Thursday, April 19, 2012

1789 : Bhala hua mori maala tooti……

I was having this conversation with two colleagues yesterday, on how much is really “how much”, and not “enough”?

Its an age old debate…..a malaise that afflicts those with children, those without children, those with dependent elders, those with total independence, those with long hair, and those with six goats Smile….which mean pretty much everyone.

How much is enough for a rainy day? Depends right….are you planning for a Bangalore, where rain never seems to know whats an hour, in Mumbai where a fall lasts days or Cherapunjee, where rain means months Smile

Without being/sounding too fatalistic ….let me make a few points.

For any human being, to plan (in earnest) beyond a few reasonable years, in a tenterhook world like today, is counter intuitive…..in a world dominated by lack of privacy, crimes of hate and religion, our own illfated romance with technology, and of course, jerks with nukes in their backyard….thinking beyond 5 years from now is like planning for your 140th birthday.

But….but…hold on…these very events, plus the damocles sword of job cuts and divorce payouts, and earthquakes….make some people take the exact reverse directional view…..they shall plan with a 50 year rain fund.

Just like the bloody stock markets…the world can accommodate both directions, the yin is always yearning for the yang……in this context I am like the feminine dark brooding yin…..one who sees the world in a pragmatic tinderbox context.

I have always noticed, that all human emotions – and that includes happiness, pessimism, insecurity, apprehension, joy – are all terribly infectious – especially if you wear it on your sleeve.

Dont believe me…trying living with a spouse who looks at the RBI rate hike as another sign to accumulate and hoard….try living a few years….and you become this person who thinks there is a spook in every smoke….

On the other hand, live with someone like me, who thinks this world is a yank and jerk video game….and what you get is this irreverent take on everyone including the Dalai Lama Smile

Now, its a seperate debate, whats right or wrong…..or whats ideal (parked for another post!!)

But my drift is, do unto yourself what you expect your kids and life to be…..if you want your kids to be the Steve Jobs of this world…and you are planning (hoarding is the word) for a bloody Harvard education for them…guess what, I think Uncle Universe will send them to Harvard, Stern or some shit like that.

On the other hand, if you choose, to live life (like me), believing its going to end soon, guess what, your kids will in probability be irreverent bastards….but of those ashes will arise either a Roger Federer or Jack the Ripper Smile….and hey…am happy with either…at least they were well defined individuals Smile

One last point, its not just individuals, but even corporations and cults foster this infectious creed….An Infosys which hoards and stashes in an attempt to make their life predictable, will get royally phucked….and that is already beginning….because in this modern world….the world will be dominated by folks who can continue to ride inflection waves (read Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung)….the ones that happen in a 2-5 year window….if you start planning for 2020, well….guess what….you wont probably see it at all…..you might be without a job by then.

Long post….will end my rambling…does that mean….no prudence at all? No, I think save, stash….do all the regular jackshit, but remember that tiny hoard is never going to protect against your layoff or limb disorienting car crash…..please, my request, don’t ever let your kids believe, for even a moment,  that this bloody life can somehow be made deterministic…because the minute you try and create a monster like that, the first thing it cannibalises on is you Smile

Have a good ride….I am damn lucky…..Bhala hua mori maala tooti, mein raam bhajan se chootih reh Smile

Sunday, April 08, 2012

1788 : The ethical corrupt

For those who are tracking the development of the PU paper leak at Karnataka….its getting unintentionally hilarious.

Some background. So recently the police and university got alerted to PU paper leaks. The police quickly zoomed in on the source of the leak, because the jackass criminals had used email ids to circulate the papers.

In the latest round, turns out the paper they circulated and charged folks for – was a faux, and was nothing but last year’s paper.

So?

TOI reports that now the police are also angry and upset with the perpetrators, for having caused anguish to the students who bought the papers, by selling them faux ones.

Its almost like telling a thief, you can sell pirated stuff, but make sure its a “genuine” HD copy….

Ah…the vicissitudes of modern India….!!

1787 : The editor of TOI Bangalore should be dropped from the 10th floor

While I do sympathize with the human side of this story which was on the front page (right) of TOI Bangalore today, I have little or no pity for the editor.

How can someone who falls to “his death” not “die”….why the tautology in such a glaring headline please?

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1786 : God and the doctor, and the flying dutchman

Got another forward which is quite hilarious Smile

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poster1

Saturday, April 07, 2012

1785 : When will the kart flip ?

Now I don’t need another person telling me how great the shopping experience at flipkart is....discounts et al.

I myself shop a lot at flipkart.com and letsbuy.com, which the two Bansals just acquired.

Why? Good discounts...infact deep discounts.....

Can this last? I guess no. My view is for any person to offer a quality service deep discounting is an anti-thesis.

Pick up your fav retailer, hypercity is mine, and tell me, do they do deep discount....

Margins get thinner and thinner to a point where you eventually stop making money, and then you bleed your pocket, and then you sell off. Look at big bazaar and its financial woes...and their prices are not even close in their madness (discount) to flipkart.

Amazon.com...does not deep discount...infact in quite a few cases it's not the cheapest online retailer (check out using froogle.com)

And, unlike the US, in India, the customer is loyal to the best deal, and not the best retailer.

Ask yourself, will you shop at flipkart, if they charged you full price and only threw shipping free....

So? The point.....

Sachin and Binny will no doubt make tons of money for themselves. Will they build the next amazon. I doubt it very much.

The org is in a build to sell mode....I am really not sure how they shall last.

My advise, while the party is on, buy your stuff from them. It's good feeling to rob someone....especially when its all legal.

Btw, it's kind of hidden in the devil and his details, but flipkart has tons of accumulated losses. So has letsbuy.com, so has koovs.com and the list continues....

Sunday, April 01, 2012

1781 : Alladin’s lamp

Another email forward, but hilarious. I wont translate…really hope you understand and can read hindi.

alladin

1780 : Jugaad in India

I got this as a forward on email, but some of the images are real fun. Worth a look.

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1779 : We have no time to stand and stare

Did you notice, that Maggi Noodles is no longer “2 minute Maggi Noodles”, at least not on their newer flavors and variants like Tomato and Capsica.

I dont know if its only me, but I was quite caught out by how much of life has passed by, and I have not noticed at all….too busy eating, shitting and fitting Smile

The older packet

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The newer products

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1778 : Another one just like the previous one

This one is from 24th March….at first I thought I should send this to WWF save the Panda foundation, but then when I read, I figured its the regular human freak show for us audiences and a Panda is nowhere involved.

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1777 : I thought this was TOI playing 1st April prank…

…but looks like a serious article. The copy and the edit guys must be shot. Very distracting way of attracting attention to an article.

From TOI today….

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1776 : Even Hannibal has his fans

Time of India carried this article, a few months ago that said, Raavan is worshipped in MP during Dushera.

When I did share this with my erudite Lankan friend (who does not read a crappy tabloid like TOI), he felt a little regaled, as if, “at least something in this damn upside down world is coming around.”

1775 : Song of the decade

Well, there is a bit of hyperbole in that title, but Pungi from Agent Vinod, seems to be the one song that our Lankan Raavan seems to enjoy….Mika Singh et al.

There is something to be said of a tapori song like that, which is even liked by complete aliens, who….just as a matter of fact, are used to shoplifting other’s wives Smile

1774 : Whats in a name

Raavan seems to enjoy calling me Ameethee, almost like a Gandhi bastion from UP.  I seem to like my new name.

1773 : On the wing

Its easy to cut off this blog or exercise or poetry, or any of the things that rally matter from your life….and I wonder why, that very sentence sounds counter-intuitive. I have learned that ones that matter are the easiest to cut loose.

Maybe that's something to ponder upon, and within it lies clue to how our psyche might be structured.