but the visa needs to be signed by a certain person that would be available later that day.

Step 7: The Politics Rev Up and the 4th Drop Off
'Later that day', though, was a terrible time. Lawyers were back outside the Supreme Court. Now the luckiest part is that there's this gorgeous road in Islamabad called the Constitutional Avenue. It's got marvellous buildings such as the National Assembly, the Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court. Guess what else happens to be at the end of the road: The Diplomatic Enclave. Home of the Indian High Commission! So constitutional avenue gets closed off, leaving my passport carrier stranded and of course leaving me the same! There's still hope in the day to come (That's today).

Step 8: The Politics Swerve Out of Control
My brave and gallant rider decides to get there early morning, but rest assured, the road is sealed. Police use tear gas and rubber bullets (that's NEVER happened in Islamabad!). All my hopes disappear. I speak to a very disappointed Ryan (from AIESEC International) and break the terrible news to him.

Feel pretty awfully guilty about putting the rest of the faci team, Ryan and the conference in general in this situation. Wish them the best of luck for the conference.. But it would have been a great experience! Sigh.. Thank you Mr President. Thank you Law Community. And Thank you Supreme Court Bar Council. Thank you for playing YOUR part in preventing me from doing MY part in changing the world.


Next Up: Day on a Karachi Port..

Updates. Oh Yes!

A lot of have been telling me that you get continuously annoyed at the fact that I have periods of insane silence when it comes to updating this space. Okay.

Anyway, so some brief updates from my life right now.

• I just finished with my 3rd back to back conference (NLC, IPM, NPM) and have completely lost my voice
• Am due to leave to India as of yesterday, but the V-guys were obviously expected to create major V-issues. After delaying my V quite a lot, they issued me a V that did not allow me to go to Hyderabad. Well, that would have been fine. I mean how much would I miss on that one city. I'll tell you how much! The conference I am supposed to facilitate at is in Hyderabad! Hoping to fly Sat morning.
• Meeting Akshay in Bbay. Super excited for that to finally happy. If only that V comes through..
• AIESEC International applications for some positions came out today. Encouraging a close friend to apply! "1st June 2007, gal!" :)
• Helping create a 'lil bit of controversy' in many areas. ;)

The overall transformation in this period, though, is quite significant for me. It must have been the experience in Cairo (I'm talking about the conference and the selection panel; NOT the fact that I was involved in my friend Salman getting evicted with the crazy partying that took place at his place!; NOT the pyramids either).

More on that in times to come. (Including Pics from Egypt! - Pwomish!)

Thought of the week: How would my life really be like if I were to live in Karachi and not be doing AIESEC?