Weather grumbles and more!

Hey readers, welcome to the end of another month! This month seemed to take forever to end for reasons unknown!! Or maybe, I only expected it to end before it all even started, huh? Anyways, while November signal the onset of winter across India, Mumbai remains as hot as the day I arrived here. The only difference you can note is in the slight chill that sets on late in the evening. But if you, like me, stay holed up at home, with even the windows closed, then the weather outside won't matter the dime to you!

Now you may be wondering what in the world set me cribbing about this weather? Well, nothing really did! I was just taking a normal post-lunch walk in the office building's basement when the heaviness in the weather hit me and got me thinking of another reason why this city is not yet in my list of favorites, despite the glam-sham and the terrific sea-side views!

Will write more when I get something more interesting to talk about. By the way, I finished David Baldacci's Collectors within 2 days. The novel was, again, an ok-ok sorts - nowhere near the league of the Alez Cross novels by James Patterson.

Cracking post-Diwali happenings!!

Happy Diwali to all my readers! As an epilogue to my last post, well the markets did take a breather and in line with global markets, staged a strong recovery on the muhurat trading on Diwali. Sentiments were volatile yesterday, with the markets see-sawing between the red and the green territory, ending the day with marginal gains. With the US Fed cutting interest rates by 50 bps in a desperate move to revive the stalling economy, Asian markets opened strong and closed in the green. I have not checked the European markets opening yet and with India's stock markets closed for today, it'll be interesting to see the direction the markets when they open tomorrow.

Back to my personal life - with the sound of fire crackers popping in my head, I made an adhoc decision to go down to Pune yesterday afternoon. Packed my bags within 15 mins, grabbed an auto to rush to the domestic airport and luckile caught a shared sumo, which promptly left as soon as I got in - @ 3 pm. Amazingly, I reached Pune at 5:30 and met up with Nitesh 'Talli' Kumar at Parihar Chawk by 6:15. Then we went to 11 East St Cafe and from there to Mocha. We were disappointed to be turned away from Riverview (sexiest restaurant to-date, what an ambience!! A perfect place for chipmunks and chippies to chill out and catch up on life! ;-))..

More disappointment was in store for us as we found Sheesha to be closed when we reached there after 11. Quite surprising to me! I think I can pin the blame on a certain Mr. Gaurav Chandak who made us walk a 20-min distance by claiming that the place was only 5 mins away!! Everyone is a bloody con these days! Finally, we had sandwiches and frappe at Barista (after ages!) and then returned to Gaurav's flat, which by the way he hasn't cleaned since he moved in! Yuck! As if on cue, my nose turned up at the sight of such unearthly mess and promptly, I began sneezing - another way of voicing my displeasure at the appalling surroundings!! Okay okay, I'll give him a break provided he cleans up the place - Gggrrrr!

So we retired to bed by 1 and I was woken up by the alarm at 4 - got up, took a cold bath and then Gaurav got me a shared cab at 5 in the morning. Amazing weather coupled with a scenic (and fast) drive made the time slip away like anything - was at my flat at 7:15 and in office at 9:05!!

Quite an eventful post-Diwali day for me. Looking forward to sharing more tit-bits with you guys in the coming days. 'Til then, work hard N harder!!

Will Diwali trading turn the tide?

Welcome back dear readers, here is your host wishing you all a very happy Diwali - may the festival of lights spark a recovery rally in the Indian stock markets. By the way, the early signs sure do look encouraging - Hang Seng and Nikkei are up by 5% each, so here is hoping a reversal in tides and fortunes for our stock exchanges as well.

Quite a surprise to see some stocks trading below their book values - take Suzlon Energy for example. To an analyst like me, it's a clear sign to pick up such a company as not only is it being currently being undervalued by the company, it also has sound fundamentals coupled with a strong management at the helm. Anyways, this is my opinion and does not reflect either my position or my company's! So, please don't sue either of us for voicing a positive opinion in such a bear market!

Iceland, Pakistan, Ukraine, Hungary - who is next is what must be running through everyone's minds! These are the 4 countries (to-date) who have sought IMF's help to tide over the current financial crisis. Read this article for more: http://www.livemint.com/2008/10/27092101/IMF-announces-aid-for-Ukraine.html

Midnight stress busting sessions!!

Welcome dear readers! For all the hope that I'd garnered in the deepest corners of my heart of having a relatively easy time on Friday were busted pretty early on in the day - had the most stressful day at work with fast approaching deadlines and seniors breathing down my neck for a report that was due as late as last week!! Atleast that is how it felt to me, poor dear me who didn't even get the time to take a much needed loo break!! Imagine, I got through today w/o a cup of tea or coffee!! But yep, end of day, I enjoyed the edge I experienced today - was at my sharpest and boy, did I learn a few things today!

Overall, the week has been very heavy (in terms of workload) - in fact, I need to put in some time tomorrow to help a friend of mine tide over some project. But enough of that - right now, I'm enjoying a cup of coffee (in a bid to de-stress myself) at the Gloria Jeans Cafe (Pali Naka branch). I am also using this time to shoot a few emails and of course catch up on the news of the weeks gone by! Seriously guys, life ain't a joke and all-fun-no-work types in the city of dreams and success!! More on my experiences later - it's time I get back to my cuppa! Can't let it get too cold, can I? Never keep a cup of hot coffee waiting is my life's policy!

Mumbai, meri jaan!

Welcome dear readers, time certainly flies - and how! As I near Diwali, I feel obliged to share my experience of living in Mumbai - I've spent almost 3 months here and it all so feels like yesterday that I was packing my bags and getting ready to bid adieu to Calcutta. The festive environment in the office today, on account of several people going home for Diwali vacation, made me take a look at the happenings in my life in the time goneby. Starting off on the work front, I am slowly easing into my job and the unpredictable nature at which things shape up here -- also the delay in delivering targets on time is becoming a daily routine -- or maybe the Project Managers just plan things that way! Anywhich way, I am enjoying my job at the moment.

Coming back to the city, well I am disappointed to some extent. Frankly, I'd come to Mumbai expecting, anticipating the rush that this place gives you. But one look at the roads in the morning - either the traffic jams or the long line of people waiting for autos - and I wonder how this city can continue running smoothly with so much chaos all around. And oh, say nothing about this city being the city that never sleeps - visit bandstand / carter road or marine drive after 1 in the night and you will probably be asked by the police to pack your bags and push off home. Most restaurants/bars/pubs here close at 1 am, so whatever justifies the tag "the city that never sleeps"? Well, I can only propose (as a way of explanation) that probably the exhaustion caught up with the city and now it has decided that a few hours of sleep needs to be built into its itenary too! I can only ask them to take some inspiration from a metro like Kolkata where people party harder - and longer - than Mumbai!

But you know the most amazing part - everyone here has a story to tell. Be it the autowalla or the small-time shopkeeper, people have loads of stories and time to share with strangers like me! And interestingly, even Maharastrians can't do without their afternoon nap - who said that only Bengalis are the lazy sorts?? I'll love to share a bit more of my experience but I got to rush to office too! And before pushing off to bed, I need to wash the dishes and sweep my flat! Talk of multitasking guys!

Oh, how sorely I miss Calcutta's Park St and Barista's coffee and the apple cake!!

Ordeals of an Ordinary Man!

"Living in Mumbai is a lifetime experience"

Whoever said the above thing must be a genius.. I mean just imagine what all I suffered today and for what -- so that the rickshaw drivers and the taxiwallas can keep their 25-year old taxis on the roads!! Think nothing of the safety of the poor passengers, my dear readers but atleast spare a thought for the driver of that 25-year old wreck - doesn't he deserve to benefit from the advents of globalization? But anyways, why bother about them when I got plenty on my plate!

Was a fight getting to office in the morning today -- had to hang literally from a bus to reach office! And to think I'd left all this when I left Calcutta -- kuch yaadein or cheezen kabhi saath nahi chodti, kyun??

Anyways, I am not in the mood to ramble on for too long.. The sinking stock market and my ever expanding hunger-pangs are leaving in my mind little room for wishful thoughts! So here is wishing you all a lovely good night! Please pray that my dinner arrives soon and I wake up tomorrow to find the world turned around for the better -- if this is not posssible, then just pray that the Autos are back where they belong - back on these bloddy dirt roads!!

A snapshot on Mumbai - meri Jaan!

It's been ages or to be more precise, over a month since I last scribbled in this space.. I pick up the baton again to try and be more regular in this space and share the latest happenings in my life with you, my treasured readers! Well, as I am writing this, a lot of worries are doing the rounds in my head.. some of the near ones are concerning my shift to my new flat with my buddy, Vikash Khandelwal - a lot of logistics need to be solved and somehow I got to find a way to fit an AC in that flat and at the same time, keep Vikash and the landlord off my back! :-) Oh, never mind that I need to quit my midnight-clothes-washing spree and seriously hunt down a househelp who can wash dishes, sweep the house and wash my clothes every day.. And now that Vikash too will be here, I seriously need to ensure that I pass on my home management skills to him else I'm sure he'll be doomed! Mumbai has been so-so so far with me -- while I've grown out of my love for coffee (blame it on the lack of company or on the absence of any barista nearby), I am falling more and more in love with sitting on the rocks in Bandra well past midnight, even on normal weekdays! Such a thing would have been impossible in Calcutta but some how, given our more hectic lifestyles here, I believe it is fully justified -- sitting on the seaside, enjoying the lovely breeze, watching the waves and listening to the crowd (and boy, is there a crowd on Carter Road at 1 am in the night!! They sure can teach you a couple of dance steps!!)! I've really tried on a lot of restaurants here -- from Red Box in Bandra (Amazing Mexican Italian dishes, great rock music and fantastic red decor) to Sheesha Mezbaan (the one in Carter Road as well as the one on Mega Mall, roof top), 5 Spice (the one beside Mega Mall - best chinese food I've had to date, not to mention the complementary salad and the Chinese herbal tea), Just Round the Corner (best place for buffett - just stock up on their salad plate guys), Mocha (Juhu, Powei, Churchgate), Pritam da Dhaba (Dadar TT Junction, great authetic ambience, good food), Sagar Restaurant (I liked the ambience, rest all is just so-so), Prithvi Theatre's cafe (hats off to their chai-pakode and the Irish Coffee), Grill Cottage (kya chaas ka glass hai yahan!), Gloria Jeans (I am in love with their decor), Chawla Dhaba (nice food, rajasthani style), Machan, Zaffran (good arabic food again) et cetera et cetera!