Hot Investment Tip

For a moment, screw all the 'hot' and 'thanda' item tips by brokers. I'll give you a really really hot investment tip.

Take all the money you have the capability to invest, buy barrels and barrels of crude oil and stock them in a warehouse. Keep them locked for as much time as you want, and when you want the money, sell it in the market. I'll guarantee you'll become an 'arabpati', like how all the arabs are with their oil reserves :p.

No seriously the price in two years has risen from 50$ a barrel to 135$ today. Demand Supply mismatch will always be HUGE. So the price can only go in one direction. Add to that, the supply is effectively limited. So you have a really low risk-high returns investment. Rated 'AAA'

Vacation

Probably, the laziest one I've ever had. The brain cells keep whacking me for lack of anything productive to do. All I do is eat, eat, and eat some more (delicious food, mind you), read, listen to music, and laze around. I prefer not to watch television, and I hardly get any sleep.

Its gonna last 10 more days. Not that I'm not enjoying it. I love it. But I equally hate being inactive. I also know its probably the last vacation like this for a long time, but I'm extremely eager to get to work, literally.

Just a Question

When would you go ahead and do something that you're 'in principle' against, or despise, per se?

(Anybody visiting the blog - I know the no. is shamelessly low - is requested to leave the answer in *comments*)

Board Games

Have you ever noticed the resemblance between board games and life? Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Monopoly, Jigsaw Puzzles! All have a stark similarity with our lives!

Snakes and Ladders: You can have as much of a lead start, but you never know when you may get caught by a snake. The biggest snake is when you're nearest to the goal. Slow and steady may win the race, or he may not. The external factor, luck, is in the form of the die. If it is in your favour, you'll keep on rising, if not you'll be stagnant. In this game, all are equal. There are no strong or weak players.

Chess: Oh the favorite quote "When the game of chess is over, the pawn and the queen go into the same box." I am so a huge fan of the person who invented the game of chess. While as a player I'm average, to say the least, yet I find the game just so intriguing. The way the soldiers are placed to protect the army, the king, the queen, bishop, knight, and rook. Their calculated movements. A parallel to everything in life can be drawn on a chess board. Here, there are no equals. The pawn is to protect the army. The rook is the one who is powerful. The knight, the underdog, who with his moves can spring surprises. The bishop covers great distances moving diagonally. The queen can go wherever she wants with no restriction. And yet the most important coin is the king. If the king is captured, the game is over. finito.

Monopoly: The game of money. Buy/Sell/Mortgage/Rent. The best way to instill the understanding of money to a youngster. The game has in it all the nuances of real life finances. Broke! Fortune! Community Chest, Chance, Salary. The importance of grouping. Its a financial strategists chess.

Jigsaw Puzzles: The simplest of the lot, yet the most true to life. We all have to fit in. I wish they made more complex jigsaw puzzles for adults. Would love to try one of them!

I scoff at anyone who thinks that board games are only for kids. Board games are for anyone, as long as they are strategic in their approach, and dont scatter all the pieces if the games not going in their favour ;).

Histrionics of the SRK

While I myself was quite happy with Kolkatta Knight Riders well fought win yesterday, Shahrukh Khans reactions post the match were amusing, to say the least. The way he was all over the place dancing, was quite endearing, but the best was when he jumped on Shoaib Akhtar. It immediately reminded me of an ad in which Rakhi Sawant was seen doing the same histrionic to Ravi Kisen in some reality show.
While I've noticed the similarity, I am so glad that *until now*, no TV 'news' channel has gone ahead and made a half hour special 'Rakhi aur Shahrukh ki samaanta' on it! Hope I havent spoken too soon.

Breaking a Myth

A short note on a myth that has been carried for generations, and one which needs to be clarified.

BC/AD never had anything to do with Jesus Christ. It was actually Before Coffee and After Discovery. And as for what is the Holy Grail, it was the holy mug in which Jesus preferred his cuppa.

The Tibet Issue

An issue that has been stretched far too much by the Chinese. One of the cons of communism. There needs to be a permanent solution to the issue. The Tibetan protests have mellowed down for now, but I'm sure its just the calm before the storm which will hit the Chinese around the time of the olympics.

As for India's stand on the entire issue, my observations were
1. The media discussed the issue so vociferously, as if we were one of the most influential countries in the Olympics. We have won one medal each in the past three olympics, goddamnit. A shame, considering we are the worlds biggest democracy.
2. The government was, more or less, silent on the issue. (We cant rub China the wrong way, guys. They are a superpower now!)
3. Half of the public doesn't know, even now, what the Tibetans were protesting for!

As for me, I empathize with, and support the Tibetan cause, as long as we dont have a Tibetan quota added to our already long list of education/employment quotas.

Places I like in Mumbai

These are places I love to go to, or cross, or just hang around at..
(in no specific order)

1. The stretch from Sion Station to Priyadarshini
2. Worli Sea Face
3. Bandra Highway, above the Station
4. Dadar East-West Bridge
5. Matunga and Kings Circle [Coffee Land for me :)]
6. Flora Fountain to Gateway of India
7. Borivali National Park
8. Bandra Bylanes.. Cafe Andora!