The Window Visitors

Either these birdies know that they get posted online or the area around this office and the climate is really attracting the birds here!! A few more....
The Lunch time Visit! I think this is a bird very similar top common sparrow..

Can someone please help me identifying this very tiny and a very pretty birdie?

A new visitor on my window ledge

this time was a Spotted/Scaly Breasted Munia or Lonchura Punctulata. Here are some grainy shots shot using my standard BB curve 8900.

I am sounding all intelligent about the name of this little birdie, courtesy Google Image Search, what else?!

Late in the May! Well, early in the June!

It is that time of the year again!! My most favorite time to look up at the heavens is back!! My office is basking in the afternoon sunshine just like the last year!! But the lawn that was just stitched up last year has stabilised through he year and the transformation makes these days even lovelier!!

On a side note, we had a glowing, radiant Beer and yummy, blushing Cosmo this Saturday night at a joint we frequent!

All photos courtesy my (new!) Blackberry Curve 8900!! Not a great camera but an amazing phone!! I just love how it made that beer glow!!

Crisis of ...? And the Clinical Optimists

A number of times in the past I have read that current crisis is the crisis of confidence and not cash, at least in India. This is not referring to the ever plunging indices. There indeed it is a fair lot of foreign money that was buying has been selling. But the statement above largely refers to the contraction of consumption. Consumption of goodies in malls, supplies in supermarkets, vehicles in auto lots, houses in residential markets and all those other purchases that have been either cancelled or put on hold by millions of Indians, fearing, hmmm, well, what??? Job loss? Respective industries going to dirt? Erosion of savings? General fear for financial well being? Impending political changes? Terrorism? Perhaps, a concoction of all these has made a drink potent enough to pull the rug under our feet. And rightly so. 

There is never a small talk over coffee or drinks that does not find this topic creeping into it these days. A topic of how robust is India's internal consumption story? To what extent are we export economy driven? We all agree we are no China (didn't we mourn that until not so long ago?) but we do not seem to be able to place the economy on the continuum of worse hit to less hit. (There is no one, in my opinion, who is unaffected.)  And it is through these conversations that the pessimists slowly start turning this crisis of confidence into the crisis of cash! A Self full filling prophecy! 

When does our collective caution turn into a collective disaster? Are we there yet as a country?? I strongly believe not. I am no expert in other sectors. But for Real Estate (I am no expert here either, but it is just that I work in this sector!) I always felt that February would bring a small cheer. And it has been the case. This month has been substantially better than anything we have seen post September 2008. For a variety of reasons! The 'doomsday predicament' of the buyer has at least changed to a 'fairly glum outlook'! And the media since the beginning of 2009 has decided to belt out relatively positive notes as opposed to what they were doing for 12 months prior to it. Most of it is still as ill-researched as it was then but now they are spinning the web the way the people who pay for fancy adverts want. Survival! I believe the month of April and May will again see a change in outlook for two reasons. First is obviously the political uncertainty will start to get reduced and secondly because the common folks  would know whether they are keeping their jobs next year and how much is their expected income! 

Even then the pessimists will cry foul. They will try to tell that it's is not over till it is over and over it will never be to these good Samaritans who are spending their hard earned cash on making this a crisis of sentiments and therefore, for the good of the entire country including those sly pessimists! Ha! 

So kudos to you people, who take a more balanced view. Who decide to cross the bridge of a total utter failure of financial world when we (if we) get there! Who look for opportunities and make a grab at them! Who understand the sinusoidal curve of life! Who can see, relatively well, through the BS of extreme negative and dispairing (and if you care to remember the extreme positive and euphoric) sentiments. Who are driven by logic but understand sentiment.

Basically if someone will make this country weather and come out shining much better is those 'clinically optimistic' people!!

Grhhh...

Dear office holder who gives planning permissions,

Please understand that we like to eat ice-cream in a waffle cone. You are giving us only the waffle cone. However nice that might taste, we like it WITH ice-cream. Get that???

Disgruntled Planner/Developer.

Something so difficult made so easy!

There is a fellow blogger I read in the universe. I don't know who led me to her blog but her sarcasm, wit and insight has made me stay put! In this latest post of hers she has very succinctly captured what a good manager is. Something I was grappling with these past few days because of the work scene. She very simply says and I quote, "Someone who provides the support I need, and gets out of my way"! I mean damn right, right?? I have had pleasure of reporting to a guy who was just this. And I think I am fighting with the guy I report to who is neither, understands he is neither, sincerely tries to do both, but is not so successful at it! I am hopeful though!!

Wonder what kind am I? I try you know.. .

PS Thanks a ton TSTT

Mixed Bag

Why does it normally happen that when I want to write most, I realise it is not 'appropriate' to do so? Mostly these cases are when I want to criticize something severely.

Somebody said to be that I hardly ever am my fun loving and giggly personality in the office. Duh! Is it not how it is supposed to be??

Or am I losing myself and a chance of being my age as the responsibilities and expectations to conform are enormous??

Normally I am not the kind of a person to conform to the expectations but here I understand that it is required to be done. (or is it not???)

My sheer presence is scandalising enough!! If I start being 'me', then ya sure!!! That should be fun!!!

Posting from the other side of the Wall

i.e. the Great Wall of China.

I was in China this week and as I wait on the swnaky new terminal 2 of Shanghai-Pudong Airport, I have nothing better to do but blog!!! Especially since its 2:20 am and my flght's not scheduled to take off till 3:30am....

So here's what happened/I learned in this trip:

Sweet gentleman that I was travelling with picked up Femina Magazine to read when he had plenty others that are supposed to interest men!
Jet's international service as well as aircrafts are truly international. Lovely experiance!
The 180degree flat seats are amazingly comfortable! You can sleep like a baby!! (Oh, how I wish they start boarding and I hit the sack...hmmmm)
I like Shanghai more each time I visit here.
Saw a Volkswagen's Beetle in convertible format on road. I want to buy one. Maybe not convertible though.
Ferrari sounds better rev-ing past on road than the race car counterpart through the idiot box. Why does a red Ferrari seem to - even, sound better?? Any ideas??
Watched an amazing Acrobatics show today evening at Shanghai Central Theatre. Awesome stuff. The write up hardly does justice to the quality of the show. Its quite superlative. Try this You Tube version. Watch this as well. We got fourth row seats and watching these artists perform right in front of you is even more mesmerising than the you tube versions. After this 90-100mins show was over I realised that throughout the show either my hand was clasped on my mouth in amazement or I was clapping!
Discovered a few more nice cafe s on Nanjing Street and enjoyed dinners there. My lovely little Italian place that was closed when I visited last time was found to be operational again this time around and needless to say I hogged there! Didn't miss breakfasts at Wagas-my fav diner either!! Went out to a 'lovely old bungalow converted into a fine dining restaurant' with ECADI team and ate most amazing lobster I have ever had! Whoever says decent food's a problem in China?!!!!! Ohhh and had lotsa Starbucks as well, as per the custom!
I want to find some report on whether the malls make money in China. The shear amount of retail space has once again defeated all my 'understanding' of retail real estate.
We have planned really nice lofts. I enojyed the process of design after an long time!! And also the heated discussions!!
Bought a whole lot of Architecture and Landscape books. The system ECADI has for buying the books is ultra-convinient. A lady brings a boxful EVERYDAY to their office!! The flip side of this, though, is my bag is now supernaturally heavy. And not only that I have had to purchase additional bag to fit it all in!
And the JET is boarding now~~ so Goodnight!!!!

Too Close For Comfort

Too many narrow escapes...
Too many saves by a whisker...
Too many times we are hanging on by fingernails...
These are more than fare share of close calls I am ready to handle...

Need to do something about this... Dunno what though....

I love 4pm in office End of May!

May ends and June beginnings! You know this is that time of the year when you see tufts of super white clouds in perfect sky blue skies. This is when the clarity of vision is superb. You know what I mean, right? Have you traveled in this time of the year by road?? Then you will know! The visibility of the horizon and clarity of the view somehow is maximum. For example on Mumbai Pune highway you can really see a mountain line after another extending so far ahead that the last mountain line totally looks deep purple-blue (like that bruise which starts showing up on the skin, well after it has stopped hurting! No, seriously! That IS the right shade!) The temperatures of the summer peak start easing around this time as well and the days and nights find a breeze with a promise of first showers!!!


It is a total joy to sit in this site office at this time! I have a West side facing window and the sun shining through the clouds lights up my desk with soft rays after 3pm. And all I see outside is lawn we have stitched ready for monsoons due to arrive shortly, those lovely clouds and lines of mountains intercepted by trees! Here's a sneak peak:

This is moi cluttered desktop sun-bathing

Looking out

Pushing those blinds away!

Heavens smiling!!!!

Now you know why I am such a workoholic!!!!

PS All pictures taken with a BlackBerry Curve phone camera...

Aandhi

In one of my recent trips to Delhi, I experienced ‘आँधी’ for the very first time. ‘Aandhi’ in Hindi can be translated as a dust storm in English. But somehow the associated meaning of aandhi gets lost in translation. My mother tongue is not Hindi (its marathi) and the synonym for aandhi in Marathi (it can be 'वावटळ' or something else..) does not convey the same ‘associated’ feeling either. The melancholy feeling attached to this phenomenon by Hindi speakers is, in my opinion, the real meaning of aandhi – more than its literal meaning referring to the dust storm. But then why can I so strongly relate to this word – in Hindi?!! Blame it on Hindi movies, me thinks!!


Note: All these thoughts flashed in my head as I was struggling to get to the car from the office building (without eating dust or letting it into my eyes between the lens and retina!) and contrary to the feelings that ‘aandhi’ should have evoked, it actually brought a smile on my face!!

Who is the master craftsman?

I am sick and tired of media scripting the so called real estate 'bubble burst' every single day! Not a day passes without a story listing the free fall of real estate prices. Most of these stories are ill researched and based more on sentiment than on data. Apart from the more data oriented discussion about whether or not we shall see a correction(notice the phrase) and where and to what extent; this phase is only reminding me every passing day of the sheer media power to script the fall in sentiments which may even lead to god knows what!

Media will be most responsible if any bloodshed happens in this industry.

STPI vs. SEZ

The IT/ITES has been the golden sector of India for past decade or so. It almost certainly is this sector that has fuelled growth and most importantly the sentiment behind the India Story. Some say this could happen because of the incentives that were given by the government for the growth of this sector apart from the more obvious cost arbitrage story. Net-net however, these companies have not paid any tax at all if they were located in an STPI unit. And of course all them made sure they were! who wouldn't?!

And now that under the STPI scheme, 100 per cent tax deduction on profits under Section 10A and Section 10B of the Income-Tax Act are available only until March 31, 2009, the companies registered with the STPI will have to pay tax at an estimated rate of 33.99 per cent in the absence of these deductions.

Now whether or not the government will increase this scheme has been a debate going on for more than 2-3 years now. Mr. Chidambaram however, found this matter hardly noteworthy in the budget speech!

To make matters more interesting the SEZ policy does provide the tax holiday to the IT/ITES companies within their premises!! Under the SEZ Policy, units in SEZs will be 100% exempt from corporate income tax for the first five years; 50% exempt for the next five years and, for the final five years, 50% of the profits ploughed back will be exempt from tax. This in addition to a plethora of other duty benefits. Oh, and no company can 'shift' into the SEZ. It has to have a 'different' business.

And this has created a lot of uncertainity in the market! And following are two stories published on consecutive day by reputed publications show how unsure the market sentiment is on this issue:

Infotech slowdown bites real estate hard

17 Mar 2008, 0001 hrs IST,T Surendar,TNN

MUMBAI: Real estate firms are beginning to feel the heat of the slowdown in IT/ITeS sectors. Leading IT companies are saying that lease of office space to software and BPO firms have fallen by over 30%. The trend is particularly bound to affect firms like DLF and Unitech which are building several software SEZs (special economic zones) across the country.

IT cos’ demand for SEZ space rising, post-Budget
Non-extension of software technology park benefits

Moumita Bakshi Chatterjee
New Delhi, March 16 2008

Real estate developers are seeing a sharp rise in enquiries from IT and BPO companies making a beeline for space in Special Economic Zones (SEZs), barely a fortnight after the Budget ducked the crucial issue of extension of the Software Technology Park of India (STPI) scheme.

I officially love confusion, uncertainity, inefficiencies in information 'cos this is when most opportunities tend to present themselves!!!!!!!