Credit Crunch

Read this on the underground this morning:
What is confusing about the credit crunch is that, if one of my cheques is returned stamped “insufficient funds”, I won’t know whether that refers to mine or the bank’s.

 

Walkabout, Shaftesbury avenue

As the name suggests, its just a walkabout. One of the most awful pubs that I’ve been to in London. The staff are awful and rude, starting from the bouncer(who thinks of himself as a combination of James Bond + Hulk). Music isn’t much inspiring either. Reasonably priced drinks(and you get 25% off if you buy a £3 walkabout card). Overall its been quite disappointing, don’t think me and my mates would ever go there again.

 

A “Different” Friday

Friday nights always had a special status in my mind. Its the time of the week when you can put your worries and troubles behind and look forward to cherishing all that the world can offer you in the next two days. Keeping this in mind I always made it a point to make my friday night’s memorable. But today it has been one of those days(in an year ) when you sit down and don’t do/think/plan anything. Just stayed home all evening doing the toughest thing that one can do.. Not doing anything at all.

 

Answers I need to know

Index up 6.7% portfolio up 16.68%.
Will the sensex hit +1000 today ?

 

Random thought for the day

Are traders trading or guessing ?

 

As it is ..

Been a long time since I came here.. In the meantime I’ve learned this new art of ‘accepting things just the way they come’. Call me incredibly lazy or disconnected .. but I’ve stopped trying to (over)analyze all the stuff that goes around. And this has let me to come up with a certain set of rules by which I’m accepted to play my part. (But I have to warn you that because of the inherent nature of these things the rule priority tends to change, and maybe the rule itself might be overwritten). Anyways, here we go ..

Rule 1: Life is not fair.

Note: No one likes a smart ass.

Rule 2: Don’t panic.

Note: Incase you think you are, stop thinking

Rule 3: Don’t analyze a lot.

Note: Please feel free to call this, ‘paralysis by analysis’

Rule 4: Don’t lose money.

Note: This rule has to be followed, only after Rule 1 and 2 are true.

To Be Continued ..

 

Firewalk for Victim support

Yes.. Thts what it is.

On Feb 28th, I would be doing my longest (short) walk ever, a firewalk in aid of victim support. Basically the idea is simple, walk 20 feet over embers buring at 1236 degrees fahrenheit. (For an idea, paper combusts at 451 degrees and aluminium melts at 1100!).

Victim Support provides emotional support, information and practical help to victims and witnesses of crime and their families (http://www.vslondon.org/). I believe its a very noble thing to do and this firewalk is to spread awareness and support them.

I hope you would support me in this(would be more than glad if you could join me for the walk ).

You can see me live in action at Victim Support, Scotia House, 33 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1PL on 28th Feb 2008 at 9pm.

 

ASSET India Foundation

I was reminded of J.Carney’s quote, “Little drops of water, little grains of sand, make the mighty ocean, and the pleasant land.”

Every change in this world would have had a humble beginning. I am sure every one of us would have thought, at some point of the time or other, that we were very lucky to have all the opportunities and things ready in place put together and provided. And would also end up thinking about contributing our bit to the society. But I believe what is holding us back is the single thought that ‘Well.. May be it wouldn’t really make a big difference, just by my contribution alone’.

It is during one of those moments that I got to know about ASSET India foundation and some of the wonderful people associated with it, in particular Mr.Ray Umashankar, Assistant Dean in the College of Engineering at the University of Arizona, Tucson . When I read about the idea of providing better opportunities and alternate livelihood for children of sex workers in India, I thought it is gonna take a couple of years. But in an year ASSET was able to provide alternate computer based jobs for 26 of their students.An article in the Arizona daily.

Based on its strong performance and growth, Parade Magazine and Case Foundation have asked ASSET to participate as a partner in a fundraising challenge. Here is a wonderful opportunity for you to make a difference in the lives of these children by going to the Global Giving link for the Case Foundation/Parade Magazine Challenge now:

http://givingchallenge.globalgiving.com/dy/registry/ag.html?regid=608&cmd=prevfund

As the drops of water assemble to make a great ocean, I would appreciate your donation of $10 and request you to share the link with your wide circle of friends/contacts in the U.S.

 

ǝsɹǝʌǝɹ uı ƃuıoƃ puɐ uʍop ǝpısdn ǝɟıl

Thats might probably be the best way to describe whats going in my life now . Thanks to Flip for the description.

 

Its ‘poker’ time

I haven’t really had a first ‘hand’ experience at this game until my friends dropped by the other day. The rules were quite simple.. and I had the classic poker statement in my head. “If you can’t spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.” First mistake when you are a amatuer: Assumption that this game is more about luck than anything else. As I played along .. I quickly realised that there is nothing like a ‘luck’ element in poker. The game tells a lot more about people.. their risk perception and raising the stakes.

I had a good hand in the beginning and we continued playing and playing till the early hours of the day.. and I came back to do an ‘amateur’ mistake again. Keep raising the stakes higher to challenge the opponent at a psychological level.. It back fired and there I was left with nothing but the last lager in hand ..