Course on DTAA

Recently i attended a course on DTAA (Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements) conducted by FIT (Foundation for International Tax), you can Google them. It was a 9 - Saturday whole day course which sought to explain the Model UN and OECD Conventions on which most of the treaties (which are nothing but tax agreements between nations) are modeled. It was a enjoyable experience because of the faculty, which generally consisted of seniors of the profession. A majority were from the Big 4 or into practice. Some of the insights gained, especially on the provisions of residence, structuring of basic inbound and outbound investments and the practical aspects of doing a transfer pricing study were things that will stay with me for a long time to come. Learning in groups consisting of varied age groups from different background and making friends never ceases to be a pleasurable part of the entire process. The passion the speakers had for their areas of expertise is something that i am in awe of, and gives me a kick when i dream of being equally passionate in discovering what my thing is!! I have always looked forward to sharing the knowledge and insights i gather as i learn, unlearn and relearn..and am sure for those of u interested will keep on churning out bits and pieces on tax. Thats all for now. At work..super loaded with work..hoping to get back on blogging as before..random unconnected things. :D

Living up to Life. . .

[   i wonder how many of us will be able to live upto life?

-this thought struck me as i ended my post-so i titled my blog the same and made it my opening line-one can say quite unrelated to what my post is about atleast in the sequence i thought about it-comments on the same are welcome!   ]

Life never stops for a moment yet there are moments when i pause and i admire the pace of life around me, moments when i pause when i love the detail and moments when i pause i feel all is lost. But for thos moments which are cherished life is no more than a bundle of golden moments.

Lots been happening with life but what i am really upbeat about these couple of days is this workshop which i attended on public speaking and effective communication organised by bcas.

the workshop was a full day event on 18th, 22nd Jan and third session being on 1st of feb 08. what reallly make me tuned into it was the fact that my prelims were underway and i was adamant about giving them yet i had and excuse not to study(as if i need one in the first place.) we were guided in our efforts by 3 very distinguised mentors. the first and the second day we had murli mehta and vivek patki. both the days were very different in terms of what they offered and what i learnt. per say not being affected by stage fear in large amounts i was pretty cool and agreed with what my mentors had to day but there was this element of surprise to the whole thing like they say the method behind the madness. the systematic manner in which u go n prepare yourself and issues which u focus on was really an eye opener. to just quote one thing which will stay with me from my 1st seession was this quotwe about how good public speaking is all  about effective communication and not creating an impression! sums up the wrong prespective one harbours when competing on stage. the 2nd session was suprise both in terms of the tutor and the cotents, it was by vivek patki a chemical engg and consumer activist. having been through a session i waas suprised by the diffterent takes on same issues held by new mentor. his infectious enthusiasm is something i know i will harbour myself in the days to come. that sense of giving out your best being yourself and doing it full on is an added bonus in such environs, recently i finished reading this book stay hungry stay foolish by rashmi bansal(editor of JAM-and an IIM grad herself)  is a breath taking insight into the lives of 25iim grad who choose the lesser know path of entreprenusership whether by choice or chance-and today their companies are biggies on the indian corporate scenario. that feeling of empowerment that u feel that power to create something from scratch to build it and behold it to bloom is a thing i wish to feel. that feeling of taking reins of ur life the adventure the failuer the fear the joy  in a simple interview style narrative and at times first person narrative makes the book a darling to read.

Thats all for now see you around. . 

The Pleasures of Life...

Well finally in the midst of another exam i find the time rather the inclination to pen a few words of what it feels to give this wretched exam in particular. The inspiration though come from a friend's post and as per her directive i will stick to the obvious without use of any short forms and avoid any reference to the contrary.
Studying is a pleasure which i have long forgotten, its an elaborate procedure almost a ritual of sorts for me. The proceedings of which start with the buying of new note books for each of the 6 subjects, new ball point pens and markers of all colors for god knows what reason, this than moves on to the collection of notes and xeroxing of any and all loose sheets of paper under the sun and how could i forget procuring of text books from the library for i am too lazy (read stingy or should i use economical?) to spend on buying it.
But what lies behind this elaborate exercise is a method in madness, i love being organized in the chaos that surround me and the mess that i am - a place for everything n everything in its place couldn't hit the nail better.
These days i spend most of my time languishing at the CA library Bullet as it is named, i find a sense of peace n quiet not found anywhere else. Aways from the hassles of my worlds, away from my office and clients, away from my family nothing to bother except you and your books, it give me the sense of a warrior out there on the battlefield all alone, each for himself and no one else.
Coming back to the word studying for some reason i cant get over it...its not just studying. i dont know if it is knowledge or wisdom or plain information that i m gathering but than i know for sure there is a bliss about learning. Something that i tremendously enjoy and am passionate about. The bliss of learning like the bliss of reading is beyond description, the sense of power and enchantment u feel when u learned it all in the sense of the term, and now compare that to the PCC exams round the corner, it is like i m preparing my self for the war ahead, the biggest event of the year, the show stealer or will it be non event afterall? Dunno i ponder a lot but i know Lives will be Changed Starting this November.
A crappy Post...no idea what i wanna say!!!

Being A Friend...

They say there is a story behind every friendship. Each friend we make is the start of a new story. The friends i make are the beginning of a wonderful chapter in my life. Hope it never has an ending. I do hope so. There are many things in life which u tend to regret, not sure what they are?
Sometimes not being able to be there for someone is the biggest regret you could possibly harbor. It seems so close, when your friend calls out to you, but deafness pervades this world and i lost my chance or at least so i believe; well i dunno. Recently i made a new bond, I wouldn't go to the extent of calling a new friend because...u never r sure of the golden moment when bonds turns into friendship.

events.........

so wats different since the 21st of August....well i turned 18...whoa!!!>.....shame on me...still aint learnt driving yet and look at andy she is already zooming past on a bike... :( ...hmmm.....well i threw a birthday bash went off well, ....except for a few blips here n there ...and a few people who couldnt make it bcos of time or bcos i didnt invite them...bad on me...chuck it.....PE-1 gt changed 2 CPT//...cool yaar.....fybcom exams were hell///1 month CPT ohhmaagod......things were pretty bad 2 say the least...loser i was...but than...the fun lies in losing everything b4 u gain all...but this wasnt the final test there was more to be endured as time shall tell....i won the intra college debate...hmm....but duh cliched the best speaker award...i m "J" of gurls...lol....met new friends....payal and harshita ....reading room of course where else??....n how can i forget hrudy for all those sweet little gestures n sandwiches of course....and what about my nite friends....all of them especially those feb people 4 keeping me awake beyond ma senses n inspiring 2 work hard...manali, priyanka, rohit, reshma, andy, kavi...the list is inclusive....and of course those late nite prep talks n all....life weird....all this culminates into 177/200...17th All India Rank in CPT....hmmm.....but surely without the support of all those people mentioned above this would be but another of my shattered dreams....and how do i forget sudhir sirs party and those juices n all...lifes certainly been smiling at me...dunno y???'
therein ends movenmber...enter december...literary lights..wheew/....works still pending....and than the Rostrum finals the ultimate barrier...and me coming threw not in parts but as a whole ...a decisive win../holy shit...and 2nd in GD......hmm..life been through much...and through all this how do i forget my cell n airtel...my friends....and than those people who make my life....but than theres still time 4 tat/...life was good again...maybe not at its best but good enough 4 me 2 be started ...and than comes rapport week....umm....i know...our class...halla-bol...4 some reason...up and away and than down and nowhere and yet the pride retained in us.....two trips 2 belapur...i hate those people....life downright sucks!!!..but m still liking it....