Pilgrimage

Oh…such a long break from blogging…am aware of what hit me for the past few months…u cud probably call it mental recession or emotional hijacking…that cynical feeling of – how the fcuk does it really matter, is this going to change my life?…

Significant changes in the situation of my life, without any material changes whatsoever…I call this constant state of flux…vicious circle of uncertainity…

Well, keeping aside the last six months which have been emotionally quite demanding and nourishing at the same time…I seek another of those new beginnings with a trip to shirdi..and this blog entry is one of those numerous thoughts that sprout in ur mind while u r on a long travel…

And the good thing is…it’s my first entry using my iPhone…

Stereo – Phobic

the levels of my stereo system reflect my mood – at least generally so. from ‘alarm’ingly high in mornings to soothing slow at nights. of course there were days when i blasted silent nights – specially those dear weekend nights where watching the dawn is such a pleasure. i don’t remember when i last did that. these days sleep has become demanding and engaging – unfailingly so every night.

but now my sleep has got some disturbance. ya, l.i.t.r.e.a.l.l.y, i am spending sleep less nights over my stereo – every time i connect it i pray for a better experience – but it only jars. thats the status of my philips 5.1 stereo. thats 100% depreciation in an year.

the hard fact that i realized is never rely on anything that is wired. in fact this wasn’t the first time. i remember playing twist and tweak with all my walk man earphones. or for that matter the laptop power chords. it works and it doesn’t and it plays the toss all the time. the problem is u get irritated but remain hopeful. i guess i will have to do away with my stereo – better way is to give it as a gift and even better way is to thrash it with anger. but i will give my hope a chance and try changing the chord.

Crude Oil Prices and Mumbai Lease Rents

…some things are beyond economics…however economists find suitable principles to defend them. almost anything can be explained by economics. so funny it is.

crude oil touched 142 USD today. here are some interesting statistics on its journey.

the prices have largely been around 25 USD until year 2000 (after adjusting for inflation) but for few spikes. the current spike is relatively unexplainable – here is a look at demand and supply in last quarter

Avg. Demand: 2008 Q1 86.98 mb/d; 2007 85.79 mb/d i.e 1.38% Increase in demand in 2008 Q1
Avg. Supply: 2008 Q1 86.69 mb/d; 2007 84.80 mb/d; 2.2% Increase in supply in 2008 Q1

The growth in supply had actually outstripped growth in demand. However there has been a 35.20% Increase in prices in 2008 Q1!!!

So if its not the suppliers or consumers, who are actually pushing up the prices? King of Saudi comments that he has no idea where and how the oil prices are moving and even goes on to say that oil trading is like gambling at Las Vegas.

now here is my take on the oil prices – i find some things uncannily similar between mumbai lease rents and global crude oil prices. btw my flat rent this year jumped to 55,000 Rs/month from 40,000 Rs/month last year. i am shouting foul on this for the past few days almost every time i walk into or walk out of my house, religiously so.

the answer to these price behaviors, in my opinion, is this – people who could source money cheaply would invest and hoard the critical resources, if they are up for trading – so here in mumbai u have a bunch of builders, celebrities and HNIs investing in real estate and hoarding the houses. the astronomical profits in their businesses make their money cheap. the same with speculators in oil trading. the weakening USD and lowering interest rates in US have made the availability of money cheap and the speculators are hoarding on to the oil resources. Today 70% of the US crude oil trade comprises of speculators.

i don’t know how profitable this trading business is, but it surely snatches the resources away from common man. think again – Rs. 55,000 per month for residing in a shit hole in suburbs i.e. 30 kms away from town. these are the instances when i vehemently support communism – man drove out animals and gobbled most resources and now its the rich man’s turn to do the same to the poor.

4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Nights – Hmmm – Dark Reality

should abortions be legalized. how does a girl look at it and bear with it. these are two immediate questions that arise while watching this movie.

brilliant screenplay with some tricky editing- an efficient use of pauses and silences. slow paced with quick turns – grips u and loosens u to get the feel of the pulse. u realize little lately whats happening inn the movie and u hold on to knowing it – thats where it scores.

not a great one but a certain way to realize the occurrence of dark realities in our lives. brutally honest and makes u feel ashamed of certain things in life.

well its a Romanian movie – so not sure if it appeals to those who read too much in voice and modulations

IMDb – 8.0

razzle-dazzle

i wonder how sages live their life. withdrawn, complacent and seemingly wise. good or bad? living or letting go? difficult to understand. i was explaining my state as saintliness to my friend. she said its utter laziness. well different perspectives!! i tell u one thing – its not all tat bad for some time. but when it goes on – idleness and imagination do get tiring.

well..i need to find myself an act in a razzle dazzle…embrace passionate reactions….take pleasure in means of living…well Thoreau said that’s an evil thing..but may be until the time i get a definition of life…its a way to live….i thought of this many times…but the moment i see a cat running around..a bird chirping..i wonder why human beings had to be different…and how is this life meant to be lived