March 27, 2007

Jamaica, it is!

I have started counting the days before graduation! I am all excited about this new chapter of my life. I hope it is at least as adventurous and interesting as the past 3 years of my life. The age between 21 and 35 is the fun-filled and most challenging period of person's life and we should try to make the most use of it and accomplish our dreams.. Speaking of dreams, I have already started dreaming about the places I am going to visit in the month of May. I want it to be a true vacation.


Picture source: nationalgeographic.com

I am actually planning to go on a week's trip to Jamaica. We are going to be a group of 3 and we have decided to spend money like water..whatever little we have! I actually have a friend from Jamaica and have asked him about the place, things to do etc.. I found the website vacations.net to be very helpful in finalizing where I want to go for the summer. I really liked they way the had categorized resorts. They have listings for Family Vacation Resort, resorts for couples, resorts for honeymooners etc. You can save money as they are offering upto 50% discount on regular price. This is amazing especially if you want a low budget nice vacation.. We have already shortlisted our resorts.. It is only a matter of time before we swipe our credit cards! Can't wait for this fun-filled, relaxing get away..

March 25, 2007

The art of bidding

Picture source: cartoonstock.com

On eBay, when you bid on certain products, even though you are the highest bidder you keep getting a message saying you need to bid higher as someone has already made your offer. And when you go and see who the bidders are, it is you who has been bidding your own price. Has this ever happened to you? Basically this is a way to keep increasing the price and make one bid for a higher price. Next time you are on eBay and you keep getting that message, you know what to do.. "Quit Bidding on that product"

Speaking of bidding, I came across a website "bid4prizes.com" where you win free gifts by bidding, not to increase the price but to decrease it. So the lowest unique bidder wins. Isn't that very innovative? This is a game where there are lots of sweepstakes. You can bid using your cell phone or online to win cash prizes. You need to register for playing this game. Once you do that, you need to select a prize and place a bid on it. Then you will be informed if the bid you placed was high, low, unique or duplicate. So once you win the prize, you do not pay any money to get the product other than the shipping and handling costs and applicable IRS taxes. So in case you want a different experience in bidding, try playing this game.

March 22, 2007

A world so beautiful



I am guessing most of you know about Matt Harding and his famous website "wherethehellismatt.com". I just thought I should post the video on my blog. All the places that you see in this video are real and the way Matt dances is the best he can do!

I like the music of the video too. When you see the video you feel like there is so much to see in this world, hopefully people will realize the need to preserve whats left.

Traveling is something which I love. Some countries I want to visit by 2020: Egypt, Italy, Japan, Iceland, Dubai, China, Spain, New Zealand, Bolivia and Brazil.

Websites playing cupid

Picture source: speedysigns.com

When I was in undergrad, orkut was the in-thing to find friends or boyfriends/girlfriends. I remember how all of us used to be on orkut everyday. Now it has become a site where you can catch up with long last friends and scrap each other.

These days adds for online dating has become very popular. There are quite a few sites which offer this service. To join this growing cupid list is "JustSayHi.com". Unlike their brothers, this site offers free dating service. All you need to do is register for their service and then hopefully you will find someone interesting! There is no "if you are not satisfied, you get 6 months free" thingie. I personally don't think I can choose my life-partner over a dating site. But hey it is the web2.0 generation, soon websites might be built to choose your kid!

Somehow a lot of people seem to believe in finding a spouse online. Even if you look at Indians, shadi.com and tamilmatrimony seem to be very popular to advertise for prospective brides and grooms. At least till now my parents haven't brought up the topic of placing ads on websites or The Hindu Classifieds. I think they know that I am going to tell them "Not now!".

March 21, 2007

Time to make a Change

I prefer to change my cell phone carrier every year, the reason being that you can get better phones as well as better deals. I used have a T-Mobile account but then I changed to Verizon. The problem with Verizon is that you get less minutes for a higher price than T-Mobile.

So, I am planning to change my phone since my contract with Verizon is ending soon. I am ok with T-Mobile or Verizon. Anything other than Cingular works fine for me.
I was browsing for free phones that are available with the purchase of a plan and I checked out the free phones available at Alltell and Wirefly. Both have some good phones. But the free cell phones at Wirefly are simply amazing. You can get a BlackBerry Pearl with a new T-mobile account for FREE, thats right for free!

They also have some cool deals going on now. Sony W300i is also available for free "without any mail-in rebates". But this is on Cingular account, not going to work for me. With a new Verizon account you can get a Razr for free. When I got my Razr, I paid $70 for the phone for a one-year contract. I should have just got a free phone. So I have decided that I will not make the mistake of paying for a phone when you can get it for free for the second time!

I really like the offers at Wirefly which don't have any mail-in rebates. All these rebates take like 100 days or so and you mostly don't get the full amount back. The best thing to do would be to go in for free phones without any mail-in rebates on them. I think I am going to go in for the Nokia 6030 which comes with T-Mobile. On this I can get a $50 cash back after mail in rebate. Even if I don't get this amount, it is ok. I am happy that for once I was able to find some good deals on phones.

Gold <-> Indians

Picture source: gc.maricopa.edu

Most of the Indians tend to invest in real estate, gold and stocks or mutual funds. If a family has a girl then they start buying gold ornaments for her right from the age of 7 months. For some reason weddings in India seem to be a display of jewels and silk sari. I feel that weddings are more like festivals in India. It is a time for celebration, feasts, happiness and bliss.

I have noticed one thing that people do, they buy gold and silver coins or biscuits. I feel that this is a better thing to do than buying jewels when the girl is 10 years old. This way when the girl grows up she can choose the type of ornament and the design she wants. Designs keep changing each day and what you bought last year has become "Old-fashion"! I found this website where you can
buy gold coins in the US. Now we don't have to leave our practices behind in India. The only thing is that you might not get "Mahalakshmi" or "Shiva" or "Ganesha" in the coin. Instead you can get the "American Eagles" or the "American buffalos" ;)

March 20, 2007

Remember Tata's Rs.1 lakh car?

Tata came up with the idea of making cars to suit the lower-income class. The car was designed to be affordable as well as to serve the purpose. This proposal was made sometime in the year 2003.

Click on the image to see the animation


One of my Dad's usual forwards had the animation of how this car would look. It also takes you for a test drive.. Have a nice laugh!

Any idea as to what has happened to Tata's plan to make this car after all the commotion and "fasting" sessions of Mamata Banerjee?

Credit score, the Magical Number



I realized that if you want to get a credit card or a loan in this country, you OUGHT to have a good credit history. Everything revolves around your credit score and your credit history. I have been looking at forums and websites to learn about ways to improve my credit score and was not able to find a one stop to learn about things related to credits and loans.

Recently I came across this site creditloan.com where you can actually learn about loans, credit cards, credit history and anything related to finance. It is pretty useful if you are a novice in the field of finance and would like some guidance and tutoring. I especially like their Simple loan calculator. You can calculate the monthly payments or the loan amounts. if you have been in this country for less than 2 years the Credit Report Score section talks about ways to enhance your credit score.

Before you get a loan it is very important to get quotes from two or more finance companies or lenders. You should also remember that everytime someone runs a credit check or you apply for a credit card, your credit score is affected. So don't just randomly apply for credit cards because too many credit checks will affect your score. These are somethings which I didn't know until now. I should say better late than never! If you don't have a great credit score, start working to build one now. All it takes is some effort and caution.

Something Useful

If you are looking for hot deals, coupons or codes to get discounts Coupon Chief is a great place to find coupons based on what you are shopping for. I buy electronic stuff and books from Amazon.com. It is a great place to shop at. Getting discount coupons to shop at amazon makes shopping on the Internet even more useful. You not only have to leave your home but you even save for being lazy! The best part of this website is that you choose the shop and you get the listing of all the coupons available like coupons for dell, travelocity, ebay, target etc..

March 19, 2007

Hmm.. Interesting!

Picture source: d-winner.com

Do you know who are the top four contenders for the "Worst Company in America 2007"? - RIAA, Exon, Walmart and Halliburton।

And the Winner is RIAA getting 53.8% of the votes, followed by Halliburton.

15 companies were chosen for this 'prestigious award' . Best Buy, U-Haul, Sony, Exon, Verizon, Bank of America and United Airlines were among the fortunate contenders! I am sure that disappointed losers would have had an "urgent" board meeting and decided to try harder next year to bag this award ;)


Hearty congratulations to the winners and keep up the good work!

source: consumerist.com


March 17, 2007

Indian Cricket team - Time to face the Bitter truth!

source: http://content-www.cricinfo.com

I watched the India vs. Bangladesh cricket match today and was very disappointed by India's performance. Looks like the much trash talked person, Ganguly came to rescue India's miserable batting. He was the only one who scored more than 50 runs.

Tendulkar must retire as soon as possible. It is better to leave the team with dignity rather than retire with disgrace. All of us have a lot of respect for our Little Master but it is time he hangs his gloves and goes home.

Bangladesh, supposed to be formed of players from 'the streets' proved their team spirit and confidence today. They were definitely underestimated by the Indians.

India vs. Srilanka is going to decide India's fate at the 2007 World Cup! Initially we were talking about India's strategy at the semi-finals and the finals, now it has come down to Qualification for the super 8 stage!

Checklist to buy a Used car

I have been on the look out for a used car for over 3 months. I have done a lot of research and thought that I can share my knowledge with my blog readers on this subject!

1. It is better to buy a Pre-Owned "Certified" car than buying a Used car. The reason is, with a certified car you get about 7 years warranty. This way you will not be risking your savings.

2. Decide the make which you want to buy. Most of the Indians buy a Toyota, Honda or BMW. Once you decide on the make, decide on the model, the year range and the maximum mileage of the car.

3. Always, I repeat ALWAYS check out the cars on the dealership website and contact the "Internet Sales Manager". This way you will get the Internet pricing (mostly you save about $500 - $1300)

4. Go to edmunds and 'appraise your used car'. Here you can select the make, model, year of manufacture, zip code, color and mileage run. Edmunds gives you the Private Part price(if you buy from an individual), Dealer price, Trade-In price and Certified price.

5. During this appraisal you can add additional equipment like CD, ABS, air bags etc. which come with the car. You should be able to find all the specifications on the dealer's advertisement.

6. Note down the edmunds value and go to the dealership. Tell them you saw this car "ONLINE" and that you would like to test drive the car.

7. Drive the car on the freeway or at 60 mph and see if there is any noise from the engine by switching off the AC/Heater. Then make a thorough inspection of the car (outside, inside, seats, storage, trunk, lights, wipers, engine, oil, brake fluid etc.)

8. Ask for a carfax report of the car. This is very important. You will be able to see how many owners the car has had, was it bought in an auction or was it a trade-in, any major part change or any accident etc.

9. Then ask the car Out-of-the-Door for the price quoted in edmunds. Remember that edmunds does not include the dealer fee, tax, tag etc. Try to get it for about a maximum of $1500 more than the price quoted in edmunds depending on the condition of the car. If you are able to do that, you have got yourself a good deal.

10. You can ask them to run a credit check after you finalize the "Numbers". This way you will not have too many credit checks which will hurt your credit score. Remember to ask the dealer to do a detailing of the car before you take it. This is your last chance to get something from them.

Buying a car whether used/new is a tiring task because you never get satisfied. Sometimes paying $100 more than what you wanted to pay will be worth it.

March 15, 2007

Those British comedies







Do you remember the British comedies which used to come on Doordarshan? I used to watch "Are you being served?" and "Mind your language". My sister and I used to love them. We used to make sure that we watch them every week. If I remember right, 'Are you being Served' used to come on Mondays and 'Mind your language' on Tuesdays.

Those were good old times. No worries, no tensions and very happy times. Wish I could go back 10 years and relive my childhood!

I started watching both the comedy shows on YouTube. It felt amazing. Only thing which was missing was the company of my sister! May be when I visit her next time I will watch them with her.

March 13, 2007

Pyar ke side effects - very true!

source: http://www.indiafm.com

I saw the movie Pyar ke side effects starring Rahul Bose and Mallika Sherawat. I liked it a lot. I thought the movie was very realistic and had captured the true attitude of women. Until they get into a relationship, women tend to be carefree and easy-g0-lucky. But once they are in a relationship their whole character changes. They become very demanding and keep expecting their boyfriends to do and say the RIGHT things (which only women know). Being a woman myself, I feel that we change a lot everytime we take up different roles. Our expectations seem to increase each day when in a relationship.

Coming back to the movie, I thought Mallika Sherawat had done a good job. Rahul Bose was amazing as always! Time pass yet paisa vasool!

March 8, 2007

It is already Spring Break!!

My Spring Break unofficially starts in another 2 hours! Time flies..Last spring break, my mother was with me and we had lots of fun together. This time it is going to be with my friends.

This is going to be my last spring break for at least a few years.. Graduating semester seems to be the most fun-filled at the same time the most learning period in Grad school life.

For some reason, it is only now that I am discovering things which I have missed out.. So I am trying to live life to the fullest and make the most of this exiting part of my life.

March 6, 2007

When will there be "equal opportunity" in India?

I came across this news on rediff about reservation in the IIMs for Other Backward Castes. Why is India called a Secular nation when the government itself is drawing fences among the Indians?

IIMs are prestigious institutions because only the smartest and brightest can get in. Now it is going to become just like the other universities in India. They are also going to increase the number of seats. It looks like the Indian government has made up its mind to bid farewell to Quality of education.

I am not saying that there should not be any privileges to the under privileged.. but let the privileges be based on economical status and not on caste. Even today a cobbler's son remains a cobbler. Just because there is reservation system, has the government been able to eradicate poverty? has the government been able to educate the villagers? has the government been able to demolish the slums?

It is only the lower-middle class Forward caste people who get affected because of this reservation. If someone is smart enough to score marks, then irrespective of whether there is reservation or not, he/she should be able to do well. Actually I have known people who converted to BC/MBC from FC, just to get admission into good colleges. This is just unfair advantage given to people who are misusing it.

Irrespective of how many educated politicians come to power, "Vote Bank" is all they care about. They have never been bothered about Quality of education or professional service. This is India's fate in the hands of dirty politicians!

March 2, 2007

Weirdest week of my life!

This week has been the roughest and the most sensible week of my life.. How weird is that?

I saw myself being impulsive and mature at the same time. I made a lot of decisions this week than I have done in the last 1 year.

It is amazing how I handled things with patience and at the same stood my ground.

Sometimes making the toughest/saddest decision is more practical than living in a world of false hopes and beliefs. Reality is bitter but much better than Imagination!

Lessons of this week:

- Always believe in yourself and never loose your self-confidence.
- True friends will be there for you no matter what happens. If a friend is not there for you when you actually need her/him, then you called the wrong person your friend. Also, make sure you are there for your friends all the time, more importantly during the rough times.