The Indians Abroad

Overseas Living: NRIs & India abroad

Archive for category Trivial Stuff

2012 – Welcome!

Dec 31

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, personal development, Trivial Stuff | No Comments

Happy 2012 to you and your loved ones!

There is no doubt that time is the ultimate story teller; the time is the father of truth. As time goes by, the reality of everything around us strips down to their true colors.

We talk about passing time or sitting around idle, or killing time; in reality it is the time that kills us in the end. This is nothing new, we all know the importance of time; how precious it is!

Yes, we are overly preoccupied with the time and its passage. We have divided our time into calendars, into a busy schedule to prove that we are not wasting time. We are even double-booked some times! Yes, we have understood the importance of time, we have figured out a way to make the best out of it, so we believe!!

The new years, the new wishes, or the old wishes tweaked a little…this is the beauty of time, the new time. The passing time makes us feel so important, as if we control it.

Of course, we don’t control the time, or the life passing by. In fact, there is no need; there is no need to drag the time, or hold on to the past. So let’s bid a farewell to 2011, already a part of our fading memories.

2012 – a brand new year! We are all wishing for 2012 to be the best year yet! Yes, we always wish for the best out there, otherwise it is not really a wish; nobody wish for a glass half full, or something average.

The old time, the new time, the passing time – all divided into small milestones. 2012 marks yet another milestone!

Let the time fly, let the new year come with its true color as time always does! Let the 2012 come with its own stories about you and me! Oh, and let’s hope that we are wiser than last year – just a bit at least! After all, we learn from our past – the wisdom of time!

Welcome 2012! Hope you bring me the best future out there. Hope you understand my wishes – my wishes to control you and ravage every second of you! 2012, I welcome you into my new calendar that I just purchased; it was on sale!! Read the rest of this entry »

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Price of True Love exceeds $100K in 2011 !

Dec 18

Posted by admin in Banking, Entertainment, Religion, Trivial Stuff | No Comments

Every culture has its own unique traditions, some meaningless, some plain weird. We follow many trivial customs as a part of our culture, not because they are important but because it is part of our past, that is how it has been ever since!

Here is another tradition, followed every year soon after the Thanksgiving holidays: the calculations of ‘True Cost of Christmas’, or the cost of True Love, as some call it.

This ‘True Cost of Christmas’ or the price of True Love is calculated based on the current price of the items or commodities mentioned in the carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

To refresh your memory of the carol, it goes like this:

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me
a partridge in a pear tree

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree…..

…. and so on, until the day twelve:

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Twelve drummers drumming
eleven pipers piping
ten lords a’ leaping
nine ladies dancing
eight maids a’ milking
seven swans a’ swimming
six geese a’ laying
five gold rings
four calling birds
three French hens
two turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree Read the rest of this entry »

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Baby Shoes by Hemingway

Nov 28

Posted by admin in Entertainment, Short Story, Trivial Stuff | 2 Comments

“For sale: baby shoes, never used.”

Perhaps written to settle a bar bet or perhaps written as a challenge, it is said that Ernest Hemingway wrote this ‘short short story’. Only 6 words long, the story has a beginning, a middle and an end. These are thought provoking 6 words forming a story-line. Read the rest of this entry »

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Steve jobs: An example of a life well lived!

Oct 6

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Karma, Trivial Stuff | No Comments

A tribute to Steve Jobs and his quotes- an entrepreneur, an inventor, a thinker in his own words…

“There may be no greater tribute to Steve Jobs’ success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.” ~ Barack Obama

Steve Jobs, in very simple words, changed the way we go about our work, or the way we think. With innovations like iPod, iPhone and iPad, the man has revolutionized our daily lives.

In real life, Steve Jobs was more than an entrepreneur or an inventor or a business leader. He is the true example of living – the way a life should be.

Steve grew up as an adopted child, raised by a lower middle class family in California. He dropped out of of college after first semester….

Steve Jobs was not an isolated computer nerd or a geek. He looked at the world with a keen eye. He was deeply philosophical during his youth and wanted to study and experience spiritualism. His quest for spiritual enlightenment brought him to India in 1974 summer….

Jobs started Apple with a fellow college dropout Steve Wozniak in the his family garage in Los Altos, California in 1976….

All these tidbits do not justify or summarize the real life of this revolutionary leader and thinker. The spectacular journey of this marvelous inventor is impossible to summarize in a single post. The quotes below give a genuine glimpse into the mind of this great man:

Objective: I’m looking for a fixer-upper with a solid foundation. Am willing to tear down walls, build bridges, and light fires. I have great experience, lots of energy, a bit of that “vision thing” and I’m not afraid to start from the beginning. Skills: That “vision thing,” public speaking, motivating teams, and helping to create really amazing products. ~ From Steve Jobs’s Curriculum Vitae (résumé)

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” ~ Steve Jobs (Stanford commencement speech 2005)

“Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.” ~ Steve Jobs (Stanford commencement speech, June 2005)

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.” ~ Steve Jobs

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” ~Steve Jobs, (Stanford commencement speech, June 2005)

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.. Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” ~ Steve Jobs. Read the rest of this entry »

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Yes, Life is different here!

Sep 17

Posted by admin in Culture & Society, india abroad, Non-Resident Indian, NRI, personal development, Religion, Trivial Stuff | 1 Comment

Living Abroad – Different strokes for different folks!

Yes, life is different here, very different!!
People speak so many different languages here. Just walk down the street and you will get an earful of gibberish dialects for sure; many of those you have never heard of!

Here, people come from all over the places! They have different skin tones, different heights. They walk differently, they talk differently. Some have local accent; others are outsiders for sure. Some speak in a monotone while others are too dramatic in every expression. Some stand still and deliver their opinion in a quiet but firm voice, while others use their hands and gestures more than their tongue.

Some dress sparingly and reveal everything, very outdoorsy to say it modestly! Others are too covered, as if protecting themselves from a wintery chill, even in the summer months.

Yes, life is different here, very different!!
The food choices are quite interesting, or strange. Some like it plain and others, spicy. Some eat only vegetables while others hunt for meat. Some can afford it all, while others live from hand to mouth. Some like it exotic and show off their feasts while others struggle to feed even two times a day.

Some splurge in excess while others conserve all the time. Some fast, because they have over-indulged in food while others fail to understand the concept of diet control.

Yes, life is different here, very different!!
There are so many different religions; some are more popular than others. Not everybody believe in a God but they all have their opinions. Fighting over religion is very common. Everybody is so guarded against others’ religion. Read the rest of this entry »

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Bollywood Trivia Quiz

Sep 10

Posted by admin in Bollywood, Entertainment, India, Trivial Stuff | 1 Comment

A well rounded quiz about Bollywood – the Indian Hindi Cinema. Enjoy:

Aishvarya and Madhuri in Devdas

This is the first hindi movie to have two intervals.





This word has been added to the Oxford English dictionary





This actor has won the most (total 8) Filmfare Award for Best Actor.





She was the youngest actress to win Filmfare Award for Best Actress





This famous singer has won the most (8) Filmfare Best Male Playback Awards.





More than forty-two (42) well-known and famous Bollywood stars appear in the course of this film:





This Bollywood's dreamgirl made her film debut in Raj Kpoor movie 'Sapno Ka Saudagar':





This is the first Hindi movie whose popular dialogue soundtrack was released along with the music.





Amongst many other successful and critically acclaimed movies, Deepa Mehta is best known for her 'Elements Trilogy' of movies:





The name "Bollywood" is derived from:







Other Similar Quizzes:
Bollywood Quiz 7: Evergreen playback singers of Bollywood! The quiz is on the all-time popular playback singers of Bollywood!
Bollywood Quiz I:Know your Bollywood?:A Bollywood quiz about old movies of yesteryears!
Bollywood Quiz – Kishore Kumar, the legend : A fan of Kishore Kumar? – Test your knowledge about this great singer!
Read the rest of this entry »

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Rafi – the versatile maestro of Indian Music

Jul 31

Posted by admin in Bollywood, Culture & Society, Entertainment, India, Trivial Stuff | 1 Comment

“I am incomplete without Mohammad Rafi. I used to often go for the recoding of my song, which was sung by Mohammad Rafi, only because I used to like telling him how I would perform on this song on screen so that he can sing it that way. Even he liked my involvement” Shammi Kapoor

This is an understatement that Mohammed Rafi has left a lasting and permanent impression on the Indian music. In fact, Rafi and Indian film music are inseparable.

Just try to imagine the soulful and broken-heart songs from Guru Dutt without the playback voice of Rafi; or try imagining Dev Anand’s movies without Rafi’s songs – ranging from romantic to sad. Shammi Kapoor’s jumping-jack and light hearted dance numbers are impossible without Rafi. It is inconceivable to think of Indian movies of 50s, 60s and 70s without Rafi’s melodies.

When it comes to the Indian Music, Rafi was a true genius. From classical to folk, from sad to romantic, from religious to dancing tunes – he was able to sing every genre with equal control. For every mood, for every occasion, you can always find memorable numbers from Rafi. The man could sing anything, and in any range of octaves.

“Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho”(1960, Chaudhvin Ka Chand)
“Chahunga Main Tujhe” (1964, Dosti)
“Baharo Phool Barsao” (1966, Suraj)
“Dil Ke Jharoke Mein” (1968, Brahmachari)
“Kya Hua Tera Wada” (1977, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin)
“Maine Poocha Chand Se” (1980, Abdullah)
“Yeh Jo Chilman Hai” (1971, Mehboob Ki Mehandi)
“Khilona Jaan Kar” (1970, Khilona)
“Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki” (1949, Dulari) Read the rest of this entry »

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Greed or Fear … or Love!

Jul 9

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Culture & Society, personal development, Trivial Stuff | 4 Comments

Greed, fear…. or love – Wandering thoughts on our day-to-day behavior

It is very easy to understand this world; well, most of the time. Most of the time, people are selfish and shallow, restricted by the ‘acceptable behavior’ or social norms. Every person tries to be accepted first rather than worrying about accepting others. Everyone tries to blend in, rather than standing out. Very few have the courage to be different.

We are always so eager to point out differences and how to deal with them. We are preoccupied with ‘differences’ and how to treat them, how to react to them. In reality, if you look deep and far enough, no one is really that different unless you treat them differently; that is, unless you discriminate. Knowingly or unknowingly, we often discriminate in everyday life, and then we talk about equality and diversity – perhaps, just to make us feel better, for our own ego. By end of the day, we are all looking for ways to reduce these differences, forcing ourselves and those who are different to blend in! We can blame this all on our own fears or our own ego.

We are not as complicated as we claim to be. Most of our actions are controlled by one of the two motives – greed or fear; and quite often greed and fear. Most of our day-to-day existence is merely limited to our routine stuff, routines that revolve around our greed and fear.

The biggest shackle to our personal progress and freedom of thought is the fear of rejection or the greed of acceptance. That is a reality, freedom of thought is often suppressed by the social norms. Perhaps, that is why we talk about fantasies, dreams and the perfect world… Read the rest of this entry »

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My new home…

May 30

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Culture & Society, Entertainment, india abroad, Non-Resident Indian, NRI, Trivial Stuff | No Comments

Home is the earliest memory of my childhood;
Where I learned to walk and run.
Home is where I was taught everything;
To stand by myself, to stand for others.

Home is where I took shelter;
After picking up a fight with kids bigger than me.
Home is where I always ended up;
When I was tired, hungry or thirsty.

Home is where I learned the meaning of pride;
Home is where I understood humility.
Home is where I needed no welcome mat;
Home is where I took things for granted. Read the rest of this entry »

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Cricket World Cup 2011 – A Quiz

Apr 9

Posted by admin in Bollywood, Entertainment, Sports, Trivial Stuff | No Comments

A set of 10 questions and multiple choice format – this is a simple quiz related to Cricket World Cup 2011.
Are you a cricket fan and did you follow the World Cup?
Try this quiz and see for yourself!!
Good Luck!
Please go to Cricket World Cup 2011 – A Quiz to view the quiz

Here are the links to some other quiz related postings:
Bollywood Quiz 7: Evergreen playback singers of Bollywood! The quiz is on the all-time popular playback singers of Bollywood!
Bollywood Quiz I:Know your Bollywood?:A Bollywood quiz about old movies of yesteryears! Read the rest of this entry »

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Fraility of life – A short term memory

Mar 15

Posted by admin in environment, Karma, personal development, Trivial Stuff | 1 Comment

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh. ~George Bernard Shaw

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan make us realize how precious yet how fragile life is! In fact, if we look around, we are constantly reminded of the fact that life is short; it is easily perishable. Every day, there is something or someone pointing to this sad truth.

yes, it is sad, if you think about it; the thoughts about your own demise can easily put you off. May be that is why we rarely think about it – uncertain in time yet a sure ending of our journey!

There is nothing you can do about this; this is life along with the last chapter. You can delay the inevitable by being careful – eating healthy, hiding in the basement and never crossing the train track… You can postpone it if you are lucky, but it is the law of nature; you can delay it but you cannot avoid it.

In spite of the well known path and a steady march towards the end, we are are rarely bothered by it. We barely think about it. We see others go, but you never imagine yourself in that coffin.

We need something big, something catastrophic to remind us of the temporary nature of our existence. Events like death of a loved one, Japanese earthquake and tsunami are the wake-up calls that remind us that nothing is predictable; anything is possible on a given day.

Actually, this is the best survival mechanism that our brain has adapted to. We have learned to ignore our own demise. Even if we talk about it, we never really take it seriously. These are things beyond us, there are powers beyond our control that we can do nothing about. So perhaps, there is no point in worrying about something that is bound to happen – sooner or later.

And, it is good that we think very little about this temporary aspect of our existence. We have learned to look forward to the good things in our life, without looking TOO FAR into the future! It is amazing how we wrap ourselves in our own little world, our daily routines. A day comes, a night goes by and another day starts; the life continues. The frailty of life seldom bothers us. Read the rest of this entry »

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Women are better than men at almost everything!

Mar 6

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Culture & Society, personal development, Trivial Stuff | 4 Comments

“Women Are Better Cops, Drivers, Gamblers, Spies, World Leaders, Beer Tasters, Hedge Fund Managers, and Just About Everything Else.” ~From ‘Man Down’ by Dan Abrams

Well, there goes the male ego! Men probably think that they are better drivers than the female counterparts, better handymen, and for sure better at saving the world! However, nobody seems to agree with that! Study after study, there are all kinds of proofs stacked up against the manly pride. And, many say without a reasonable doubt that woman is better than man in almost everything.

1. Women can handle more pain than men: Yes, there are all kinds of studies including those from researchers at the University of Bath, medical journal ‘Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery’ and ‘Myth busters’ confirming that women can tolerate pain better than men.

2. Women do better in the field of medicine: This is according to studies done in 2009 by the British government with respect to a database of information on all the investigations of medical misconduct or incompetence over a period of eight years. The study found that while 40 percent of doctors were women, 80 percent of those under investigation were men.

3. Women make better world leaders: A study by the Pew Research Center found that when people ranked men or women as superior in traits deemed ”very important or absolutely essential” to leadership, seven out of eight attributes chosen had women listed as equal to or better than men.

4. Women have a better sense of smell and taste: And, they can apply it to just about anything, including beer tasting! Read the rest of this entry »

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Commonsense tips on investing and investment ideas

Feb 6

Posted by admin in Banking, Business, Consciousness & Awareness, Most Popular Stories, Non-Resident Indian, NRI, personal development, Trivial Stuff | No Comments

Commonsense tips on investing while living home or abroad

“It is a wise man who lives with money in the bank, it is a fool who dies that way.” ~ French Proverb

No matter where you live, the financial planning and investment approach is not much different. By end of the day, the general goal is:

  • Spend less that you earn
  • Save for the rainy days
  • Maximize the return on investment without taking huge risks
  • Save for the future and retirement days
  • Enjoy life – money is a mean to live, not the ultimate goal

This article is based on the personal experiences in investing, no formal education in investing or financial planning here. DO NOT base your investment decisions solely on these tips. This is a simple advice from one investor to another. Your situation and circumstances may vary, so this may not apply to everyone.

These are some of the useful and commonsense tips on investing:

1. Save: Yes, the first principle to maximize your net capital or net portfolio is to save. The saving does not always mean being overly frugal or cutting down on the basic needs like food consumptions (while that may not be a bad idea in many cases). Consider eliminating the unnecessary spending and waste. ‘50 tips on saving’ is good article if you are looking for ideas on how to save.

2. Emergency fund: Before investing, it is always a good idea to have emergency fund that you can draw on, in case of emergency – such as loss of employment. Many suggest that you should have enough money readily available so you and your family can live off it for at least six months. Many other suggest having enough emergency funds for a full one year. Based on personal situation, decide on the size of the emergency fund. This money can sit in the savings accounts or other low risk options like short term certificates of deposits or low risk money market funds etc.

3. Understand your risk tolerance: Now, you may see advertisements boasting something like “double your money in x months with no risk”. Well, there is no such thing as ‘no risk’ when it come to investing. There are low risk alternatives or what many call ‘conservative approach’ to investment, but there is always some sort of risk. There is always a possibility that you may lose your shirt in many investments. So, make sure you understand the downside; make sure you can tolerate the short term or long term fluctuations in your investment choices.

4. Diversify: Diversification is one of the main methods used to minimize the overall risk of an investment portfolio. In other words, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Stocks, mutual funds, real estate, precious metals like gold and silver – there are different choices to investments. Even within stocks and mutual funds, there are categories based on different company size and different countries etc. Before investing, it is not a bad idea to understand the diversification options that suits your situation. Read the rest of this entry »

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The wandering thoughts

Jan 14

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, india abroad, Non-Resident Indian, NRI, Trivial Stuff | 2 Comments

The wandering thoughts – the home abroad

It is human nature – we are always thinking, often wandering in our own thoughts. Thinking about past or future and imagining hypothetical scenarios is a part of our day-to-day life. We are never content with what we have, always thinking about ‘what could be’ or ‘what could have been’.

Millions of us leave our homes and our countries to go abroad, searching for a better future, looking for a better life. Some leave by choice – because we want to try new things and new places; others leave because of necessity, because they have to – for one reason or another. Regardless of where we are and what we have accomplished, we are never satisfied with what we got. Once we go abroad, once we establish ourselves in the the new place, our mind wanders and thinks about going back to the motherland – where we originally come from. It is not because we need to, it is not because we have to. It is because of our nature – we are never satisfied with what we have. The present is never enough!

Most of the immigrants, regardless how long they have been away from their own country or how good life they live in the new place, have nostalgic attachment to their homeland. It is nothing new, it is part of being human. We never let go of the past, especially if past involves sweet memories of childhood.

Many of us, those who are settled abroad, often think about going back, returning for good. Even after we have made new life in the new country, the thought of going back often creeps into our minds. It is a good nostalgic memory of past. Most of us think about it – going back permanently, but very few actually actually try it. And those who return to their motherland, the experience is often not what they expected or what we imagined.

The simple fact is that time changes everything. The home we left behind years or decades ago is not the same home anymore. Everything and everybody has moved on. The old friends, the old neighbors, the small shop at the corner, the big tree next to the pond – everything and everybody has moved on. The nostalgic memories from long time ago that we want to relive today are nonexistent in reality. The surroundings have evolved, the neighborhoods have changed and the even the culture and customs have changed over the years. Read the rest of this entry »

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Thank you 2011, this time I mean it

Jan 7

Posted by admin in career planning, Consciousness & Awareness, Entertainment, Trivial Stuff | 1 Comment

Dear 2011!
Welcome. I have been waiting for you almost since Christmas. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Really, I mean it. It is hard to believe what a difference a day can make; well, in this case a night!

As the clock strikes midnight on December 31, as the 2010 rolls over and 2011 rolls in, a whole new year is born, a brand new one! As the seconds tick-tock from 12:00 to 12:01AM – in those 60 seconds, a whole year is forgotten. a whole year becomes history! All the sorrows of 2010, all the unkept promises, all the unresolved resolutions – everything becomes past; as if they all become obsolete. All the bad memories of previous year are replaced by the joyous celebrations of a new one. It is amazing how good we are at forgetting yesterday; our selective memory loss is something to be umm….proud of.

As the new year rolls in, we starts a new chapter in their life. The yesterday become a year old. With new optimism of new year, we plan something big, something great, something large. The choice is between the dead and gone 2010 vs. the new born 2011. Why should we mourn the dying past if there is choice to celebrate the future, to celebrate the birth of a new year.

Just like most of us, I have written off 2010 already – completely forgotten. I have even replaced my 2010 resolutions with new ones for 2011.

Drear 2011, I have big plans for you. For a change, I really want to DO something this year; I absolutely want to accomplish something this time. I know I have said this before to your elder brother 2010, or perhaps many others before that, but let the bygones be bygones. Let the past be a history. This time I am dead serious; this time, I am motivated to make a difference in my life.

I can already feel it – the good karma surrounds me on this new dawn of a new year. I can feel the optimism all around me. Read the rest of this entry »

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