As a child, we all make fuss to get holidays and do what we like - idle away, run around, play , roam, swim in the nearby river, go trekking, flirt school girls .... We used to make funny excuses just to miss the class, just to sit all day at home and have fun all day. There is a 2 day holiday in a stretch with a Saturday in between and i am already losing patience.... I have been refreshing my gmail, yahoo and orkut accounts every 2 minutes now but no mails at all. I was in fact, bust deleting spams ...
What a sheer waste of holidays! Wish such holidays were there in childhood days.
Holidays are no fun anymore.... unless they are, of course paid ones.. and casul leaves, not national /state holidays
I do have plans for a list of destinations to be visited on a half yearly basis...
Some of them are.. Pondicherry, Jammu, Lakshwadeep, Sikkim, Ladakh etc.
The list will go on after each destination gets checked out...
30 Apr 2009
Salary- a workaholic's version
Many of you might have been under the impression that i have been writing a lot about Mumbai these days. The last time i asked a barber where he was from, at the time MNS activity was in full swing and with the Shiv Sena office near my home, he replied "jo number Mumbai ka, woh Mumbai ka" (He , whose mobile number if of Mumbai, is of Mumbai). He was however from Rajasthan and have been staying in Mumbai for the past few years. I guess i have been talking with all groups of the society nowadays.. barbers, pan wala, waiters, auto drivers etc and why not.. people are treated as people here.
In this hectic work culture of Mumbai, (thanks i got the idea what workaholic means) everyone tried to prove hiw own worth in his own field and within his capacity. I do not consider myself a workahlic at this moment but looking at the past, from what i was, i guessed Mumbai has made me a changed man. Everyone tries to make the best out of his time in work and hence the expectation in salary, despite the recession and job insecurities. It seems like people are ready to put in their career in their line of work to risk, to evaluate and to make worth every moment he spends in office in the form of salary! People in general must be having that thought, but as far as i know myself, i know wha i deserve.
Some friends of mine have just got their confirmation letter a few days a go with some noticable amount of hike in their gross salary. I do hope that like them, who have put life into work and made things seems impossibly possible, a hike in my salary. Well thats worth it, only if the organization have seen the efforts i have put in the line of work i am in. And i di believe that, they will. I will update soon with the good news. As of now, m on a holiday for two days with a saurday in between.
In this hectic work culture of Mumbai, (thanks i got the idea what workaholic means) everyone tried to prove hiw own worth in his own field and within his capacity. I do not consider myself a workahlic at this moment but looking at the past, from what i was, i guessed Mumbai has made me a changed man. Everyone tries to make the best out of his time in work and hence the expectation in salary, despite the recession and job insecurities. It seems like people are ready to put in their career in their line of work to risk, to evaluate and to make worth every moment he spends in office in the form of salary! People in general must be having that thought, but as far as i know myself, i know wha i deserve.
Some friends of mine have just got their confirmation letter a few days a go with some noticable amount of hike in their gross salary. I do hope that like them, who have put life into work and made things seems impossibly possible, a hike in my salary. Well thats worth it, only if the organization have seen the efforts i have put in the line of work i am in. And i di believe that, they will. I will update soon with the good news. As of now, m on a holiday for two days with a saurday in between.
26 Apr 2009
Home in Mumbai
I have been keeping it off now and then, sometimes taking it seriously and sometimes just for fun. With the changes in land prices in Mumbai, people are buying homes while some are still planning for the right moment, like me. Until recently when a colleague of mine bought a 1 BHK in Thane, i was on the other side of the belief, still thinking about bank balances. However i realized again that its the best investment one can do in Mumbai. In Mumbai, it does matter a lot where home is located, most people prefer homes near bus or railway stations, the lifeline of Mumbai. With all things kept into mind, i have thought, dreamt and overlooked into the very idea of buying a home.
The search is not on yet, i am still keeping my options open for the moment. Even if i have to take home loans, i still need to chip in at least 10-15% of the remaining amount. Morever, just buying a home isn't enough, i need to have money for setting up things. I do not want to buy just a house, but a home, without haing much impact on my pockets. So i guess no more frequent parties and late nights for me, unless someone offers me without expecting the same from me LOL.
I guess i will have to plan from now onwards, draft it and follow it strictly. I need to raise at least 10 lacs i guess before i apply for a home loan! Thats a hefty amount i guess! I need to streamline my thoughts, emotions; think about my parents back at home, discuss with them and all. After all, it should be worth the money, for which i need to make a list of i have to make and ask myself if i am ready for it!! Engaging a broker or looking for a home right now will be stupid as it will take time for me to raise that amount of money, say 3-4 years!! Now that it has got into my mind, i need to prepare myself with the thoughts and be ready to abide the same, time and beyond. I am excited at the moment and confused maybe, shifting one foot to another; biting nails, mapping my needs and priorities against those of others who depend directly or indirectly on me. But yes, i guess i am ready for the moment, to accept the challenge and go ahead to buy a home.
I need to first come out of the dream, make myself understand what i need in life and what i really wanna do. Committing or 20-25 years on a home loan is a big thing, besides recession and job insecurities. I guess it come with the age..i mean commitment. So no great news from my side at the moment other than this thought of mine.All i can say, right at the moment is, lets watch and see... and wish me luck!
The search is not on yet, i am still keeping my options open for the moment. Even if i have to take home loans, i still need to chip in at least 10-15% of the remaining amount. Morever, just buying a home isn't enough, i need to have money for setting up things. I do not want to buy just a house, but a home, without haing much impact on my pockets. So i guess no more frequent parties and late nights for me, unless someone offers me without expecting the same from me LOL.
I guess i will have to plan from now onwards, draft it and follow it strictly. I need to raise at least 10 lacs i guess before i apply for a home loan! Thats a hefty amount i guess! I need to streamline my thoughts, emotions; think about my parents back at home, discuss with them and all. After all, it should be worth the money, for which i need to make a list of i have to make and ask myself if i am ready for it!! Engaging a broker or looking for a home right now will be stupid as it will take time for me to raise that amount of money, say 3-4 years!! Now that it has got into my mind, i need to prepare myself with the thoughts and be ready to abide the same, time and beyond. I am excited at the moment and confused maybe, shifting one foot to another; biting nails, mapping my needs and priorities against those of others who depend directly or indirectly on me. But yes, i guess i am ready for the moment, to accept the challenge and go ahead to buy a home.
I need to first come out of the dream, make myself understand what i need in life and what i really wanna do. Committing or 20-25 years on a home loan is a big thing, besides recession and job insecurities. I guess it come with the age..i mean commitment. So no great news from my side at the moment other than this thought of mine.All i can say, right at the moment is, lets watch and see... and wish me luck!
19 Apr 2009
Mumbai - city of joy!
Amchi Mumbai!! No matter how many times i would complain about the way things are here in Mumbai, at the end of the day...all i can remember is good memories . Good times, bad times ..life goes on making trails. This week, i have had three parties in two consecutive days. First was given by my boss himself along with a colleague. Immediately after that i had to rush to another place where party was already going on for my MBA frens. I rushed to the place no matter how far it was, coz in Mumbai we all hardly get time to meet one another and this was one of the most convenient and good way of reunion. I returned home around 2:30 AM in the morning and slept with a contented smile, with good memories in mind. The next day, office was half day due to saturday. After office and having lunch, i was lying down resting when another rendezvous was fixed for another party/reunion of Engg friends who came down from Delhi. Its not the party i am referring to good times here, the fact is that these parties/reunions were a small part of the memory making moments. When i met my old frens at the reunion, i told him to shift in Mumbai, as he was given a chance anyway to shift here.
Can you imagine me suggesting someone to shift over here in Mumbai? It was me only who was fretting over staying in Mumbai and worried how i would cope up and all. But with time, i have adjusted to the system here. I am so adjusted that if i shift or move out to another place, i definitely will miss Mumbai. Even if i were to shift to New York or Japan, which are considered to be one of the best destinations of work culture and professionalism, i know i will definitley miss Mumbai. Theres something special here in Mumbai, that seems and makes people comfotable in no time and make him say "Amchi Mumbai" (My Mumbai) There definitely is something here in Mumbai, that fulfills everyones dreams - city of dreams!
I think that because people have the previlege to let out their feelings/ emotions or get some mental peace when they want anytime of the day in a nearby bar. It may sound funny, but i think its an important factor in ones behaviour and work culture. Unless one let out his frustration or take rest, he cannot run longer in this race of life. This may be the other view which i have in mind, but there are lot many reasons why people come here chasing dreams. I talk to all kinds of people here, from restaurant waiters to auto drivers.. i have never seen anyone who is not happy with what and where he is. He may be complaining of his salary or place but he is happy being here in Mumbai.
Everything is systematic here, everyone follows the rules and fear to break them alike, people are good hearted and not deceiving. Most importantly people dont have time for any bullshit business, all are serous about how they make the most of their time. And they also see to it that each second invested benefits him in one way or other. People really do not have time to waste, professionalism reflects is them. The good part in my life is that there are people who undertands the suffering and pain i am undergoing through, living far away from home , tyring to earn a living, seprated from family for months.Jai ho!! Amchi Mumbai.
Can you imagine me suggesting someone to shift over here in Mumbai? It was me only who was fretting over staying in Mumbai and worried how i would cope up and all. But with time, i have adjusted to the system here. I am so adjusted that if i shift or move out to another place, i definitely will miss Mumbai. Even if i were to shift to New York or Japan, which are considered to be one of the best destinations of work culture and professionalism, i know i will definitley miss Mumbai. Theres something special here in Mumbai, that seems and makes people comfotable in no time and make him say "Amchi Mumbai" (My Mumbai) There definitely is something here in Mumbai, that fulfills everyones dreams - city of dreams!
I think that because people have the previlege to let out their feelings/ emotions or get some mental peace when they want anytime of the day in a nearby bar. It may sound funny, but i think its an important factor in ones behaviour and work culture. Unless one let out his frustration or take rest, he cannot run longer in this race of life. This may be the other view which i have in mind, but there are lot many reasons why people come here chasing dreams. I talk to all kinds of people here, from restaurant waiters to auto drivers.. i have never seen anyone who is not happy with what and where he is. He may be complaining of his salary or place but he is happy being here in Mumbai.
Everything is systematic here, everyone follows the rules and fear to break them alike, people are good hearted and not deceiving. Most importantly people dont have time for any bullshit business, all are serous about how they make the most of their time. And they also see to it that each second invested benefits him in one way or other. People really do not have time to waste, professionalism reflects is them. The good part in my life is that there are people who undertands the suffering and pain i am undergoing through, living far away from home , tyring to earn a living, seprated from family for months.Jai ho!! Amchi Mumbai.
14 Apr 2009
Google translator and Advanced search added
As i see more visitors of my blog from various parts of the world, i have added Google Translator to translate it to a convenient language rather than reading it in English.
I also have added Google Search engine to avoid hassle free search beyond the knowledge this blog holds. Keep checking and enjoy
I also have added Google Search engine to avoid hassle free search beyond the knowledge this blog holds. Keep checking and enjoy
Manipuris - species of a different kind
Being one of those having peculiar mongoloid face with flat nose and small eyes, i have known and known how it feels to look different from the crowd. But being a Manipuri, apart from all those mongoloid looking people is a vast difference, for which i am proud of. I am not talking about culture or religion here, stop those fights in the name of religion for God's sake..
We Manipuris are really different from other people; ok even from those Nepali looking people (happy? i knew you wanted to say it). We are peace loving, kind, impulsive, patient and talk very less. Like the wind and the water, we Manipuris believe in right to freedom and would fight for it.
These are some of the things that make Manipur and peope living here different from others
1) We believe in Love marriage (>90%). We have a custom of eloping with the girl we want to marry to let others know about the same.
2) Girls/women during their menstruation period are not allowed to enter the kitchen to cook food. It is such times that male member of the family cooks the food. Most of the Manipuri (particularly Meitei*) males know how to cook
3) We treat kitchen as a sacred place, where the source of life is. We have to take a bath and wash our hands before entering the kitchen.
4) We take out food thought enough for consumption, and store the rest of the food inside the utensil in which it was cooked. However there are times when you need more food, but again you have to wash you mouth and hands before entering the sacred kitchen
5) Most of the people do not go to market to buy vegetables. Shocked!! Many of us (the numbers are decreasing day by day now though) have their own vegetable garden no matter how small i may be. So we just pluck them, wash them and cook it.
6) There is no beggar in Manipur (maybe 2% may exist). I haven't seen someone begging in the streets in Manipur till now (swear)
7) People in Manipur tend to have a rock culture, especially the youths. We love rock music, worship Bryan Adams, wear fancy stuffs etc etc.
8) Most of the people (>60 i guess) in Manipur have an agricultural land, which yield grain for consumption of the family or maybe for business. Many of us there do not care much about physiological needs and hence look for other needs.
9) Girls and boys woo each other. Though this is not a part of the culture, this has been developed with time in the youths.There are a lot of chances to meet the fatal attraction..its a small place you know!
10) Anyone will know someone through some links. Whenever i would meet some Meiteis outside Manipur, we would always have someone who is a common friend or relative or something like that where there is a link. But i think, being a Manipuri is the greatest link of all.
11) Did you know Polo was born in Manipur? Yeah! When British came to Manipur, they gave it the name Polo. In local language it is called "sagol kangjei#"
12) (Oh i almost forgot) Every Meitei family have a small area in the front porch for worshipping "Tulsi" and a small area inside the house to worship the local Gods.Every morning and evening, the female elder of the family has to pray there and the local Gods.
13) Perhaps the only floating inhabitants on this planet is in Manipur. There are floating restaurant, floating homes etc on the Loktak lake - once the largest Fresh water Lake in India.
These homes, restaurants are built on a partiular type of grass that floats on water.
14) There are countable number of public mandirs. Most people prefer to make a small mandir at home and pray. But even then there is no restrictions on religion -I prefer my School church to pray, though i have to hear the bhajans during holi time at home. Its a mixture of all religions
We Manipuris like personal space a lot and we constantly fight for it, like the caged tiger who roams to and fro inside the cage. Every now and then there was fight like any brother and sister would do at home. But personally, i had life taking fights with my own brother and sister when we were young. Once i banged up my little brother so hard, he could not breathe and was gasping for a minute. Everyday there was something or the other to fight about and beat each other - not a typical kinda fight you would see in movies (LOL). But when i realised its value when my sister went for further studies and then when i went for my own studies, things were different. I would call up my brother and sister and ask about them, care for them etc. Back in those days, love was in fighting !
Well i guess thats sizeable number of points i have provided, which will single me out i guess.
* Meitei is a tribe that follows Hinduism/Vaisnavism whereas Manipuris refer to all the people living in Manipur, irrespective of caste and religion
# sagol - horse ; kangjei - stick
N.B. These are my personal thoughts and feelings. The points given out here may not represent the whole people of
We Manipuris are really different from other people; ok even from those Nepali looking people (happy? i knew you wanted to say it). We are peace loving, kind, impulsive, patient and talk very less. Like the wind and the water, we Manipuris believe in right to freedom and would fight for it.
These are some of the things that make Manipur and peope living here different from others
1) We believe in Love marriage (>90%). We have a custom of eloping with the girl we want to marry to let others know about the same.
2) Girls/women during their menstruation period are not allowed to enter the kitchen to cook food. It is such times that male member of the family cooks the food. Most of the Manipuri (particularly Meitei*) males know how to cook
3) We treat kitchen as a sacred place, where the source of life is. We have to take a bath and wash our hands before entering the kitchen.
4) We take out food thought enough for consumption, and store the rest of the food inside the utensil in which it was cooked. However there are times when you need more food, but again you have to wash you mouth and hands before entering the sacred kitchen
5) Most of the people do not go to market to buy vegetables. Shocked!! Many of us (the numbers are decreasing day by day now though) have their own vegetable garden no matter how small i may be. So we just pluck them, wash them and cook it.
6) There is no beggar in Manipur (maybe 2% may exist). I haven't seen someone begging in the streets in Manipur till now (swear)
7) People in Manipur tend to have a rock culture, especially the youths. We love rock music, worship Bryan Adams, wear fancy stuffs etc etc.
8) Most of the people (>60 i guess) in Manipur have an agricultural land, which yield grain for consumption of the family or maybe for business. Many of us there do not care much about physiological needs and hence look for other needs.
9) Girls and boys woo each other. Though this is not a part of the culture, this has been developed with time in the youths.There are a lot of chances to meet the fatal attraction..its a small place you know!
10) Anyone will know someone through some links. Whenever i would meet some Meiteis outside Manipur, we would always have someone who is a common friend or relative or something like that where there is a link. But i think, being a Manipuri is the greatest link of all.
11) Did you know Polo was born in Manipur? Yeah! When British came to Manipur, they gave it the name Polo. In local language it is called "sagol kangjei#"
12) (Oh i almost forgot) Every Meitei family have a small area in the front porch for worshipping "Tulsi" and a small area inside the house to worship the local Gods.Every morning and evening, the female elder of the family has to pray there and the local Gods.
13) Perhaps the only floating inhabitants on this planet is in Manipur. There are floating restaurant, floating homes etc on the Loktak lake - once the largest Fresh water Lake in India.
These homes, restaurants are built on a partiular type of grass that floats on water.
14) There are countable number of public mandirs. Most people prefer to make a small mandir at home and pray. But even then there is no restrictions on religion -I prefer my School church to pray, though i have to hear the bhajans during holi time at home. Its a mixture of all religions
We Manipuris like personal space a lot and we constantly fight for it, like the caged tiger who roams to and fro inside the cage. Every now and then there was fight like any brother and sister would do at home. But personally, i had life taking fights with my own brother and sister when we were young. Once i banged up my little brother so hard, he could not breathe and was gasping for a minute. Everyday there was something or the other to fight about and beat each other - not a typical kinda fight you would see in movies (LOL). But when i realised its value when my sister went for further studies and then when i went for my own studies, things were different. I would call up my brother and sister and ask about them, care for them etc. Back in those days, love was in fighting !
Well i guess thats sizeable number of points i have provided, which will single me out i guess.
* Meitei is a tribe that follows Hinduism/Vaisnavism whereas Manipuris refer to all the people living in Manipur, irrespective of caste and religion
# sagol - horse ; kangjei - stick
N.B. These are my personal thoughts and feelings. The points given out here may not represent the whole people of
12 Apr 2009
Amchi Mumbai - no time for own
It has been quite some time now since i have had given myself some personal space. I have been seeing some nice dreams and enjoying good memories of life, yet could not get time to write the blog. Every time i thought of writing it down on a piece of paper, less i forget to write later on the blog.. i put it away in an awe thinking..i will remember. However, each morning that seems foggy due to the dreamy and wet eyes, i end up getting myself busy with my own work and forget all about it at the end of the day.
I believe that if i write down my dreams everyday here on the blog, i would be able to support myself without working anywhere! With Google Adsense and all those new breakthrough innovations, i guess i can do it! I could give myself some time myself to do what i like best.. Googling (a term which most people refer to as searching on Google) that comes in mind, trying to unravel all the questions that comes in mind. For example, right at the moment, how Blu ray disk works , how to make bootable discs etc etc. Besides googling, i like Stumbling with the Stumble Upon bar on my Firefox.And sometimes i like to read quality Blogs and try to write up some of my own (sigh!)
But these days, i hardly get time on my own to write up some good stuffs.
Even this post took me 4 days to complete, due to lack of time and personal space. So i am really wondering if my idea would work!!
I believe that if i write down my dreams everyday here on the blog, i would be able to support myself without working anywhere! With Google Adsense and all those new breakthrough innovations, i guess i can do it! I could give myself some time myself to do what i like best.. Googling (a term which most people refer to as searching on Google) that comes in mind, trying to unravel all the questions that comes in mind. For example, right at the moment, how Blu ray disk works , how to make bootable discs etc etc. Besides googling, i like Stumbling with the Stumble Upon bar on my Firefox.And sometimes i like to read quality Blogs and try to write up some of my own (sigh!)
But these days, i hardly get time on my own to write up some good stuffs.
Even this post took me 4 days to complete, due to lack of time and personal space. So i am really wondering if my idea would work!!
7 Apr 2009
Candle light vigil
The past pupils of Don Bosco, Imphal had arranged a Candle Light Vigil on 5th April 2009 at 7:30 PM local time. It was arranged in connection with a paying respects to he muders of a past Civil Services Boscinian officer, who was killed by Millitants in Manipur for disagreering to part the funds meant for a small village in Manipur. All concerned members came in time and we had a good time, we shared that common thing in us. Apart from Mumbai, what makes it histroy is the CVL being done at various loctions across the world.
Apart from Mumbai, CLV was held at the following Locations :
1. Europe:
* Rome (Italy)
* Seville, (Spain)
* Madrid, (Spain)
* Paris, (France)
* Milan, (Italy)
* Bilbao, (Spain)
* Valencia (Spain)
* Brussels, (Belgium)
* Moscow, (Russia)
* Munich (Germany)
* Lisbon (Portugal)
* Dublin (Ireland)
* Prague (Czech)
2. South America
* Brasilia (Brazil)
* Buenos Aeris (Argentina)
* Bogota (Colombia)
* Caracas (Venezuela)
3. Asia
* Manila (Phillipines)
* Colombo (Sri Lanka)
* Tokyo (Japan)
* Hong Kong (China)
* Mauritius
* Seoul (S Korea)
* Macau (China)
4. Africa
* Johannesburg (South Africa)
* Nairobi (Kenya)
* Harare (Zimbabwe)
* Cairo (Egypt)
* Cameroon
5. Americas
* New York (US)
* San Francisco (US)
* Quebec (Canada)
* Vancouver (Canada)
6. India
* DB Park Circus (West Bengal), including the Alumni Association of DB Park Circus
* DB Academy Patna (Bihar)
* DB Matunga (Maharastra)
* DB Malbassey (Sikkim)
* DB Chennai
* DB Hyderabad
* DB Chennai
* DB Bangalore
* DB Trichy
Past Pupils of DBS, Imphal will also have the Candle Light Vigil done at:
1. Uripok(cremation site), Imphal.
2. Tamenglong, Manipur
3. Arambam, Imphal
4. Dimapur, Nagaland
5. Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh
6. Bangalore
7. Chennai
8. Kolkata
9. Mumbai
10. New York
11. Cannada
12. Sohar, The Sultanate of Oman
13. Dubai
14. Singapore
15. London
16. Malmo, Sweden
17. Delhi
This is the first time other DBS schools came up for a common cause, recognizing the enthusiasm of being a true Bosconian. We all are proud to be a Boaconian, we will make it happen.
3 Apr 2009
Long term Savings plan
Apart from all those investment plans i had posted earlier, all i mentioned was about investments with just speculations of what the yield will be. In this post, the yield is perfect and do not depend on market conditions whatever.However I would like to point out the fact that, this is a savings plan for your future needs and not for meeting short term needs and would depend heavily on the HR or Finance dept.
The plan is simple. Every organization has Employee Provident Funds( EPF) which is 12% of basic salary and gets deducted every month. The organization will chip in another 12% for you in the EPF and thats how it works. First inquire the HR or Finance department about the terms and conditions of the EPF. If there is an option provided, raise the amount you invest every month for EPF to say 15-20% of your basic salary. The organization should agree to invest the same amount in your EPF fund. That way, your tax is taken care of to some amount and your savings gets increased manifold without even worrying about it.
The advantage of EPF is that its tax free. ie you will get the full amount.But there may be some HR policies which state a minimum amount of time to be kept before its tax free (maybe min 3 years). You will be able to utilize this fund when you change the organization or when you retire from that organization. You do not have to go anywhere for your tax savings, if long term saving is what you have in your mind.
The plan is simple. Every organization has Employee Provident Funds( EPF) which is 12% of basic salary and gets deducted every month. The organization will chip in another 12% for you in the EPF and thats how it works. First inquire the HR or Finance department about the terms and conditions of the EPF. If there is an option provided, raise the amount you invest every month for EPF to say 15-20% of your basic salary. The organization should agree to invest the same amount in your EPF fund. That way, your tax is taken care of to some amount and your savings gets increased manifold without even worrying about it.
The advantage of EPF is that its tax free. ie you will get the full amount.But there may be some HR policies which state a minimum amount of time to be kept before its tax free (maybe min 3 years). You will be able to utilize this fund when you change the organization or when you retire from that organization. You do not have to go anywhere for your tax savings, if long term saving is what you have in your mind.
Long term Savings plan
Apart from all those investment plans i had posted earlier, all i mentioned was about investments with just speculations of what the yield will be. In this post, the yield is perfect and do not depend on market conditions whatever.However I would like to point out the fact that, this is a savings plan for your future needs and not for meeting short term needs and would depend heavily on the HR or Finance dept.
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