Apartments in Mumbai (Suburbs!) expensive than Chicago!

Have a hearty laugh!

We Indians earning in rupees thats' valued at 1:44 to a dollar have to spend much more to buy an apartment in Mumbai's far-western suburb like Goregaon than a average American who has to shell out much lower to buy a bigger, grander and luxurious home in a state like Chicago!

Ironic? No it's the shameful greed of developers, and government apathy at work!

Chicago Grand House (Rs. 1,43,00,000)

4 BHK - 3500 sq ft+ Grand House, with Garden (Many more such properties, click here )











Goregaon Apartment (Rs. 1,80,11,914)
3 BHK - 2255 sq ft measly Apartment















Think twice before a government as greedy, and as corrupt like this is again voted to power!

Letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Respected Sir,

"A desperate starving man will always pay more for a meal than a well fed fat man"

I am writing this letter out of desperation, because, the housing sector in Mumbai is heading towards a catastrophic human disaster. Why are NRIs/Non-Indian nationals’/Corporations/Indian Investors ("Sharks") being allowed a free run in Indian housing sector? Since when did the housing sector start to become a commodity that could be sold in an auction-like manner?

Sir, I am salaried class person, part of the value-industry that is bringing dollars to India. I paid about 1/3 million rupees in taxes with an effective tax rate of 28% this year. Even for me to buy a modest 850 sq. ft. flat in Mumbai means having to part with more than 50% of my gross monthly income! What happens to my family which has old-parents, wife and kids (planned), and their modest aspirations to a good life? If I face such issues what can I say about others who are not-so-lucky?

Sir, the situation is quite obvious, Indian population has always had a very-high demand for housing. The supply, albeit, has never quite kept pace. To make matters worse now, the demand is now further increased due to buying by these "Sharks", merely for the sake of Investment. Sir, this demand from outside India is not because of any other factor but due to the statement I made above. The "Sharks" has his eyes on the starvation that an ordinary Indian has towards affordable housing in a country like ours and is quite content to "invest" his easy money into our cities and block housing units for years at end till they earn a good return.

Sir, is this right for India? Should we allow the starvation of the country become a driving force for some investors' investment greed? Why have they not participated in Indian Infrastructure projects, why isn’t a NRI willing to dedicate 6 months of his services to India, surely it is going to reward him well, but I think the answer lies in a simple fact, they probably don’t care!

Sir, my only request to you is to not look at the Housing Sector with an Economics or Trade viewpoint, rather this subject needs to be given a Humanitarian and Socialist ear and mind.

Sir, to conclude, I would just ask you this: What would've Mahatma Gandhi done if he was to see the ground realities of the shameful greed on show in the housing sector of this country?

My sincere regards to you!

Yours' Truly

Mumbai Real Estate Bubble

For the last few days' I've been property hunting, not the old-fashioned way, but really in "information-age" way!

I've been tracking the stock markets, global markets, builder quotes, industry watchers' opinions, and ofcourse the one important entity, the average man.

Based on initial analysis it is quite clear that unlike a bubble that manifests around a central point, the Real Estate story is quite asymmetrical. Instead of being focussed on a single entity, this ones' largely revolving around atleast five crucial elements, hence its' more of a "Pentabble" than a bubble :)

What am I talking about? Here are the five reasons around which the Mumbai Real Estate story is centered.

1. Collossal Influx of Capital in Early 06 (see Nifty90-07), there is do denying that post Jul-03 there has been a steady inflow of investments, particulary from FIIs', Hedge Funds, Japanese Funds, Domestic SIP's, Insurance Companies and also to a large extent Indian Investors. This has resulted in dramatic value creation. This has led to a far better than expected surplus of funds for disposal at the hands of Indian Public, NRIs' and Corporations. This surplus has conveiniently found its' way into Real Estate. The presence of this surplus is confirmed strongly by the falling interest rates to ridiculously low levels like 7.0%-7.5% 1.1

2. Indian Developers discovering the London Alternative Investment Market 1.2: Were you left wondering how on earth are developers able to command such high price? The answer cannot be simpler than this, "they source money way too cheap". Imagine a typical builder, he'd have to sell atleast a good part of his project before contemplating entering the market to buy extra TDR. However a smart builder sources funds from Londons' AIM, and then is able to sell ready-made flats in an almost "Auction House" model. They modus-operandi is quite easy actually, there exist a healthy nexus between property developers and estate agents, and its' not so difficult to find "investors" in a market of high capital availability. So you keep doing cross-selling till such time that prices are sky-high and at the same time they are generally accepted to be the real price. Although there is no citation for this, it stems from my personal account of being offered "investor" flats by the builders. These investors are nothing short than speculators who eventually pull up the price of a project, provided the developer can take it to completion by himself (with little support ofcourse).

3. Huge demand: Some basics dont change, there is no denying the fact that there is demand, but to say that this demand was generated in the last 30 months is foolish! This demand has certainly being recognised in that period but I wonder if its' actually being catered to! The demand is the underlying guarantee that prices will shoot-up and is also being used by investors to stay put in their investments.

4. Allowance of FDI in Reality: This has been one of the most disastrous decisions taken by UPA government, in March 2005. The effects of this are being felt more severly than ever! How can a government where communist parties are stakeholders make such a blunder? To deprive the common (even a middle-class common man) of the right to a good quality housing is the best way to be voted out of power for the current government. The hard work ahead for the opposition is to spread the word, and take this colossal mistake to the general public.

5. Corruption, Corruption and More Corruption: This is the primary source of black money, and this black money is the fuel for Real Estate! An actress who dates a businessman-scion of Raj-era goes on air proclaiming that she only invests in "Real Estate". A wee-bit of enquiries into the same would show the world what an "Heroine" is really made up of!

References & Links:
1.3: Click here for the latest on Mumbai's Real Estate Bubble
1.4: Compare your understanding of the Mumbai Real Estate to the following wiki article.

Saddam Hussein 1937-2006

Saddam Hussein, may not have been the worlds' greatest of leaders. But he was a leader nevertheless, and he's suffered probably the most gruesome and certainly the most humiliating death at the hands of his internal enemies.

The problem with the world today is there are evil point-of-views under the garb of democracies. People can get away with the most uncivilized and gruesome acts by claiming to be proponents of democracy.

Would anyone ever hang the leaders of the coalition who defied the United Nations, and went into war for the search of "Nukes", which were never found?

Is anyone asking Mr. Bush & Mr. Blair about their own conscience?

They invaded the country uttering a single excuse "Weapons of Mass Destruction", ironically the only "Weapons of Mass Destruction" in Iraq today are the ones' carried on the shoulders of British and American troops!!!

What a farcical world and what horrific nations to share this planet with!

Full Coverage of Saddam's Execution

Flight Simulator Trips

Mount Everest
Fly from Tribhovandas International Airport, Kathmandu-Nepal, and fly east about 85 degrees. You would come across the beautiful himalayas. Its' quite a pleasure guiding the King Air between the mountain. Try landing in between mountains in the snow-laden valleys. It should be quite easy.
( Pic 1-2)

K2
The most deadliest peak in the world, second tallest after Mount Everest. This peak has a death-rate of 41% amongst summiters.
(Pic 3-4)
 

My Best Photo

My Best Photo!

This one was taken on 01-Jan-2005.

As you can clearly see, its' a collage of some 6 photos taken side-by-side using my Canon Powershot S1 IS.

It was an amazing day, the cloud formation looked so different the mini clouds looked as if tiny ice-cream drops that some wasteful kid drops along as he wizzes past in a car. 

Paragliding in Manali!

The most exhilarating experience of my life!

Swapnali and me took this risk without realizing it was about to give us a memory for life. The photo shows Swapnali floating in the cool Manali breeze cushioned by snow-capped mountains and lush conifers.

My woman, she led the way that day! 

Fcuked up India Post Website!

The fcuking postmans of India who run this $hithole website claim you can track orders' online.

http://www.indiapost.gov.in/speednet/Track.htm

Guess what I found out, this html page posts data to an aspx(!) page which in turn carries the following meta tag

<META content="Microsoft FrontPage 6.0" name="GENERATOR">

On top of it, the page returns your queries almost instantaneously which confirms the fact that there is nothing being queried nor is there any backend of any kind.

Ba$tard piece of $hit!

It feels good that these postmen are all losing their jobs and are gonna be beggars soon!

Uncyclopedia

Truly amazing site. It's a parody of the popular Wikipedia.org and features full blown parodies for virtually any topic you could think of. My favourites are descriptions of Airplane companies (Boeing takes the honours), British Military, and all countries in general, and Pakistan in particular.

Great fun, do visit...and keep visiting.

URL: http://www.uncyclopedia.org

Traffic jams on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

The drive is supposed to be a fast & furious one, but mine proved to be a miserable one on 19-Nov-2006. I was stuck for over an hour near the lonavala section of Mum-Pune Expressway. Horrible as it was, the traffic hardly moved, and to make matters worse Trucks and Buses occupied all three lanes making it impossible to manouver & judge distance of the blockade.

About a kilometer into the jam, I discovered two huge trailers stuck right next to each other, in different lanes! Can you imagine that, and inspite of this strech being close to humanity, there was only one policeman(?) who merely stood there observing - gods knows what.

Worst Hindi movies

I was so frustrated while watching a hindi movie recently, that I wanted to make sure I add that movie to a list of MUST-NOT-SEE even if you are offered a $1 bn!!!

Unfortunately there isnt one, so I thought I'll make my own. So here it goes.

1. Home Delivery
This is the movie what inspired me to write this blog.

A truly hardcore awful movie which actually makes you feel like you are in the middle of a bad dream. This could not have been any worse, and I dare say that even the actors in the movie could not have sat through the movie premiere.

The plot is about a "Style guru" (Viveik Oberoi) & Boman Irani (Pizza guy). That's ALL I could remember, and yeah there is Nani (a bountiful actress)

Horrid Quotient: 10/10

2. Gangster
I really wonder if Emraan Hasmi was a pimp, if he isnt I'll be disappointed. This is definately the first and the last Hasmi movie I'll ever see!

Shiney "Silent" Ahuja plays a "Big Ganglord" who insists on bashing / shooting himself. God, what message are we sending the world when India is the heartland of global outsourcing!

I love the ham scene that Shiney has done, he's crying and delivering a dialogue at the same time. I bet there was somthing sinister that he had done to the editor, for no editor worth his salt would have retained this scene. I'll try to post a movie clip of that scene.

Horrid Quotient: 9/10

3. Govinda Flixs
He's responsible for the bastardisation of Indian cinema. Give your money to some charity rather than watching Govinda's filthy work!

Horrid Quotient: 9.9/10

4. All these remakes - Don, Umrao Jaan and even Sholay!
God! Is there such a compulsion to make films, that directors are shamelessly agreeing that they are ready to make "copies" of original blockbusters. If they are really worth their salt, they should pick up all the disastrous movies and turn them into worthwhile movies. That would indeed be a tribute to the fallen artisans - they failed once, but their work was re-surrected.

Horrid Quotient: 8/10

5. Amitabh Horrors - Ganga Jamuna Saraswati, a few that I dont wanna remember names of...
They say even god falters, he certainly did so when he got a certain woman to marry a certain man that I know, however Amitabh isnt just god, he is far larger and grander than the almighty.

Or so we thought...but the movies listed above have proven that he's "Only Human!".

Horrid Quotient: 7/10

6. Neal N Nikki
There is loads of stuff already written about how horrible this movie is. It proves only one point, you cannot do anything if your star-child is a dud. Not only are the two actors (Uday & Tanisha) horrible to look at, they make matters worse by skipping acting classes altogether. Why is Uday so hell bent on making himself into a star...I mean those lip-sticks that he has on throughout the movie are a real low-point in Bollywood history. Gosh wonder what inspired this movie.

Horrid Quotient: 10/10

7. Apna Sapna Money Money
Filthy, Vulgar and down-right cheap. This movie is probably aimed at the void left by Govinda's disappearance from movies. The movie is very cleverly aimed at profits though, it is sure to end up a little above the red line for sure.

Horrid Quotient: 8/10

8. Bhagam Bhag
The movie is outrageously horrid. Crap dialogues, terrible looking actors, and an incoherent plot. The only thing good about the movie is I finally got to see the Member of Parliament of my area since the time he showed his face during elections.

Horrid Quotient: 9.9/10

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Saw this movie today!

The movie had a profounding effect, to begin with I make my wife chant hold hymns whenever I believe there might be a demon lurking in her. Well the movie's nice but arent there too many "facts" about demons and excorcisms which provoke one to think there is probably nothing more than the millions of dollars that such film-producers make?

Mumbai Metro: Need to rethink!

Can someone please tell me why is the Mumbai Metro being run from Andheri to Chamber?

Population density, population concentration, daily figures of railway commuters etc will point out blaringly that Mumbai Metro ought to run right underneath the current western suburban line! Why? The answers' simple, where is the rush at Andheri? This suburb is a vastly populated one, but not by the residential types, its' either office employees or service providers to those. Now compare this to the unsatiable demand for a "decent" transportation for western suburbs beyond Goregaon, its' rocking! The InOrbit mall, the zillions of multiplexes in suburbs between Goregaon and Dahisar are a clear sign of where the money is currently residing.

Why is Anil Ambani so keen on making a fool out of himself? I mean isnt there a bottom to where this guy wants to reach? He's already been shown the door from the very thing that is "Ambani", his' funds are not even worth the money people paid him, and now he's obsessed with building a Giant White Elephant, or atleast has won to contract to build one. Wake up buddy, no one's gonna ride your metro, if you want customers' you gotta meet the market.

I can bet my life, if a Metro runs parallel to the Western Suburban line, and then they go with the current plan as the second phase, crossing in at Andheri junction, it would be a serious reduction of the messy jams suburbs are facing.

Wake up officials, its time we give a serious second thought to the whole construction!


PS: Chembur is a densely polluted, or sparely aerated suburb, hence it's popularly also known as "Chamber"

Especial Bruno Bozzetto

Funny depiction of Italian Culture

Looks like Indians really do have Italian roots. The similiarities dont end with the cultural items showcased, even our flags are similiar albeit rotated by 90 degrees. Both countries are having a tremendous religious following, probably "Athesim" is frowned upon in Italy as much as it is in India. Both have a mafia which is stronger than the Govt and it's Forces combined. Both countries have beautiful women, and both countries are run by Italians :)

However the similiarities end with all the baddies. We have none of the far outstanding achievements or glory as either Rome or Italy.

My D&D Character

I Am A: Lawful Good Half-Elf Thief Bard


Alignment:
Lawful Good characters are the epitome of all that is just and good. They believe in order and governments that work for the benefit of all, and generally do not mind doing direct work to further their beliefs.


Race:
Half-Elves are a cross between a human and an elf. They are smaller, like their elven ancestors, but have a much shorter lifespan. They are sometimes looked down upon as half-breeds, but this is rare. They have both the curious drive of humans and the patience of elves.


Primary Class:
Thieves are the most roguish of the classes. They are sneaky and nimble-fingered, and have skills with traps and locks. While not all use these skills for burglary, that is a common occupation of this class.


Secondary Class:
Bards are the entertainers. They sing, dance, and play instruments to make other people happy, and, frequently, make money. They also tend to dabble in magic a bit.


Deity:
Tyr is the Lawful Good god of justice. He is also known as Tyr Grimjaws, Wounded Tyr, the Maimed God, and Blind Tyr. He appears as a warrior, missing his hand. Followers of Tyr are concerned first and foremost with justice - discovering the truth and punishing the guilty for their crimes. They wear blue and purple robes with a white sash, a white gauntlet on the left hand, and a black gauntlet on the right, to symbolize Tyr's lost hand. Their preferred weapon is the warhammer. Tyr's symbol is a set of scales resting on a warhammer.


Find out What D&D Character Are You?,

Courtesy of NeppyMan (e-mail)

Web Sudoku

Web Sudoku - Billions of Free Sudoku Puzzles to Play Online

Great site to start this really interesting hobby!

Build Me Up Buttercup Lyrics

Artist: The Foundations Lyrics
Song: Build Me Up Buttercup Lyrics

Why do you build me up (Build me up)
Buttercup baby just to
let me down (Let me down)
And mess me around
And then worst of all (Worst of all)
You never call baby
When you say you will (Say you will)
But I love you still
I need you (I need you)
More than anyone darlin'
You know that I have from the start

So build me up (Build me up)
Buttercup
Don't break my heart
I'll be over at ten
You tell me time and again
But you're late
I wait around and then
I went to the door
I can't take any more
It's not you
You let me down again

Baby Baby
Try to find a little time
And I'll make you happy
I'll be home
I'll be waiting beside the phone
Waiting for you.

Why do you build me up....
To you I'm a toy
But I could be the boy
You adore
If you'd just let me know
Although you're untrue
I'm attracted to you
All the more
Why do I need you so Baby Baby.....

ooh ooh ooh
Why do build me up .....

Portugal seek first title

Portugal seek first title: "Forty years after finishing third, Portugal are close to equaling their best showing."

They are my pick!!!

I'm happy that Argentina went down, dont like the last four letter of that word...

Brazil and England were clearly hypes of this world cup. Those teams clearly were living in past glory or just the pay-package glamour of their team.

Ukraine-Lucky to go as far as they did.

Germany is also my favourite, just in case Portugal mis-fires...

Italy, please dont win it, the world deserves a good title-winner, someone who can propagate the +ves that life has to offer.

France, Zizou and Henry...I love you all, but let there be some more teams that lay their hands on the world cup. Else it would be a very sad Bra-Fra-Bra-Fra...what does it say about the rest of the world?

Rain disrupts Mumbai transport network

Rain disrupts Mumbai transport network: "Road, rail and air transport in Mumbai has been disrupted by heavy rainfall and authorities have shut down schools and colleges. At least two people"

The super duper performance of Mumbai's Municipal Corporation shines through! Why should we still continue to pay our taxes @ 33%?

Memories of my first encounter with death are flashing through!

Ideas on retirement!

Umnn, I'm 30, I wanna retire @ 50 and I am practically broke :)

Right, not quite, but I am far from the kind of retirement that would sustain a current cash flow for a minimum 30 years of inactive earnings. Maybe even support that one entrepreneurial (read capitalist) venture I've so longed for all these years.

Indian stocks seem to be the basis of everything, you want a insurance, put into equities (DUH!) want a retirement, same; go for those aggresive mutual funds, atleast you would afford that bowl it can be a great profit making tool on any of Mumbai's traffic signals :)

So how on earth does one go about setting up your own retirement fund? There is only one and only one way, the Warren Buffet way. How many people are able to donate a part of their retirement funds to charity, and get praised by practically every bit of public proponent on this planet? (How this benefits Hathaway is a matter of debate, maybe there's none, but wont be surprised if it does) Capitalism isnt just about making the most of opportunity, but rather I view it as a means of making the most of whatever opportunity falls upon anyone (including you). So there is my starting point, but working for an investment bank and being part of those regulatory requirements robs the sheer ecstasy of being a speculator. For good I might add, in hindsight!

In India, there are only two types of companies. One that would survive till I die, and others that wont! Tata Motors, my favourite isnt quite what I call a long term prospect, as its days' would be numbered if and when India does stops it's apathy towards being rich!

It's indeed a difficult job, hence the portfolio would have to be churned over and over again. But that's what it takes, a 5% slice of your entire portfolio as brokerage! (Damn! I should be runnign an internet trading site...what am I doing filling up blogs!)

Mutual funds do well...hahaha...what a piece of $hit. Reliance growth goes negative in a few weeks of its' grand entry. UTI failed all it's investors. Magnum is ill-liquid, and most others rip you off clean. The fund manager's have a lifestyle to maintain guys...and the fund has a lot of hungry mouths to feed. This is a no-go unless you want exposure to debt and money-markets. Go for the GILT laden ones, they are the true blue investment vehicles. Go for Reliance and ICICI bonds, they are so good at being crooks, it would take another century for India to put them on the back foot.

But the key to your retirement portfolio should be only one! Aggregation! That's what you gotta do, no negative movements, only positive growth, and making money in the bear markets, that is the appetite you need to prescibe if you wanna have a rocking retirement :)