Any mallu will not be a complete person if he hasn’t gone to the gulf at least once. Such is the hype for that place and dubai is the destination for any keralite. Therefore, because of sheer pressure I had to go to this place and get my passport stamped to get my salvation. Being in sales the only advantage is we get incentive trips to across the world and I was waiting for one such opportunity to grab.
Exactly 45 days back when my company announced such a trip, my only goal was to qualify for it come what may. I traveled across tamilnad to meet clients and convert each one to reach my final destination. Thanks to my teammates, I qualified for the event and got my tickets booked.
Coming from a middle class family boarding a flight to any location itself is a great thing, and I wished at some point in my life I have to travel by Emirates. Its just because I had heard from others that’s the best airline in the world and I was fortunate enough to get booked in that. My wife coming from an airline industry she gave me lectures on how they do the check in and baggage. After a period of 45 days my dream came to reality when I boarded the flight to dubai.
It’s a city, which is not even half the size of chennai, but everything is world class. High rise buildings, shopping malls, pubs, high end cars and the list goes on.I had a fabulous time out there and had loads of fun activity which deserves another blog.
Now that I touched the land of salvation for a mallu and have become a complete keralite, I can make visits to kerala with pride. However, the buzzword now is US and that doesn’t seems to be far away. Hoping to meet BUSH soon.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
April fool
April 1st is a fool’s day for various reasons. One reason is for the income you get. I earn a decent salary and I do not mind paying tax to the development of my country. However, the tax calculation always fools me by deducting 70% of the month’s salary in April.
I pay taxes for everything right from my hair cut to the beer I have at night. I think the government should come up with “linked tax paying system” wherein an individual will be taxed 20% of his CTC. The individual should have option of getting it deduct from salary or he should do all his spends through debit/credit card which will have his PAN(permanent account number). At the end of financial year a consolidated report will be made to see whether he paid 20% tax or not, if not the remaining amount will be deducted in his salary. By doing this all transaction will be accounted and more tax can be collected and we can eradicate black money from the market.
Hope such kind of a scenario comes soon and I am fooled for some other reason next April.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Rainy Days
It is an awesome feel to look at early morning drizzles through the window and sipping on hot cup of tea. I also love to drive during these times listening to some soft romantic numbers. Thanks to some cyclone formation, I am enjoying this for the past one week. I have my office on the 10th floor on a seaside. It’s a picturesque view from here when it rains.
I hope everybody loves rain and the pleasant weather. I have my own preference on a rainy day. I want myself to be in a cottage of a hill station amidst thick forest with mist covered. As I sit on the balcony on a wooden chair keeping my legs above the wooden rails the drizzles should wet my feet. To bring some warmness to my body and soul I need a bottle of old monk rum. As I sip the liquor listening to the chirping of birds and some soft romantic numbers there should be steaming smashed tapioca and spicy fish curry to enthrall my stomach. I can sit for hours together and enjoy if I get such an atmosphere.
I wish that such dreams come true and I would cherish every second of it.
Friday, March 14, 2008
29 inches happiness
I had gone to my hometown on the en-route of my official tour. My parents were not in thick of their health, my friends wedding and many other reasons were there for my visit.
There we have a CTV, which is a decade old that had been entertaining my folks. They had no grudge on this even though the colour was not up to the mark and images were blurred. Since I have a flat screen model where I live now has better quality in terms of picture and sound. As I was watching the TV at home, thought would buy a new one for my parents because they deserve it. I picked up the local daily to check out any offer was available. There was an advertisement of a TV dealer with no discounts/offers. However, that did not stop me from my decision of buying a new one.
I told my wife about the surprise gift for my parents, she was as thrilled as I was. We called up the showroom to exchange the old TV. The guy reached our place to check the status and fixed the price. Only then, my mom came to know about it. She was damn excited and was happy that her son is doing something for them, which they also were also planning. She called up my dad to inform this and asked him to come to the showroom to choose the TV he wants. In the next 2 hours a brand new 29 inches flat screen TV replaced our old entertainer.
I could see the happiness in the face of my parents. I was proud of myself on that day and gave a pat to myself for thinking on the lines of my parents. I wish I could surprise them with many more such gifts and bring happiness to their life.
There we have a CTV, which is a decade old that had been entertaining my folks. They had no grudge on this even though the colour was not up to the mark and images were blurred. Since I have a flat screen model where I live now has better quality in terms of picture and sound. As I was watching the TV at home, thought would buy a new one for my parents because they deserve it. I picked up the local daily to check out any offer was available. There was an advertisement of a TV dealer with no discounts/offers. However, that did not stop me from my decision of buying a new one.
I told my wife about the surprise gift for my parents, she was as thrilled as I was. We called up the showroom to exchange the old TV. The guy reached our place to check the status and fixed the price. Only then, my mom came to know about it. She was damn excited and was happy that her son is doing something for them, which they also were also planning. She called up my dad to inform this and asked him to come to the showroom to choose the TV he wants. In the next 2 hours a brand new 29 inches flat screen TV replaced our old entertainer.
I could see the happiness in the face of my parents. I was proud of myself on that day and gave a pat to myself for thinking on the lines of my parents. I wish I could surprise them with many more such gifts and bring happiness to their life.
Friday, February 29, 2008
One day FM
Sorry, for taking such a long break to post my next blog. The main reason to post now is not to leave the month empty. Today while driving to office I heard on FM Radio of “what you will do if you were Finance Minister for a day?” hmmm sounds interesting to be one actually.
I am very bad when it comes to handling finances. I get a decent pay now but the condition on the month end is same as when I was earning 6 times lesser than now. Therefore, me being a FM for a day would be doomsday for India. Even if I do become my list will be not more than ten points.
· Income Tax at flat 10% for individuals, 15% for SME’s, 20% of Indian corporate houses and 25% for any International joint venture company.
· Service Tax at 10%
· Cut down intrest rate for home loans to 5%
· Funding for building schools, hospitals, bridges and roads in rural areas also tax benefits for companies indulging in the project.
· Increase pay scale for all government employees as per the commission’s recommendation (this is to stop corruption).
· Tax benefits for SEZ that comes in areas not feasible for farming.
A lot more to be done to achieve the desired GDP and for that I have to be a FM for 5 years. But for now I have to do my monthly target to have a stable finance and minister it.
I am very bad when it comes to handling finances. I get a decent pay now but the condition on the month end is same as when I was earning 6 times lesser than now. Therefore, me being a FM for a day would be doomsday for India. Even if I do become my list will be not more than ten points.
· Income Tax at flat 10% for individuals, 15% for SME’s, 20% of Indian corporate houses and 25% for any International joint venture company.
· Service Tax at 10%
· Cut down intrest rate for home loans to 5%
· Funding for building schools, hospitals, bridges and roads in rural areas also tax benefits for companies indulging in the project.
· Increase pay scale for all government employees as per the commission’s recommendation (this is to stop corruption).
· Tax benefits for SEZ that comes in areas not feasible for farming.
A lot more to be done to achieve the desired GDP and for that I have to be a FM for 5 years. But for now I have to do my monthly target to have a stable finance and minister it.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Anniversary
Come Jan 8th will be my second wedding anniversary. What an eventful two years it has been. How fast the years are passing by. Still I can remember that eventful day when I got up from bed with the overnight smell of bacardi rum. I was supposed to go back to the hotel where my parents were staying, but decided against it and thought will spend that night marrying around with friends since that being my last day as a bachelor. As usual, I got up late and rushed to the hotel to bath and dress up for that long day. Likewise I had to rush to the temple where we had the traditional thaali kettu(holy knot). My poor wife was waiting in the temple for me to reach without knowing that it is only a beginning and such late comings are integral part of my life.
Our journey started from there. Like everybody, we also planned for our honeymoon, which started from Mauritius to Kodaikanal. However, our honeymoon trip was to a small hill station near my hometown where before my wedding I go to have a cup of tea. Therefore, for me it was not that fascinating and our trip got over in half a day. God believe me the crib started from then and my wife cribs now for each and everything. In one month, I got the most amazing news of my lifetime that my wife is pregnant.
One thing that fascinates my wife even today is going out. Wake her up even in middle of night and ask her to get ready for a drive, she will be the first to be in the car and ask where are we going. I don’t know from where she gets the energy for non stop roaming. Even while she was pregnant, she had traveled along with me to hyderabad, madurai, cochin, alleppy. We got our cute little kid exactly in nine months from our wedding. The moment was the most precious and still fresh in my mind. I sat next to my wife with the kid and she had the effect of anesthesia on her, still she opened her eyes and kissed the kid and me.
She joined me in chennai with our 3-month-old child, where we actually started living together. Only then, I realized a woman could make a home. She is such a person who will always keep the house neat and clean. In the past one year of living together, she had brought in lots of changes to my life, from an alcoholic to an occasional drinker, a frequent smoker to non-smoker, saving money etc. I admire her for the care she takes to prepare different dish everyday to impress me. Its not that we had a smooth run, we had our own share of fight which will end up only after couple of days with me taking her out again for a dinner. Most of the times, I use to think I would have been happy if not married.
All said and done we have completed two successful years of married life. This could be possible for one simple reason, pure love she has to me, and I love her for that.
Our journey started from there. Like everybody, we also planned for our honeymoon, which started from Mauritius to Kodaikanal. However, our honeymoon trip was to a small hill station near my hometown where before my wedding I go to have a cup of tea. Therefore, for me it was not that fascinating and our trip got over in half a day. God believe me the crib started from then and my wife cribs now for each and everything. In one month, I got the most amazing news of my lifetime that my wife is pregnant.
One thing that fascinates my wife even today is going out. Wake her up even in middle of night and ask her to get ready for a drive, she will be the first to be in the car and ask where are we going. I don’t know from where she gets the energy for non stop roaming. Even while she was pregnant, she had traveled along with me to hyderabad, madurai, cochin, alleppy. We got our cute little kid exactly in nine months from our wedding. The moment was the most precious and still fresh in my mind. I sat next to my wife with the kid and she had the effect of anesthesia on her, still she opened her eyes and kissed the kid and me.
She joined me in chennai with our 3-month-old child, where we actually started living together. Only then, I realized a woman could make a home. She is such a person who will always keep the house neat and clean. In the past one year of living together, she had brought in lots of changes to my life, from an alcoholic to an occasional drinker, a frequent smoker to non-smoker, saving money etc. I admire her for the care she takes to prepare different dish everyday to impress me. Its not that we had a smooth run, we had our own share of fight which will end up only after couple of days with me taking her out again for a dinner. Most of the times, I use to think I would have been happy if not married.
All said and done we have completed two successful years of married life. This could be possible for one simple reason, pure love she has to me, and I love her for that.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Molested by media
For the past two days media especially television media is going gong ho about two girls molested by 70 odd guys in mumbai. This has become the national news with sms and online polls, debates and talk shows.
My point is not on what led to the incident but why such things are being highlighted and made as a national news. There were photographs published in newspapers and shown on television. My question to all of them is, if the journalist/photographer wanted to help the woman why cannot he do without taking a photograph.
By publishing the photo and making it such a big news the victims suffered more than what they would have gone through that night. Now a one-hour horror has become a lifetime sorrow for the victims. Wont they realize that by publishing, such photographs the victims and their relatives will get hurt more than the offenders will. If the same incident had happened to their kith or kin whether these media houses will publish that too?
By displaying this full time, the victims who wanted to forget such an incident had to file a complaint. The police to safeguard their face have now arrested some 7 offenders. I am sure the guys arrested would not have been anywhere around the incident place. Ask media houses why they did all this, they will reply in unison that only because of the th police had taken up the case and now the culprits are caught. If that was the motive, the journalist should not have published the photo at all. He should have filed a complaint against the offenders and shown the photographs to the police. This would have helped the police to get the real culprits before they go under cover.
Wait, the worst is yet to come. Today I saw the interview of the victim. The victim reported that she is upset for what has been reported in the media and worried that such things are published in big way. The interviewer being a psych asked whether she will go out for new year parties again? It’s like asking whether you liked to get raped again by us. I think the victim should file a case of molestation against all the media companies, which had taken up this issue.
This is a classic case of operation success patient died.
My point is not on what led to the incident but why such things are being highlighted and made as a national news. There were photographs published in newspapers and shown on television. My question to all of them is, if the journalist/photographer wanted to help the woman why cannot he do without taking a photograph.
By publishing the photo and making it such a big news the victims suffered more than what they would have gone through that night. Now a one-hour horror has become a lifetime sorrow for the victims. Wont they realize that by publishing, such photographs the victims and their relatives will get hurt more than the offenders will. If the same incident had happened to their kith or kin whether these media houses will publish that too?
By displaying this full time, the victims who wanted to forget such an incident had to file a complaint. The police to safeguard their face have now arrested some 7 offenders. I am sure the guys arrested would not have been anywhere around the incident place. Ask media houses why they did all this, they will reply in unison that only because of the th police had taken up the case and now the culprits are caught. If that was the motive, the journalist should not have published the photo at all. He should have filed a complaint against the offenders and shown the photographs to the police. This would have helped the police to get the real culprits before they go under cover.
Wait, the worst is yet to come. Today I saw the interview of the victim. The victim reported that she is upset for what has been reported in the media and worried that such things are published in big way. The interviewer being a psych asked whether she will go out for new year parties again? It’s like asking whether you liked to get raped again by us. I think the victim should file a case of molestation against all the media companies, which had taken up this issue.
This is a classic case of operation success patient died.
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