Have you ever been jet lagged even without taking a flight or changing time zones? I have and today is one of those days. The Daylight Savings started yesterday and that meant that I lost an hours sleep. I woke up at what would have been 10 am, only to realise that it was the last Sunday of Oct and so it was 11 am. Gosh!!! Whatta start to the day.
Well thats not all, I went to bed at 11pm (what would have actually been 10 am) and since thats early I struggled to catch sleep. This morning I woke up at 7 am (what would have been 6 am) and bloody hell, it was hard!!!!!! I was Jetlagged!!!!! I am guessing I will be for a couple of days more.
The best thing about all this is that it is bright until about 8 and I can get back home and still have an hour of backyard cricket :) and cook while its still bright outside :) Ah well its just an hours sleep gone!!! thats ok!!!!!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
I was at an auction!!!!!
My friends, a couple, are looking to buy a house and in one of their pursuits last Sunday I accompanied them to get a first hand experience of how an auction happens.
To get a realistic feeling, I role played wanting to buy teh house and looked around the house to see how I will settle in there, see where my computer would go, where my bed would go, how convenient eth kitchen was etc. I then calculated, based on location, size and the market price, what I thought would be a good price for the house. I arrived at 300 K. The reserve price, apparently, was 270K. Not bad aye!!!
The auction started and the authorised agent was so animated in his explanation of the process and in giving the details of the house. The look on each of the bidders/onlookers faces was interesting to note. Some people seemed to have decided not to bid, other felt it is worth a try while some really wanted the house.
When bidding opened, for a good 2 minutes there were no bids and that had be surprised. From one corner came a voice from a lady who offered the reserve price at 270K. From that time it was bidding bidding and only bidding. The price was going up by 25K each bid and then by 10K each bid. The price had reached the 320K mark when one person bidded for the first time. THe bid reached 350K and then became a 2-way fight. With 10K jumps becoming 5K and then 2K and then 1K and 500$, the agent was really marketing the property a lot. By this time it was clear that both parties really wanted the property and the stakes went on increasing.
It reached 376.5K when the agent went 1st call, 2nd call and SOLD! Phew!!! It was hugs in the contingent that won the bid and the guy was a young bloke, am sure buying his first home. A proud moment for him.
It was an amazing experience and to see the price go from a reserve of 270K to 386.5K shows what the Melbourne Real estate scene is like!!!!!
As for me, i was not too sure if I could buy a house on auction as its a momentary decision and I like to take time on big decisions, esp when its a huge investment. Perhaps a private sale is best suited for me. Anyways, I will cross the bridge when I get to it.
To get a realistic feeling, I role played wanting to buy teh house and looked around the house to see how I will settle in there, see where my computer would go, where my bed would go, how convenient eth kitchen was etc. I then calculated, based on location, size and the market price, what I thought would be a good price for the house. I arrived at 300 K. The reserve price, apparently, was 270K. Not bad aye!!!
The auction started and the authorised agent was so animated in his explanation of the process and in giving the details of the house. The look on each of the bidders/onlookers faces was interesting to note. Some people seemed to have decided not to bid, other felt it is worth a try while some really wanted the house.
When bidding opened, for a good 2 minutes there were no bids and that had be surprised. From one corner came a voice from a lady who offered the reserve price at 270K. From that time it was bidding bidding and only bidding. The price was going up by 25K each bid and then by 10K each bid. The price had reached the 320K mark when one person bidded for the first time. THe bid reached 350K and then became a 2-way fight. With 10K jumps becoming 5K and then 2K and then 1K and 500$, the agent was really marketing the property a lot. By this time it was clear that both parties really wanted the property and the stakes went on increasing.
It reached 376.5K when the agent went 1st call, 2nd call and SOLD! Phew!!! It was hugs in the contingent that won the bid and the guy was a young bloke, am sure buying his first home. A proud moment for him.
It was an amazing experience and to see the price go from a reserve of 270K to 386.5K shows what the Melbourne Real estate scene is like!!!!!
As for me, i was not too sure if I could buy a house on auction as its a momentary decision and I like to take time on big decisions, esp when its a huge investment. Perhaps a private sale is best suited for me. Anyways, I will cross the bridge when I get to it.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
A Word and an Experience - "Fighting"
Its been a long time since I added to my “A word and an experience” series (from my indiatimes blogs). This time it is about “Fighting” - about fights in public. Last Sunday I was on a tram with my housemate and all seemed normal and slow just like every Sunday is. And out of the blue came 4 guys (in their teens) into the tram and started beating the daylights out of another guy (also in his teens) who was already inside the tram. They seemed to have vengeance written all over their faces. From the looks of the guy, he was an innocent and chubby bloke, but from the yelling it was quite clear that he had done something really wrong. The tram was on the move and none of us co-passengers intervened, in what I thought was but natural, given the aggressive nature of the fight. The tram driver was alerted and he came up and opened the door for the 4 guys to jump off the tram.
The guy who got beaten had a swollen eyebrow and a few bruises here and there. It was a shaking experience. My housemate and I debated if our actions were right in not intervening. We concluded that we had no clue why they were fighting and obviously there was some reason for them to fight. Given that we neither had an idea as to why they were fighting nor we had the authority or the relationship to try and forge a truce between them, our action in not intervening was right and justified. Had we intervened, we could have ended up with a few bruises as well.
The quartret were yelling that he had done something really bad but did not say what he had done. I suppose its not like he had a gun, coz if he did it would be affecting us as co passengers and then perhaps they could have warned us, but obviously it was not something like that and it was a personal fight.
On our way back, my housemate and I were on the lookout to see if those guys were anywhere in the vicinity.
Luckily it did not end up like “Khaya Peeya kuch nahin, glass thoda barah aana”.
The guy who got beaten had a swollen eyebrow and a few bruises here and there. It was a shaking experience. My housemate and I debated if our actions were right in not intervening. We concluded that we had no clue why they were fighting and obviously there was some reason for them to fight. Given that we neither had an idea as to why they were fighting nor we had the authority or the relationship to try and forge a truce between them, our action in not intervening was right and justified. Had we intervened, we could have ended up with a few bruises as well.
The quartret were yelling that he had done something really bad but did not say what he had done. I suppose its not like he had a gun, coz if he did it would be affecting us as co passengers and then perhaps they could have warned us, but obviously it was not something like that and it was a personal fight.
On our way back, my housemate and I were on the lookout to see if those guys were anywhere in the vicinity.
Luckily it did not end up like “Khaya Peeya kuch nahin, glass thoda barah aana”.
Monday, October 15, 2007
A week of bliss
Originally posted on 13th October
The last week has been a week off for me, in Melbourne. I week where I had no commitments, no plans whatsoever and I took each day as it came, and did exactly what I wanted to do and when I wanted to. Its been a refreshing week.
a couple of days ago, I wanted to do something constructive and I decided to weed out useless stuff from home that included clothes and paper/documents. While doing this, I had to take eth suitcases from atop the cupboards and I went through many a nostalgic moments. The old clothes reminded me of times wearing them and some pics where I was wearing them. It also took me back to ethdays when I was packing to come to Melbourne. The documents had hand written letters, my visa application copies, my college notes etc. I also found a diary which I used to keep track of my expenses here in Melbourne as a student. I lived on a shoestring budget of 650$ month. The enteries on that included some very interesting ones that took me back down memory lane. Some samples are :
Hungry Jacks burger - 3.15$
Tennis ball for cricket (10 / 4) - 2.5$
Donut - 1.10$
Tram ticket - 83.2$
Chewing Gum - 0.70c
Ah God!!! it brought me to tears!!! Those are the days that I am proud of. It taught me to live within my means, to prioritise things, and to set myself realistic expectations. It taught me to sacrifice things and also not to regret having to sacrifice. It was a wonderful learning experience.
The other days in this holiday were spent, watching India play Australia, playing cricket at home with my housemate, visiting friends for dinner and inviting them over for dinner on other days and also waking up late and watching atleast 2 movies a day. Its Saturday and I am looking forward to the Cricket ball cricket after along time and then dinner with friends.
Oh and I did not mention that this break is between jobs, so its an exciting time. Tomorrow is reserved to get focussed on the new job and also to watch India play the Aussies at Nagpur!!
The last week has been a week off for me, in Melbourne. I week where I had no commitments, no plans whatsoever and I took each day as it came, and did exactly what I wanted to do and when I wanted to. Its been a refreshing week.
a couple of days ago, I wanted to do something constructive and I decided to weed out useless stuff from home that included clothes and paper/documents. While doing this, I had to take eth suitcases from atop the cupboards and I went through many a nostalgic moments. The old clothes reminded me of times wearing them and some pics where I was wearing them. It also took me back to ethdays when I was packing to come to Melbourne. The documents had hand written letters, my visa application copies, my college notes etc. I also found a diary which I used to keep track of my expenses here in Melbourne as a student. I lived on a shoestring budget of 650$ month. The enteries on that included some very interesting ones that took me back down memory lane. Some samples are :
Hungry Jacks burger - 3.15$
Tennis ball for cricket (10 / 4) - 2.5$
Donut - 1.10$
Tram ticket - 83.2$
Chewing Gum - 0.70c
Ah God!!! it brought me to tears!!! Those are the days that I am proud of. It taught me to live within my means, to prioritise things, and to set myself realistic expectations. It taught me to sacrifice things and also not to regret having to sacrifice. It was a wonderful learning experience.
The other days in this holiday were spent, watching India play Australia, playing cricket at home with my housemate, visiting friends for dinner and inviting them over for dinner on other days and also waking up late and watching atleast 2 movies a day. Its Saturday and I am looking forward to the Cricket ball cricket after along time and then dinner with friends.
Oh and I did not mention that this break is between jobs, so its an exciting time. Tomorrow is reserved to get focussed on the new job and also to watch India play the Aussies at Nagpur!!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Global Warming - Go for Green
Global Warming seems to be THE buzz phrase of late. It has grown in its importance to such a level that perhaps the elections in Australia and the US will be won or lost based on the buzz phrase - or so it is made out to be.
I am no expert on the matter and to be frank I havent done much research into the topic either, but from common sense and what I read in bits, Global Warming is definitely a concern, if not for us, for the generations that follow us. I have myself experienced climatic changes that scientists have attributed to Global Warming. While it is good that the issue is being raked up, awareness being created and something being done about it - are those things that are being done, the right things to do? Are they having the right effect?
The initiatives that I have seen include, recycling programs for non-biodegradable but recyclable waste, rebates and sops to organisations commiting to limited emissions of Green House gases, rebates to customers for choosing green power to power their homes etc. Employers and organisations are doing their bits to contribute to the effort by reducing the use to paper, reducing business travel , minimising the use of electricity etc. Airlines are contributing a portion of the ticket money or frequent flyer points towards Reforestation plans in order to offset the Green house gases as a result of that travel.
These initiatives are fantastic and are trying to address the issue at hand head-on. But is there a fallout of all or some of these initiatives that results in things that negate the effort? I think in some cases, Yes! A recent survey revealed that people like to use the extra savings that they earn from electricity providers and the like to buy new Plasma Tvs or LCD TVs. Now thats not just negating the effect but compounding the problem. It is a proven fact now that Plasma TVs use up more power and hence result in higher green house gases than normal CRT TVs. So what is the point in signing up for the Green power project, saving some money on that and buying a Plasma TV?
The above is just one example of such initiatives back firing, and there are bound to be such instances, but what I think is that the World should join hands to try and come up with better and more viable initiatives that will help reduce the Green house effect and the Global Warming. Imposing and enforcing vehicle emission standards is one great foolproof initiative. Sops to people who use Green means is one way of providing benefit, but a more effective means would be to tax those who are not prepared to use Green means.
Feel free to comment in with your ideas.
I am no expert on the matter and to be frank I havent done much research into the topic either, but from common sense and what I read in bits, Global Warming is definitely a concern, if not for us, for the generations that follow us. I have myself experienced climatic changes that scientists have attributed to Global Warming. While it is good that the issue is being raked up, awareness being created and something being done about it - are those things that are being done, the right things to do? Are they having the right effect?
The initiatives that I have seen include, recycling programs for non-biodegradable but recyclable waste, rebates and sops to organisations commiting to limited emissions of Green House gases, rebates to customers for choosing green power to power their homes etc. Employers and organisations are doing their bits to contribute to the effort by reducing the use to paper, reducing business travel , minimising the use of electricity etc. Airlines are contributing a portion of the ticket money or frequent flyer points towards Reforestation plans in order to offset the Green house gases as a result of that travel.
These initiatives are fantastic and are trying to address the issue at hand head-on. But is there a fallout of all or some of these initiatives that results in things that negate the effort? I think in some cases, Yes! A recent survey revealed that people like to use the extra savings that they earn from electricity providers and the like to buy new Plasma Tvs or LCD TVs. Now thats not just negating the effect but compounding the problem. It is a proven fact now that Plasma TVs use up more power and hence result in higher green house gases than normal CRT TVs. So what is the point in signing up for the Green power project, saving some money on that and buying a Plasma TV?
The above is just one example of such initiatives back firing, and there are bound to be such instances, but what I think is that the World should join hands to try and come up with better and more viable initiatives that will help reduce the Green house effect and the Global Warming. Imposing and enforcing vehicle emission standards is one great foolproof initiative. Sops to people who use Green means is one way of providing benefit, but a more effective means would be to tax those who are not prepared to use Green means.
Feel free to comment in with your ideas.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Addictions
My 2 latest addictions :
Wikipedia'ing
I get on to Wiki in order to look up something and from eth associated links to more links to more associated links, I keep reading up stuff and I dont realise teh amount of time I have spent on the site. The good thing about this is that I am learning a lot along the way.
YouTube'ing
I get on You Tube to look up some moment and then from related videos to featured videos to more related videos to more related videos, I keep going. The best part about this is it is entertaining and sometimes also inspiring.
Wikipedia'ing
I get on to Wiki in order to look up something and from eth associated links to more links to more associated links, I keep reading up stuff and I dont realise teh amount of time I have spent on the site. The good thing about this is that I am learning a lot along the way.
YouTube'ing
I get on You Tube to look up some moment and then from related videos to featured videos to more related videos to more related videos, I keep going. The best part about this is it is entertaining and sometimes also inspiring.
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