Shubh - Hub
“The healthy man does not torture others. Generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers.” - Carl Jung

So I watched the movie 21 yesterday. I am a bad critic of movies cause I rarely criticize a movie and its going to be the same with this movie

21 is about card counting, its about gambling, its about MIT students …. no to me the movie is about something else. To me the movie is about being someone else, about losing yourself and becoming a different person only to realize that you can’t wear that mask forever.

I really liked the way the movie ends. The story he got was a lifetime experience, it really jiggled ;). I am sure he will get the scholarship.

Well, the actress is hot, the storyline is good, acting is great! A definite see.

P.S. I should be going to Vegas later this year, lets see how it stays for me

It is a magnificent view, isn’t it? New York City is really pretty, well it is dirty but the skyline is surely pretty

So after quite some time I am back in NYC! Manhattan! MidTown! I remember every time I saw Heroes in Calcutta I remembered the time I spent in NY and wished I was here …. and you know what when I am actually here I really don’t feel much different …..

One advantage though is that I bought a macbook… which is reallllllllly cool … apple is good … it is sleek and techy as well ….

Was looking towards buying an iPhone as well … but that will have to wait for now … waiting for the 2nd version to arrive …

I know … I have forgotten the art of blogging …. don’t worry … it will come back to me .. I am sure it will

The above two ads are for the newly launched Virgin Mobile in India . I must say both of them are really classics and the advertising group behind them must be given a pat on the back. I don’t yet know about the tariffs and all from the Virgin Group but the funda of earning money when you receive calls definitely rocks! For more check out their site

I watched these two movies a few days ago and I must say I wish I it had a third part. What a wonderful way to make a movie? Just a conversation but a conversation which has the power to keep the audience interested forever. The first part was great and probably the second part was even better. So what do you think happened in the end of 2nd part? Did he miss his plane? Did they settle down together? What happened? I guess the answer also reflects your personality type somehow

I must say a few things about the movie. First of all I just loved Julie Delphy in both the movies. I don’t know why but I just did :). Secondly the whole concept seemed really amazing. It does happen, you meet strangers and you just make a connection. With strangers it is easier to be truthful since you know you are meeting them just once and they have realistically no chance of affecting your real life :). I guess thats what happened in the first part. The second part was more of a continuation of how things went. I really wonder if the part in the cab was true or just a normal crib. Were they really so much into each other that they are unable to find happiness in their lives or were they unhappy and when they met they were just looking for a reason to blame. I guess I will never find this out. I guess I will always remember some of the quotes of this movie, they actually showed me a different way of life ;). Some of them are written below … may be you will like them

“Well, who says relationships have to last forever?” by Celine in Before Sunrise

“Isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?” again by Celine in Before Sunrise

“I know happy couples… but I think they lie to each other!” - by Jesse in Before Sunrise

“You can never replace anyone because everyone is made up of such beautiful specific details. ” by Celine in Before Sunset

“Memory’s a wonderful thing if you don’t have to deal with the past.” by Celine in Before Sunset

“Celine: Baby, you are gonna miss that plane.
Jesse: I know.” in Before Sunset

Staying at IIM Calcutta I have got addicted to long walks while listening to my ipod and since UK Consulates have insured that my stay in Delhi has got extended hence nowdays I regularly go to Delhi University for walks in the evenings

I basically walk done the entire Chhatra Marg, which is quite a nice road. I cover the Central Library and a couple of colleges. I don’t like to take riksha and hence while going to the metro station also I walk.

It is during these trips I noticed several things. Firstly couples are becoming really common in India :). Seriously just take a round of Delhi University and you will count innumerable couples around. Secondly the student political parties still rule the place. Their posters are everywhere, their office seems round the corner and basically their presence can be felt. Thirdly somehow the police seem to be at a good number of places in Delhi University. I really wonder how this is taking place but it is definitely welcome

Not a very interesting post I know but what to do … I have lost the art of blogging again

I recently found out about the Top Trader contest by uuni. The contest is similar to many other trading contests you might have played but the stakes are definitely much higher

Every month (March and April remaining) Top 10 winners get cash prizes …. and they are quite huge with the winner taking around  3K-5K pounds. The interface for trading again is quite amazing, one of the most techy yet easy to use interfaces I have seen. The overall look and feel of the game is just too amazing.

I guess I have said enough about it, so what are you waiting for? Just login and start trading and may the best trader win

So it has come, the time for my first year at IIM Calcutta to come to an end. I gave the last end term exam of the first year yesterday for the human resources management course and was volunteered for placements for the senior batch today. I know the heading might seem confusing but then it is a bad joke from one of my classes at IITD (very few people will remember it )

Not much to explain in this post except a few confessions

• My time at IIM Calcutta has been one of the most wonderful periods of my life
• I did not expect it to be over so fast. I can still remember the day I came to the campus in June
• Blessings come in many ways but the nicest come as friends
• I think I am in love with Calcutta as a city. Yes it has issues but I love this place :). It is now home

Too many emotions, too many things to say ….. not enough time + motivation to blog ….. so signing off …… ardios

Economics can tell you things which you never really imagined. If you talk to most middle class people in India (yes my and your families) then they will always crib about how the tax in India is very high, how at one point tax rates were as high as 90-95% and a lot of stuff. If you talk to an employed person today then he will say that Government is taxing him so much and others are getting away with black money quite easily (even I used to think that way). But the picture above shows a completely different scenario.

1. The Direct Tax’s contribution to GDP has almost been constant since independence  (around 2.5%) and only since 2000 has it increased slightly (to around 5%)
2. The Indirect Tax has been moving up and is a very major contribution to Government earnings. It contributed around 4% in 1950s and is now at around 12%.

What does this imply?  Simply put you and me are not paying much because of tax but each and every citizen of India is paying extra through indirect taxes, this includes the people below poverty line as even when they purchase some food it will a share of indirect tax.

It is expected that the taxation system will take more money from the rich and less from the poor, right? In India that is not really happening too a big extent. Everyone is paying a lot because people avoid direct tax by black money methods => the result is when Government needs extra money, it simply adds another indirect tax.

Just a thought which made me think a lot and deserves a spot on my blog

The war which left destroyed Soviet Union, ended cold war, made America the only superpower in this world ……. A movie about how it all started? How the budget went from $5 million to $1000 million ……. A movie about how one woman and one congressman took the world into the new era ………. and how by one mistake they caused the WTC crashes and the biggest war in this world ……..

Quite fascinating! How it all started with Congressman Wilson’s visit to the refugee camp in Pakistan, …………….. and where it stands today …………..

I guess the words in the end say enough:

“These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world …. and then we fucked up the end game.” - Charlie Wilson

So which direction do you see her moving? Clockwise or Anti-Clockwise?  According to HeraldSun, if you see her moving clockwise then you use more of Right Part of your brain and vice-versa. You can ofcourse refocus and change the direction. Quite fascinating!

Definitely visit their site and find out the characteristics of the side of brain you use