Starbucks - rise and fall and rise again!

I do NOT like coffee. Period! Some reasons being 1)Its not good for health for it contains caffeine, a drug. 2)I like the smell but have always wondered if I can find out if something falls into my coffee(I know, stupid worry, but...) My family loves coffee. My grand dad, aunt and sis would love to drink coffee at all times of the day. Even others would love to have a cup of coffee than any other drink. Same with my friends. There are more coffee drinkers than non-coffee drinkers in my circle. So, I'm always on the lookout for special and gourmet coffee to gift my family and friends. This is a habit right from B days to now. But my stint in S led me to one of the holiest places of corporate coffee world, the Starbucks' first store. I didn't know how holy it was until I saw the look of pure joy on the face of one of my friends(an avid coffee drinker). He had the same look as any cricket fan would have for Lords or any tennis fan would have for Wimbledon. And all this in a market that was similar to the Koyambedu market of C in India. Among all that, he was looking as if angels descended from heaven and were showering him with coffee of the best kind. But I'm digressing....

When I started my finance class, I was also trying out to find more about a few companies in my daily life and their growth over the years. Starbucks was part of the list. It was interesting to see that their stock price increased till 2007. Since I wasn't in the US at that time, I'm only guessing that it was because it was more and more cool to drink coffee from Starbucks and they synonimized the word for coffee. It was classier yet ordinary enough for a normal man. I know of friends who took Starbucks coffee just 'coz it delivered some pizzazz in life and changed an otherwise boring day into something better. So, people went in for the experience of drinking coffee(not unlike the Annapoorna coffee or MTR coffee on a chilly morning) than the taste of it. Then, as the economy went into recession(hey! we officially started the recession in Dec 2007), more and more people started cutting costs. One of the firsts to get out of their lifestyles was Starbucks coffee. Every personal finance guru said "Cut that $3+ latte that you take in Starbucks every morning. You'll save ~$100 per month ~=$1200 a year." Now $1200 a year is really tempting and people were more keen on putting food on table and paying bills than getting some snazz into life. Since 2008, the stock price has steadily decreased and bottomed out in December 2008(Compare the Dec 2008 price of $9+ to max price of $38+ dollars). And, sales reports from Starbucks all over USA weren't really cheerful. Further, Starbucks announced layoffs to cut costs.

Now, there is something about seeing a corporation in trouble that reminds me of an elephant in pain. Its so big and powerful, yet in pain. Small steps can't help it to recover. Sweeping steps are needed. But its hard to think in terms of millions of dollars, affecting millions of lives with our action.(Frankly, I've not thought so so far and that keeps me interested in the companies and their stories). So, I started wondering if this was the end of Starbucks that weathered recessions since 1971. And, offers by competitors like Dunkin' Donuts reduced the sales further. I am interested to see the fight put up by Starbucks. I guess they've taken the first steps towards it. The instant coffee!!
Yeah, the makers of European style coffee for $3 a cup are now jumping on to instant coffee with their "Via Ready" brew. I personally don't know the difference between normal coffee and instant coffee. But I've heard family and friends say that normal coffee(or filter kaapi) is way way better than instant coffee. Now, Starbucks is promising instant coffee that is equivalent to normal coffee. The packing is snazzy enough for the modern consumer and looks appealing. Its also offering samples to entice customers to try the new brew. Will it succeed? Will it stop the descending stock price and start going up again? Or would the consumers shun this instant coffee and stick to the more established ones? Only time should tell if its a success or not. Sometimes, hindsight is the best sight possible. As of now, the dance in corporate world is at the same time, alluring and frightening. Lets see how it goes!

If you've tasted the new Via Ready Brew, do share your comments on it and if it gives the same taste as that of the original Starbucks coffee. I'd love to hear about it.

Who is writing this blog?

I post anonymously at this blog and except for a handful of readers, not many know who I really am. There are a number of reasons for it but I'll keep it for another post. One of my friends recently shared a site that uses artificial neural networks to find out the identity of a blogger based on the posts written in it. The site is GenderAnalyzer and here are the results:

Results

We think http://www.myalpinepath.blogspot.com is written by a woman (65%).

Is this correct?  Yes  No  Don't know

 View results

Since my research involves quite a bit of neural networks and their applications, I am really curious to see all the attributes that the NN behind this site used. Also, I plugged in some of the blogs of my friends and it gave an accuracy of 85%(among 15 to 20 people) and that's not bad! (Ok! Getting out of the report writing mode...). Try it out, its fun!

Results tarried

She was tired
She was frustrated
She was angry

Tired at the work
Frustrated at the result
Angry at the state

The Voice was worried
The Voice was concerned
The Voice was quiet

Worried at her thoughts
Concerned at her feelings
Quiet at her anger

She lashed out
There was desperation
And she was at the center

The Voice caught it
There was courage
And it was at the center

She wasn't sure
She couldn't believe
She couldn't not believe

The Voice wasn't sure
It couldn't understand
It couldn't not understand

She thought of past
A smile played on her lips
She decided to believe
Completely!

The Voice thought of future
A smile played in its tone
It promised to understand
Totally!

The Universe laughed
The Universe played
The Universe tarried (but)

The Universe pushed
The Universe pulled
The Universe gave results

The Voice understood
The Voice sighed a relief
The Voice was happy

The Voice encouraged
The Voice showed
What it understood

She was excited
She took heart
In what she believed

She was confident
She was ready for battle
She went to work

Happy Valentine's day!

A friend of mine sent this picture. Isn't it exquisite? So perfect yet so cool and calm? Hope all of you have a great valentine's day and weekend with your loved ones. After all, this is the strawberry weekend. :)

A circular dream

Do you think we can predict the future by our dreams? I'm not sure but I keep getting really interesting dreams. Yesterday, I had a weird circular dream. A circular dream is one where you seem stuck in the dream, that is, the events in the dream seem to keep happening again and again. Though you know its a dream, its even tiring to think that the dream will go on and on and there is nothing more interesting in the dream and that it would be better if you wake up. 'Stuck in a rut' would be a good phrase to use :) I've inserted my rational mind's comments. Now, on to my dream!

I keep going in a car(right now my favorite is a stylish, sexy car the color of golden gray(I'm not sure if there exists even such a color, but that color totally excites me!) So I'm assuming the car in the dream is that one) on a mountain road at high speed. I'm alone in the car, have no music playing and don't even have a cellphone(which is really really weird because I can't live without hearing another person's voice all the time). Then I see big kites being flown in the valley below and wish how nice it would be if I could be in a kite. I can see all the interesting things going on in the villages and cities. It would be awesome. Suddenly, the mountain that I'm on changes into a big kit and I and the car are in it. We are soaring in the sky. Big, soft, white clouds enter the car through one window and leave through the other. But I feel that being a kite is boring because everything looks so tiny from the top and want to land somewhere.

I remember feeling thirsty and wish for some strawberry milkshake. Suddenly the mountain settles down and my car stops near a milkshake tree. The tree gives milkshake fruit, all in a satchel. I'm so tempted to run towards that tree for having even one of those trees would ensure that I drank strawberry milkshake all through my life(Ah! bliss!!). Then I try to get down from the car but suddenly realize that I'm safer inside the car(I'm not sure why I felt that but I sense the car is safer than any other place). I feel that the car is magical and that's why things are always good. So, feeling very clever, I wish for strawberry milkshake inside the car so that I don't have to get down from the car. But, immediately, strawberry milkshake starts sprouting from every opening in the dashboard. Even the AC vents spew strawberry milkshake. Then it starts hitting on my clothes and they become sticky with strawberry milkshake (Imagine if you had dropped milkshake on yourself and multiply it fifty times over!).

I say "Yuck!!" and wish that I should have a good bath and wear clean well pressed clothes, all sitting inside the car. Suddenly, there is water pouring from the top of the car and after sometime, there is so much wind that I can't see anything at all and my eyes hurt. Finally I realize I can smell the daisies and see that I'm wearing clean clothes again. I'm all happy and decide that its the car definitely doing its trick. But now I'm really hungry and thirsty and wish I had a plate of chicken Lowmein(one of my favorite dishes) 'Indian spicy'. That is on my lap the next minute and it looks so delicious. I start eating it and totally love it. When I'm halfway through, I see a big dog standing outside the car. He looks so pitiful and eyes the food. I feel sad and open the window to offer him food. But, he catches hold of my hand. I throw the food at him with my other hand and he runs to catch that. In the meanwhile, I try to raise the window of the car. But it doesn't work.(I'm not sure why I didn't decide to start the car and drive away or even think about it! For after all, by logic, the car should've started as soon as I think about it.)

I realize, to my horror, that my little finger is inside the dog's stomach and not on my hand where it should be!(I don't remember seeing the blood or feeling the pain at all, does dreamland have no pains? It seems to have been a clean cut). But, having eaten the food, the dog starts coming at me. So I get down from the car and start running for life. My bad luck, the cliff ends there. I see a big size kite and tell the kite "please take me to safety". But the kite says "No I won't because you think being a kite is boring". Damn! I curse myself for it all and turn back to see the dog at my heels and the car nowhere to be seen. So I jump off the cliff and while falling down, think how much I'll b hurt. Then I remember that this cliff goes down to 10000 ft and no one has survived a fall. It takes a good few minutes to actually hit the ground and that's why I'm still falling. (some of the stupidest facts come to your mind when you are dying. I didn't dream of my loved ones faces but was analyzing why I've not yet reached the bottom! Oh man!)

I plan to change into a feather or snow flake so that I don't get hurt at all. Since the snow flake can melt, I become a white feather and fall on a moving car's bonnet and get stuck in the design stick on top of the bonnet and I see me in the driver's seat driving the car thinking of how good it would be to be a kite. Then, I woke up!

As soon as I got up, I first didn't know what was it that woke me up for I had planned on sleeping a good few hours more. Then I remembered the dream and tried to go through it all again. But most of what I remember from this dream sequence is my belief in the safety of the car, my fear of the dog, my decision to change to a feather and finally my horror in seeing myself in the driver's seat like a third person. The last emotion was so strong that I felt that there can be no end to that dream for I would always be back on the bonnet of my car and I would drive thinking how nice it would be to be a kite.

One of my friends said that dreams can predict the future of a person. I'm only hoping that this circular dream doesn't have anything to do with my research. For I can't afford to get back to square one(as in the dream) and start my research again. Safety, fear, quick thinking and horror about never-ending sameness are all applicable to my research as well. I'm safe as long as I'm treading on known ground(read,something already discovered by others and implemented by me). I'm fearing the unknown and that research might consume a part of me(like how I lost my little finger!). I'm capable of taking good and quick decisions(not sure how this factors with research. Does my good and quick decision about my research lead me to square one again?). And finally my horror in starting again and finding no way out(I DON'T want this one to happen at all! Damn! Life would certainly become very very boring)

Do you believe in dreams? And do you believe in their predictions about future? Do share your thoughts and favorite dreams. And if anyone can predict this dream of mine, do so. I'm all ears! :)

To-do lists in a green way

I've been running around getting things going for my research work. Its hard to be really patient and remember the thousand and one things that you have to do when you are getting 10 or more users to try out your software for a week's time. And its harder still when you have mounds of data to go through and not mix up last week's data with this one. For, after all, they look the same. Enter to-do lists!

But the problem with to-do list is that I keep remembering things one by one and I write it down on any piece of paper that I get. Finally I end up with 20 to-do lists of various sizes and 'combining all the to-do lists' becomes another task on my latest to-do list. This resulted in my forgetting half the tasks(despite writing them down) and getting myself in a fix. I recently forgot to attend a University Budget Board meeting and got some flak for this one for we are working hard on a budget for the coming academic year. Thankfully, I set up an alert to myself the next time round(Sigh!).

And the other problem is that I see my bag filled with so many pieces of paper all with some important(and some not-so-important) stuff written on it. One of my goals for 2009(yeah! letting one secret out!) is to live a much more greener life by using minimal amount of paper. I'm trying to reduce the amount of paper that I, as a person, use. I've changed all my statements to online ones, I've started taking notes with my laptop(with the exception of one course where there are too many graphs) and I've also opted out of all possible catalogs. So, last week, when cleaning the room, I found that this habit of mine seemed to take more paper than anything else. But I need a to-do list! Wham!! Enter the internet.

I scoured for a simple to-do list software that didn't need me to install a part of their software into my machine(my machine is already loaded with software!),something that didn't require me to pay money or just give trial versions, something that I can use on any computer that I use(this last one is important for I log onto four different machines every day - mine, my lab machine, my server machine, my research machine - and I don't want one more piece of software to float around in all of them) and something that lets me print the list to a paper if needed(I know! I just loving putting a tick against completed tasks! Gives me sooooo much pleasure! Guess its a case of having played too many teacher-student games when I was young. I still dream to be a teacher who only has to teach kids and put tick marks on their homeworks. Well...).

Finally, after an hour of searching and asking some friends(this set of friends' hobby is to try out new software. So, all I have to do is to tell them my requirements and they'd suggest me some really good software. Most of my firefox plugins are a result of such discussions. And they've made life infinitely easier!), I found printable checklists. I went to the site looking for some instructions. But it opened up with just a place for me to type my to-do list in and keep adding to it. It also has some cute boxes on the side for me to tick it off!(I know, my hands are already raring to go on a ticking spree!). Right now, I just keep it on the browser of my lab machine and whenever I remember something, I just remote log in there and put the task on it. By afternoon, I have a pretty good to-do list and all the stuff already on it. So, I just print it to a pdf(saving paper, you know :)) and take the pdf everywhere with me. Since I always have it with me and I'm rarely without computer access, I just highlight all the tasks I've done and the ones remaining. This shows what's still left out.

At the end of the day, I come back to the browser(I never switch off my lab machine and the browser in it - yet another reason to choose that machine) and delete all the tasks that I have done and do another brain storming to make a fresh to-do list. Two advantages: One, I don't have to remember all the tasks I completed each day (sometimes, even eating has been on my to-do list on some really busy days - otherwise, there are days when I've been feeling hungry at 11 am only to realize that I skipped breakfast :() and second, I don't have to rewrite all the tasks from my old to-do list to my new one(one of the main culprits when I used a paper to-do list - I'll have 10 tasks left in the old one and 10 new in the new one. I'd be too lazy to copy the 10 old ones into the new one. So, I'd decide to hold onto the old one too. But I usually don't go through it and would eventually forget it :P) Despite the fact that I always have something on my to-do list, now I know for sure that I can trust my to-do list to remind me of things to do. After all, when you have a busy and fun-filled grad life and want to do so many interesting things, to-do lists become all the more important to keep a sane life.

What do you do to keep your life together and remember all the small stuff "to be done"? Do you use hand-written list, keep it in your head or use technology's help? And how do you manage information overload? Do share your secrets to a sane and fun-filled life.

What's your credit age?

One of my friends sent me this interesting link after she saw my nerd score up. She is a finance major and that figures! Check out this link for your credit age. Its interesting to do but not really relevant to me at this point in life. Maybe, after 10 years....
But I'm happy to 'know' that I'm credit capable. Takes a load off my mind in this credit crisis(pun intended!) What's your credit age?

I am 38
in credit years!

Credit Age Quiz by SpendOnLife.com

PS: The same rule as nerd test. I don't want to litter the side panel of my blog with these labels. So making it a post.

Free Hugs, anyone?

A R Rahman rocks, as ever!

Budget Making - the whys

I'm a grad student. That amounts to someone who does not have enough money to satisfy their every whim and fancy. Oh wait! That amounts to someone who does not have enough money to satisfy a bit more than their whims and fancies. Though I'm covered for food, shelter, clothing and of course studies, I can't really go out for a night and buy things off my mind. Or even if I charge it to my credit card, I can't pay it back in full and would start a horrible debt cycle. So, the only recourse to that is to make sure that the dollars I have stretch to their best and give me enough cushion to do that one-day-shopping-bling-thing.

To tell the truth, I was brought up in a family where I can have any amount of money in my hand provided I gave the right reason for it. Being a kid(and an obedient kid at that ;)), I didn't have much necessity for money to spend on my own. Further, in India, you didn't have that many opportunities to spend too(esp when I was in school). In college, though, I could spend the money I had and could just ask my mom for more. But, I was overloaded with courses and projects and organizations that I didn't have much time for other things. So, all this left me with little or no experience with handling cash within a set limit.

When I went to do my internship, I got a good amount of money but the days were very set and we didn't get many opportunities to really spend a lot. And, I always hung around with friends and we made sure that the things we did were inside everyone's budget. Funny, but that was the first time I really thought about budgets. However, since my scale of comparison was my friends and since one of my friends' budget was inside mine, I really didn't have to do a budget for myself. I just went along with what she said and that worked well for me(didn't have to rack my brains - she did the number crunching) and my wallet(I didn't see any big dents here). So, there too, I didn't have to do anything with a budget.

Fast forward to my grad days. The first year and my second internship period was a repeat of my first internship period. So I really didn't have to care about it. But my second year was different in that I changed jobs inside campus(went from a relatively high paying one to a low paying one) and changed my apartment. And a few friends graduated. Some went for internships, all of us left back here started becoming serious about finishing our degrees. Slowly, that led to changes in my lifestyle as well. I had to look for different ways of having fun. Its not something fancy but I had a goal as to not ask my family or others for money. And it was not a hard thing to do. Rather, it was fun. I learned a lot out of the process too.

Now I have a simple budget that works for me and helps me live a satisfied and fun filled grad life(yeah, with that one-day-shopping-bling-thing). But I know that a number of my friends and readers don't do it often. So, here is a short series of posts about budgets. This would also help me revise mine and see if there are any changes I can make into mine.

Five simple reasons to have a budget:
1) It tells you where exactly your money goes. Whether you a Wall street banker or a sweeper, you earn money in exchange for your time. Time that can never be earned again. So, it makes sense to know what you do with the money you got.

2) It tells you how close you are to your goals. You can be a poor grad student(like me!) and dream of going on a world tour before you turn 50. Or you can dream of getting that penthouse with an awesome view on top of a 50-storey building in NY without any strings attached(mortgage, for example) before you turn 35. Or, you can even dream to have your honeymoon trip to space. For all that, it is important to know what exactly do you have now to get to where you want to go.

3) It reminds you of the resources that you have and consciously tries to make you spend within it. For example, if you have an income of $1000 and an expense of $800, then you live a way better life even with lesser stuff than with an expense of $1200 and more stuff. (yeah, you can charge it to your credit card but that brings my next point!)

4) It tells you the amount of debt you still have. Debt is like shackles and chain, it comes with you wherever you go. So, the higher the debt, the more constrained you are from living life as you want to. The lesser the debt you have, the more risks you can actively take in your life and gain more returns. Suppose if I get into my head to go to Bahamas tomorrow, I can do so if I don't have any debt and wouldn't be setting any legal action against me. But if I had $10000 as debt with me, then I'd have to settle that first before making my move to Bahamas. So I can't live life as I wish it to.

Charging things to your credit card is easy to do at first but then, you pay more than the price you see. For example, say you see a cute valentine's gift for $500. You decide to charge it to your credit card with 10% interest(there are very less cards with this rate now). And you decide to pay it in terms of $100. At the end, you would have paid close to $730 - An increase of $230 over the price. Naturally, the actual price of the gift goes up by $230. For that, you could've paid cash for $730 and bought a better gift. Or, used cash to pay for $500 and kept that $230 for some other purpose. If you decide to pay $200 each month, that comes to a little over $600. So, you get to pay only $100 more. So, try not to carry a balance in your credit card/debt. Or if you do, try to maximize your payments to it so that you have to pay only a slightly higher amount.

5) It shows you how much more your resources(income, savings, etc) should increase to make your life more satisfactory. Suppose you decide that you want to blow away $100 a weekend. So, that comes to $400 a month. And, assume you are already spending the money you get and don't have money to spend for your weekend flings. You can look to raise your income by $400 a month so that you can spend them without any worries of getting into debt.

I had read about budgets earlier. But then, I had thought that budgets were a bore and kept you inside a particular boundary. You can't do as you wish. However, I found that it wasn't true. Rather, budgets liberated you from boundaries like credit card debt and helped you achieve whatever was your dream. My goal is to finish grad school without any debt. I went close to getting into debt and my budget was the tool that pulled me out of it. So, I'm relying on it to keep my goal going till this May(hopefully I don't have to stay another semester at school).

Do you see any other reasons for doing a budget? Or do you see any reasons for not doing the budget? What are your experiences with the B-word?

Stock markets - good music!

Are you worried about the recent recession that's hitting the US, Europe, India and the world in general? Worry not! The stocks that caused misery to you are now providing entertainment as well. Check this link!

Two runs and a cause!

One of my fellow bloggers, Dream Chaser, is an avid runner and has been inspiring me to do my training. He is passionate about one of his projects, 2-for-4. For more details, check here and here.

He did a run last year and is all set to do another this February. His aim is to collect 4 lakhs from these two runs and give them to schools and kids for education. As this is a cause that is close to my heart, I'm so happy to see such efforts and take part in them in my own way.

I feel education is the best gift one can give to another and giving it to a kid makes their entire life better. Deepam has been doing an awesome job out of it. Do check their website for more details.

And show your support in all the ways you can!

Re: Is India in need of moral policing?

[Disclaimer: The contents of this post, as always, are my views on the topic. Anyone is welcome to have alternate views and can express them in the comment section. But no derogatory remarks, please! Any comment that is inappropriate will be removed.]

This is in reply to one of my friend's posts. He had discussed about the recent attacks on women in Mangalore and other places in India for going to pubs and consuming alcohol, not because it was not good for health but because it eroded the Hindu culture. His take was that in a deeper sense, those attacks were not wrong.
I read the post and started writing a comment on it but quickly realized that my comment went quite a bit longer than is usual and hence I thought it would be easier to write it as a post so that others can participate in it as well.

First things first: I totally condemn these attacks! This is not a politically correct answer but an answer that I would stand by even in places where I don't have to be politically correct.

Reasons behind my take:
Fist, it makes us hypocrites if we want to do something and do its exact opposite. We are not true to ourselves. That, according to me, takes away the essence of life. You might not be true to the world. But its very important to be true to what you are, what you want and what you believe in. Cheating oneself is the most foolish thing in this world. In the comments section, King Vishy had said(quoting him):"Why should one do things he loves with that guilt?? if one likes it, why shdnt he enjoy it as long as it does not affect others? Am very much a traditionalist, mind you.. But I also agree with Kushwanth Singh when he says that Indians are very big hypocrites. Every man has sex on his mind, but we only wouldn't talk about it openly."
I totally agree with Vishy, if you want to do something AND do it in secret, why not do it in a non-secret manner? Does doing a wrong in secret make it right? Or if you think something is not wrong, then what stops you from doing it in a non-secret manner?

Second, every individual has the right to do something if they want to as long as it doesn't harm the society. Quoting vox populi,"Wont it affect us, if there comes a day when father and son sit and have a drink side by side?" There are fathers and sons and families who've been doing this for ages. So, I don't think that it is a result of the recent influence on culture. Further, can anyone stop a family that wants to do so? Will the Government and other groups go into each family and check this out? That is totally ridiculous. And suppose if your neighbor and his son drinks together, does it mean you and your son should do too? What happened to your rational mind that decides what is good for you and what is not? If there are such concerns about drinking spoiling the culture, shouldn't the Government ban alcohols totally? For if the problem is alcohol, its better to ban it and stop the above said situation from rising at all than making alcohol freely available and asking people to stop drinking. This is like keeping a bar of chocolate before a kid and asking him not to eat it. Won't you agree that parents would be better off not buying the chocolate in the first place if they think its bad for the kid? Or, does the Hindu culture allow the guys to destroy themselves while the girls are saved? Kyaa logic yaar!

Third, would you stop doing something just because someone else told you not to do it? Then, you are giving up your right to think and act, the basic rights and requirements for a human being. Do you think saving the culture is so important that we all stop being human beings any more? No thanks! I prefer to be a human first and then be defined by any culture, be it East or West.

Fourth, this point is in direct answer to the post. Bravery is a part of Indian culture but I'm not sure when hitting helpless women came under the 'bravery' category. Rather, that is the ultimate form of cowardice - hitting someone who can't hit you back for you are sure that they can't hurt you at all. Further, the post says about beer parties in offices. No manager or subordinate would force someone who does not want to drink. So, if everyone in the office does not want to drink, there can be no beer parties. So, I still don't get what is the problem here. All that a person has to say is a emphatic "No!". Is it so hard to say it? Would you rather drink beer to saying a small two-letter word?? Totally incomprehensible logic! Further, I do agree respecting elders is part of Indian tradition. But does your grandmother know about your office presentation and the need for you to check your mails even when on vacation? If she tells you not to check mails during vacation and instead help her out, would you risk your work for her words? Won't you try to reason with her about your actions? Then, where does "giving respect to elders just because they are elders" come in? Taking a stance only because it supports you is plain cheating, yourself and the world. In short, there are a lot of things that are different between the present generation and the past. What is needed is clear and respectful communication and not mindless heeding of one's orders. Last, it was said that someone was given something based on their seniority. Would any person accept it if he was passed on for a promotion even though he is talented enough just because there is another senior-but-less-talented person in the team? I find it disgusting that people have two standards, one for themselves and one for the society. Be true to one standard and stick by it at all times. Be true to yourself!

Finally, I follow Hinduism. Hinduism is a way of life, it is not defined by any cultural boundaries. There are hundreds of thousands of people in US and other countries who do not wear dhoties and saris to work and class in their daily lives. Does that mean that they are less of Hindus than those who do wear them? There are millions of people, even in India, who don't go to the temple every day. Does that mean that they are less dedicated to Hinduism than those that go? There are hundreds of millions of people who don't follow all the fasts and prayers of Hinduism. Does that mean that they can't be true Hindus while those that follow are? Hinduism doesn't say one can't be a Hindu if he doesn't do something. That is like God telling us that He can't love us if we don't pray Him. He loves us, all said and done, whether we pray to him or not, whether we even believe him or not. That is His characteristic. If God says "I won't love you because you don't pray or believe in me", then that is not God.

The reason that Hinduism has a number of images of God is that it allows people to pray God in whatever form they want. That is the beauty of Hinduism, its all encompassing and inclusive. It includes people of all beliefs and even non-believers. When something is inclusive, it can't have boundaries right? Hinduism does not have any boundaries. Then, where does the question of doing something to keep Hinduism intact come into picture? Maybe, the girls attacked in Mangalore did not follow Hinduism as perceived by the attackers. But, then, half a billion people do not follow Hinduism as I perceive it. Does that give me the right to attack all the half billion? Or does that give the half billion people the right to attack me since I don't follow their perception of Hinduism? That is against the Constitution of every country in this world, including India.

In all, what I do in my personal life is none of anyone else's business. Others can suggest what can be done, but it should stop there, as a suggestion. I have a rational mind to differentiate what is right for me and what is not. For, if I choose a path, no one would be most affected than me, right? Can anyone in this world have more care about me than myself? Similarly, I do not have the right to say what others should do in their personal lives as long as it doesn't affect me or the society as a whole. So, telling that these attacks were done to protect Hinduism is total bull shit! Hinduism has been in this world for the past 5000 years(recorded) and many more(unrecorded). It has survived so many issues like Muslim conquests, British rule, etc without help from mere individuals. So can it survive the challenges of the 21st century. For after all, religion is what we make of it. If we decide to be Hindus and implement the changes in our families, then Hinduism would be present always. It doesn't need goondas to keep it alive. Our culture is stronger than that. Don't you think so?

Readers, what is your take on the entire issue? Do comment on the deeper points as well. And do let me know if there is something I missed or overlooked. Would love to hear it all!

The Nerd test

Took up a Nerd test online after one of my friends had done it. It was fun but I guess that would categorize 95% of the computer science/ECE students as nerds. If you didn't know your computer's configuration like the back of your hand, it was considered a sin in our class :P. Anyways, going along, here is my nerd test results:



PS: I don't like it hanging on the side of my blog, hence the post.
PPS: This test is more geared towards US nerds, Indian nerds would be more in the middle. For God's sake, I've NEVER seen a biohazard sign in an Indian teen's room, if at all they have a separate room for themselves. And, dead rodents?? Yuck!

RIP - Nagesh

If there was one actor whom I knew to watch out for in the movies since my 3-4 years, it was Nagesh. Every time that actor came on screen, it was time for fun and comedy! His acting, his mannerisms, his dialogue delivery and lots more endeared him to thousands of fans in and outside Tamil Nadu. My first(remembered) impression of him was from "Ethir Neechal". His "Maadhu vandhuruken" still brings a smile and sadness with it. Then came "Thiruvilaiyaadal". Nobody could've done the Dharumi role better. Even among the present actors, there is none who can essay that role with the same ease and confidence. He was so talented and was able to do any role with ease. Right from Kaadhalikka Neramillai to Sarvar Sundaram to Thillana Mohanambal, his acting has seen many genres. From Magalir Mattum, I understood that you need talent to act like even a dead body!! Some of my other favorites are pattinathil bootham, bama vijayam(I totally love this one!) and Nawab Naarkali. Though his recent films(Kaadhal konden, Dasavatharam, Rhythm) were less based on comedy, he was able to act them with finesse.
May his soul rest in peace!

What the hell?

What the hell is NDTV thinking it is doing? By asking for withdrawals for having opinions against the media's actions, NDTV has gained the wrath of a hundred others. And, isn't this against the so-called freedom-of-speech that Ms.Dutt and NDTV stand by? Or is there a separate Constitution of India that states that media and general public are to have different degrees of freedom of speech?
Can anyone clarify it for me, please?

Lessons learned today.....

Been hit by a slew of incidents.... can't really talk much about it for it is about a dear friend of mine. All I'm doing is praying for her and keeping my eyes open.
1) Be clear in what you say - the words you use might mean something different to the other person. For, everyone's upbringing is different.
2) Clarify what you understand - doesn't do harm to make sure that you understood something right. And try to think about something from all viewpoints.
3) Keep your mouth shut when not needed.
4) Not everyone who helps you are doing it only for you.
5) People who bring you into a fix might be showing you the world in a different light...... and that might be good for you.
Good Luck, A!

Layoff watchout!

There has been a spike in the graph of layoff numbers this Monday(aka Miserable Monday). So I've added a layoff watch out gadget on the side of this blog. Just an attempt to keep me from running to my Google reader and trying to extract the layoff news from the 1000+ posts that I get every day. I know that most of you are also deeply concerned about mass layoffs. Lets watch out together! Do give me your feedback(like/dislike/no use) about this gadget as well.

Hulla Bulla H1-B

Back to the US and back to student life.
Missing India all the more now that I got a taste of it for 3 weeks. All said and done, C is the best place on earth! I even decided on the place where I want to spend my last days :) Though the time is far, far away!
Student life is fun, all said and done. Also, I'm yet to "really" start working (I hear,A, your voice asks me "when have you really worked?" So true!) but now I have lesser time to finish what I started and I better concentrate on trying to chip off the big block of cheese before me.
Enough of rambling updates about me.... on to the topic.

H1-B visa is a type of visa that allows foreign qualified employees to work in the USA for specific companies. Almost always, the company sponsors the visas. In earlier times, the number of people coming to USA from other countries was lesser and the visa restrictions were lighter. So, many people came in the immigrant visa directly. As competition around the world increased and with better and improved education in countries like India and China (not to mention the global village that our world has become, all thanks to Internet), the immigrant visa restrictions became tighter and people started looking for other visa types. H1-B was a good one in that it let you come to US and work(after all, man goes from one place to another in search of wealth aka money for most of the time. Since work directly translates to money, some visa that lets you work immediately was an attractive option). So, the competition for H1-B visas also increased. Last year's results are given here.

Now comes the interesting argument that has been waging since 2001. It has resurfaced now(in times of recession, people are ready to listen to any argument - a case of "ethai thindraal pitham theliyum?") and I wish to reason it out. Some people in US argue that companies should first employ US citizens and only then look for H1-B visa holders. Believe it or not, this argument is totally pointless simply because it is already being followed. Think from the company's perspective. They aim to increase profits. For that, one of the major requirements is to have a good team of employees. Also, they try to reduce the cost/employee thereby increasing profits. An American employee costs lesser compared to a H1-B visa holder. Lets run the numbers for it.

	American	H1-B visa holder
Salary	Same	Same
Other benefits	Same	Same
Visa cost	0	3000
	----------	------------
Total	X	X+$3000
	----------	-----------

So, why would a company looking for increasing profits be willing to spend $3000+ more? The answer to it lies in the simple fact that the return from the H1-B visa holder is worth the extra cost. There were reports of a Senator asking Microsoft and other companies to first send out the H1-B workers during the layoffs. All companies would keep people that they feel are necessary for their growth and lay off others that they feel do not contribute to the growth of the company. Here, the discrimination of H1-B and non-H1-B workers does not come into picture. No company would be a fool to send off a more talented worker for such a petty reason that they have a particular visa. If a company does something like it, then that company is acting against the basic principles of "doing activities to improve the net worth of the shareholders of the company" which is the basis for the corporate world. In the long run, it would spell doom to the company.

It would be great if the people understand this fact and realize that only talent and hard work will stand the test of recession. No amount of unrealistic lobbying would help. Give your 100% to your current job, do better than the guy next to you and you would be fine. Best case, you would have your job even in times of recession. Worst case, you would know the work better --> have more knowledge about something than anyone else in your past team --> better job prospects when you lose your job. So, both cases, it is a win situation for you. So, instead of listening to all the politics surrounding the H1-B visa issue, it is time to roll up your sleeves and start working better than anyone else.

What is your stand on the H1-B visa issue? Do you think it is a welcome part of global village scenario or a visa that should be abolished or a "necessary evil" for a growing economy?

Happy New Year!

Wish you all a great and fantabulous new year :) 
I'm currently in India enjoying life to the hilt with my family and friends. Some pointers:
1) Life@home never changes, whether you are a school student or a college student or a grad student. And I love it for that! Gives me a feeling of security and constancy in this ever-changing world.
2) Its fun to meet college and school friends after a long time. Glad to have shared all the stories of the past 1.5 years!
3) Everyone said that I hadn't changed much. It put my worry that I had become chubbier (aka fatter) to rest. :) One of the best gifts of this new year ;)
4) My family was happy to see that I was finally getting some sense(aka adult ways - not getting very excited for small things, not shouting with joy, etc.) into me :D. Even I was amazed at the transformation.
5) I found that some people are the same, despite all that life throws at them. Some, I love them for it and some, I hate them for it. But that is life!
6) Been away from my thesis work for more than a week now. I loved the break and got some new perspective because of it.
7) Been doing the usual rounds to friends' places, favorite hangouts, doctors' checkups, etc. Going on some big trips soon! Yay! I can't wait for them to start.
8) Great to celebrate everything with cousins. One more reason to remind me why my cousins and family are among the best in the world. Waiting for my last cousin to join the gang!
9) Growing up has its advantages and disadvantages. Every time I learn something about the world, the equation changes and I have to relearn it all. But its loads of fun!
10) My reader shows 1000+ posts in each category. I've been starring like crazy but that doesn't seem to help. My advisor would definitely not like it if I go on a reading spree again! But all that can wait once I get back to grad school. Right now, I'm enjoying every moment of my holidays.

Hope you all had a great break too! The posts would come in regularly once I get back. But for now, its intermittent posting period! :) Take care!

Choices and Effects

Recently I wrote a post about my views on abortion. There were a number of comments with various views on it. But a discussion with a friend of mine about that post led to a question of how much an individual's choice would affect the society as a whole. He asked how can a parent be sure that the embryo that they are destroying cannot grow up to be one of the scientists that make breakthrough inventions? How can the parents know what will happen in future? In truth, you can never be sure of the future. That is what makes life interesting to live through. If we knew how things would turn out, there would be nothing to look forward to and we would be bored soon.But, how to decide if a path chosen by you would affect the society and by how much?

I am very pro-freedom. I feel that everyone should be allowed to choose their paths in life than being affected by others and the rules as long as it doesn't affect the society much. True, any choice taken by an individual will have rippling effects on the society. But this is true for ANY choice and not just the choice wanted by the individual. Allowing and denying a choice path to an individual depends on the severity of the rippling effects and time difference between the action and the results. So, if a person's choice is not severe not time-sensitive, why not let the person do it as they wish rather than forcing them to do it by rules?

For example, say I decide to buy a car. I have a choice of electric, non-electric and hybrid. Say I'm very conscious of the environment and the world and hence decide to go electric. However, though electric cars have lesser impact on the environment, they don't have a zero impact. Also, they cost more and I have to come up with more cash to cover it. That leads to my giving up some comforts till I get the money or if I can't wait till then, I have to find someone who can loan me money. That brings in another person and his/her views on the whole issue. Also come in the parameters of performance, usage possibilities, etc.

Say, I don't care much about the environment and want the maximum bang for the buck. Then I go in for the non-electric choice. This, as predicted, has a higher impact on the environment but hurts my pocket less and gives better performance. Third case is when I am trying to find a balance between caring for my pocket and the environment. But for it, I need to pay more money again.

None of these three choices that I have before me have a zero impact on the environment. So, any choice I take, I affect the environment, adversely or not. So, my choosing any of these choices finally doesn't make a big difference. If adding one more non-electric car would cause the world to disintegrate(hope that situation never arises), then my buying a non-electric car would have far severe effects than getting a hybrid car. Also, say buying an electric car would help me recuperate my costs in lesser time than buying a hybrid. Then an electric car would be more attractive.

So, I would say that every choice has both good and bad in it. All man can do is to choose the least-negatively-impacting and most-positively-impacting choice and move on with life. That is the only impact of man's intelligence in this whole system. That is where rational thought and wisdom come into picture. There is also where a person starts thinking of himself(remember, my electric car choice when I could get back money faster? I did it more because it helped me as an individual rather than the love for environment) and other forces like fear, greed, etc. come into picture. But even under the best of circumstances, one day this world would end, right? We would just be reducing the speed of destruction instead of accelerating it and giving Mother Earth a chance to recuperate from some of the damage caused by us. Do you think it is possible to stop Earth's destruction?

150, 2008 and more!

The numbers in the title of this post might sound weird. But they form the crux of the post.

First things first: This is my 150th post in this blog. I took a trip down the memory lane and found that it was a very interesting path so far. From the first post to my 149th post, I can see that I have grown in many ways, had different experiences, met some very interesting people and gone to different places. Also, my writing style has changed a lot(hopefully, for the better!). Going by the numbers, here is a report(I'm in the mood for reports after writing a dozen of them):

Though I'm happy that I got to write so much in these past two and half years, I'm not happy to see the oscillations in the graph. My writing has gone on like a sinusoidal curve touching the trough a lot of times and peaks lesser times than I want it to be. True, nobody can have a steady writing speed. But I fear that the average number of posts is less than five, with some months going down to zero posts. Though the breaks were due to good reason, I feel that I could be a better manager of time and effort and post regularly. I'm hoping for the writing speed to be good for the coming year.

Second: I had one blogging resolution for 2008. To average out atleast one post per week. Since I have 55 posts so far this year(including this one), I'm barely across the line. Yet, I've crossed it and that's what matters. Further, I see that I have blogged more this year than the two earlier years. I've reduced my inhibitions about blogging and have discovered more of a professional attitude towards managing life. Yup! Slowly making the transition from a college goer to a professional. There are a few people in my life who are very professional in all that they do and its a treat to be with them. Also, this year, I've had major changes in life as said in my previous post. I achieved some parts of my wish list, failed at some others, gained a wee bit of wisdom, gathered different experiences and had loads of fun doing it all. In all, this 2008 was memorable to me in lots of ways.

Third comes my fervent petitions for 2009: Its similar to 2008, but this year I aim to finish what I started and finally start off in the corporate world. I also have a few plans for my business and am waiting to see if they would materialize. If they did and if I succeed in those endeavors, I would be really happy for they would tie my dream and fun together. Because, if they fail, then I would decide to pursue my dream. Though my dream has a big fun component in it, it is not the type of fun I know so far. And hence, I'm hesitant to let go of what I know and step into the unknown world. Though there are people to guide me through each step, the unknown is still unknown and I'm reluctant to jump into it without reason. So, this year would be a testing plane for my ideas. So, lets see....
Other than that, my wish list still remains, with some entries crossed off and some entries added on to it. That is the beauty of life, you always have something exciting to do.

What is your wish list for 2009?

Multi Level Marketing - what crap!

[Note: No flames please! This is more a discussion than a war for/against MLMs. So, any comments, if they are thought to be inappropriate by the blog owner, would be removed immediately.]

Imagine what would you do if you got a call from a girl whom you've spoken to over phone only once asking you if you wanted to make money at 1 am in the night when you are busy with your final project? I got such a call yesterday and started laughing as soon as I heard this question. But I was trying to be courteous and didn't really want to laugh before her. That girl thought I was interested and gave her phone to another guy (her senior partner) who again bunched out a total load of shit!

I asked him some simple questions and he broke into a sweat and gave me really stupid answers. Finally, I got totally pissed off and asked him what exactly did he call me for. Finally, this is what I could salvage from that discussion.

There is a site that combines social networking and ecommerce. He said that I had to register in a site of theirs(like orkut, facebook, etc) and ask all my friends to join too. And, say if I had put on my profile that I liked a movie like "The Dark Knight". If one of my friends sees it and wants to watch the movie, he/she clicks on the link. It opens a site of a seller(like Amazon) that is registered with their network. That site has dvds of Dark Knight for sale. It seems that I would get some money for initiating this deal. Since that girl brought me into the network, she would also get some money. The guy(the senior partner) introduced the girl to the network and hence he would get some money as well. I immediately understood that it was e-Amway. Even in the first conversation, I could find a number of problems;
1) Why the hell would I join the network and make a way to give money to others for my hardwork?
2) First, why the hell should I give money to join this network? Its not as if this network is already well known and I have profits joining it, right? The network is just being established and they should give money to people to join, right?
3) Also, why should I ask my friends to join this network and get products only through this network? Wouldn't it be like controlling them?
4) I'm a person who feels that buying unnecessarily is a waste. Most of my friends feel the same too. Would I, of all people, go and ask my friends to buy?
5) Further, isn't it wrong to use your friend's interests to make money off them? Where have the ethics of business world gone??

That guy mumbled something and gave the phone back to that girl who called me. I couldn't even tell her that she was getting into a spiral trap from where very less people have come out successfully. I told her I'm not interested in it. If the issue had stopped with it, this blog post would not have come at all. But, the call came again...

That guy had the nerve to call me again and talk about it. I asked him some simple questions like
1) what is the profit?
2) what is the rate of profit per hour?
3) how is the network supported?
4) who started this all?
5) is there someone reliable/trustable behind all this? (when I asked this question, that guy said that Microsoft, IBM and Comp arch are endorsing it. A simple Google search showed that Microsoft has explicitly stated that this business was just a customer of theirs and that they were not endorsing it! That showed this business's level of truth! Finally, when I asked him about it, he accepted that the big companies never supported them except as customers. Had I just accepted what he said, he would have continued his story of them endorsing this site!)
6) who are the sellers in this network? (there was not even one big seller. True! Amazon and Ebay are not stupid enough to support this method!!)
7) when does a person break even?

Sad to say, that guy was not able to answer any of them well. He sounded like a cult person who was taught to talk the same thing. When I tried to ask more about it, some of the answers that I got were:
"These are confidential. So we can't disclose it" (Oh! So they want my money but can't disclose what they are going to do with it??? what BS!)
"Join the network and you'll know it all" (Oh! Should I give money to know what your site is all about? What if it turns out to be BS? Do I get my money back? It reminded me of a saying in tamil "Paithiyam thelinja kalyanam nadakkum, Kalyanam nadantha paithiyam theliyum" (To get married, you need to be sane. To be sane, you need to get married). Both are not possible! Total Vidhandaavatham!!)
More questions about the business model made him ask my personal info (as if I would tell it to some unknown person! Mind you, the girl through whom this entire thing came was my friend's ex-girlfriend's friend. I haven't seen her at all! Then, what made them think that I would accept it all?)
I finally told that guy that I wasn't interested enough to join the network by paying for it and that guy got such a shock.
He said that he'll send me "convincing" material to change my mind. He even offered to come and meet me with his wife!! What nerve! Seriously!! How did he expect that I would accept such a request?

Coming to the point, I felt really sad for such people. If alone they could open their eyes and see, they would be able to see the holes in this system. However, googling for more info showed that people lose their minds to such MLM schemes in the aim to become rich and happy and important. There are better ways to achieve them than this junk MLM schemes. Wanting to become wealthy and happy is a good aim to have. But trying to get them without really working hard is akin to trying to cross the Pacific Ocean in a small dingy. Its not impossible but the probability is very very less.

If you are a person who is part of MLM, just think about your marketing system and see if you really "sell" products or buy them yourself to reach the target. Also, see if you are earning enough to atleast break even, if not make a profit. Further, think what would be your ROE if you spent the same amount of time, money and effort in some other business model/job. If you can sit alone(without pressure from others) and get these answers, do some self analysis. If you are happy with the answers, carry on with this life for you have the skill set needed in this system. If you are not happy, start looking at other alternatives too. For, after all, you are not there to build someone else's dream of social network + e-commerce site. Check if there are ways of building your dream. Because you have only one life! If you don't worry about your dreams, no one else will.

If you are a person who is pro-MLM, I welcome your views on it. For there might be something I have missed (for the guy who spoke to me might not have been a good-enough salesperson). You can help me see your viewpoint. I'm interested to really learn about it.

If you are a person who is anti-MLM, I welcome your views as well. I would like to know if there were any points I missed and should have considered. I'm sure that more the experience, the better and wider is a person's view of analyzing something. Adding the experiences of all of us, you and me, would make things clearer.

What is your view on MLMs? What do you think about the ethics and business longevity of this model?

[PS: I really didn't want to write this experience down, for there might be some who are happy with MLMs and I didn't want to hurt their sentiments. But there are two reasons for this post: First, if I can make even one person understand the good and bad reasons as to why they are in this system and chose it as part of their dream, it would be a good deed. And second, this is the first time I got to really check out a business model and find the good/bad in it without anyone's help. So, I would totally welcome any and all viewpoints related to it.]

Rebuild India Campaign

I was sent a link to this campaign by a friend in the wake of 26/11 in Mumbai. Though there has been lots spoken on the blogosphere and the media about the acts themselves and the actions needed after that, I have both hope and skepticism regarding the entire issue. However, its best to try something out rather than sitting back and wondering about it for even if we don't reach the "Dream India" of ours to 100%, even a 50% improvement is way better than what we have now.

There are a number of issues that plague the growth of India. Some of the questions on this survey were ones that I would have discussed with friends. Though I still remain skeptical as what this survey might achieve, I encourage everyone to check it out and answer the questions. For, after all, even a small step forward is better than standing at the same point, right?

Drinking and feminism - one feeds another?

I recently came across an article in NY magazine. I started reading it as a general glance through but slowly got interested. By that article, it says more and more women were drinking and those that drank, are drinking more. Since I'm a woman, I started applying it to my friends and other women I've seen.

When I was in school, drinking was a big no-no and very few(barely 5 or 10 out of 100 of my friends) did it once(maybe two, not more). Moreover, those drinking experiences were more a part of an experience or a wager with their brothers and cousins and friends. None was done for the sake of drinking.

Then came college. As far as I know, some of my friends were regular drinkers(not alcoholics). They drank because it was part of their house culture. So it was not a big deal for them. But most friends tried it out just for the heck of trying it out. Even then, the percentage hadn't crossed 20%.

Then came (pseudo)work life(I know, it was a short 6 month stint, but still corp life). Even here, it was not a big percentage. I had a few friends who frequented the bars of B but they knew when they had to stop and it was more a social reason(going to the bars and hanging out with friends) rather than drinking for drinking's sake.

My masters life saw a huge jump in the percentage to 90-95%. This was mainly because I went from a culture that frowns on it to a culture where people didn't mind about it. Also, the people I knew here were more willing to try out things and felt that drinking was just another habit. A good or bad connotation to it was stupid by their thoughts. Some of my closest friends drink moderately. One of my friends' dreams is to try out all the different types of drinks and to taste the best known concoctions. I know that she saved money through her internship to get a bottle of fine wine that came to $500. Yeah! She spent $500 for ONE bottle of wine. I'm not sure if it was worth it but she said it was and she was on top of the world for a week about it. I'm happy that she loves it but I also know that I wouldn't do it. Also, here, I started seeing people who drank for drinking sake. I also saw people who treat it as a hobby and invest in expensive stuff for it. My friend above was one such person. She tells me that her house in future would have a well equipped and well stocked bar and that she would take great pride in it. And I'm sure she would do too.

Further came my internship time. My company regularly hosts beer parties and freshly brewed beer is served there. I know that a lot of my friends love it and that it is part of my company's culture. When I think of how well I'd fit there once I go back as a full time employee, I'm not sure about the beer parties aspect. I don't really care about all this stuff as long as I'm not forced to drink. Its not that I think drinking is bad or good, its just that I don't want to do it because of a personal reason. As long as my friends don't go overboard, I know that they understand the risks and returns of their drinking and wouldn't force them to stop. True, I discuss about it with some friends, but in the end, its their call. But, going back to topic, I found that the percentage of women drinking in the corporate world was a bit lesser than the percentage of women in college. This might have more to do with the corporate setting that I've seen most women in the corp world than the actual numbers. College, having a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere, is more apt to drinking with perfect strangers. Who knows? Once I start work, I might find that the women in corp world actually drink more, albeit in a non-corporate or semi-corporate setting.

It also shows a big difference in the cultures, the one I was brought up in and the one I live in now. So, is cultural difference the only thing to blame? Or, does misguided views of feminism, more stress for women, social acceptance problems, etc also play a part? Also, does drinking induce one to feel more feminist? And being a feminist implies that one should drink? This seems like a recursive loop with no way out. However, I love that women get to choose in this country, whether to drink or not, and if so, by how much, when, where and with whom? True, people pay different prices based on their choices. But the freedom to choose, ah! That is true liberation!!

An Angel's visit

Oh! she sat
She waited
The angel said, she will come

She saw
She worried
The angel came, in a different form

She started
The angel asked
"You want me, or my form?"

She wondered
She decided
"I want you, not your form"

The angel laughed
The angel winked
"You'll get me, and my form"

The Voice listened
The Voice was proud
"She made a choice, the right one!"

The Voice understood
The Voice was happy
"I taught her, and taught her well"

The Voice said
In a emotion filled tone
"Thanks for it all!"

The angel smiled
The angel cared
For both were in need of her

Her and her services
Her and her love
Her and her magic, all thru her

She'll do her best
They deserve it
But for now, this form is fine

She and the Voice
Comforted by the angel
Comforted by each other and their choices

They went to sleep
The angel went to work
All was quiet, peace with the world.

A "personal finance" dish

Writing the previous post, I started thinking more and more about personal finance. Is it the need of the hour, what with more and more people losing jobs and the ones that hold them not yet sure as to how long the entire recession would last? Oh! personal finance has been around ever since man started commerce and brought in the concept of individual wealth management. But it has gained more and more spotlight in present times.

It may be due to the course I'm taking or due to the recession that is unfolding right before my eyes, but I've started taking some interest in finance finally. There are a number of finance guides and people who are great with finance that help people in trouble. Also, there is more openness about finances than before(or may be there were earlier and I am aware of them only now).

Recession in some far away city puts you in a cocoon and you don't really care much about it. But recession in your neighborhood is a different game altogether. So, to improve the health of the US economy and the people of the world, I'll show you how to make a dish out of personal finance. Yeah! Eating(doing) this will surely nurse your finances back to robust health. Some of the ingredients are:

1) Spend less than you earn - In a nutshell, don't spend what you don't have. And, keep some saved for the rainy day! Absence of this ingredient led to the mortgage bubble burst and it shows what has happened to us right now. This ingredient is the base of the dish. If this is absent, then any ingredient or tool used would be useless.

2) Earn more than you spend - In a nutshell, try to earn what you want to spend. And, don't touch your rainy day savings. This ingredient might sound eeriely similar to the above one. But it is not so. Say you have $10. Say you spend $5 and save the rest. Now your savings is $5. Say you increase your earning to $20. Then you can increase the spending to $10 and still save $10(an increase of $5). Or if you decide to stick to old spending ways, then you save $15(an increase of $10). That is the difference between both concepts. This is yet another important ingredient without which your dish size would never grow. It is like yeast is to bread and cake risers to cakes. However, you can add as much of this ingredient as you want to the dish(unlike yeast or cake risers). The more of this ingredient, the better is the dish.

Now add generous mixtures of the above two ingredients and add a good amount of patience, confidence and determination. Let the dish sit for some time. Do not add ingredients like debt, new credit cards, loans, etc. These ingredients will make the dish go bad! As you stir the mixture and start eating(using) it, there would come out of it, vapors called "more money" that would chase away the debt ghosts(like how real food chases away the hunger ghosts). These vapors can be seen using special tools like budgets, spending plans, etc. Further, the dish can further spiced up by tools like high interest rate accounts, couponing, deal watching, thrift store shopping, etc.

To magically increase the quality and quantity of the dish, you can use the investing tool to stir the dish from time to time. However, if overused, this tool can even spoil the dish. So care should be taken when using this tool. The author recommends that this tool should be used only by advanced cooks or by beginners under the guidance of an advanced cook. If a beginner wants to try it, he/she should use it only sparingly and can slowly increase the duration and speed as time goes by.

Voila! You finally have a magical dish that can not only chase away debt ghosts and keep them far, far away but also give you benefits of financial health like good credit score, enough money to achieve your dreams(isn't this what all of us aim for?) and most of all, a peaceful sleep at night without worrying about paying bills on time(what else is needed in life?). Eating(doing) this all through your life gives you a long lived robust financial life as long as you live and makes things infinitely easier for your kids and others. Now, don't you want to make your own magic dish from this recipe?? :) Let me know if you find this dish yummy and useful. I'm sure you'll soon send me a postcard from Hawaii thanking me for your robust financial health and hence remarkable mental and physical health.

Note: Longer the exposure to this dish, better becomes your health. So, use it more and use it often!

Personal Finance: some observations

Recently, I was thumbing through a personal finance magazine while waiting to meet someone. I was amazed at a number of things:

1) Usually, when I visit someone's office, all I see would be general magazines or news magazines. Nowadays, more and more personal finance magazines are seen everywhere(I saw THREE magazines in just one week! And I live in a university town!). Goes to show how deeply recession has affected the US common people, aka "Joe the plumber".

2) One of the coffee shops where I drink coffee regularly is run by a smart and pleasant woman. She manages the entire shop with help from her sons. I've been in awe of her workmanship, the quickness with she serves the orders and her pleasant manner. We got to chatting the other day and she said that lesser people were buying coffee or other drinks. Most people have started asking for water with their sandwiches and meals. Even those that order drinks are switching to smaller cups and less fancy fare. Usually, if 100 grandes were sold, only 50 or less grandes are sold now. And, people are asking for regular coffee in place of the fancy and costlier lattes. She was worried about the recession. As more and more people tighten their belts and start cost cutting, one of the first things to go are drinks like coke, coffee, etc. So, what is going to happen to the coffee shop I so love?

3) I got the chance to read an article about credit card debt and what can be done to reduce/remove them. That got me thinking. Not many friends of mine have huge credit card debts. Most people I know make full payments every month and do not let the credit card debt in any one month go over 50% of their credit card limit. But this could also be due to the fact that most people I knew were Indians. Even among my non-Indian friends, not many had huge credit card debts. But they tend to make minimum payments to the card balances rather than the full amount. There were a few who did the math and knew that letting balances grow would lead to them paying more than they expected. They paid the balances in full but most didn't.

4) Most students had student loan debt. Indian friends usually came here with a loan from banks and plan to repay it once they get a job. Non-Indian friends have a similar structure. I know of American friends who were paying down their student loans even when in college because they knew that letting the balances sit would definitely harm them later on. But most Indian friends I know wait till they get a full time job to start paying their student loans.

5) Most Indians do not feel comfortable discussing finances but most Americans are happy to discuss them and show where they are exactly with their goals. This might be due to the fact that most Indian families do not discuss finance with the children when they are growing up. I did know much about money and how it is handled as long as I stayed with my parents. But I know, from my friends in US, that a growing number of American families are very open and honest about the finances with the kids. It makes such a difference when you get to understand these things when you are young. The kids are more confident because they learn how a key part of the adult world works.

One of the jokes I heard at a party went like this:
If you give $10 to a Japanese guy, he'll save $9 and spend $1
If you give $10 to a Chinese guy, he'll save $7 and spend $3
If you give $10 to an Indian guy, he'll save $5 and spend $5
If you give $10 to a European, he'll spend $10
If you give $10 to an American, he'll borrow $5 and spend $15.

Are these differences in spending structure and loan repayment due to differences in their culture? These are just my observations based on the people I see around me. I'm sure there are all kinds of people all over the world and I personally know of Americans who are very good at managing their finances and a Japanese guy who is neck-deep in credit card debt. This post is not for or against any country. I'm just comparing two cultures I know and trying to make sense of it all. Have you seen any such differences in spending and saving habits of people because of their culture, region, upbringing, etc? I'd love to hear your views.

One of the lasts!

One of my last classes was today and I felt sad about it. The professor is a very knowledgeable and interesting teacher. He used to crack jokes exactly during the middle of the class. There are lots of such memories, big and small about this course. I've enjoyed every class of this subject. Though I would continue to work with him, I'm not sure if I get another chance to sit in a class taught by him. Yup! He is my advisor. He is one of the best people in my field and I'm very lucky to get a chance to work with him. I so am going to miss his classes. But I'm glad that I got to experience what a pleasure classes are when they are taught by exceptionally brilliant professors who know how to really teach students.
God bless such great teachers!

Finance, my new interest!!

There are a few things that, when you do, seems interesting in the beginning but bore off at the end (how about watching shows? I've seen some TV shows that start well but drag in the end.. And I, the ever faithful viewer, still stuck doggedly to its end! An apt example is Kaadhalika Neramillai from Vijay TV. That show deserves a post of its own! There were very, very few movies or TV shows that have held my interest from beginning to end).

There are some other things that seem boring at first but becoming quite interesting as the days go by (for example, VLSI. Believe me, I used to hate VLSI when I was in my junior year. Simply because, all I saw was a chip and the big hulla bulla about it. But going to Cisco changed those opinions and I fell in love with it, prompting me to add it to the already-full list of masters studies. Now, my particular masters topic is so broad that I can work anywhere and yet so specialized that there is no particular job that suits it to the glove! And I'm loving both sides of it!!).

But there are a rare few things that you do, at first, because it is interesting to dip your toes into and captivate you with their beauty that you seem to do them all said and done(like writing, for instance. However tired I am, I write a bit every day! And I found that I cannot stop from writing - my September and October trials would show it).

Now I have found another such interest - finance. There are two basic reasons for this interest in it. First, I was always eager to know how something worked and that includes a corporation, a government and our own lives. I used to have all these questions as why one should work (come on! Don't tell me everyone in this world works because they love their work), till when should one work, what will one do if they don't have the necessity to work, etc. Lets suffice it to say that I was asking questions such that I can understand the adult world much better and safely leap into it from my adolescent and secure life. I tried to learn something about commerce from my mom but it turned out that it never happened! Guess there is something impossible about trying to teach your daughter commerce when she is always dreaming about the latest and coolest stuff. So, here was my wish, simmering under all the normal stuff I did.

Second, I enrolled in a course this semester that taught the basics of finance. When I say basics, I mean "real basics". The professor started off with what is finance, why we need it, what is credit, etc, etc. Also, the US recession(yeah! its officially declared now!) was unfolding right in front of my eyes. What better chance to learn about finance, its myriad facets and all the consequences? I also started reading on some light stuff about finance and how it applies to normal people, you and me! That showed me that man had a powerful tool, that if used, would create such wealth for everyone. And men have been using it ever since the first cave man traded one spear for another with his kinsman. Various forms and complexities, yes but the underlying principle is the same.

Earlier, I never used to bother about it all. My mom was my money-giving tree and I could ask for however much I wanted but had to have a good explanation for it. Further, my family encouraged kids to save whenever possible. My parents were no exception. And my parents were never big on entertainment(Maybe that is why I think working on sundays is not something hard or wrong? I know, from experience, that one of my friends' dad always had a clear demarcation between office work and personal life and never worked on weekends. She was amazed when I said that my dad worked and couldn't really understand why anyone would do so. Not that my dad had to, but wanted to was what made all the difference.Thanks pa for teaching me that trait! I so take after you :)). According to them, a movie per six months was standard fare. I grew up the same and continued through college(Yeah! I know, I know!!)

Now, I get to handle my finances and am able to appreciate the nuances of it all. Man's ingenuity surpasses it all when it comes to handling the wealth of the world. It is all the more interesting how the basic system never changed and though there were new methods all the time, there was some time in history when it was already done. For example, we speak so much about Travelers Checks and consider them the best ones to use when you go from one country to another. Did you know that a similar system was used by the Templars in the 12th century? And they had complex security systems to protect it all and ensure that no cheating is possible.

So, long story short, I'm in love with finance for now and I'm sure this interest would continue for some more time! Till then, my dear readers, I invite you to join me in this fabulous journey to get glimpses of clear minds, ruthless actions, deep seated passions like greed and fear and the beauty with which the world balances it all out over the centuries.

For all the grad students out there, good luck with toughing it out the last few weeks of this semester before we break up for winter.

A refreshing thought!

I've been reading up on the Mumbai attacks from the news, blogs, articles, etc and have seen so many specialists bash it out. Everywhere I saw, I read about the pain, the helplessness, the terror and what not(Strange that it may seem, the poem that I wrote a few weeks back makes all the more sense now). Combine this with bad economic news coming in daily in US and you have a really depressing view of the world. But there was this blogbharti link that told us what we could do to appreciate the Indians who laid their lives on the lines of fire to protect the innocent people and save India in the eyes of the world. When you read these lines, it might not sound as great as the deeds of a soldier in a full fledged war but a life is a life, all said and done. Losing it to protect your country, either on battlefield or in a terrorist situation, is the same and these jawans and police are worth all our appreciation. Here's what we can do to show it to them:

For the protectors of Mumbai / Bombay
With respect and gratitude.

Our brave police, armed forces and firefighters have been putting their lives at risk to bring our city back to normal. Many have died.

We often criticise them vociferously; we probably will do so again. And we should. Later.

But now is a good time to show our gratitude and respect for what they’ve done since the night of the 26th.

Go over to your neighbourhood police station, fire brigade or army post.

Light a candle or a diya and leave it there.

Or leave a card, or a note of appreciation.

Or a flower.

Shake the hand of any police, army or fire brigade personnel on the spot, say thank you, and explain why you’re doing this.

Do this whenever you can, wherever you can. You don’t have to be in Bombay. This could have happened anywhere in the world.

(People in other countries and Indians abroad: you may want to do this at your nearest Indian embassy or consulate.)

Three things this week!

1) Wow! A cyclone named after me! Believe it or not, this was something I wished for in summer. I was interning at M and saw a hurricane news clipping on my manager's door with his name as the hurricane. I thought it was cool and wondered how nice it would be to get a hurricane/tornado/cyclone named after you. I know, I know, they are destructive, they are cause huge losses, yada yada.... but they are also forces of nature that people won't and can't mess with. And they are beautiful in their own right! Anyways, it was fun seeing one pet wish come true this week without me doing anything about it. [And I had to endure the teasing of family and friends for it :D]
2) I shopped till I dropped! Yup, I went shopping this week and had a great time with MB, SA and SD. We shopped, shopped and shopped. And got so saturated. I'm not looking at the hole I blew in my pockets. But I'm going home, so that justifies all purchases! :)
3) I got served by the geek squad! When the shopping galore was going on, I got served by the geek squad of Best Buy. It's a funny name :D
Happy Thanksgiving!

Note: I'm shocked by the attacks on Mumbai but guess I'm still in denial about the facts. Lots of my blogger friends have already commented on it and I agree with them, their anger and their worry about the general helplessness that surrounds common man in such situations. To the world out there, India will come back, stronger, better. Despite the pathetic Government and politicians that we have, the people who form the crux will push India forward. To the terrorists, killing never solves the problem. You are just morphing it into something else and the world would be hit by the morphed version sooner or later. By the news coming in, it looks like its sooner than later.

Nuns Fret Not at their Convent’s Narrow Room

Nuns fret not at their convent’s narrow room
And hermits are contented with their cells;
And students with their pensive citadels;
Maids at the wheel, the weaver at his loom,
Sit blithe and happy; bees that soar for bloom,
High as the highest Peak of Furness-fells,
Will murmur by the hour in foxglove bells:
In truth the prison, into which we doom
Ourselves, no prison is: and hence for me,
In sundry moods, ’twas pastime to be bound
Within the Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground;
Pleased if some Souls (for such there needs must be)
Who have felt the weight of too much liberty,
Should find brief solace there, as I have found.

-Wordsworth

One thought: Wordsworth still rocks, even after leaving the English classes at school. I miss my English teachers who brought out the beauty in his sonnets.

Days and dayz

Tags are always fun to fill in, especially when they come from one of your childhood friends :) So, here goes the tag about my days (wow! sounds so pompous right? ;) Just like R.K Narayan's My Days?? Nah! Not so good!)

The tag:
Two questions in each category answer them and then tag your friends from the blog-o-sphere. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and you are all set.

Yesterday:
Your oldest memory:
One about playing hide and seek with friends when I was three and a half and hiding behind a window sill. The window doors were my height and there was some space between the doors and the wall. It was a great place to hide and you had an unfair advantage when you play hide and seek in your house with neighborhood friends. They just can't find you. Lets say I used it too well ;) I hid there and that's all I remember about it. [From my mom's memory, she says that I slept there(I have an uncanny ability to sleep in most places! You can ask my co-travelers or co-lecture-attenders for more proof! Guess this incident was an early indication) peacefully when the whole household and neighborhood searched for me. My mother was distraught and later, when they were about to go to the police, I seemed to have come out because I was hungry! This is one of the my mom's favorite tales to embarrass me :D]

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Hmmmm... Ten years ago, ninth grade, Bio class??? I can't draw, period. No, not even a straight line with the help of a scale. And that problem was compounded by the fact that I have a sister whose artistic talents are the talk of my family. It was a wonder that I even scraped through Bio in school. I would rather write two more pages of answers than draw a single diagram. Ok! Digressing.... Back to the tag!

Today
Your first thought today morning
Wow! Sunday! Oh no! Sunday already! Last day of the weekend! Should I really get up and go to the lab/work? Or can I still snooze my cell phone alarm one more time?
[Btw, I'm typing this sitting at univ... so, yeah I finally got up and came to the univ. And I did hit the cell phone alarm so many times that the next time I hit it, my cellphone would sprout two hands and hit me back!!]

If you built a time capsule today what would it contain?
How about the entire world? Because its too interesting to leave out anything!

Tomorrow
This year
Live the last year of student life and enjoy it to the hilt, for I may not get a chance to be a carefree student once I step out of the walls of my university. Even if I return, I'd be scarred by the good and bad of the world and wouldn't have the childlike curiosity that I have now.

What do you see yourself doing 14 years from now?
I know I'd be having fun.But how, where and with whom, Ah! that is the question!

I tag:
People who haven't written even one post in the past one month. Come on, bloggers! Its loads of fun to do it.