This post is only for my hard-core followers and those that are interested in hard facts. It contains absolutely no substance. None whatsoever.
(Listening to "Sajda" from "My name is Khan", an absolutely brilliant song from a movie of superbly memorable songs)
Travel Facts:
Cities visited: Budapest, Florence, Pisa, Essen, Leverkusen, Cologne, Ludwigshafen, New York, Darien, Stamford.
Miles earned: 9928 (Swiss & Helvetic airways)
Hotel nights: 14 (Intercontinental, Tornabuoni, Sheraton, Waldorf-Astoria)
Kms driven: 2600 approx (excluding usual daily driving)
Workout facts: My activities are mostly in the gym and my personal record keeper says that (during October) I did
30.4 mi biking
21.1 mi elliptical
9.1 mi walking
(excludes 3 sessions with weights/aerobic combo)
[Don't tell me that I did not warn you!]
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Now that I am officially "old" ...
... I wonder what I should do differently. I do like to write, so one resolution is to write more regularly and also record my comings and goings. It's not really to create a following, but more like a chronicle or journal. The girls came with a bunch of ideas and gave me the most wonderful photo album with memories.
Memories makes me think of a play I saw on Friday evening in Singapore. "The Blue Mug" was directed by Atul Kumar and partly based on a book that I owned (but only partly read) back in the mid 80's called "The man who mistook his wife for a hat" by Oliver Sacks. It was a very simple production, but the structure was based on the memories of its characters in a semi-autobiographical kind of way. There was a bunch of stuff that anybody who has grown up in India could identify with. In the end the memories come together and unite the characters, who forget what they are there for.
It is funny that a lot of what we remember goes back a number of years. I find that I do not remember most things which have occurred in the most recent past. Why is that? I think it's because we have the most intense reactions with our experiences when we are young. You know how a child plays with the same toy endlessly? How (s)he wants to listen to the same 4 page story day after day, night after night? They find something new in each repetition and that is perhaps what sinks deep into our memories. At my age, I suppose I am skeptical, cynical and uncaring about many of the things that touch me. Or my mind is too cluttered to experience each moment with intensity. Or I am not expressive emotionally (for a variety of reasons). Or, quite simply, it's ADD.
Technology has created a lot of simple ways to record our experiences. Facebook is perhaps the best example. It has made us willingly want to share moments of our life that we would not have dreamed of sharing, at least not with all 678 of our friends. Perhaps with 6 or 7 or 8 in an intimate moment. But this is 2010, and hey, a lot of our daily conversations also revolve around "Did you see what XYZ wrote on FB?" I must admit that it is addictive in a voyeur-ish kind of way. As far as gossip rags go, I am not a big fan (Twitter excepted), but FB is all about gossip from people we actually know, rather than people we want to know!
I am meandering ... From memories of the past to voyeurism. But that's the fun ... nobody to control or stop what I am writing! On to the next!
Memories makes me think of a play I saw on Friday evening in Singapore. "The Blue Mug" was directed by Atul Kumar and partly based on a book that I owned (but only partly read) back in the mid 80's called "The man who mistook his wife for a hat" by Oliver Sacks. It was a very simple production, but the structure was based on the memories of its characters in a semi-autobiographical kind of way. There was a bunch of stuff that anybody who has grown up in India could identify with. In the end the memories come together and unite the characters, who forget what they are there for.
It is funny that a lot of what we remember goes back a number of years. I find that I do not remember most things which have occurred in the most recent past. Why is that? I think it's because we have the most intense reactions with our experiences when we are young. You know how a child plays with the same toy endlessly? How (s)he wants to listen to the same 4 page story day after day, night after night? They find something new in each repetition and that is perhaps what sinks deep into our memories. At my age, I suppose I am skeptical, cynical and uncaring about many of the things that touch me. Or my mind is too cluttered to experience each moment with intensity. Or I am not expressive emotionally (for a variety of reasons). Or, quite simply, it's ADD.
Technology has created a lot of simple ways to record our experiences. Facebook is perhaps the best example. It has made us willingly want to share moments of our life that we would not have dreamed of sharing, at least not with all 678 of our friends. Perhaps with 6 or 7 or 8 in an intimate moment. But this is 2010, and hey, a lot of our daily conversations also revolve around "Did you see what XYZ wrote on FB?" I must admit that it is addictive in a voyeur-ish kind of way. As far as gossip rags go, I am not a big fan (Twitter excepted), but FB is all about gossip from people we actually know, rather than people we want to know!
I am meandering ... From memories of the past to voyeurism. But that's the fun ... nobody to control or stop what I am writing! On to the next!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Invitation to a Bat Mitzvah - and a cuppa tea
It all happened by chance. I had received the invitation from the Stanton family (my first ever to a Bat Mitzvah) and had thought no more of it. But one thing led to another, and finding myself in Manhattan for work, I called Oliver and accepted the invitation. The occasion called for "festive dress" and was clarified to be a suit.
Now for the gift that Smita reminded me I should not forget to take with me. Not knowing anything about Mitzvah traditions (I have been to a Jewish wedding, but that's another story). I did some research and came up with the appropriate gift : cash. How Indian! And there are traditions to determine the amount!
On a beautiful, sunny Saturday, I made my way to the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue on the Upper West Side. This is the first time I am at a Synagogue (and on Shabath, no less!) and am amazed by the building, both outside and inside. It looks very ornate and I sit through the service with a cap on my head and a cloth around my shoulders (you can Google to see what they are called). Alex appears about an hour after I get there and goes through the ceremony. Oliver says that she wrote her Thank You speech herself. All very American. The ceremony consisted of her reading through some prayers and then her speech followed by Oliver.
We repaired to a Kidush lunch downstairs. Some jostling and grabbing of seats took place. I lost the one I had put my book on. Being the polite sort, I ate standing up rather than make a fuss. I don't need to Google this because I was there : the food was mainly salads and cold fish dishes plus fruits and desserts. The Rabbi said something like grace first, following which we swallowed thimble sized glasses of red wine; before fighting for a place in the buffet.
The dinner was simply spectacular. Hosted at the St. Regis on 55th and 5th, it was a teenage birthday party to beat anything I have ever seen. Describing it all would probably make y'all glassy eyed. Lots of thank yous and I love yous in the speeches. All American.
Starting at 7, we got our main course at 10. About 11, I was so tired that I was ready to fall asleep at the table (had walked about 3 miles in the afternoon) when I discovered "Energy Jetlag AM" tea at the back.
Magical. I am a new person in two sips. A new quest begins.
Now for the gift that Smita reminded me I should not forget to take with me. Not knowing anything about Mitzvah traditions (I have been to a Jewish wedding, but that's another story). I did some research and came up with the appropriate gift : cash. How Indian! And there are traditions to determine the amount!
On a beautiful, sunny Saturday, I made my way to the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue on the Upper West Side. This is the first time I am at a Synagogue (and on Shabath, no less!) and am amazed by the building, both outside and inside. It looks very ornate and I sit through the service with a cap on my head and a cloth around my shoulders (you can Google to see what they are called). Alex appears about an hour after I get there and goes through the ceremony. Oliver says that she wrote her Thank You speech herself. All very American. The ceremony consisted of her reading through some prayers and then her speech followed by Oliver.
We repaired to a Kidush lunch downstairs. Some jostling and grabbing of seats took place. I lost the one I had put my book on. Being the polite sort, I ate standing up rather than make a fuss. I don't need to Google this because I was there : the food was mainly salads and cold fish dishes plus fruits and desserts. The Rabbi said something like grace first, following which we swallowed thimble sized glasses of red wine; before fighting for a place in the buffet.
The dinner was simply spectacular. Hosted at the St. Regis on 55th and 5th, it was a teenage birthday party to beat anything I have ever seen. Describing it all would probably make y'all glassy eyed. Lots of thank yous and I love yous in the speeches. All American.
Starting at 7, we got our main course at 10. About 11, I was so tired that I was ready to fall asleep at the table (had walked about 3 miles in the afternoon) when I discovered "Energy Jetlag AM" tea at the back.
Magical. I am a new person in two sips. A new quest begins.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Stuck for words
Its getting on to a couple of months but no inspiration has struck me enough to write about and share with my fans, as they are, out there.
I had the most wonderful birthday day, but that was followed by some intense traveling and activity, which threatens to continue apace. Probably what I need the most is a long holiday at this point in time. Firenze was short, but at least I managed to stay off the email. Now there is a work-in-progress ...
The girls gave me a wonderful album with pictures and writing tips, but I am missing inspiration. To some extent, the ADD that has been afflicting me is to blame. I think I need to find ways to concentrate and focus. Life is not about flitting from one subject to another and, in my view, multi-tasking is an attribute that is vastly over-rated.
So all I am going to do today is leave my footprint on the blog but not really talk about anything. Hope to see y'all again sometime soon with something meaningful!
Adios.
I had the most wonderful birthday day, but that was followed by some intense traveling and activity, which threatens to continue apace. Probably what I need the most is a long holiday at this point in time. Firenze was short, but at least I managed to stay off the email. Now there is a work-in-progress ...
The girls gave me a wonderful album with pictures and writing tips, but I am missing inspiration. To some extent, the ADD that has been afflicting me is to blame. I think I need to find ways to concentrate and focus. Life is not about flitting from one subject to another and, in my view, multi-tasking is an attribute that is vastly over-rated.
So all I am going to do today is leave my footprint on the blog but not really talk about anything. Hope to see y'all again sometime soon with something meaningful!
Adios.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Monday Morning at the Gym
I haven't told anyone so far, but it sometimes bothers me that I am the only non-white person that I see at the gym. Perhaps there are others, but I seldom (if ever) see any. There was an older person of Indian origin who I used to meet with on Sundays at the spinning class, but I haven't seen him for months. Ram is a doctor in a nearby town and had this routine of spinning and sauna on Sunday mornings.
Those of you who go to a gym know that everyone has a regular routine; not just with the machines but also in the locker room. There was an incident one time with Ram when the way he kept his stuff got in the way of another guy (white) and his stuff. Some words were exchanged ... the white guy said that Ram did not know how to keep his things in the locker room and Ram did not take kindly to this. I felt at the time that this was a white vs non-white situation. Anyway, I stopped showering at the gym years ago (membership has grown and locker area remains the same size so it's got kinda crowded), so don't have things lying around.
Today, I was up early and on the elliptical machine at the gym, when one of the regulars took the machine next to me. No big deal, but after a few minutes he started to fumble with his heart beat monitor and after a few fumbles, ditched the machine and took another one a bit further away. I felt bad, because this has happened to me: the neighbor's monitor interfering with mine and no doubt his putting some distance between us resolved the issue. I did not feel the need to do anything ... after all, I was there first!
When I ended my workout, he came up to me and explained why he had moved away and how it had everything to do with his monitor and nothing to do with me! I was surprised, and told him it was no big deal ... it happened to me sometimes as well. He thought it worth repeating one more time before moving on.
I guess it was thoughtful of him, but it also told me that I was obviously different.
Those of you who go to a gym know that everyone has a regular routine; not just with the machines but also in the locker room. There was an incident one time with Ram when the way he kept his stuff got in the way of another guy (white) and his stuff. Some words were exchanged ... the white guy said that Ram did not know how to keep his things in the locker room and Ram did not take kindly to this. I felt at the time that this was a white vs non-white situation. Anyway, I stopped showering at the gym years ago (membership has grown and locker area remains the same size so it's got kinda crowded), so don't have things lying around.
Today, I was up early and on the elliptical machine at the gym, when one of the regulars took the machine next to me. No big deal, but after a few minutes he started to fumble with his heart beat monitor and after a few fumbles, ditched the machine and took another one a bit further away. I felt bad, because this has happened to me: the neighbor's monitor interfering with mine and no doubt his putting some distance between us resolved the issue. I did not feel the need to do anything ... after all, I was there first!
When I ended my workout, he came up to me and explained why he had moved away and how it had everything to do with his monitor and nothing to do with me! I was surprised, and told him it was no big deal ... it happened to me sometimes as well. He thought it worth repeating one more time before moving on.
I guess it was thoughtful of him, but it also told me that I was obviously different.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Big Short by Michael Lewis
I just finished reading this book. Terrific is the word that I immediately think of. Its been some time since Lewis has written anything that I enjoyed reading and this comes as a breath of fresh air. Of course, Liar's Poker takes some beating, but that belongs to another time.
It was hard for me to understand all the chicanery that has gone on in the subprime, CDO, CDS, ratings and other related markets during the last decade and how that led to the near collapse of the financial system as we knew it. What this book brings home forcefully is how much of all this was plain fraud perpetrated by wall street bankers. Knowingly. And nobody could stop them. When the world exploded around them, American taxpayers (forced to do so by the US government) rescued them and the rest of the world. We need to say a big thank you to them for that.
It wasn't that long ago that some of my friends, family and me were thinking of pulling all our money from banks like Credit Suisse, UBS, RBS & others just to keep them at home under the proverbial mattress.
How quickly we forget. The great fall of Q4 2008 & Q1 2009 was led by the great rise and euphoria that led to a 60% retracement of the DJI and the doubling or more of corporate and bank bonds.
Recent events, especially in Europe have shown that we are not out of the woods yet. How long do we have to be afraid?
It was hard for me to understand all the chicanery that has gone on in the subprime, CDO, CDS, ratings and other related markets during the last decade and how that led to the near collapse of the financial system as we knew it. What this book brings home forcefully is how much of all this was plain fraud perpetrated by wall street bankers. Knowingly. And nobody could stop them. When the world exploded around them, American taxpayers (forced to do so by the US government) rescued them and the rest of the world. We need to say a big thank you to them for that.
It wasn't that long ago that some of my friends, family and me were thinking of pulling all our money from banks like Credit Suisse, UBS, RBS & others just to keep them at home under the proverbial mattress.
How quickly we forget. The great fall of Q4 2008 & Q1 2009 was led by the great rise and euphoria that led to a 60% retracement of the DJI and the doubling or more of corporate and bank bonds.
Recent events, especially in Europe have shown that we are not out of the woods yet. How long do we have to be afraid?
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Say again?
We have all seen pictures of signs from China with bad English, but I like the sign on the right for more than just this. I did not quite realise why until later.Avid (as well as alert) followers of mine on Facebook may have noticed some mind numbingly pointless posts from me when I landed in Shanghai airport on Sunday 16th May. As the driver (finally) whisked me away from the waiting area, I stole a quick look at my news feed on FB. Nothing dramatic.
Upon getting to the wonderful Shangri-la hotel in Pudong, I was happy to find that they have free WIFI (even though I have to agree to their terms each time I power any device on and off). It is a small amount of money relative to the price of the room, and I still don't understand why all of these premium hotels insist on charging for WIFI. The ones who charge individually for each device deserve to have all their guests desert them immediately.
But I stray ...
Having connected to the internet and read my email, I go on to FB. Nothing happens. Try again. Nothing. Twitter? Same result. WTF is going on? I
struggle for a few moments trying before ADD kicks in and I stare at the wonderful view out of my window. Shanghai has wonderful buildings -- the view alongside is of the Jinmao Tower and the World Financial Center. These are the two tallest buildings in China and they are across the street from each other! From my POV, Jinmao looks the taller of the two, but that is not correct. Wikipedia tells me that the WFC is 492 m tall to Jinmao's 421 m. (Not to rest with this achievement, the Shanghi Tower at 632 m is being built at the same crossroads!)
Later that evening, my colleagues tell me over dinner that FB, Twitter, Youtube, Yahoo Taiwan and maybe some other sites are blocked here. Now I know why I was unable to get in earlier that day. Ah well, a few days without social networking was not gonna be a big deal.
Couple days later we drove out to Nantong which lies about 2 hours west of Shanghai by road. I nap a bit, and at a pitstop see an email from my dearly beloved spouse telling me that "BG is in China and he just posted on FB!". Quelle horreur! Outdone in technology! I try to connect via my iPhone app and guess what? I am connected! Uh?
Hongtao is surprised when I tell her this, and then suddenly says "ah, so it must be just blocked in Shanghai". True, that's what seems to be the case. Living in Shanghai, she just did not realise that the ban was local and not national.
Suddenly, the sign at the rear entrance of our office building increases in significance. Whenever a door is "closde", another one opens. I had just found the other entrance.
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