My Two Days in Singapore

Procrastination is the thief of time. It seems I like this particular thief a lot or perhaps it would be more apt to say it likes me a lot or even lives with me. Anyways, for now, I have shrugged it off my shoulders and am writing this.

Singapore, in a nut shell, can be considered the world's largest mall plus theme park where people live too.. Such is the magnitude of commercialisation of the city.

Indians, when they visit Singapore, find superlative adjectives insufficient to describe their thoughts of the city. Our airports lose out miserably to the Changi Intl. Airport there. the Metro Rail is just incredible. Amazing.

We reached Changi Airport around 5 in the morn and took the MRT to our hostel at Little India. The city has 4 routes and several junctions. But not for an instant do we get confused inside the MRT. The trains are fabulous. Its incredible that every other MRT station itself is a mall.

Throughout this post, I ll find it difficult to express my wonder completely.

We reached our hostel around 6 and discovered that we could not check- in before 2 PM.So we started out to Sentosa Island, yet another wonder in the city. We did luge ride, sky ride, cable car and saw a 3-D film and dolphins playing. Unbeleivable creatures they are. Never miss a chance to see them.

We returned to our hostel around 5 that evening. Little India is a small part of the city which has Indians(no surprise that) predominantly Tamils. We started out again, did some shopping, boating and saw bungee jumping.Shopping was cheap in Bugis St, a lively and happening part of the city. We returned to our hostel at 10 and the next moment were asleep.

Next morn, we got up late(procrastination again) so had to skip the famous Singapore Zoo. We visited a nearby mall touted as the best in Singapore. The Mustafa Centre is huge and extends on both sides of a main road. After that started our great walk.We walked around 7 kms that evening covering all the tourist spots in that area, the Esplanade, Merlion, China Town, City Hall, the former Supreme Court complex, the War Memorial , Singapore Flyer and another boating.

Apart from these, about singapore, I could not find soil anywhere and equally difficult to find vegetarian food. Of course I could get some good vegetarian food but then they were Indian. I was searching for non-indian food. The roads were perfect. One could not be mistaken if he/she assumes horns are banned in Singapore. Such is the traffic discipline htere. Another trivial , makes-me-envy info : the average life expectancy at birth is 82.

For a city that was almost non-existent 100 years back and badly bruised in the war, this is great going which could not have been acheived but for the dedication and will power of all those involved. Citizens and politicians comprising malay, chinese and tamil population.

I ll be back with my experiences in Malaysia and Cambodia soon, Procrastination permitting.

The 100 Country Club - Our journey starts

Finally it has happened...

After a lot of deliberations and failed plans, My brother and I are ready to embark on a trip to Singapore, Malaysia and Combodia. We in our family are used to making a lot of travel plans of which, I have to admit, very few see the light of the day. So , we are used to making plans sometimes knowing well that they wont be realised. This too started like this, or so I thought.

My brother and I have been thinking for quite sometime about going on a foreign tour to watch a sports event. The feasible options we had were Dubai (Tennis) , Bahrain, Singapore and Malaysia (F1 GP) . We also had a European trip in mind but didnt think it would be possible in the next few years atleast. But suddenly my bro started planning seriously about going to Europe to watch Tour de France and the German GP . His plans soon became bigger and bigger and soon became infeasible. He wanted to visit areas in the vicinity of few hours from Berlin and Paris and that extended to Copenhagen which was near Oslo near Stockholm near Helsinki near Petersburg near Moscow and Europe was over. You now realise why our plans became impossible.

So , with a bruised heart he started plans for a far cheaper and far nearer Singapore and Malaysia. And to add a extra adventurous element to the trip , we decided on Combodia which is not a tourism option for most Indians.

2 days in Singapore , Malaysia and Combodia conclude our trip. Staying in the World's Largest Hotel, visiting Angkor Wat temple Complex which is bigger than modern day Los Angeles, a trip to Pol Pot's torturous places excite me the most.

There is one thing we are afraid of, though. Weather. I find that the only reason that air fares are at their lowest. Hope it is not so bad that we are forced to stay indoors.If we have to stay indoors there is always Vamanan and Harry Potter 6 to watch in Singapore and Malaysia. Plus the Apsara dance and khmer massage. No matter what we are gonna have fun.

fine.. I ll be updating my adventures almost everyday this week along with some pics . Watch out.

Happy Journey to me and my brother.

THE 5 BEST BOOKS I HAVE READ

I am back after a hiatus. This is going to be my first post in months. When I thought of writing on the best book I have read I could not get hold of one single book. So here are 5 of the best books I have read, in no particular order.

HARRY POTTER SERIES

J.K. Rowling is now the richest woman in Britain. Just few years back she was a single mother who had no takers for her eccentric story. When she did, she captivated the whole world with her amazing creativity.
One thing every Potter fan wondered about, once he completed reading the series, was “How the hell did she think about this intricate storyline full of labyrinthine twists and turns when she started with the first part itself?”

Her characterization was impeccable. The Surprise element was unbelievable. I am proud to have been born in the Harry Potter era.

PONNIYIN SELVAN (TAMIL)- KALKI. KRISHNAMOORTHY

Kalki mesmerized the whole of Tamil Nadu in the 1950s with his mind-blowing magnum opus “Ponniyin Selvan”. The detailed depiction of the historic chola heartland hypnotized every reader. The book, with the greatest Tamil ruler Raja Raja Chozhan as its protagonist, is based on history. It actually fills up the mystery surrounding the death of a Prince , Aaditha Karikalan , in the 12th century. The characters Vanthiya Thevan , Vaanathi and Nandhini are now eternal here. The fact that the book has Third generation fanatics stands testimony to its greatness.


ATLAS SHRUGGED

This is the greatest creation of Ayn Rand based on her philosophy of objectivism. She depicts how an ideal world should exist by demonstrating the problem with the world as it really is. This is not a book on action, comedy, horror, thriller, sex, romance nor is it fast paced . To know what exactly it is, one has to experience the world rather than just read it. The following two excerpts aptly sum the core of the book. “JOHN GALT is Prometheus who changed his mind. After centuries of being torn by vultures in payment for having brought to men the fire of gods, he broke his chain and he withdrew his fire until the day when men withdraw their vultures.” “I swear by my name and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for me”.

FOUNTAIN HEAD

This is the first masterpiece from Ayn Rand. If Atlas Shrugged was about the ideal world, this was about the ideal man, in the form of the eternal character Howard Roark. Here, the whole world conspires against the hero. The ordeals faced by him as he overcomes the world are told in typical Ayn Rand style.



ITS NOT ABOUT THE BIKE, ITS ABOUT THE JOURNEY OF MY LIFE- LANCE ARMSTRONG

Speak of resilience and determination, its Lance Armstrong everyone thinks of. Such is his grit and resolve. The modesty with which he has narrated his story in a matter-of-fact tone is admirable. Diagnosed with testicular cancer, he rose through his unimaginable willpower to win the 2000+ km Tour de France, through the tedious mountainous terrain not once or twice but an astonishing seven consecutive times. Three years after retiring from cycling, he is raring to go once again. He is truly my most inspiring role model.

A layman's view of the US SUBPRIME CRISIS

Warren Buffet, the legendary investor, remarked in 2003 that providing reckless housing loans is going to be the biggest weapon of financial mass destruction. It has come true.

The real estate boom, which is now the real estate bubble since it has burst, has led to the biggest financial crisis the world has seen since the Great Depression of the 1930's. One thing is certain. This is not an American problem. It is yet to show its full strength. The avalanche is far from over.

First, lets clarify a few things. What does the term sub-prime mean? What does prime mean? Simply put, prime is the ability of the borrower to repay his loans. Sub prime are those who may not be able to repay their loans.

How do banks usually give loans? They would check if the borrower will be able to repay his loan based on certain criteria and documents like salary slips, bank acounts, collaterals( some assets which can be sold by the bank if you do not repay the loan) and sureties.
Now, let me try to explain what exactly happened in the US Sub-Prime crisis.


Fine. I am really sorry for the pathetic daigram I have drawn. I hope its legible atleast to the point of deciphering what is written.

Where did it all start?

Sub prime loans. The real estate boom started around 2001 and lasted till 2006 when it burst. Everyone wanted to be a part of the party. Banks for their part were ready to lend money to those who were sub prime too. That is, people who didnt have salary slips, bank accounts, sureties or collaterals. However, they wont actually own the house till they pay the money back to the banks. These banks are the housing mortgage banks like Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and Indy Mac all of which are no more. Why did they take this risk of Sub-prime loans? The biggest reason is that real estate was booming. They could sell the houses if the loans are not paid. The other reasons are they could impose higher interest rates and they had to deal with acute competition.

To get a clear understanding, please look into the diagram that I painfully drew.

After the apparent house owner requests for a loan and the loan is granted, the money is paid to the house developer. Where do these banks get their money from? Here is where the Investments Banks, self-proclaimed Masters of the Universe till weeks before, come into the picture. They provide the money to the mortgage banks like Freddie Mac. Lets know the distinction between normal Banks and Investment Banks. IBs generally do not give out loans to anyone. They give out loans only when the borrowers are big companies or in general, when the borrowers borrow really lots of money. Those who invest in IBs are not assured of returns. They may get higher or lower returns. Its a risky business.

IBs have provided the loans to the mortgage banks which has reached the developer. Now, where do the IBs get their money from? Now come the relatively unknown Debt Funds. The Banks in this scheme of things are Washington Mutual which tanked few days back, Citibank, HSBC, our own ICICI and hundreds of companies all over the world. Thats why I said that this problem is not pertinent to the Americans. This problem was created by the Americans and it is going to affect the whole world. Where do these Debt Funs get their money from? From the common man. These include the EPF(Employee Provident Fund), PPF( Public Provident Fund) etc.

All seems to be fine.

Where did the problem start? There would not been any problems if all the people who borrowed repaid. These Sub-prime borrowers naturally defaulted in their payments. They literally packed their bags and left overnight without repaying the money. Now lets see how prices of commodities increase or decrease. It all depends on the supply-demand ratio. If you have a pen and many people ask for it, you ll sell it to the one who pays most(Supply <>

Now, since the borrowers did not repay their money, these banks tried to auction their houses which further increased the supply lessening the price. So, an house mortgaged for 1 crore could be auctioned or sold for only 10 lacs, a 90% loss. So the mortgage banks could not repay the investment banks who inturn could not repay their debts to the debt funds.

So, first, the mortgage banks fell followed by IBs, Lehmann Brothers, Bear Sterns, Meryll lynch etc. Where does AIG come into the picture? It is the American International Group, the largest insurer in the US, and once the 18th largest company in the world. All these IBs had insured with AIG. So AIG had to compensate a lot of companies with billions of dollars. Overnight, it accrued debts of $60billion, which translates to over 240000 crore Rupees. Feel the magnitude?

Next, the Debt Funds which are also banks have started to full, the most notable being Washington Mutual. Many more companies have invested here and the picture will become clearer and worser in the days to come.

So, who are the people insulated from the crisis? The housing developers and those people like Warren Buffet who quit the scene when they sensed danger.

A lot of mistakes have been committed. Can these banks and their CEOs held responsible? Sadly not. Because that is what limited company means. When there is the word limited in the name of the company, it means that the management cannot be held responsible for their actions.

Thats it. I have tried to tell you as clearly as I can of what little I knew. You are free to comment and criticise. Bye

Temples and Palaces in India

Hi.. Have you ever wondered why there are so many very old temples in South India but no great palaces? When the Kings can construct sturdy and robust temples that have withstood the vagaries of nature, why dont we have great palaces in South India? The few palaces that we have now are not more than 400 years old and they are nowhere as spectacular as the temples.

This is a contrast with North India where we have both temples and palaces. While many temples are ruined most palaces have survived and the palaces are more magnificient than temples.

Why is this so?

I could think of an explanation.

People in the south were more pious and devoted and were willing to sacrifice self for God. Sacrifice was one important facet of their lives. From history, we can presume that they seemed to wait for a chance to sacrifice themselves either for the Kings or God or their family and friends. So they were more interested in using all their knowledge and skills in constructing temples rather than for their own. This applied for the kings too. They lived in modest palaces. For example, consider the Thanjavur Brihadeeswarar Temple. It has the largest Nandi and one of the tallest and biggest Gopurams. It does not cast a shadow and scientists are awestruck at the way a single huge rock stone of several tonnes has been taken to the top of the gopuram. Couldn't Raja Raja Cholan have constructed an equally similar marvel for himself? He didnt because he was more devoted to God.

But in the north, though people were no less pious, they wanted their names to be etched in the annals of history forever. So they constructed extravagant palaces for themselves besides temples.

There can be another explanation too.

We may infer from south Indian history that Kings infact constructed impressive palaces for themselves like their north Indian contemporaries. Where are they now?

When nations conquer each other one of the first things they want is to assert their supremacy over the loser and his nation. So they humiliate him and his assets. Palaces were demolished That may be one of the plausible reasons why there are no palaces found in the south. They didnt touch the temples because the whole of Dravidian India was united by religion. One example of a fantastic palace along with a city demolished is Hampi in Karnataka.

In the north why were the temples demolished? Because the Muslim invaders were more intent on destroying the main uniting factor than the palaces. They used the palaces for themselves and the Indo-Arabic architecture grew out of this confluence.

I beleive I have a given a credible explanation to the issue.

Comments and critics are welcome.

India - A truly Secular Country?

Let me present you arguments on either side of the debate " India is a Secular country"

Yes, India is secular

India has almost all the major religions in the world with all its citizens free to practice any faith he deems appropriate.There are several arguments that can be presented in favour of India being a secular country. I will give just an example.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh---- Sikh

President Pratibha Patil---- Hindu woman

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam---- Muslim

Vice President Hamid Ansari---- Muslim

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee---- Atheist

Leader of the Ruling Party Sonia Gandhi---- Christian and foreigner by birth

Chief Justice of India---- Dalit

No, India is not Secular

India is the only country in the world where religious vote bank politics has gained the most. Religion and politics are interwoven to such a dangerous extent. India has been notorious for its religious tolerance in many parts of the country. The 1947 riots, Gujarat pogrom, the recent Orissa and Jammu and Kashmir problems are stark reminders of this fact. Many more examples can be given.Each and every citizen in India has faced petty differences in his environment which contrasts with India's Constitution claiming India is a Secular country.

That India has definite religious differences which have led to a whole lot of problems is an undisputable fact. Also undisputable is that India, throughout its history has absorbed each and every faith and prospered through it without eliminating the other faiths. Even after Independence India continues to be so.

So Is India Truly Secular?

Comments are welcome.

The Greatest Indian Sportsperson Ever

Hi everybody.Once I wrote apropos the greatest sportsperson of all time, the logical sequel to it, me being an Indian, is to write about Indian sports. The Greatest Indian Sportsperson. The one thing about Indian Sports is that if I take popularity into account then I would fail, because Indian media has excessively popularised cricket and made cricketers demi-gods.


The other important thing is that we Indians must acknowledge that we hava not produced greats of the calibre of other greats of the world like Pele, Tiger Woods or Lance Amstrong. I say this with due respect to the Indian greats.


Some of the sportspersons I am going to consider are obvious challengers to the throne like Dhyan Chand, Milkha Singh, Viswanathan Anand, Leander Paes and , of course, cricketers. But there are others out there to whom we have failed to give respect like Prakash Padukone, Geet Sethi, Pankaj Advani and Ramanathan Krishnan.


First lets try to find just two cricketers who could be included in our deliberations. Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Ranjit Singhi are the best of the lot. Let other greats forgive me. From these we can eliminate Ranjit Singhi because he never played for India. Sunil Gavaskar was not a successful captain and found it very difficult to adjust to one-day cricket.So its Sachin and Kapil from cricket.


There area a lot of legends surrounding Dhyan Chand. He was too prolific to be true.Milkha Singh is undoubtedly the greatest Indian athlete ever. He owned the Asian Record for the 400 m and broke the Olympic record along with 3 others in the fiercely contested final in Rome 1960.Yet he was never a World Champion.


Prakash Padukone is the greatest Indian Batminton player. He has won the World cup once and the most coveted All England Badminton Championships which is the sport's equivalent of Wimbledon.


Geet Sethi has been carrying the mantle of Billiards in India for the Ppast 20 years and has now been ably joined by Pankaj Advani. Both are multiple World Champions though Pankaj is yet to win the Professional Title.

Ramanathan Krishnan is the greatest singles Tennis player India has produced. He reached the Wimbledon semifinal twice. Leander Paes has won a Bronze for India at the Olympics and is a multiple Grand Slam winner. Yet they both are not world beaters and did not dominate their game at any point of time.


Coming to the two cricketers, they have been the best . Kapil won the World Cup for India and Sachin is God, almost. Both have been prolific. Yet, I vote for Sachin for his longevity, his records, his game and most importantly his commitment, modesty and behavior on and off the field.


Viswanathan Anand has achieved what no other Indain sportsperson has. He is a World Champion in his sport. Anand has won World Championship twice, World Cup twice, World Rapid four times, 4 Chess Oscars and 1000s of international awards and title. He revolutioniosed Chess in India. But is chess actually a Sport?



So finally, to shrink the competition further, I select Dhyan Chand and Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin holds almost every record in one-day cricket and has one of the best averages in Test cricket. He is the Greatest one day player and contends for the NO.2 spot in Test cricket too, next only to the Don.

Dhyan Chand on the other hand came from a humble background and won the Olympic thrice for India. There have been issues that he has some kind of glue attached to his bat. In 1932, India scored 338 goals in 37 matches, 133 being Dhyan Chand's.Once, Don Bradman was so surprised by the number of goals that he quipped: 'Were they made by a hockey player or a batsman?'. He was known the world over as 'the Hockey Wizard'.


Sachin or Dhyan Chand? While Dhyan Chand has dominated the sport which no one till date has emulated, including Teun de Noojier, Taeke Taekama and Sohail Abbas, Tendulkar has performed extremely well under pressure which no Indian has ever experienced. So?

In my view, Dhyan Chand is the Greatest Indian Sportsperson ever because of the way he dominated the game. While Sachin was found to be vulnerable on certain occasions, the Wizard was not, never.



To learn more about the Wizard , search Wikipedia for Dhyan Chand.



Comments are most welcome.