There is a Jewish story, an ordinary Jewish joke.

A father was teaching his little son to be less afraid, to have more courage.

“Jump,” he said.”And I’ll catch you,” and the little boy trusted him, and the little boy jumped.

And when his father caught him he felt filled with love; and when he didn’t he was filled with something else, something more.

Life.

- April Epner (Helen Hunt), Then she found me (2007) -

So it happened to be Helen Hunt’s 45th birthday yesterday, and I watched Then She Found Me (2007), her first directed film, and Bobby (2006), in which she also stars.

I like Helen Hunt. As Good as It Gets (1997) was probably the first film that I watched that she stars in. To be honest, I can’t remember much of it, and will most likely watch it again.

Then she found me reminded me quite a lot of P.S. I Love You (2007), but without all the music. It’s much more quiet, and less tear driving. The storyline seemed to be moving on a bit too slow, but all ties up quite well at the end. Defo a recommendo.

Bobby, on the other hand, although quite enjoyable, kept me wonder whether the film was meant to portrait the hotel industry, racism in America in the 60’s, or Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination. The plot was very ill-focused. My verdict remains neutral for the film except Helen Hunt is still fabulous.

Rather than a late In-Reply-To, this is perhaps more of a digression from Nikesh’s blog entry on why God is always right.

Despite some of the mistakes and wrong choices that I have made, just as much as anyone may have, I consider myself more ethical than religious - the difference being the origins of dogmata. And if I hadn’t misunderstood Antosh’s idea of God being right, I’m not planning to go into the religious concepts of His omniscience. So why is God always right?

There’s a God in every one of us

Having pretty much finished The Road Less Travelled (the last chapter is less thought provoking than the rest of it, but does round it off quite well), I think the idea that intrigued me the most was that everyone is religious, simply not necessarily to a personal God. God, is more like a peace of mind, a tranquility that we find inside ourselves. Hence the notion, “listen to your heart. You’ll know the answer,” being analogous to God’s omniscience.

Confirmation Bias

In psychology and cognitive science, confirmation bias is a tendency to search for or interpret new information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions and avoids information and interpretations which contradict prior beliefs.

After weeks of break from Criminal Minds, I was finally able to come back to the a BAU case, one where SSA Rossi returned to the case that has been haunting him for 20 years.

…there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings.

Arthur Rubinstein, US (Polish-born) composer & pianist (1886 - 1982)

So it’s all quite simple really. We have a God in every one of us that seeks out to confirm His thoughts. Being able to remain objective about life - that just takes you to a completely different realm.

Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath.

- Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), Kingdom of Heaven (2005) -

2005.

I remember it was the year when a series of movies with charismatic leaders and the epic hype were coming to an end - at Kingdom of Heaven. There was nothing about the film that didn’t draw my attention: the title, the theme, the cast, and of course Ridley Scott.

And since when have people stopped feeling compassionate towards each other? An interesting special report entitled Nomads at last from The Economist showed the change of society and economics due to the mobility provided by technology. The strengthening of the interpersonal tiesm provided by the instantaneity in communication is weakening the weak ties, which, according to Mark Granovetter’s paper (The Strength of Weak Ties) published in the 1970s, endangers the society to becoming fragmented and incoherent.

Vantage Point, on the other hand, showed differently.

Coming back to film reviews, which is what I intend to talk about, Vantage Point tells a story of Presendential assassination, narrated in a Rashomon style. Not recommended for greatly impatient people, but then I can’t imagine that many people who are so impatient to be disliking the film.

Forest Whitaker. Simply amazing. Having not seen any of his appearances on the silverscreen, I did remember seeing his face in the trailer for The Last King of Scotland (2006). Portraiting Howard Lewis, an ordinary man with a deep compassionate towards mankind, Forest Whitaker was absolutely brilliant. Maybe it was the slight chubbiness and the speicial eye-lid thing that he does (or has), I greatly admire the Howard Lewis’ character that he presented. On finding The Last King of Scotland, I also watched it. And once again, bravo to Mr. Whitaker.

I am in the uniform of a general, but in my heart, I am a simple man like you. I know who you are, and everything that you are. I am you.

- Ida Amin (Forest Whitaker), The Last King of Scotland -

Ida Amin turned out to be a military dictator, blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths in the 1970s.

Also, I think a great amount of credit also goes to James McAvoy, who starred in The Last King of Scotland as a medical graduate who wanted to make a difference in the world. Together with Forest, the film became one of the rare films that put me at the edge of my seat. I’m expecting his next film - Wanted(2008) - with Ms Jolie and Morgan Freeman to be just as thrilling.

Spaghetti alla carbonara. That’s right, signore e signori - my film review for Step Up 2: The Streets. Now I didn’t have the ingredient when I made that particular plate of spaghetti, but there’s something that’s in almost all carbonara recipes.

Cheese. Lots of ‘em. Well, not as much as you would put in macaroni cheese, but you get the point.

Being a dance movie, it means I’m not going to talk about the director, production or anything like that, because…who’s going to think about these when there’s all that jazz going on with Miss Briana Evigan. Boy can she dance! Kudos to her, Robert Hoffman, and once again Channing Tatum’s more-than-a-cameo appearance. And of course, to Jabbawockeez’s debut silver screen appearance as well

I personally prefer the 2006 Step Up. Still, I’m not going to make comments about it being a sequel. Afterall, those who have decided to go watch it, being a dance movie, WILL love it. The music is great. Get hold of the soundtrack when you can. Though, I would love to get hold of some of those tracks that aren’t included in the released soundtrack.

As for the cheese, who’s going to critisize a 2 star Michelin restaurant for not having that third star!?

Just before I went off to Venice a couple of weeks ago, I told Nikesh and Antosh that I was about to send off a couple of applications for some IT consulting opportunities. The intention was to send off the application for Accenture, Customer Systems, and another firm that I cannot remember the name of, and has not even sent an e-mail to notify the receipt of application - I doubt I would want to work there anyway. With Nikesh MSN-ing me over his iPhone from India, Antosh added, “why don’t you try McKinsey’s BTO as well?”

Yeh, why not?!

I remember applying to McKinsey a year ago, sending off the application for the opportunity to be a business analyst in the London office. The reply came back quickly with a rejection. Thanks for the love & support from all friends and family, but it was quite a dream at that time anyway: if you’re going to dream, you might as well dream big, right?

But after having spent some time doing web design & development, I thought I might as well have another shot at McKinsey, this time with the Business Technology Office (BTO). Skipping my reasons for the choice - this isn’t the time nor place for cover-letter-ing - I’d like to share the short but sweet experience of having passed the initial application screening.

Stage 1: Online Application

So I went to the McKinsey & Co. website, making sure that nothing major (i.e. infrastructure, career path, etc.) has changed since I last applied, before hit the APPLY NOW button. The online application interface was well designed. It doesn’t have all the NEXT buttons that the majority of firms have with their application interface. Instead, it’s probably driven with the AJAX technology that gives you more forms and questions “as you fill them in”.

At the beginning, the only sections were Personal Information, Language Skills, and the Position that you’re applying. As you fill in these details, other questions such as Location Preference, Education, and Work Experiences start to appear. Some may think, “is this ever going to end?!” But I personally think that it makes the filling in process psychologically shorter and easier. Followed by the Resume/CV and Cover Letter uploading, I then completed the application and submitted it. The response came at 5AM before I left for Stansted, and it was obvious that the notification of receipt was sent personally by the recruiter, and not generated automatically - a small sign of dedication here.

Stage 2: Problem Solving Test (PST)

Less than a week later, just before Chinese New Year, I received an e-mail on my mobile phone while sitting in Yauatcha saying that McKinsey would like to invite me to the next stage of the recruitment process. They call it the 1st stage, but I’d like to include the initial Resume/CV screening as the initial stage. The stage consists of a multiple choice problem solving test that lasts 60 miniutes.

After some research, it appears that the PST test (excuse the repetition of test) is necessary for all applications, be it applications for the graduate program or for the experienced recruitment. Unlike the numerical tests that investment banks give to applicants, the test much more complex, despite the recruitment team has stated, “the test assumes no specific prior business knowledge.”

Calculators are not allowed, which means fast-paced logical thinking and timing become the two crucial factors of succeeding. Standard case studies usually emphasise on the chain of thoughts of the applicants when dealing with complex problems. However, with only one correct answer each question and the assessment marked on a pass/fail basis, you have to give the one and only correct answer.

What I would advise for the people who get to this stage would be:

• Get a good night sleep and breakfast to keep a clear mind.
• Remember to keep your time. Practise a couple of times with sample tests if you have them.
• The test isn’t (or at least wasn’t for me) negatively marked, so don’t leave any questions unanswered!
• Have fun! You either have it or you don’t. It is true that the test assumes no specific prior business knowledge. The business terms used are only there for you to show that you possess the if-A-then-B logic, even in time limited situations.

At the end of the test, the recruiter came in, stopped the test, and said she would have it marked before the end of the day so that she wouldn’t be keeping our minds hanging (it was a Friday). I left the McKinsey office just after 4PM, and received the e-mail just before 6PM saying I will not be going on to the next stage. Too bad. But the impression that McKinsey has left me remains a majestic one.

Summary

Like I said, you either have it or you don’t. The screening process is rigorous, and the test is well designed, with only a couple of sample tests available on the internet. I was lucky enough to have 2 copies. But I was lucky in more than just one way.

I submitted the application well after the graduate recruiting deadline. In fact, I didn’t even know there was a deadline. First I didn’t apply because I didn’t think I was ready for the management consulting giant, and then I applied because of Antosh’s “why don’t you”. And he was exactly right - why not!?

Only two people took the PST test: myself and another Indian guy who turned out to be my EEE senior that graduated in 2002. He was surprised that I got through to the PST stage because the recruitment process had ended, and he got through to that stage only because someone inside McKinsey recommended him.

As for me? I guess I was either very lucky, or they really liked my CV and cover letter. So my advice for everyone out there who are looking for a job they really want - take my “why-not” attitude, just go ahead and apply.

You would be able to find a copy of the 2001 PST that I found HERE, for which the original link was kindly provided by another person on vault.com.

Indexed.

It’s interesting to watch the RSS popularity grow when this place is under re-vamp. There’ve been ideas about how the new StillLive is going to look like, and what it’s gonna be doing, but Mr Wu here is getting caught up with another deadline - so thanks again for your patience =)

Just want to start off by recommending a blog site to everyone - Indexed. The blogger doesn’t express herself with flattering words and slick aesthetics. Instead, uses simple charts and graphs to trigger thoughts for the readers.

This’ll be the first recommendation to go into the blogroll. Hope you guys enjoy it

Edit: The theme’s been temporarily changed to the Cutline 3-Column Split 1.1 theme by Chris Pearson. Thanks Chris!

That’s right. This places needs a little patching up.

Be right back.

Edit: Special thanks to Bob for the Blue Box theme =)

I do love my wife more than I loved my girlfriend, and they are the same person

- C’mon, Get Happy? It’s Easier Said Than Done.,washingtonpost.com -

Going over my regular RSS feeds this evening and sinfully wilfing around this evening, I found myself reading a short article on Choices and Happiness.

For as long as I have remembered, I’m not a particularly good decision maker. Over the years I’ve come to realise two things about this flaw that I once considered of myself having

• It’s not any single person’s problem
• The dilemma never gets better, but the choice maker does

So when I first saw myself pretty much never making the right choices at the right times, I thought it was a Libran thing, especially a few of Libran friends around me all seem to be having the same problem. Through time, however, it doesn’t take much IQ-juice to figure out that pretty much everyone goes through a stage of either (or both) making the wrong choices or (and) not being able to make them soon enough.

Still, life progresses. And as important that it progresses, it’s just as crucial that the progress is experienced. Personally, it’s the fact that such experiences make one a better decision maker. From which point, a better-ed decision maker acknowledges the more complex decisions ahead. Life would always hit you with tougher choices. Period.

Being able to let go what you could be losing by not travelling the other path - that’s what brings happiness in making choices.

For the first time since I moved into this flat in October: MY FRIDGE IS FULL! It wasn’t even this full when I spent 60 odd pounds in Tesco last time But with mere 28 pounds spent in Sainsbury, I’ve filled my fridge to its contentedness. Still, I stood in front of my fridge just now, and found myself not know what to eat for lunch - spoilt with choices. But then, I only realised, most of what I bought today are fruit and vegetable. Healthy huh?

I have to admit, this site at the moment appears to be a just-another-blog. Well, perhaps I should call it a “development blog” for now. There’s much more work to be done about this space, and with the blog being the only content / feature, I hope at least people will like the photos that are attached. They are all, somehow, kind of dark. That would reflect my recent routines of sleeping in day time and working at night.

So, more awaits, and please, be patient =)

So there, after a silent night with Smallville, mulled wine, and a nice sleep. I managed to get up at a reasonably early-but-late hour - 9:30AM. A quick shower, nice breakfast, and a round of mail/msg/facebook checking, then a good tidy up for the flat.

Spent most of the day listening to Latino jazz and reading. Had quite a couple cups of tea, and managed to send my holiday greetings to the majority of my dearest friends.

Dinner time. Good that I had a little stock of food in the fridge. Made myself a nice gourmet dinner with an icy glass of fruit juice. That came along with a Christmas movie on TV - BJ’s Diary 2 - one that I managed to miss when it first came out.

And now, after another round of mail checking and cup of Earl Grey, I’m summing up my 2007 Christmas, and about to get myself ready for bed.

All of the above, of course, would’ve been my 2007 Christmas if I hadn’t been sleeping constantly at noon and getting up at 7PM for the past week or so. Unfortunately, due to a couple of deadlines coming up, I have. So, here’s my true account of the 2007 Christmas:

After getting home at 3AM, I’ve managed ot sleep for 17 hours, and got up at 8:30PM. With no real food in my fridge except a carton of expired milk, my dinner consisted of a plain tortelloni dinner plus a cup of Earl Grey - and God knows when I’d be able to sleep tonight.

Merry X’mas to all!!