The response

I read a brilliant article in the New York Times by Suketu Mehta, a professor of journalism at New York University and the author of 'Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found.'.

The right attitude to the situation at hand.
So I’m booking flights to Mumbai. I’m going to go get a beer at the Leopold, stroll over to the Taj for samosas at the Sea Lounge, and watch a Bollywood movie at the Metro. Stimulus doesn’t have to be just economic.

I too hope to grab a beer and fish & chips at Leopold, Chicken Bhuna and rumali roti at Bade Miaan, and watch a Rahul Da'Cunha play at NCPA.

You may read the entire article here.

I want to fly

Picture Source: vancouverisland.travel

Every day I want to fly
Stay by my side
Every day I want to dream
Stay by my side

Every morning I wish
I could just play
Wish the mornings
would just stay

Every day I want to cry
Stay by my side
Every day I want to try
Stay by my side

Every morning I wish
I could just sing
Wish the bells
would just never ring

Every day I want to smile
Stay by my side
Every day I want to laugh
Stay by my side

Every morning I wish
I could just write
Wish the end
would be in sight

Every day I want to fly
Stay by my side
Every day I want to dream
Stay by my side

- Adapted by Max from a jingle by Vodafone

Video Source: Vodafone through youtube.com
- One of the most beautiful and pleasing commercials that I have seen.

Lucky huh?

This has got to be the funniest fortune that I have read/heard ever. I hope that they were merely kidding and this was not for true. No big loss for me if it happened though. The fortune that was thrown up everytime I logged in [yes, I do not go looking for it like you would guess] was hardly correct. Funny yes, accurate no.
This is what it was today...

"The guy who reads your fortune lost his psychic powers (and his job). We hope you are feeling lucky."

Some people do have a good sense of humor. Always appreciated.

On a similar note, I saw this commercial that was very sweet, sensible and one hell of an idea to have come up with. I kept wondering what it was until the very end... A wonderfully thought out one.
Video Courtesy: Vodafone and Youtube.com

Breakups

Someone I know posted this on Facebook. It was so hilarious that I had to post it here.
This seems like the quintessential 'formula' that people always seem to talk about when discussing relationships. I do not subscribe to this particular view or the school of thought that it comes from. Then again, I don't really know which school I belong to. Maybe there are a few stories in the past. Treat it as it is meant to be: Mindless Humour. Video Courtesy: www.youtube.com

The Grass is Green

Picture Courtesy: Random find on Xanga.com

- Grass is greener on the other side.

- If you like what you do, time just flies.

- There is nothing like school life.

Was in the corporate world. Now, back to school. Well, been here for a year and a half. Almost done and I do not want to leave. The corporate life beckons. Hopefully. Jobs are not to be seen. I have one for now. Or do I not?

Sometimes I think I am tired of thinking about how expensive life is in NYC. As always, I could do with the money. Just this time, the value of that marginal dollar is a lot higher. Yet, as frugal as they are, school times are simply brilliant. As little sleep as I may manage [it is five in the morning], school times could not be more perfect.

I know that things cannot be the way they are forever. How I wish. But, take the debt away, place some more money in the wallet and life could not be better and hope could then be forever.

Three Cheers to school.
Three Cheers to NYU.

Halloween Humor

Interesting take on the policies of the Democrats, espoused by the President-Elect Barack Obama.
Picture Courtesy: Greg Mankiw. The cartoonist is unknown

An unfortunate soothsayer's world today presented by this cartoon where the person who predicts ill in the market , Prof. Nouriel Roubini is called Dr. Doom for his prophecies.
Picture Courtesy: Greg Mankiw. The cartoonist is unknown

The child in you

Today is Children's day in India, a legacy of Chacha Nehru. And on this day, I ponder about the lost child in all of us. The one that gets lost in the rat race of life. We grow from being a child to an adult only to be a child again. That is the circle of life.
Why do we let the child in us go away for a bit? Why do we not let him stay? Why do we race to achieve this transition? Let him stay, be a part of who we truly are. Why are we not phuduking [translation: jumping] around as kids with happiness, joy and gay abandon?
Yes, we need to be serious when we need to be. But, that is not the whole day. There is always time for him.
All work and no play will make Max [and everyone else] a dull boy.

Fresh off the boat

Elections are done, dreams have come true. The unlikeliest candidate is now the President of the United States. A rather nobody, a wonderful orator and a leader who inspires. Nevertheless, little to no experience under the belt.

As I watched the below video, only one thing came to mind. What if this is Barack Obama? What would happen to the world?

Video Courtesy: Yes Prime-minister and BBC through www.youtube.com

This reminds me of the word that defines newbies to the US: Fresh off the boat. Not really sure what has to be done and not entirely comfortable and fitting into the situation at hand.

For the love of god and the future of the United States and that of the world, I hope that this is what it is: British humor.

Marriage and Melodrama

Photo Copyright - Gotta be Max - www.nfyniti.com

And yet another douche bag bites the dust.
This is exactly how I felt when I heard of a friend getting ready to tie the proverbial knot. Don't get me wrong. I don't think of marriage as the end of the road. It is merely a road that I do not understand. And if you were to hear a few people I know [cannot call them out for their own sake] speak their mind, they tell me about what a great mistake marriage was.

Statistic: There is enough empirical evidence to prove that men are likely to say how marriage was a mistake and that they had a lot more fun in a life prior to that. Women on the other hand are likely to say that marriage was the best thing that happened to them and they would not trade it for the world.

Truth be told, I cannot think of myself married. I am 'old enough' to get married. I have friends who are married. I have colleagues who are married. I have colleagues who have kids. That is not a problem. Am I a kid? Maybe. A disputed factor, depending on whom you choose to speak to. Am I mature enough? Again, opinions vary on this topic. If you ask my dad, I think it is safe to assume that he will say that I am good for nothing. I try to think of someone who will counter that view, but I think that is a self-fulfilling prophecy more than anything else. Let us not go down that road.

Under the assumption that I can indeed get married [old enough, dumb enough and mature enough], the next question is to obviously the right girl. Let us face it. This blog is black in color, no flowers or smileys. Dont tell me you thought I was a girl. Or gay for that matter. Sorry to those amongst two and a third of my followers who had intentions of setting me up with their guy cousin who is a 'Systems Architect' working for Infosys and currently working at client-side in Columbus, OH. That is just not happening.

Do I have commitment fears? I would think not. Some people I know would think so. But, it is not the case. Why, commitment is the second strength that I always quote in all interviews. Commitment to my goals, commitment to my dreams and commitment to my success. It is not difficult to extend this commitment, enthusiasm and interest beyond the realms of an interview. I ask myself this question and I know that I do not have the fear.

So, what is it? Is it the pressure of the decision, the importance of the decision? I would think not. I think I will have thought things out before I take the plunge. So that is not a fear. Yes, you can never predict the equity market and the mind of a woman. But, it is a fair risk-adjusted project I would believe.

Can I not compromise or adjust with the newer or maybe different ways of life? Not really. Have been there before and that is not an issue. People who know me know that I can generally get along with most people, can adjust in almost all settings and am very accomodating in most respects. Think otherwise? Feel free to leave a comment. Not smart-ass ones though.

Is it the closing of doors on 'opportunities'? Well, no comments. The less on this topic, the better. Else, I know that this is come back to bite me. Not that I plan to run for the President of the United States. But, enough people can link this back to me for me to keep quiet. Let me just say that I am a single-girl-at-a-time-guy.

Is it the horse-with-eyes-covered-limited-vision syndrome? Maybe. I really hate to see when guys go 'sorry Mate, plans with wife'. Or 'Wife is alone at home'. Come on dude, she is not going to run away. She is not going to have an affair with the milk-man [are there any of those existing? Maybe in Columbus, OH.]. You want to spend time with her, that I understand. You do not want to antagonize her, that too I understand. It is her birthday, I would personally kill you if you were not with her. Unless you are an Investment Banker at WhatEverRemains Capital that is. It is the 200th day since your paths crossed each others in a dim-lit party in the meat-packing? Give me a break. I am sure that you can spare a couple of hours for friends of the yore. Or carry on your tradition of poker on a Wednesday night with cigars and beer.

Can I not speak on the phone for hours? Hell Yea! Enough experience on that front, not a problem. Though I have to say that I do not think too highly of losers on the train/bus/public transport who can go on and on. Get a room!

Have I not met the right person? Well, everytime I me[e]t her, she seemed like the right person. But, then again, maybe not. Tough to say. A matter of perspective. I will think that this was never the cause.

What is it? After Porter's five forces, three C's, four P's, BCG Matrix, and various other methodologies of solving the case, I really do not have an answer to this. Well, let me rephrase that. I do have an answer. I just do not know the reasons and the thought process behind the answer.

Maybe, someday she [whoever ever that turns out to be] will show me the light at the end of this tunnel of darkness. And hopefully it will not be the train.

Until then, I hold my ground. Thankfully, my parents are not yet on my case. They seem a while away on that front.

Make hay while the sun shines
Light the town, when it is down

I believe that I speak for most people my age. There is really no reason for shirking away from marriage. For most, the right girl is there. And the opportunity to as well. And yet, there is a weird non-Newtonian centripetal force that pushes you away from the depths of marriage. I do not have to deal with it just right now. But, I know I will have to deal with it someday. I need to find an answer to this.

Good News

Apparently, I have been going to the fortune teller way too frequently. Well, not really. In this day and age, the internet brings it to your home, for free and often unsolicited.

Today's fortune was interesting: Good news will be brought to you by mail

Let me assure you that the news that I await and that I would classify as 'Good News' will arrive by mail.

Fingers crossed, prayers said, agarbattis lit and blessings sought. Let that Good News arrive... first by e-mail, then via telephone and finally via Fed-Ex.

Nanu tu akela hai

nanu, iss duniye mein tu akela hai
pal bhar ke liye saathi milenge
hasenge khelenge
aur phir chale jayenge

umeed pe duniya kaayam hai sahee
par umeed doosronki tujhpe hai
tu kissi se umeed na rakhna

jo tune umeed rakhi
mooh ke bal girega
jab tu ladkhadaate uthegaa
tere haath mein sirf tera daant hoga

nanu, iss duniye mein tu akela hai
koi tere saath naa hai

- Max ke Bhaiyaa

Max Comment
#1 - Understand the Bhavana :)
#2 - Nanu = Max

Reality Check

This is the commentary from an Obama supporter. I dont know if she chooses to publish any thing on this topic or not, but I think this is a valid pointer that needs mention. Entire text in verbatim by Blah.

UPDATE: She has posted it on her blog here.

---
Here is the thing about this whole Obama victory... the enthusiasm has already died for me! I fear that people believe that electing him will produce a magical cure for all their problems... I hope they believe him when he reminds them that the ardous journey has just begun. As a non-american, I applaud that they finally got the courage to pick an African-American man (still, not a woman) to lead them. But as a non-American, I also hope he will not overlook the other smaller countries, where he has to play the role of the 'Big Brother'. I hope he puts peace and trust before war and suspicion. I hope he urges the people to not forget yesterday's big story of the violence in Congo DR. I hope he reminds tomorrow morning that the news channels needn't profile his kids' new dog, his wife's dress tonight, his aunt's immigration status... but look at those bigger problems that will not disappear overnight.

Mr. Obama ...a whole world looks on to you for change, not just USA.
---

Max comments: For the sake of the world and the USA, I hope that he delivers.

Crystal Ball

This is what I found today as my fortune for the coming month.
You will never need to worry about a steady income

True. Infact, I am amazed by the logical correctness of this fortune while being eons away from reality. :D
Given that I do not have an income, I do not need to worry about the steadiness.

Brilliant!

Crying in the rain

I just cannot cry yet
for the end is still a while away
the milk was spilled bad
that is how it will stay

the spill is drying up
leaving behind an ugly stain
things have gone so numb
that I dont even cry in the rain

Laugh I cannot manage
Tears I cannot manage
feebly you see me smile
joy missing for a while

As another night comes to an end
and the sun gets ready to shine
I hopelessly pray to Thy
may things turn out fine

If Thy wish it not so be
Thy lock me up in sheer pain
may else it not be sunny
for, i'd cry in the rain

-max

If you appreciate the song...
Video Courtesy: Everly Brothers through www.youtube.com

I have a dream

Picture Courtesy: www.wikipedia.org

Martin Luther King Jr. once said very famously:
'I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.'. He worked for the rights of the Black people of the United States of America and probably the world.

Even he would probably not have dreamt that one day, a black person would rise to become the President of the United States. Today, with the election of Barack Obama as the next President, the obvious and yet unlikely has been achieved.

Picture Courtesy: TIME magazine archives

Kudos to Obama for having dreamt this day and working towards it. Kudos to the American public for having helped him realize this dream.

I will probably never forget the incident that occurred this evening as the news of Barack Obama winning trickled in. After having watched most of the results at Murphy and Gonsalez near NYU, we were walking towards the PATH station to get back home. Apparently, in between our exit and this moment, Barack Obama had won enough seats to be declared as the winner. People were rejoicing in their homes, balconies and in the streets.

An African American person approached us as we were waiting at the corner of 9th and 5th. He exclaimed "Do you know what color is Barack Obama?". We didn't know what to say and how to react, having been caught off-guard. Before we would react, he provided the obvious answer "BLACK!". He continued "A Black person is now the President of the United States".

As he walked into the night, happy with the outcome, I realized how much this victory meant for the African American community of this country. I realized how much this country had progressed since the times of MLK Jr.

While time alone will tell whether Obama is a good president or not, one thing is for certain: Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream has finally come true.

Parting Notes
#1 - I am a Republican.
#2 - I cannot vote.
#3 - I do not matter.
#4 - I hope that things do turn out well.
#5 - God Bless America
#6 - Jai Maharashtra!

Of Greed and Jealousy

The inspirations for this post are the original post by Amitabh Iyer where he points out this article in the Live Mint by Vir Sanghvi. Other unlikely inspirations are the question that I had in an Investment Banking interview [Yes they are still being held, contrary to popular perception], the Corporate Finance class by Aswath Damodaran and the general bad press that Investment Banking has received in this past year.

Disclaimer 1: I am a business school student, worked with a 'bulge-bracket' firm and will hopefully enter the industry again.
Disclaimer 2: None of my colleagues or recruiters are likely to ever read this or trace it back to me. So it is not for their interest and therefore for mine. :D

Picture Courtesy: www.LeveragedSellOut.com
"Greed is good" - Gordan Gekko

I remember a statement from one of the senior Investment Bankers at Goldman Sachs: "People hate us for what we are and what we earn... But, boy would they want to be one of us."

Now, while the statement was from a pompous righteous ass who probably thought no end of himself and his own brethren, he may not have been too far from the truth. For years now, there has been a carefully cultivated aura about an Investment Banker and his [unfortunately, it remains a majority type-A male driven industry] trade. When and how it started is difficult to point out. Nevertheless, it is difficult to dismiss this as a non-existent phenomenon.

For a career that is extremely hard to get into [that may not have to do with mere merit and other academic skills] and stay, it is a fairly popular one. For a career that is extremely brutal in terms of its hours and its reputation as a strain on personal self-respect, it is a fairly popular one. For a career that is known to be filled with many righteous ass-holes who think they are gods greatest gift to mankind [and womankind if you know what I am talking about], it is a fairly popular one. For a career that is known to not be rocket-science and to not be stimulating at most times, it is a fairly popular one.

First, let me try and address the hatred aspect of the story. People do not like other successful people. Period. In a capitalistic economy like the United States, where success is often measured either by the number of ex-wives or by the cut of the suit, it is not difficult to understand why there is an universal hatred for those who have these material things in life. And with money comes the trio of power, extravagence and arrogance.

Picture Courtesy: www.wikipedia.org

Most of the developing world and parts of the developed world love to hate the United States of America. There are multiple reasons for this, all funneling themselves to the basic tenets: power and arrogance. The United States has the power, thanks to its military hegemony status, that allows it to dictate terms to the world. And it has the arrogance that it is the best [arguably true] that the world has to offer.

Ask any [well, the vast majority] American whether they subscribe to this view and they will resonate with a thumping yes [understandably so]. Try and ask this very question to someone in China, Russia or Turkey and they may not share the same view. They might go to the extent of saying that the Americans are good for nothing, extravagant and arrogant. For them, the Americans happen to be their favorite punching-bag and the cause of all evil in the world. And yet, given a choice, most would kill to work in the US and live there.

As a second example, let us consider the software giant Microsoft. Love it or hate it, Windows has the largest OS market share in the world. Apple and Linux fans, check the figures and then take a hike. Bill Gates is depending on the day, the richest person in the world. They are not the best innovators, yet they know how to mass produce and market products. Let us face it, they did not develop the Windows idea, Apple did that. The Internet Explorer I believe was based on the Netscape Navigator and it was Lotus 1-2-3 that came up with the first integrated spreadsheet and word processor suite and not the Microsoft Office suite.

Picture Courtesy: Time Magazine archives

Microsoft is like McDonalds. They may not make the best burger in town, but they darn well know how to market one in order to make the sale. People love to hate Microsoft. And this is not just the Apple folk. Those who believe that Microsoft is a piece of crap. Those who very happy when the Yahoo! deal did not go through for Microsoft. Just take a look at the number of worms and viruses that aim to attack Microsoft. While Google has overtaken as the best techie firm to work for, techie geeks will still kill to work in Redmond, WA.

Finally, let us consider the case of two sporting giants. One is the Australian Cricket team under Steve Waugh. The other is the Scuderia Ferrari team with world champion Michael Schumacher, Jean Todt and Ross Brown at the helm. For those who do not know what either of these were, consider the ultimate dream team in a sport that you love. These guys dominated their arenas in such a manner that there was no competition for miles. People loved to hate them. Why? Because they were that darned good. And the rest were jealous of what they had managed to achieve. They were the team to beat, they were the team to hate. And they were arrogant as hell. It was my way or the highway. When the champion spoke, they expected people to sit up and listen. And the rest of the world did not like that.

Before you scorn in disgust, let me tell you that these are mere examples. I have no intention of suggesting that Investment Bankers are high and mighty like the US of A, brilliant in market strategy and penetration like Microsoft or rock-stars like Michael Schumacher. Rather, the point is to demonstrate the hatred and spite that people may have for others, most of which is not grounded on sound ideas. This is not limited to Investment Banking. Hardly so. This is applicable to the Real Estate developers, Diamond merchants and others as well.

I also do not wish to point out that Investment Bankers are rocket scientists. Rocket scientists are found where they are likely to be found: NASA and ISRO. The guys at Google, the guys at Intel, the gals at Pfizer and Genentech, these are the people who are the brilliant minds in this world. Yet to claim that Investment Bankers are pathetic and of no real value-add is to make an unfair suggestion. Some of the bright minds start with IB as a career right out of undergrad college, MBA or PhD programs. Finance and Accounting is an art, rather than a science. The very fact that it deals with money reflects the need to have smart minds in the industry.

The industry has had its share of genius. Unfortunately, I am not the best person to comment on them, given my own limited knowledge. I will try and highlight a few.
- Warren Buffett - Widely regarded as the single biggest genius when it comes to identifying investment opportunities.
- Michael Milken - The father of high-yield debt, before he got mired in insider trading and manipulation.
- John Meriwether - The man behind LTCM
- George Soros - The man who broke the Bank of England.

Picture Courtesy: Business Week archives

Barring the first, you would question my choice of identifying stalwarts in the industry. The integrity of Michael Milken, John Meriwether and George Soros has been questioned at some point in history. In fact, Milken was sentenced to imprisonment for his role in some real shady deals at Drexel Burnham Lambert. The fact remains that they were indeed great financial innovators. Well, the problem that beset them was a simple one: GREED.

If we circle back to the current crisis, it is unfair to blame merely the Investment Bankers. Of course, they have a pivotal role to play and this cannot be ignored. Take a step back. Let us say that tax is a totally voluntary thing. You pay if you want to and can evade it if you so wish. Hypothetical case, chimeric case. Consider it. How many would really end up paying the tax. My guess would be none. Show me a good deal and I will take it.

The Investment Bankers did a similar thing. They saw an easy way to make easy money. I believe at some level, everyone realized that this bull run in real estate prices was not sustainable. Sub-prime lending was not sustainable. It would fall on its face. But, here is what they also thought.
- Let us make hay while the sun shines. Bad idea, the sun sets faster than you realize.
- We are the smart ones. We can do better than the others. Wrong idea. On average, you perform average.
- Things have been good. Why worry? They looked at the statistics and convinced themselves that all was right. They did not realize that their glasses were colored.

While we blame the Investment Bankers, take a moment to think about the following
- Sub-prime home owner: You don't have the money. You buy on credit. You know you cannot afford it. What were you thinking?
- Mortgage Salesman / Mortgage Lender: You don't check the client. You pick people on the street to buy them houses in a weird sense of socialism. You give this to Investment Bankers. You take your cut. You could not care about the rest. Dude, what were you thinking?
- Investment Bankers: You buy all the mortgages you can. Try to sell all you can. Keep the risky ones for self. Can you be more GREEDY? What were you thinking?
- Government: What on earth were you doing? Do not blame poor Dubyaman, he didn't even know what was happening.
- Economists and Finance geeks: What were you doing? Why was this so difficult to predict. Barring the great Dr. Doom - Roubini himself that is.

Moving back to the topic, a common argument against Investment Bankers and Consultants questions their value addition to the system, the industry and the world in general. At face value, this may seem to have some credence. The Investment Banker does not create anything of true tangible value. He does not innovate cutting-edge technology like the i-phone, hybrid cars or sources of alternate energy. Nor does he work towards creating a life-saving drug for the eradication of the hepatitis virus, the human immuno virus or for that matter even a common cold.

Yet, he raises money for those who perform just these tasks. All the Google, Wikipedia and Genentech of the world are all dependent on raising capital. Well, without the Investment Banks, this would still be possible. Not easy, but possible. Besides this, the Investment Banks help create liquidity, a ready market for trading securities and help structure complex products to reduce risk.

Reduce risk you would ask with your eyes and mouth wide open. Is that for real? You would think that I am kidding you. Well, it is true. These are difficult times. The intention was to diversify risk. GREED got in the way. Unusual and unlikely probabilities got in the way. Two firms down and a complete mess later, we still do not know how it happened and who is to blame.

Spare a thought for the Investment Bankers. See what their absence is doing to the markets. Firms cannot raise capital. Capital spending is down. Recession in progress. Houses have lost their equity. All those who were screaming that Lehman Brothers be forced to go down [like it did] did not realize the sort of systemic spiralling effect it would have on the entire eco-system. With their 401[k] now suddenly in dire straits, people suddenly wished LEH had not gone down after all.

Alas... if only we could turn back time.
LEH, rest in peace.