This piece is dedicated to some of my beloved friends in Chennai!
Amit Jain a.k.a AJ: Don't be fooled by his lean frame. He can take on anyone with his guts and 12" muscles! Has an amazing presence of mind. He can stay awake long hours reading equity reports, but a novel will put him to sleep in a flash. I like his adventurous nature (he goes off every other week to some place or the other).
Vineet Mehta a.k.a SMS king: You'll find him on the phone (actually 2 phones!) for about 12 hours in a day. Fantasizes about bikes. Has a solution to every problem. The closest he has come to IIM Ahmedabad is having samosas outside the campus gates. Great guy overall!
Niladri Ganguly a.k.a NN: Sits next to me in office and keeps passing wise cracks (that are not appreciated by any one around!). Has a huge fan following on Orkut. Great fun jamming, with me on the guitar and him on the mouth organ and both of us on vocals. Has a great sense of humor (can also make fun of his own race!)
Saubeer Mann a.k.a SS: Walks 3-4 miles a day in his bermudas and t-shirt-converted-vest. Loves to dabble in new things - currently learning to ride his new bike, to play the guitar (his gurudakshina to me is due). Introvertish, but extra talkative once he gets to know you. Desperately on the look out for people to use his credit card so that he can win points. Can you help him?
Nikunj Agawaral a.k.a Niki baby: The angry young man - Has fought with a local cricket association personnel and a motorcycle rider! Loves watching movies. Has mastered the art of talking on the mobile and driving simultaneously in the intimidating Chennai traffic. Carries 3 (am I right?) gold credit cards and threatens that he will discard them if the providers don't upgrade it to platinum!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Quotes...by yours truly!
1. After traversing the "same" path for years, it's amazing how school friends part ways to find "unique" roads to their ultimate destination
2. It's amazing how money is mistaken to be "the end" rather than "the means to an end"
3. It's amazing how people sacrifice long term, sustainable benefits for short term, fleeting gains
4. The stock market is the biggest casino in the world - The house always wins!
5. The stock market is a zero-sum game: Every trade has a winner and a loser
6. Management mantra #1: Over promising and under delivering is the worst thing one can do
7. There are 24-hour ATM's in India that are open from 8 a.m to 8 p.m!
8. We have become slaves of technology: It has started controlling the world
9. War, rule-breaking and corruption can never be eradicated: Money and power are here to stay
10. The number of rule breakers is directly proportional to the number of rules
11. Man is the penultimate component of the food chain. It eats everything, including itself.
12. Often I have heard: "What can one individual do to change the system?"; "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em". If everyone thought that way, nothing would ever change.
13. Are superstitions limited by geographical boundaries? Do Indian superstitions apply to people residing in India or to Indians all over the world?
14. Competition is a necessity: Without it, there can be no innovation
15. Eradication of poverty can only be done through education: People need to be given the tool to earn money, rather than the money itself (aids/grants)
16. Often, we treat the symptom, not the cause
17. Every person in this world is a hero and a wonder, containing tremendous amount of energy and potential
18. Everything in this world, whether animate or inanimate, has a life cycle
1. After traversing the "same" path for years, it's amazing how school friends part ways to find "unique" roads to their ultimate destination
2. It's amazing how money is mistaken to be "the end" rather than "the means to an end"
3. It's amazing how people sacrifice long term, sustainable benefits for short term, fleeting gains
4. The stock market is the biggest casino in the world - The house always wins!
5. The stock market is a zero-sum game: Every trade has a winner and a loser
6. Management mantra #1: Over promising and under delivering is the worst thing one can do
7. There are 24-hour ATM's in India that are open from 8 a.m to 8 p.m!
8. We have become slaves of technology: It has started controlling the world
9. War, rule-breaking and corruption can never be eradicated: Money and power are here to stay
10. The number of rule breakers is directly proportional to the number of rules
11. Man is the penultimate component of the food chain. It eats everything, including itself.
12. Often I have heard: "What can one individual do to change the system?"; "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em". If everyone thought that way, nothing would ever change.
13. Are superstitions limited by geographical boundaries? Do Indian superstitions apply to people residing in India or to Indians all over the world?
14. Competition is a necessity: Without it, there can be no innovation
15. Eradication of poverty can only be done through education: People need to be given the tool to earn money, rather than the money itself (aids/grants)
16. Often, we treat the symptom, not the cause
17. Every person in this world is a hero and a wonder, containing tremendous amount of energy and potential
18. Everything in this world, whether animate or inanimate, has a life cycle
Friday, July 21, 2006
Some random things about Chennai that I have experienced till now:
1. The first question people ask at Irevna: "Are you a CA or an MBA?" My answer: "Neither"
2. The first thing one must learn in Chennai: To decipher whether the ambiguous shaking of the head means a "YES" or a "NO"
3. What one must be prepared for: A Rs. 50 roller-coaster ride everyday on the Chennai auto!
4. House hunting flowchart:
i "Are you a bachelor or a family?" If answer = "Bachelor" Then "Sorry, look for another house"
ii. "Are you a vegetarian or non-vegetarian?" If answer = "Non-vegetarian" Then "Sorry, look for another house"
iii. "Are you a Tamil brahmin?" If answer = "No" Then "Sorry, look for another house"
5. The reason auto drivers give to fleece you: Recent hike in petrol prices (whether or not prices have been raised!)
6. Places to visit in Chennai: None
7. 35%: The percentage of Irevna staff that hails from Calcutta
8. 10,000: The number of people at the 8-floor Sarvana Stores on Saturday at any point in time
1. The first question people ask at Irevna: "Are you a CA or an MBA?" My answer: "Neither"
2. The first thing one must learn in Chennai: To decipher whether the ambiguous shaking of the head means a "YES" or a "NO"
3. What one must be prepared for: A Rs. 50 roller-coaster ride everyday on the Chennai auto!
4. House hunting flowchart:
i "Are you a bachelor or a family?" If answer = "Bachelor" Then "Sorry, look for another house"
ii. "Are you a vegetarian or non-vegetarian?" If answer = "Non-vegetarian" Then "Sorry, look for another house"
iii. "Are you a Tamil brahmin?" If answer = "No" Then "Sorry, look for another house"
5. The reason auto drivers give to fleece you: Recent hike in petrol prices (whether or not prices have been raised!)
6. Places to visit in Chennai: None
7. 35%: The percentage of Irevna staff that hails from Calcutta
8. 10,000: The number of people at the 8-floor Sarvana Stores on Saturday at any point in time
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Travel in Beijing:
The bus: There is just one bus that goes from next to my apartment (just discovered recently that the bus stop is right opposite my apartment – this saves me 10 mins of exercise) to next to office – No. “628”. It happens to be the oldest looking bus with terribly hard seats and its frequency of arrival is supposed to be once in every half hour (there are times when I have waited for 45 minutes and its not come and then one feels terrible in taking a mode of transport 20 times more expensive. It’s called the Beijing taxi!). My face lights up when I see the bus raising its ugly head in the horizon! On the other hand, there have been 3 occassions on which I have missed the bus by a fraction of a minute, helplessly staring at it pass by.
Normally buses are full to the brim and people just pop out as doors are opened. But the unique business which I ride on goes relatively empty as compared to the others. So, I guess there is a direct positive relationship between frequency and the number of passengers.
On my second day of traveling by bus (an AIESEC member had accompanied me on the first day of work) and fifth day of coming to China, I had the misfortune of traveling alone. To top that, I didn’t know Chinese well enough to communicate with the bus conductor (not that I know much now – at least I can count from 1-10 and pronounce the name of the destination correctly!). So, in all earnestness, I handed over a currency note to her (by the way, most bus conductors are women) and told her that I wanted a 1 kuai ticket. She started laughing and tried to communicate something to me in Chinese, which I couldn’t figure a word of. Soon, all the fellow-passengers started laughing as well. I don’t know how, may be I got a message from above, but by some actions that she did to me, I realized that it was a 0.5 kuai note that I had paid her instead of a 5 kuai (and I was wondering all the while whether she will return my 4 kuai change or not)!
The subway: Most convenient and the fastest. The problem is not the subway, but getting to it coz the Beijing traffic is insane! There are 3 lines that connect the city. Line 1 runs across the city from east to west cutting across the commercial district, main shopping areas and Tiananmen Square. Line 2 is a loop, of which 2 stations are on Line 1. Line 13 connects 2 Line 2 stops to the north of the city. I wonder where Lines 3 to 12 have disappeared! Last I heard from some one that the Government is planning to make a Line 8 or some such thing! Do they just pick random numbers?
Once you get onto the train, announcements are made in Chinese as well as English.
Chinese version: jnksnvnmgeopbvl lvmdvsdv.. hachun se.. ngknvk sddbj jeingksv .. sihui . .. sihui zhan .. .hfinskgvmasnviqweihghskbmod . …..skjnasvnsaiubnginkmb .. … jbnvnvjnsdvjndnsdbkmsdlmsd….
English version: The next station is Sihui
I wonder what they blabber so much???
The cab: They have cabs ranging from 10-year old Chinese local makes to Volkswagen Jettas and Hyundai Sonatas and Elantras .. and believe it or not, they are all the same cost! Most of the cabs charge 1.6 kuai / km, the flat charge being 10 kuai. You also find some 1.2 cabs, but they are rare now. So you have to really be on the look out and pray that it is not occupied (not worth the hassle for short distances). They are now phasing out the 1.2 ones I believe and introducing 2 kuai/km ones. Cab drivers have this habit of keeping the radio on – seems like there is only 1 channel: 103.9 – and nothing seems to be aired except for advertisements. Never heard any music till now. Lot of women cab drivers. Wonder whether their cars have automated reverse and parallel parking facilities!!
The bus: There is just one bus that goes from next to my apartment (just discovered recently that the bus stop is right opposite my apartment – this saves me 10 mins of exercise) to next to office – No. “628”. It happens to be the oldest looking bus with terribly hard seats and its frequency of arrival is supposed to be once in every half hour (there are times when I have waited for 45 minutes and its not come and then one feels terrible in taking a mode of transport 20 times more expensive. It’s called the Beijing taxi!). My face lights up when I see the bus raising its ugly head in the horizon! On the other hand, there have been 3 occassions on which I have missed the bus by a fraction of a minute, helplessly staring at it pass by.
Normally buses are full to the brim and people just pop out as doors are opened. But the unique business which I ride on goes relatively empty as compared to the others. So, I guess there is a direct positive relationship between frequency and the number of passengers.
On my second day of traveling by bus (an AIESEC member had accompanied me on the first day of work) and fifth day of coming to China, I had the misfortune of traveling alone. To top that, I didn’t know Chinese well enough to communicate with the bus conductor (not that I know much now – at least I can count from 1-10 and pronounce the name of the destination correctly!). So, in all earnestness, I handed over a currency note to her (by the way, most bus conductors are women) and told her that I wanted a 1 kuai ticket. She started laughing and tried to communicate something to me in Chinese, which I couldn’t figure a word of. Soon, all the fellow-passengers started laughing as well. I don’t know how, may be I got a message from above, but by some actions that she did to me, I realized that it was a 0.5 kuai note that I had paid her instead of a 5 kuai (and I was wondering all the while whether she will return my 4 kuai change or not)!
The subway: Most convenient and the fastest. The problem is not the subway, but getting to it coz the Beijing traffic is insane! There are 3 lines that connect the city. Line 1 runs across the city from east to west cutting across the commercial district, main shopping areas and Tiananmen Square. Line 2 is a loop, of which 2 stations are on Line 1. Line 13 connects 2 Line 2 stops to the north of the city. I wonder where Lines 3 to 12 have disappeared! Last I heard from some one that the Government is planning to make a Line 8 or some such thing! Do they just pick random numbers?
Once you get onto the train, announcements are made in Chinese as well as English.
Chinese version: jnksnvnmgeopbvl lvmdvsdv.. hachun se.. ngknvk sddbj jeingksv .. sihui . .. sihui zhan .. .hfinskgvmasnviqweihghskbmod . …..skjnasvnsaiubnginkmb .. … jbnvnvjnsdvjndnsdbkmsdlmsd….
English version: The next station is Sihui
I wonder what they blabber so much???
The cab: They have cabs ranging from 10-year old Chinese local makes to Volkswagen Jettas and Hyundai Sonatas and Elantras .. and believe it or not, they are all the same cost! Most of the cabs charge 1.6 kuai / km, the flat charge being 10 kuai. You also find some 1.2 cabs, but they are rare now. So you have to really be on the look out and pray that it is not occupied (not worth the hassle for short distances). They are now phasing out the 1.2 ones I believe and introducing 2 kuai/km ones. Cab drivers have this habit of keeping the radio on – seems like there is only 1 channel: 103.9 – and nothing seems to be aired except for advertisements. Never heard any music till now. Lot of women cab drivers. Wonder whether their cars have automated reverse and parallel parking facilities!!
Food in Beijing:
Breakfast: I normally have one or all of the following -
1. Fruits - Mainly bananas, apples, grapes and plums .. You get lots more in the supermarket, such as peaches and pears .. I love those fruits but to be truthful, I am too lazy to peel them!
2. Fried eggs (with or without toast with frozen butter) - It is the simplest and quickest to make - takes approximately 3-4 mins
3. Toast - With sliced (if i am in a hurry) or spread cheese (if I am not) or strawberry jam (awesome)
Lunch: Have started getting lunch in Justin's apartment, where we have got a cook in, but before that I used to normally have the following (in the restaurant right across office):
1. Rice ("mi fan" in Chinese)
2. Free chinese tea ("mien fei chha")
3. Vegetables - Mixed vegetables, egg plant (never liked it so much before), some green leafy vege, string beans (cooked in Sichuan style, this is my favourite - Have taken over the leftover home a couple of times for dinner)
But...now I get a wide variety of vegetables with rice and since Aude (a Swiss Trainee at Lowes) and I are vegetarians, we get 3 vegetarian and 1 non-veg dish (as a consolation to the others - some times they dont even get the priviledge of that one!). Some of the veges are:
1. That green leafy vege (again) with tofu
2. Celery
3. Onion with tomato gravy (I love this one)
4. Cauliflower with tomato gravy
5. Beans
6. Egg plant (I like the way they make it here)
7. Some vege like "toru" / cucumber
8. Pumpkin
Dinner: It just happens to be out most of the time. Recently, I have been to Subway (twice, coz you get a Veggie Delite which is a pretty filling and cheap option), Souk (you get lebanese food like pita, hummus, falafel and also pizzas and pastas) and Grandma's Kitchen (western food - english breakfasts, pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, burgers, gingerale, lemonade, etc.). Justin and his wife treated us at the Grandma's since me and 2 colleagues of mine had to stay in for overtime. So.. you know what follows ...... .... I hogged!! I had half a 12" pizza, sizzled vegetables with egg and toast, tomato with vege soup and a lemonade!!
But in the event that I have to have something at home, I normally have what Sumit and I cook on Sunday (if there is still some left) like egg curry, aloo ka sabji (Sumit cooks these and it turns out just right!), gajar matar and gobhi (these turn out just about edible as I cook them) with rice (the pressure cooker got spoilt as I tried cooking the rice once, forgetting to put the water in, I haven't got it repaired as yet and therefore, I haven't been cooking rice for the past one week!) or roti / paratha (something I discovered in the nearby convenience store). The rotis are like a boon. They are 1 kuai each and enough for 1 meal.
Fillers: All the junk you can possibly think of -
Biscuits - I like the Ritz strawberry ones
Rice / Millet chips
Muffins - These are my favourite, but the most expensive as well
Conclusion: I am always hungry and I am a hog!
Breakfast: I normally have one or all of the following -
1. Fruits - Mainly bananas, apples, grapes and plums .. You get lots more in the supermarket, such as peaches and pears .. I love those fruits but to be truthful, I am too lazy to peel them!
2. Fried eggs (with or without toast with frozen butter) - It is the simplest and quickest to make - takes approximately 3-4 mins
3. Toast - With sliced (if i am in a hurry) or spread cheese (if I am not) or strawberry jam (awesome)
Lunch: Have started getting lunch in Justin's apartment, where we have got a cook in, but before that I used to normally have the following (in the restaurant right across office):
1. Rice ("mi fan" in Chinese)
2. Free chinese tea ("mien fei chha")
3. Vegetables - Mixed vegetables, egg plant (never liked it so much before), some green leafy vege, string beans (cooked in Sichuan style, this is my favourite - Have taken over the leftover home a couple of times for dinner)
But...now I get a wide variety of vegetables with rice and since Aude (a Swiss Trainee at Lowes) and I are vegetarians, we get 3 vegetarian and 1 non-veg dish (as a consolation to the others - some times they dont even get the priviledge of that one!). Some of the veges are:
1. That green leafy vege (again) with tofu
2. Celery
3. Onion with tomato gravy (I love this one)
4. Cauliflower with tomato gravy
5. Beans
6. Egg plant (I like the way they make it here)
7. Some vege like "toru" / cucumber
8. Pumpkin
Dinner: It just happens to be out most of the time. Recently, I have been to Subway (twice, coz you get a Veggie Delite which is a pretty filling and cheap option), Souk (you get lebanese food like pita, hummus, falafel and also pizzas and pastas) and Grandma's Kitchen (western food - english breakfasts, pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, burgers, gingerale, lemonade, etc.). Justin and his wife treated us at the Grandma's since me and 2 colleagues of mine had to stay in for overtime. So.. you know what follows ...... .... I hogged!! I had half a 12" pizza, sizzled vegetables with egg and toast, tomato with vege soup and a lemonade!!
But in the event that I have to have something at home, I normally have what Sumit and I cook on Sunday (if there is still some left) like egg curry, aloo ka sabji (Sumit cooks these and it turns out just right!), gajar matar and gobhi (these turn out just about edible as I cook them) with rice (the pressure cooker got spoilt as I tried cooking the rice once, forgetting to put the water in, I haven't got it repaired as yet and therefore, I haven't been cooking rice for the past one week!) or roti / paratha (something I discovered in the nearby convenience store). The rotis are like a boon. They are 1 kuai each and enough for 1 meal.
Fillers: All the junk you can possibly think of -
Biscuits - I like the Ritz strawberry ones
Rice / Millet chips
Muffins - These are my favourite, but the most expensive as well
Conclusion: I am always hungry and I am a hog!
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Randomly Chinese:
China. Red. Land of the Dragons. Emerging superpower. 1.3 billion. Alleys. Secrets. Lanterns. Beijing Duck. Li Jiang. Mao. Tao. Spirituality. Tai chi. g = 9%. Cranes and construction. Oversupply. Steel. Cars. Bad loans. Calligraphy. Song Dynasty. Old civilization. Spitting. Communism. Lanterns. Prostitution, the oldest occupation. Confucius. The Great Wall. High rises. Rickshaws. Contrasts. Friends and foes. Exports. The $60 billion cheque. Hutongs. Art. Kung fu. Forbidden City. Feng shui. "Explode the stomach". Chopsticks. "Old man facing the praying princess Hill". Pink overcoats. Crowded buses. The Cultural Revolution. Mechanical and hard-working. Textiles. Disparity. Fake goods. Intellectual property no-rights. "The Friendlies". Go. Xinjiang, Tibet, Taiwan. Green Tea. Majong.
China. Red. Land of the Dragons. Emerging superpower. 1.3 billion. Alleys. Secrets. Lanterns. Beijing Duck. Li Jiang. Mao. Tao. Spirituality. Tai chi. g = 9%. Cranes and construction. Oversupply. Steel. Cars. Bad loans. Calligraphy. Song Dynasty. Old civilization. Spitting. Communism. Lanterns. Prostitution, the oldest occupation. Confucius. The Great Wall. High rises. Rickshaws. Contrasts. Friends and foes. Exports. The $60 billion cheque. Hutongs. Art. Kung fu. Forbidden City. Feng shui. "Explode the stomach". Chopsticks. "Old man facing the praying princess Hill". Pink overcoats. Crowded buses. The Cultural Revolution. Mechanical and hard-working. Textiles. Disparity. Fake goods. Intellectual property no-rights. "The Friendlies". Go. Xinjiang, Tibet, Taiwan. Green Tea. Majong.
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