Here and there

I was away from home for 4 years during my under graduation. During the holidays, whenever I visited my home, the lifestyle I lived was completely different from what I was leading at my institute on a routine basis. The amount of time I slept or the various casual activities I did at home were not part of my daily routine at that point in time. I always wondered how I would be able to get back to my routine once the holidays got over and I had to return. But somehow it was never a problem and there was no transition period required. Even during my current stint with academics, in holidays, I still wonder similar thing knowing well that it won’t be a problem.

One of my friends told me this: There are four stages in the life of a professional when the person is recognized by different things:
1. During under graduation, recognized by a 2-page CV.
2. During post graduation, recognized by a 1-page CV.
3. After joining a company, recognized by your visiting card.
4. The final aim is to get yourself recognized by just your name.


Jim Rogers, cofounder of Quantum Hedge Funds (along with George Soros) has three pearls of wisdom to share:
1. Get out of the dollar.
2. Teach your children Chinese.
3. Buy commodities.

Why do companies opt for Rights issue over Follow up public offer?
As per our Finance professor
1. Logistics, time and costs are saved.
2. Shareholder value is not diluted (atleast for those who can avail shares)
3. prevent new stream of shareholders investing for short term.

Finally, came across a good post
http://melodycalledlife.blogspot.com/2008/01/top-of-world-feeling.html

A few links

There is this talk from Warren Buffet to a bunch of MBA students on Youtube. The best part I liked was the beginning where he emphasized the importance of integrity in a person. He took an unusual analogy and asked the students to think of just one person in their class who they would go long on. And similarly just one person on which they would go short. He says (and I am convinced) that the selection of these people would not be dependent on talent or beauty etc. (which are God given). But the qualities one would want to attribute are such that one can acquire them (in case of long) and can get rid of them (in case of short). Below is the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfuXKpMFUjc

"If you risk something that is important to you for something that is not important to you, it doesn’t make sense."

"You have to get rich only once."

Below are some links for the posts of a few blogs I liked.

"I know your imperfections as well as your perfections,

know your faults as well as your assets.

And I find I like you not in spite of those,

but as much because of them as anything else"

- http://www.melodycalledlife.blogspot.com/

Because you want to do it

I have experienced sometimes the feeling you get when you do something without expecting anything. You might do this for someone or just for your own self. But the criterion is that you should not expect anything afterwards. I am not sure if I have given an apt introduction to the things I am going to mention, but I found these to belong to this category.

Like in the last term, I participated in a competition and made a presentation for it. I spent a lot of time on it and was quite happy with my analysis. After the submission, somebody told me how easy the analysis was and the answer was pretty obvious. My answer was different from theirs and the reason was probably that I overanalyzed the situation. I was obviously not shortlisted for the next round. But what I realized was that it did not matter. Whatever I did had provided me enough enjoyment that what happens next did not matter.

Similarly, I was getting bored one weekend. There was some talk about a presentation that we had to make. Though it had to be made in a group, I thought of starting making the presentation without telling my group. I spent a good amount of time on it and by the time our group was supposed to meet for the presentation, it was already done. As I was making the presentation, people from other groups decided that they should take the benefit of doubt and not make it. Next day they were planning to portray themselves innocent of not knowing that something like that had to be done. I got to know but did not want to stop. The making was worth the effort and it was of little consequence whether it had to be done or not. It took some creativity from my side, something which I feel I lack. We made the presentation the next day, but it was more of an icing on the cake.

Similarly, I did a few small things for one or two people and it felt like I was doing it for myself. So there was no question of wanting anything back.

Finally, there is a poem which I read recently 'Of Friends I've Had' and liked. You might like it as well. Its from a blog; just scroll down towards the end of the post.