So here I am, back at the drawing board, trying to make sense of my life in the big, bad city of New York. A lot of things have happened in the interim. I started my new job as a business analyst at the Prime Brokerage/Securities Lending arm of a major bank at Wall St (for the uninitiated, thats the division where banks trde and borrow stocks for hedge funds). The hours are definitely crazier, what with me having to reach office at 7:30 am, and staying till atleast 6/7 pm. Hence the delay in putting down any random gyan in the old blog...
Meanwhile, life goes on...Another government learns (again!) that give a man a loan, and you get a global sub-prime mortgage crisis. The average citizen, meanwhile, learns (again!) that greed is good, as long as a large enough number of people are greedy. You always have the govt. to bail you out during those annoying foreclosures. In the middle of all this, Wall St, of course, sells crap with an investment grade rating and gets another 50 basis points off the fed funds rate by Santa Bernanke. (Read this article for more - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119016992710232040.html?mod=googlenews_wsj )
Alan Greenspan starts speaking to people who have not paid 50 grand to hear him, once again, and this time, somebody actually manages to translate him into English and bring out the most eagerly awaited book of the year (read the review http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-et-book17sep17,0,3146931.story?coll=la-home-center )
A couple in delhi manufacture (don't ask how) babies from 12 yr old girls that they kidnap, then sell the babies. (see http://www.ibnlive.com/news/impact-police-arrests-delhis-baby-traders/47977-3.html)
Ram Gopal Verma manages to commit sacrilege all over again by daring to reinvent what is arguably the best hindi movie of all time, while the Big B indulges in his late life crisis....
Oprah cosies up to Obama (sorry Bill, my heart might beat for you but my purse opens for my fellow Chicagoan). SRK gets abs while Britney loses hers (along with her mind, and maybe her kids)...A beauty queen in North Carolina presents her credentials to become the next president of the United States, Vikram flatters to deceive in Bheema, while he just might redeem himself in Kandasamy ( this last re:tam movies, for everyone else)
Yep, life as know it, goes on...faster than I can even muse about it...but I'm gonna try, by God...and this time, a bit more regularly. So for the few stoned slackers who actually read my bilge (Jon Stewart, love u man)... heres the scoop...I'm back, and I'm worse than before...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Advice to Young Men from an Old Man (Excerpted from a former Marine’s post in Best of Craigslist)
See the original article in http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/279126743.html
1. Don’t pick on the weak. It’s immoral. Don’t antagonize the strong without cause, its stupid.
2. Don’t hate women. It’s a waste of time
3. Invest in yourself. Material things come to those that have self actualized.
4. Get in a fistfight, even if you are going to lose.
5. As a former Marine, take it from me. Don’t join the military, unless you want to risk getting your balls blown off to secure other people’s economic or political interests.
6. If something has a direct benefit to an individual or a class of people, and a theoretical, abstract, or amorphous benefit to everybody else, realize that the proponent’s intentions are to benefit the former, not the latter, no matter what bullshit they try to feed you.
7. Don’t take proffered advice without a critical analysis. 90% of all advice is intended to benefit the proponent, not the recipient. Actually, the number is probably closer to 97%, but I don’t want to come off as cynical.
8. You’ll spend your entire life listening to people tell you how much you owe them. You don’t owe the vast majority of people shit.
9. Don’t undermine your fellow young men. Mentor the young men that come after you. Society recognizes that you have the potential to be the most power force in society. It scares them. Society does not find young men sympathetic. They are afraid of you, both individually and collectively. Law enforcement’s primary purpose is to suppress you.
10. Young men provide the genius and muscle by which our society thrives. Look at the Silicon Valley. By and large, it was not old men that created the revolution we live. Realize that society steals your contributions, secures it with our intellectual property laws, and then takes credit and the rewards where none is due.
11. Know that few people have your best interests at heart. Your mother does. Your father probably does (if he stuck around). Your siblings are on your side. Everybody else worries about themselves.
12. Don’t be afraid to tell people to “Fuck off” when need be. It is an important skill to acquire. As they say, speak your piece, even if your voice shakes.
13. Acquire empathy, good interpersonal skills, and confidence. Learn to read body language and non-verbal communication. Don’t just concentrate on your vocational or technical skills, or you’ll find your wife fucking somebody else.
14. Keep fit.
15. Don’t speak ill of your wife/girlfriend. Back her up against the world, even if she’s wrong. She should know that you have her back. When she needs your help, give it. She should know that you’ll take her part.
16. Don’t cheat on your wife/girlfriend. If you must cheat, don’t humiliate her. Don’t risk having your transgressions come back to her or her friends. Don’t do it where you live. Don’t do it with people in your social circle. Don’t shit in your own back yard.
17. If your girlfriend doesn’t make you feel good about yourself and bring joy to your life, fire her. That’s what girlfriends are for.
18. Don’t bother with “emotional affairs.” They are just a vehicle for women to flirt and have someone make them feel good about themselves. That’s the part of a relationship they want. For you it is a lot of work and investment in time. If they are having an emotional affair with you, they’re probably fucking someone else.
19. Becoming a woman’s friend and confidant is not going to get you into an intimate relationship. If you haven’t gotten the girl within a reasonably short period of time, chances are you won’t ever get her. She’ll end up confiding to you about the sexual adventures she’s having with someone else.
20. Have and nurture friendships with women.
21. Realize that love is a numbers game. Guys fall in love easily. You’re going to see some girl and feel like you’ll die if you don’t get her. If she rejects you, move on to the next one. It’s her loss.
22. Don’t be an internet troll. Got out and live life. There is not a cadre of beautiful women advertising on Craigslist to have NSA sex with you. Beautiful women don’t need to advertise. The websites that advertise with attractive women’s photos and claims of loneliness are baloney. All they want is your money and your personal information so that they can market to you. The posts on Craigslist by young “women” seeking NSA sex, and asking for a picture are just a bunch of gay troll pic collectors. This is especially true if the post uses common gay lexicon like “hole” as in “fuck my hole” or seeks “masculine” men, or uses the word cock (except in the context of “Don’t send a cock shot.”) There are women on Craigslist. They are easily recognizable by their 2-5 paragraph postings. Most are in their 30's or older.
23. Don’t gay bash. Don’t mentally or physically abuse people because of who they are, or how they present themselves. It’s none of your business to try to intimidate people into conformity.
24. If you’re gay, admit it to yourself, your parents, your friends and society at large. Be prepared to get harassed. If someone threatens you or assaults you, call the cops. Have them arrested. You have no obligation to self sacrifice because of who you are. As a gay person, you’ll have more social freedom than straight men. Use it to protect yourself. Be prepared to get out of Dodge if your orientation makes your life unbearable. Move to San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, or New Orleans. You’ll find a welcoming community there.
25. Don’t be a poser. Avoid being one of those dudes who puts a surfboard on top of their car, but never surfs, or a dude with a powder coated fixed gear bike and a messenger bag, but was never a messenger. Live the life. Earn your bona fides.
26. Remember, 97% of all advice is worthless. Take what you can use, and trash the rest.
1. Don’t pick on the weak. It’s immoral. Don’t antagonize the strong without cause, its stupid.
2. Don’t hate women. It’s a waste of time
3. Invest in yourself. Material things come to those that have self actualized.
4. Get in a fistfight, even if you are going to lose.
5. As a former Marine, take it from me. Don’t join the military, unless you want to risk getting your balls blown off to secure other people’s economic or political interests.
6. If something has a direct benefit to an individual or a class of people, and a theoretical, abstract, or amorphous benefit to everybody else, realize that the proponent’s intentions are to benefit the former, not the latter, no matter what bullshit they try to feed you.
7. Don’t take proffered advice without a critical analysis. 90% of all advice is intended to benefit the proponent, not the recipient. Actually, the number is probably closer to 97%, but I don’t want to come off as cynical.
8. You’ll spend your entire life listening to people tell you how much you owe them. You don’t owe the vast majority of people shit.
9. Don’t undermine your fellow young men. Mentor the young men that come after you. Society recognizes that you have the potential to be the most power force in society. It scares them. Society does not find young men sympathetic. They are afraid of you, both individually and collectively. Law enforcement’s primary purpose is to suppress you.
10. Young men provide the genius and muscle by which our society thrives. Look at the Silicon Valley. By and large, it was not old men that created the revolution we live. Realize that society steals your contributions, secures it with our intellectual property laws, and then takes credit and the rewards where none is due.
11. Know that few people have your best interests at heart. Your mother does. Your father probably does (if he stuck around). Your siblings are on your side. Everybody else worries about themselves.
12. Don’t be afraid to tell people to “Fuck off” when need be. It is an important skill to acquire. As they say, speak your piece, even if your voice shakes.
13. Acquire empathy, good interpersonal skills, and confidence. Learn to read body language and non-verbal communication. Don’t just concentrate on your vocational or technical skills, or you’ll find your wife fucking somebody else.
14. Keep fit.
15. Don’t speak ill of your wife/girlfriend. Back her up against the world, even if she’s wrong. She should know that you have her back. When she needs your help, give it. She should know that you’ll take her part.
16. Don’t cheat on your wife/girlfriend. If you must cheat, don’t humiliate her. Don’t risk having your transgressions come back to her or her friends. Don’t do it where you live. Don’t do it with people in your social circle. Don’t shit in your own back yard.
17. If your girlfriend doesn’t make you feel good about yourself and bring joy to your life, fire her. That’s what girlfriends are for.
18. Don’t bother with “emotional affairs.” They are just a vehicle for women to flirt and have someone make them feel good about themselves. That’s the part of a relationship they want. For you it is a lot of work and investment in time. If they are having an emotional affair with you, they’re probably fucking someone else.
19. Becoming a woman’s friend and confidant is not going to get you into an intimate relationship. If you haven’t gotten the girl within a reasonably short period of time, chances are you won’t ever get her. She’ll end up confiding to you about the sexual adventures she’s having with someone else.
20. Have and nurture friendships with women.
21. Realize that love is a numbers game. Guys fall in love easily. You’re going to see some girl and feel like you’ll die if you don’t get her. If she rejects you, move on to the next one. It’s her loss.
22. Don’t be an internet troll. Got out and live life. There is not a cadre of beautiful women advertising on Craigslist to have NSA sex with you. Beautiful women don’t need to advertise. The websites that advertise with attractive women’s photos and claims of loneliness are baloney. All they want is your money and your personal information so that they can market to you. The posts on Craigslist by young “women” seeking NSA sex, and asking for a picture are just a bunch of gay troll pic collectors. This is especially true if the post uses common gay lexicon like “hole” as in “fuck my hole” or seeks “masculine” men, or uses the word cock (except in the context of “Don’t send a cock shot.”) There are women on Craigslist. They are easily recognizable by their 2-5 paragraph postings. Most are in their 30's or older.
23. Don’t gay bash. Don’t mentally or physically abuse people because of who they are, or how they present themselves. It’s none of your business to try to intimidate people into conformity.
24. If you’re gay, admit it to yourself, your parents, your friends and society at large. Be prepared to get harassed. If someone threatens you or assaults you, call the cops. Have them arrested. You have no obligation to self sacrifice because of who you are. As a gay person, you’ll have more social freedom than straight men. Use it to protect yourself. Be prepared to get out of Dodge if your orientation makes your life unbearable. Move to San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, or New Orleans. You’ll find a welcoming community there.
25. Don’t be a poser. Avoid being one of those dudes who puts a surfboard on top of their car, but never surfs, or a dude with a powder coated fixed gear bike and a messenger bag, but was never a messenger. Live the life. Earn your bona fides.
26. Remember, 97% of all advice is worthless. Take what you can use, and trash the rest.
Friday, July 13, 2007
the wife and the parents - aggregate at your own risk
This June, my parents were visiting the US for the first time. As any son should be, I was happy, and full of plans for them to see this great city, and this great country. As any daughter-in-law should be, my wife was screwed.
But before I begin to explain why, let me tell you something about my family.
Consider this, Friday morning in Manhattan, my mother is planning on what to eat for the day, as both my parents fast that day, and eat strictly vegetarian food. My father is using Google Maps to figure out the best way to go to the Flushing Ganesha temple.
My wife, on the other hand, is getting ready to go to school, and afterwards, she'll come back, sleep for a bit, and get up at 10 pm, and we'll go out to the East Village, where a good time will be had by all. If u see a slim, 5'4'' girl dancing on top of a table in a pub at 3 am, that's my wife.
Now I hope u guys realize that these are two kinds of people that rarely ever mix, and if they do, in the immortal words of Russell Peters - Somebody gonna get hurt (in this case, me). What with the incessant grumbling of my wife over curious non-vegetarian smells coming from the kitchen (my parents eat non-veg except on the 'fasting' days), the subtle comments of my dad about the disorder and immaturity of my life, and my mother's solemn resignation of her fate and the fact that her son suddenly is refusing to eat her rice and sambar (i'm trying not to eat carbs, u see), LIFE, as I knew it, sucked.
However, now that I reflect, there were some good times that we had, when we went out as a family, when we went out to dinner or to a movie, and when my parents managed to strike a conversation with my wife. And ultimately, I guess, a little tension is the price you pay for having 2 generations under one roof.
Also, if any of you have parents, or relatives visiting from your motherland, I can now give you tips on how to handle them, and your spouse...
But before I begin to explain why, let me tell you something about my family.
Consider this, Friday morning in Manhattan, my mother is planning on what to eat for the day, as both my parents fast that day, and eat strictly vegetarian food. My father is using Google Maps to figure out the best way to go to the Flushing Ganesha temple.
My wife, on the other hand, is getting ready to go to school, and afterwards, she'll come back, sleep for a bit, and get up at 10 pm, and we'll go out to the East Village, where a good time will be had by all. If u see a slim, 5'4'' girl dancing on top of a table in a pub at 3 am, that's my wife.
Now I hope u guys realize that these are two kinds of people that rarely ever mix, and if they do, in the immortal words of Russell Peters - Somebody gonna get hurt (in this case, me). What with the incessant grumbling of my wife over curious non-vegetarian smells coming from the kitchen (my parents eat non-veg except on the 'fasting' days), the subtle comments of my dad about the disorder and immaturity of my life, and my mother's solemn resignation of her fate and the fact that her son suddenly is refusing to eat her rice and sambar (i'm trying not to eat carbs, u see), LIFE, as I knew it, sucked.
However, now that I reflect, there were some good times that we had, when we went out as a family, when we went out to dinner or to a movie, and when my parents managed to strike a conversation with my wife. And ultimately, I guess, a little tension is the price you pay for having 2 generations under one roof.
Also, if any of you have parents, or relatives visiting from your motherland, I can now give you tips on how to handle them, and your spouse...
Saturday, June 23, 2007
the generation gap revisited
Today (well, technically yesterday, its 1:30 am right now), was the day I realized that my generation is the last one to have used - a typewriter, a pager(actually the only generation), a floppy disk, the VCR (again the only generation), and a two-stroke bike (add others if you can think of any). Makes you wonder, as technology grows at such pace, how many of these innovations will really be consistent, rather than being transient, like the pager.
Case in point - the VCR. Its really an incremental way to record and disseminate information. It was the logical step from the tape recorder, for aural information. The analog technology to capture audio/video on magnetic tape was considered revolutionary. and yet, in barely 30 years, the digital disc technology has completely annihilated any market share of tape.
The question is - should the credit go to digital CD technology for being so huge, so disruptive that it finished the VCR (and the boombox)? Or was the VCR simply a transient innovation that was given more than its due when it came out? These are questions that might not be answered for the next 100 years, when hopefully mankind will be able to figure out the perfect A.V. storage technology.
Anyhoo, coming back to the generation gap, I remember a conversation that I had with one of my managers at Kanbay, Sudeep Nadkarni (he's 5 yrs older than me). I consider him (along with Kartik, my other manager at Kanbay) as my mentor, and the point he made was pertinent - 'In these times, the generation gap is no longer the time it takes between generations, (i.e., around 20 years). Its more the information gap between individuals with a difference of not more than 5 years. The world is changing ever so fast, that I (Sudeep) consider myself to be a different generation from you (Subbu), as you would be in a different generation from the fresh engineer who joins Kanbay. '
Indeed, how true...see if you can find one common point of interest in the conversation with any occupant in one of the cafes in Bhandarkar Rd (Pune), Brigade Rd (Bangalore), Kamla Ngr Mkt (N Delhi), Damen (Chicago) or Williamsburg (Brooklyn). BTW, these are the places where the young 'uns congregate.
Case in point - the VCR. Its really an incremental way to record and disseminate information. It was the logical step from the tape recorder, for aural information. The analog technology to capture audio/video on magnetic tape was considered revolutionary. and yet, in barely 30 years, the digital disc technology has completely annihilated any market share of tape.
The question is - should the credit go to digital CD technology for being so huge, so disruptive that it finished the VCR (and the boombox)? Or was the VCR simply a transient innovation that was given more than its due when it came out? These are questions that might not be answered for the next 100 years, when hopefully mankind will be able to figure out the perfect A.V. storage technology.
Anyhoo, coming back to the generation gap, I remember a conversation that I had with one of my managers at Kanbay, Sudeep Nadkarni (he's 5 yrs older than me). I consider him (along with Kartik, my other manager at Kanbay) as my mentor, and the point he made was pertinent - 'In these times, the generation gap is no longer the time it takes between generations, (i.e., around 20 years). Its more the information gap between individuals with a difference of not more than 5 years. The world is changing ever so fast, that I (Sudeep) consider myself to be a different generation from you (Subbu), as you would be in a different generation from the fresh engineer who joins Kanbay. '
Indeed, how true...see if you can find one common point of interest in the conversation with any occupant in one of the cafes in Bhandarkar Rd (Pune), Brigade Rd (Bangalore), Kamla Ngr Mkt (N Delhi), Damen (Chicago) or Williamsburg (Brooklyn). BTW, these are the places where the young 'uns congregate.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Is God afraid of women?
Whats the deal with organized religion and women? Check out any major religion. and the following things are true across the board -
1. The concept of original sin - the woman is supposed to have brought man down from god's pedestal. Hence the religious explanation of menstrual pain and pregnancy.
2. the sanctity of childbirth, the uncleanliness of menstruation, and the underlying paradox - Even today, Chennai in India to Kansas in the USA, women are not supposed to enter a place of worship (church, temple, mosque, u name it) during their menstrual period, notwithstanding the fact that the fluid that the woman casts out every month is the only thing in this world capable of creating another human form.
3. the concept of woman as an object of desire, distraction and evil - any religion you take, the woman is the one who seems to be the cause of distracting man from his purpose, never mind the fact that the bugger had no business getting distracted in the first place.
4. Sex - Do it 'coz you have to, but you cant enjoy it, thats bad - Anyone who is not a virgin would know that in sexual energy and passion, men are woefully inadequate in front of women. Sex, for a man, is but another way of marking a conquest, but its the most enjoyable thing in the world for a woman. No wonder, then, that in any organized religion sex is considered impure except when done for the express intent to produce offspring, and abstaining is considered a path to greatness.
The curious thing is, all the so-called 'pagan' religions, like the adivasi beliefs in india, the aborigine and native-american beliefs, and pre-christian beliefs in Europe, worshipped woman. All their rituals, all processions, and functions were held in praise of the female form. These are the guys who are ridiculed today as being backward and primitive.
My premise is that organized religion, whether its hinduism, christianity, islam, judaism, or the parsis, was created with the express intent to control women, and to curb sexual thought and freedom. And it seems to have worked. worse still, women themselves have bought into it, and are the most strident followers.
1. The concept of original sin - the woman is supposed to have brought man down from god's pedestal. Hence the religious explanation of menstrual pain and pregnancy.
2. the sanctity of childbirth, the uncleanliness of menstruation, and the underlying paradox - Even today, Chennai in India to Kansas in the USA, women are not supposed to enter a place of worship (church, temple, mosque, u name it) during their menstrual period, notwithstanding the fact that the fluid that the woman casts out every month is the only thing in this world capable of creating another human form.
3. the concept of woman as an object of desire, distraction and evil - any religion you take, the woman is the one who seems to be the cause of distracting man from his purpose, never mind the fact that the bugger had no business getting distracted in the first place.
4. Sex - Do it 'coz you have to, but you cant enjoy it, thats bad - Anyone who is not a virgin would know that in sexual energy and passion, men are woefully inadequate in front of women. Sex, for a man, is but another way of marking a conquest, but its the most enjoyable thing in the world for a woman. No wonder, then, that in any organized religion sex is considered impure except when done for the express intent to produce offspring, and abstaining is considered a path to greatness.
The curious thing is, all the so-called 'pagan' religions, like the adivasi beliefs in india, the aborigine and native-american beliefs, and pre-christian beliefs in Europe, worshipped woman. All their rituals, all processions, and functions were held in praise of the female form. These are the guys who are ridiculed today as being backward and primitive.
My premise is that organized religion, whether its hinduism, christianity, islam, judaism, or the parsis, was created with the express intent to control women, and to curb sexual thought and freedom. And it seems to have worked. worse still, women themselves have bought into it, and are the most strident followers.
I refuse to tiptoe quietly through life only to arrive safely at death
Should we be on a never ending quest for that perfect job, the perfect relationship, a perfect life? Should a guy (like me) who gets real frustrated with his job real fast, be praised for not settling for less, or reviled for not being stable enough? Is Elizabeth Taylor just a selfish bitch for marrying half of America, or is she a beacon for those who seek true love? When, and how, do you decide, this is what i want from life? and are you a pussy for making that decision and stopping your quest?
Friday, May 25, 2007
Diary of a lost soul
When life trips you up and grinds your face to the dust, be happy...atleast you will have the getting up to look forward to. Imagine if you never fell, never tasted the dust...but never rose either, just crawled through life with bent back and drooping shoulders, praying that you might have the balls to fall, or the luck to rise, but ending up with neither.Ladies and gentlemen, have you ever felt like chucking it all? Did you ever dare to think that you should actually look forward to your next day at work? Do you actually crawl through life, waiting for the next promotion, next relationship, or next vacation to fool you into thinking that anyone cares a damn about you, that more than 2 people will actually remember you for more than 2 seconds after you die?If yes, then welcome to my world. If no, then you are fooling yourself, and you can always comment here and tell me why i'm wrong...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)