China - The melting pot of tradition and development

This is my second time in Beijing. The first time around I did not have much time to travel around. However, I was amazed at the quality of infrastructure, expressways (without pot-holes), the sky-scrapers with no bounds! Frankly, I had not expected this and was dissapointed when I compared Beijing to Mumbai, where 4 days of rain wrecked havoc and stretches of roads got washed away. When will the dream of transforming Mumbai into Shanghai come true?

Anyways, I leave a detailed comparison for some other time....

On Flight number JL785: I watched a Salman Khan - Sushmita Sen flick... have forgotten the name, it was stupid and hilarious at the same time - I enjoyed it, I must admit!

I checked out of the airport and a friendly driver was awaiting with my name-tag and another person holding the 'Shangri-La' board... perhaps he was awaiting a Chinese-Indonesian-Thai person, my surname resembling some Chinese surnames. He was surprised to find an Indian. (This has happened to me earlier as well).

The hotel was cool... I had expected much more though, given the kind of advertising the hotel chain is airing now-a-days. The hotel people were really courteous and cooperative - this was different from the earlier visit to Crowne Plaza, where I could not even understand their English (I thought it was Chinese)! The view from the room was cool.. The well lit roads and the spanky cars - symbolizing the rise of China as a major economic power - despite all the rhetoric about its communist policies, anti-people agenda, blah, blah and blah!

I had a light snack to fill me up with a friend. I wanted to make use of the day and do some sight-seeing. I had heard a lot about the cultural must-visits in Beijing. On enquiring with the concierge I discovered that the Badaling Wall was quite far away - so I had no choice but to drop that idea. Forbidden City shuts down at 3:30 pm. There was one option that the staff suggested:

The Summer Palace. I was intrigued by the thought of visting the Summer Palace at the peak winter time.

After a small (power) nap I went there - it was a huge, beautiful palace... complete with traditional gardens, and a large frozen lake. I was amazed at the things people had done with wood. There was a bronze statue made several years ago - it was life-like, and to imagine that there was nothing like engineering established at the time made me appreciate the otherwise ordinary looking statue even more. There were several art objects that deserved a closer look.. and subsequent admiration.

(Dusk at the Summer Palace, Beijing)

I could not help think of how, China, had grown its economy and military strength disproportionately, (headed to be the 2nd largest economy) and yet preserved its socialist beliefs and culture. I cannot help but appreciate one other thing about China - it has been the great leveller - it has given Rs. 60 radios to the poor in India (and elsewhere), and has brought music into their lives! Cheap TVs have full-filled many a dream... and that too with appreciable quality control. It would have been a pity if only the Sonys, Philips, Thomsons would have been catering to the rich while depriving the poor and less-affluent.

China, I admit, has its negatives, especially the manner in which policies are implemented. Nevertheless, lets appreciate the stuff that this communist, non-democratic, 'no-religion' country has achieved with so less to begin with - and has distributed the returns more uniformly than others have managed to. India can learn a lot from its rival neighbour!

Money-Life analogies

Came across this article - rediff oftentimes has really good articles! Although I do not believe in the investment strategy talked about here in the article such as: being committed to your stocks - one of the golden rule of investing being never to act on sentiments. Infact, some of the really good investment behaviours were outlined in: The Golden Rules of Investment, another article on rediff sometime back. I follow some of the rules... but since I am the new kid on the block and have a higher risk-taking potential I condone some of the rules as per my convenience! And so far my stock experience has been great!

However, the article sure has some good points to put across! I cut-paste below verbatim.

What money has taught me about love
Shalini M, February 09, 2006

The other day, my friend came up with a funny line: "Men are like government bonds, they take forever to mature."

It brought a grin to all our faces. However, when I thought about it later, I realised my investments could actually teach me a lot about relationships.

If I could only apply the principles I learnt here to my interactions with my boyfriends, life would be so different.

Hear me out before you decide to laugh...

Commitment! Commitment! Commitment!

Investing in a company's stock means you are investing in its business. This requires commitment.

I can proudly say I am committed to my investments. In fact, I end up having genuine, long-term relationships with my stocks. I cling to them for dear life. Maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but at least I don't let go in a hurry. I hold on to them. Track their price on a weekly basis. Eagerly await the dividends and bonus shares.

Why do I do that? Because I pick up stocks I believe in. Ones that will work for me in the long run. Ones that I can grow old with (just kidding, but you got the point right?).
When it comes to the men in my life, though, it's a different ball game altogether. I tend to let them slip through my fingers.

So, boyfriends come and boyfriends go. The reasons are varied. Boredom sets in. They relocate to another city. They change their hairstyle to something that just does not look cool anymore. The 'feelings' are no longer there.

That's about to change.

From now on, I am going to work at building serious relationships with men I am serious about. And, once I figure this is the person I want to spend the rest of my life with (or at least some part of my life with), I will get committed.

It doesn't matter how cool they look. Or whether my 'feelings' hold. Commitment is more than feelings. It is a decision to be made. I'm going to make it.

Conviction matters

Stocks are for the brave and for those willing to endure. Invest in any company and it will always take you through highs and lows.

There may be a slowdown in the economy and the growth of the companies you invested in may take a beating. Earnings may drop. But, if you hang on, things will change over time. The company may go through a bad phase, but if its fundamentals are strong, stay put. It will emerge a winner.

This is why I never invest in the latest trend or the latest favourite company in the market. I only invest in companies I believe in.

Now, I am going to do the same thing in my life. I may be going through a rough patch with the person I am seeing, but that does not mean I should call it quits. I'll hang on. Think of all the things I like about this relationship. About why I believe it will work.

I'll ignore those little petty things that get on my nerves. No more knee-jerk reactions. I'll act only if there is a fundamental change.

Dangerous liaisons

I often find myself in mindless debt.

I end up overspending on my credit card to finance my lifestyle. Then, for months, I dip into my savings trying to pay it back.

A personal loan sounded great and I took it to finance a scuba-diving holiday. Later, the interest payment of 21% really ate into my earnings.

Debt means taking money you don't earn to pay for something you don't really need. And then spending precious, hard-earned money to repay both the loan and the interest that is charged.
Debt is enticing and alluring and promises you a good time before putting you in a soup.

Ditto with smooth talkers who treat me nice and are willing to splurge on me to make me feel like a princess. I convince myself he is Mr Right and, sooner than later, end up feeling like an absolute idiot. To lick my wounds after Mr So-called Nice Guy has said bye-bye in a hurry and gone after another girl, I indulge in a shopping spree.

No more dangerous liaisons for me. I'm going to tread cautiously and with patience. Short-term happiness often comes at a price.

Be reasonable, not illogical

People expect phenomenal returns from stocks. I remember two of my friends chatting some time back. One had a great tip and asked the other if she wanted to invest Rs 25,000 in the stock. "Sure," the other one unwittingly replied. "Will it give me Rs 15,000 more in a few months?"

Get real! Those sort of returns are unreal.

Moreover, to make money in stocks, you got to stay in for the long haul. Not a few months.
And, all said and done, stocks are a risky investment. You could make money, but you could also lose.

So, despite all the new promises I have made to myself about relationships, I will remember not to be truly crushed if it does not work out.

After all, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

Work - the kinds I love and loath.

Over the years I have realised that I enjoy working. Many people do. I love to be in the thick of things. I love to get tired after the days work and then fall asleep instantly.

I simply love to do something which is monotonous, simple and exhausting. For example, I would love to break rocks all day long on a very hot day by the highway, get very very tired, eat to fill my self (with nothing exotic ofcourse) and then have a sound sleep! That must be bliss!

I hate the idea to work for someone - with constraints. I simply lose the drive to work over my capacity and out of my skin. There is no passion! Its feels so un-exciting when we are not in complete control! Whats the worth of doing something without passion? The idea of working to impress, the continuous striving for getting upto the next level? In contrast the simplicity of the work of the tiller, laundry-man or the farmer is so lively and uncorrupted. Probably they are the only ones who are happy every-day and moment of their work.

Probably social work, for example, teaching poor students who cannot afford to go to school, finding a new home for the homeless... maybe it gives work some meaning and makes it animate.

For me there are only two ways I can enjoy work - either it be simple (preferrably physical rather than mental) or I better be accountable to myself!