Sunday, April 26, 2009

Another Clarkson Gem

Have you noticed something odd about Rolexes? Especially the modern ones that wind automatically when you move your wrist about? A great many owners wear them on their right hand. I jump to no conclusions here but you can feel free.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Rescuing the (Polar) Bears

I have spent the past few days valiantly defending my fellow traders at AIG, using even this pathetic blog for that purpose at some point. Given the readership though, I'd have been better off sending the essay off as smoke signals. It was most definitely a waste of time and key-strokes. I would stop here but some people would also insist that it is a waste of energy and that I just killed twenty three polar bears, and seventeen arctic foxes in defense of those ingrates at AIG. These are the sort of people who send their kids to school in a bus and dawdle around the city in those horrendous looking priuses (Don't know what the guy who designed that was smoking, but it sure must have been good. Or maybe that was a prerequisite when Toyota were hiring a guy to design the car(t), since the only people who would have bought it were wannabe hippies who were born a few decades too late). Unfortunately, the city is full of such people, and one keeps running into them every now and then. Worse still, Obama ran into one the other day, and thought you know what lets make him the Energy Secretary.

And this, my dear friend, is how Dr. Steven Chu became the lateste Energy Secretary. At this point I have to move away from the main point of this post (what is it anyway? does it even exist?). The thing is I respect Steve a lot. Back in the 80's he beat a bunch of people I like to finding a way to cool and trap atoms with a laser. A neat trick I must say, and lot of others must agree since they also gave him a Nobel for it. After that he also did some great work in biological and polymer physics. But somewhere down the line Steve got into some bad company. He started thinking of the polar bears and arctic foxes, the emperor penguins and laughing hyenas, the holes in ozone and Exxon Valdez.

And as these things usually develop, Stevie became convinced that the end of the world was near. That we were driving the bear cubs and the dutch to their watery graves, and soon enough New York will be hit by a 100 ft Tsunami and Bombay will be a part of sub-saharan Africa. I wouldn't mind if he just stopped here just like I don't mind the financial analysts predicting economic apocalypse, in fact there is a funny resemblance between these two species of men. They both like to predict things knowing full well that in all likelihood they will be wrong. And yes, psephologists, lets add them to the list as well, although they are a rather harmless bunch. 

Back to the non-existent point. So Dr. Chu. So he wants to play superman and save the world. Let's punish the polluters!!! ha! you rotten scum, you use coal, dont you have the money to make it from wind or waves? you are all gonna die. har har .... uhm well, hang on a bit, we don't have any jurisdiction over China yet? Nobody told me that. What? They are going to drive our businesses into oblivion. You hear the diabolical laughter of Mr. Xie? No you don't, stop messing with me. They won't do that will they, those nice little chaps, my ancestors used to be one of them, did you know that? Alright Alright I believe you.

So hows this? let's impose carbon duties on them. After all we are democrats aren't we? The president will love it, what a pretext to impose trade restrictions. I love this! Super Chu to the rescue.

Well, I don't know about the 100ft tsunamis, but if thats not enough to drown the New Yorkers this will definitely do it. 

Friday, March 20, 2009

End of Civilization

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Monday, February 16, 2009

Monkeys at Matheran

This is an attempt to post more often, without actually taking the pains to write something. The fine art is mastered by financial journalists, mere mortals like me can only try



I'd tap this

macaques of matheran

macaque family

Monkey face

a days end

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Konkan

Since nobody reads the blog anyway, confirming the hypothesis that I can't write, thought might as well start posting pictures here, and test the hypothesis that I can't shoot either.

Water Buffaloes
going home

Dhows in the Arabian
Dhows in the Arabian

Old Synagogue
Synagogue at Tala

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Pune

There was a time when Pune used to conjure up these images of a quiet town, something which although only a 3 hour drive from Bombay had a totally differnt soul. But along came technology and everything went in fast forward, the rickshaw wallahs who would speak in "Puneri Marathi", I am told only speak in JAVA and such other arcane languages. The waadas and peths have made way for the manicured lawns of infosys and intel. So basically, the place has turned into a big boring software factory.

It would then come as a pleasant surprise that the place is home to one of the best Biryanis served anywhere in the world. I had heard tales of the famed Biryani at Dorabjee's in camp half the way round the world. My hostess, however, convinced me that Dorabjee's had since turned itself into an upscale departmental store on MG road. Now this place, MG road that is, is the sort of place that may be best likened to a zoo, where people come to watch other people. And me wearing the khadi kurta and a khadi bag with my cameras and lenses managed to turn quite a few heads, probably for all the wrong reasons. My hostess, embarrassed by my atire decided to whisk me away from there to a quiet cave temple on JM road. 

The temple was a good escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Pataleshwar as it is known is an eighth century rock cut temple built in the rashtrakula period. The construction seems to be incomplete, most likely due to lack of patronage and funding in the later years, a pattern one sees in such cave temples or stupas across India. I took the opportunity to appease the gods, and ask for good business, a good pnl number, and more so a good bonus number (the materialistic me). As we stepped out, I was brought back to reality by a moped which almost run me over.

Pune is Moped country, here the moped is the works van, its the police car, it's the butcher's truck, its even the family saloon, with seating for five. And you have to dress up to ride one, as a terrorist. Pictures of moped riders in pune can easily be used in lieu of those of Taliban regrouping to take over Kabul from the Americans (havent they already taken it for all the practical purposes?). And then, if you display such signs of cowardice as using a helmet or following the traffic rules, the word on street is that you'll be publicly shamed. Little wonder then that crossing the roads here is an art that few outside have mastered.

We capped off the day with a appetizer of a few roadside paani puris and an agreeable dinner at a famous paraatha place. In short a day well spent with a good friend.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Bombay!

Across the glittering blue waters of the arabian,
The sky is blue,
the people are elegant,
the seas full of mackerel,
the women oh so desirable,
and the food so delectable

And I'll be there for two weeks beginning of Feb
                                                                                                                  

Visual Gamma

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