Leaving Microsoft to change the world

                                          This is by far, the best book I have ever read. I know I may sound impulsive claiming this, as I just finished reading it yesterday. It took me a whole 1 month to complete it and it was not boring or anything but because I got dragged into plenty of other things along the way. In retrospect, there's no doubt in me, the 1 month spent with the book were really fruitful :)

                                          It is the story of John Wood and how he quit his job at Microsoft, to establish an award-winning non-profit organisation called 'Room to read', narrated by himself. When I first bought this book, around 2 months back, I was kind of disappointed. The reason being that I saw the word 'entrepreneur' mentioned on the cover page and thought perhaps this book focused more on his entrepreneurship skills than say, his travels and adventures. But, after finally reading it, I can proudly say, the age-old dictum 'Don't judge a book by its cover' was proven right, once again.

                                          The stimulus to finally start reading it came, after I returned from my recent trek on the Manaslu circuit. I had heard about this book for a long time and also knew about its Nepali version, which was known as 'Microsoftdekhi Bahundandasamma'. While returning from the trek on the last day, we passed a sign-board on the way in Lamjung district (Between Dharapani and Besisahar) that read - 'Way to Bahundanda'. This was the sole reason why I started reading this book and I'm so glad that I did.

                                          Talking about the book itself, it is a wonderful tale of John Wood, who like most of us was not happy with his job (Though high-paying and luxurious in his case) and wanted to do something meaningful with his life. It is divided into 3 parts - 

1) Discovering Nepal, leaving Microsoft - It tells us about his first trek into the Annapurna region of Nepal, in the late nineties and how it led to the idea, for the birth of 'Room to read'. (I myself trekked into the Annapurna region, 2 years back and believe me, it is indeed, a life changing experience!! :))

2) Starting over - Deals with the early days in the life of 'Room to read' and how John Wood and his team utilized the tricks, that Wood learnt during his Microsoft days, to run a non-profit organisation. 

3) Hitting our stride - The last part is about the team expanding the organisation from Nepal to five other developing countries in Asia - (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka) and how they secure funding from wealthy people, who are eager to help.  

                                          The book is full of interesting anecdotes, thorough description of the places and people like you would expect in a travelogue, some really insightful quotations, human drama, even some witty humor at times and of course lots of tips and tricks for aspiring entrepreneurs (which I so much detested in the beginning and regretted for it later :))

                                         On a personal level, this book has made me realize, how lucky I am to have got the opportunity to go to school and receive the life-long gift of education. In this busy world and our even busier lifestyle, it is true that we sometimes take this gift for granted. It also made me aware about the responsibility in each one of us, to contribute something from our side, which will bring a positive change in this world. Though it might not be practical for us to quit our job like Wood did, we can surely help in our own way, be it by donating a book to our local school library, encouraging girl children to go to school in our society and if possible, even giving money for charity. I would like to end this post with one of my favorite excerpts from the book:

'...Much of human advancement depends on overcoming setbacks and making progress despite obstacles and tragedy. My personal heroes are the doctors and journalists who throw themselves into war zones, famine-stricken  nations, and areas hit by natural disasters such as earthquakes. They are aware that they cannot control or change the past, but believe strongly that they can have an influence over the future. Rather than being paralyzed by tragedy, they are catalyzed into action.'

*Here's the link to the video, showing introduction of the book, by John Wood himself - http://youtu.be/qbcNuaatFRA

       

                                          

The last-minute winner!!

                                    There is probably no other sport with more twists and turns than a ninety-minute game of football. Witnessed a truly remarkable game between the English team Chelsea, whom I have been supporting whole-heartedly for the past 5-6 years and the Ukranian outfit, Shakthar Donetsk in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) yesterday night. This game meant a lot for Chelsea, the reigning UCL champions, not just to qualify to the next round but also due to the off-field issue of 'racism' that had been plaguing the club for quite sometime now and had been bringing some unnecessary spotlight. Moreover, the same club S. Donetsk had outplayed them 2 weeks earlier at their home-ground. So being a home-tie for Chelsea, this was seen as a must-win game, to redeem themselves. 

                                      The start of November had activated the daylight saving time change in Europe. This meant Nepalese football fans like me had to wait till 1:30 AM for the game to kick-off instead of the usual 12:30. As I had done in the previous years, slept early at around 10 PM and woke up in time for the game. (Staying awake all the way was a bad idea, I knew from experience!! :)) 

                                   The game started brightly for Chelsea as we took the lead early through Fernando Torres. It was more than just an opening goal for us as Torres had performed only in bits and pieces since his big-money move last year and all Chelsea fans (including me!!) were praying for his consistency. (Goals, would be more specific!!) The joy was short-lived however, as Shakthar equalised within minutes. Our defence certainly looked fragile in the absence of the regular captain and centre-back John Terry. As the game went on, Shakthar increased their dominance and we were looking more and more vulnerable. But against the run of play, we took the lead again, this time through Oscar, and what a goal it was!! He took advantage of the goalkeeper's error and  volleyed the ball over him and into the net from around 30-35 yards. Just like the commmentators mentioned, it was a world class finish!! 

                                   Frustration grew as we squandered the lead again, at the start of the 2nd half. The same leaky defence, was at fault again. We started to play better in the 2nd half than the 1st. Created more chances, the goal looked inevitable but did not come. The game seemed to be heading to a 2-2 draw. I started thinking about how we had won this competition the previous year, for the first time in our history, against all the odds (It was the best moment of supporting Chelsea for me!!) and were now on the brink of elimination. We badly needed 3 points from this game but it looked gone now. It felt all gloomy in that early morning until 21-year old Victor Moses, out of nowhere, scored the headed winner for us in the last minute. He had entered as a sub in the 80th minute, it was the last minute of injury time (94th) and it was just too special!! I jumped up in joy, thought of screaming but held on considering all the people that were sleeping  in my new flat (I wouldn't want to upset the new landlord, would I??:)) It felt so good, it reminded of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba's equaliser for us in the UCL final last year. The 2 headed goals and the men who scored it looked identical as well. Moses sure is a future star at Chelsea, I had never doubted him, just hope he reaches the same height that Drogba reached for us.

                                 Had been hearing this line a lot, during cricket commentaries - 'It ain't over till the fat lady sings', (probably related with opera, google will tell) it was proven once again, this time in football!!... 

                                     

Walking, for health...

                                 Don't know whether it is my fascination with walking or the after-effects of the recent trek, I have started going on morning walks these days. The spare time (due to supplementary exams) helped as well!! :) I go around Attarkhel (where my flat/college is), Gokarna and Jorpati. It usually takes about 1 hour to complete the walk. I have always been a morning person. A sound 7-8 hours sleep is enough for me to stay charged up for the day. I have never been able to stay in bed for a long time after waking up. Not even the warmth of the blanket, in this fast approaching Kathmandu winter, can hold me into it. I love the silence, the foggy weather (devoid of all the dust), the rising sun and the sight of all the men and women starting off their day. Also read an article on the internet recently about the health benefits of walking. It said walking was 1 of the easiest and most efficient ways for weight reduction and preventing chronic illnesses like heart diseases, diabetes and stroke. Around 1 hour per day was enough. To add to it, read an article in the Himalayan Times, a local newspaper, yesterday mentioning that heart diseases killed more people every year than any other disease in recent times. It also helps to stay active for the rest of the day. So deciding to walk, seems to be a right choice I made. And I hope I can continue it...