I have a friend who had been talking to a guy for quite a few months. They had gone out for a while and then things cooled down but he kept showing interest in her. Recently, they were hanging out and out of the blue, he looks over at her rings and makes a comment about them. You see, she wore these specific rings after getting an astrology reading done because she was told that they would bring her good fortune. Horoscopes and astrology reports are not uncommon among Hindus and have been used for many years when two people wanted to see how compatible they were. I've even had my astrology report done! Now, whether you choose to believe the report or not is a different story. My astrology report was done without me actually being there; my mom went to get it done for me haha. She came home and reported to me what it said, and I initially didn't give it much thought. However it did mention specific things that would happen at certain ages in my life and these things did end up happening so I figured I'd play it safe and abide by the astrologer's recommendations. That's why I wear a ring on my index finger as well.
Anyways, I've strayed from my original story. The guy then went on to say to my friend that these sort of beliefs make her seem like she's from the 18th century and he needs a modern girl, and that really pissed me off. How does that make her seem like she's from the 18th century? Since when does "traditional" equate to "backwards"? What makes a modern girl? (Ironically, this girl is probably one of the most techy, gadget-loving people I know.. she's even got an IPhone!) I completely understand that when one culture is introduced into a different environment, there is a tendency to assimilate with those around you, and certain trademarks of that culture are no longer evident. However, there's a difference between assimilating and abandoning. It's funny because this girl grew up in the U.S. and this guy moved to the states much later in his life. So, if anything, he should be more Indianized and she should be more Americanized. At the very least, he should've been more understanding.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Fareed Zakaria Agrees with Me!
When I got my latest issue of Newsweek, I saw on the cover that Fareed Zakaria had written the cover article entitled "The Bright Side." After reading it, I was so excited that he echoed some of the points I made in my previous post! I'm not blowing steam out my behind after all! Someone else thinks like me and that someone has the ability to reach the masses. Let's face it, not that many people are going to read my blog but thousands of people will read his article. He says that we shouldn't "as some noted economists advocate, stimulate the economy with more tax cuts. That would be only one more way to keep the party going artificially - like asking a drunk to go to AA next year, but in the mean time to have more whiskey. A far better stimulus would be to announce and expedite major infrastructure and energy projects, which are investments, not consumption." And not only that, but in the Inside Business section titled "Yes, It's a Wreck But We Can Fix It" a few of the contributors also echoed what I wrote. Joy! I think we just feel like we need to stop borrowing so much and learn to save first. That's what my parents taught me but that's not what we're doing as a nation. Why promote tax cuts now only to pay for it later? And regarding the fallout of our economic crisis, I believe we just need to take our lumps (huge lumps!) and grow from this experience for the future. Ah well, I don't want to start lecturing again.
I do want to talk about a recent experience I had with a colleague of mine. Normally I don't like to discuss my political beliefs at work - I just feel like it stirs up so many emotions in people and pins them against each other and that's not really what I want in a working environment. When asked about the debates, I talk about both sides because both seem to present at least something. However, last week I went to lunch with a guy from work and he asked me who I was leaning towards in the election. I responded by saying that I think that I'm leaning towards Obama. BIG MISTAKE. Afterwards, this guy would not stop talking about how that is the wrong decision. He said to me, "I don't know how any intelligent person would vote for Obama knowing that he's going to take money from your pocket." Apparently this colleague of mine makes enough to be placed in the tier that would be hit with a tax increase; I certainly don't make that much. "Obama is a socialist who wants to redistribute wealth," he said, pointing his finger angrily towards me as if that's a bad thing. Why is it OK for the gap between the middle and upper class to continue to rise? Color me a socialist if it means that I prefer to think that every one of us gets lifted if we look out for the majority. The way I see it is that the more that the majority earns, the more they'll be able to save or spend and thereby increase liquidity in our economy, or at the very least, save for that 20% downpayment for a house and the subsequent mortgage payments. The trickle down theory is a nice theory but the wealth still lies in the hands of a minority. Anyways, after I opened my mouth in support of Obama and realized what I had gotten myself into, I chose not to say another word for fear of having to hear more crap spew from him. It's one thing to have a political discussion with someone with whom you can bounce ideas off ofand gain mutual insight into the other's point of view and it's another thing to have to listen to what I had to sit through. This is why I don't like to discuss political beliefs at work. Lesson learned.
I do want to talk about a recent experience I had with a colleague of mine. Normally I don't like to discuss my political beliefs at work - I just feel like it stirs up so many emotions in people and pins them against each other and that's not really what I want in a working environment. When asked about the debates, I talk about both sides because both seem to present at least something. However, last week I went to lunch with a guy from work and he asked me who I was leaning towards in the election. I responded by saying that I think that I'm leaning towards Obama. BIG MISTAKE. Afterwards, this guy would not stop talking about how that is the wrong decision. He said to me, "I don't know how any intelligent person would vote for Obama knowing that he's going to take money from your pocket." Apparently this colleague of mine makes enough to be placed in the tier that would be hit with a tax increase; I certainly don't make that much. "Obama is a socialist who wants to redistribute wealth," he said, pointing his finger angrily towards me as if that's a bad thing. Why is it OK for the gap between the middle and upper class to continue to rise? Color me a socialist if it means that I prefer to think that every one of us gets lifted if we look out for the majority. The way I see it is that the more that the majority earns, the more they'll be able to save or spend and thereby increase liquidity in our economy, or at the very least, save for that 20% downpayment for a house and the subsequent mortgage payments. The trickle down theory is a nice theory but the wealth still lies in the hands of a minority. Anyways, after I opened my mouth in support of Obama and realized what I had gotten myself into, I chose not to say another word for fear of having to hear more crap spew from him. It's one thing to have a political discussion with someone with whom you can bounce ideas off ofand gain mutual insight into the other's point of view and it's another thing to have to listen to what I had to sit through. This is why I don't like to discuss political beliefs at work. Lesson learned.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Panic! at the Banks!
The world is so different now than it was when I last posted on this blog. Large firms, insurance companies and banks have folded or have been bailed out. A $700 billion bailout package was passed by Congress (won't be implemented for a while though) . Phrases like "bailout", "Wall Street to Main Street", "PANIC!"and "Depression" are seemingly interwoven into every newscast I watch. More recently Wall Street has spiraled out of control and pretty much brought the entire world with it. Unemployment's creeping up, energy prices are through the roof and - even though the government says it's not the case - inflation is going up (heck, I feel it in my wallet, how can they say it's not a problem!) These are definitely trying times. This scenario seems to be a Perfect Storm of sorts to bring down our country's economic and foreign relations power.
Coincidentally, all of this is going down as we get ready to select our next president. Politics and the economy are going to definitely go hand-in-hand in this election race but I find it disconcerting how each candidate promises to cut taxes and cut spending, because I personally think that's the wrong way to handle the economic crisis that we're in. Let me tell you something, the DEFICIT is killing us! It's devaluing our dollar, increasing our dependence on foreign countries and weakening our ability to conduct diplomacy. Most importantly, it's taking away real wealth from the average American household. In recent history, the government's been cutting taxes and banking on the hope that these cuts would spur enough growth to eventually cover the deficit caused by the cuts. Then they cut spending to make it look like they're doing all they can do to save us - the regular Joe Six-Packs of the country - money. But the government is the biggest spender in the country and I think it needs to spend money to spur growth in a New Deal-esque way. You need to spend money to make money right? Spend money on our infrastructure, on alternative energy sources for the short term and the long term, on services that improve the quality of life (health care) and build a stronger, more competitive workforce (education), etc. All of this has to be paid for in some way. Tax us fairly so the rich don't get richer through tax loops; widening the gap further between the middle and upper class. I personally do pay a lot in taxes but wouldn't mind the tax burden if it meant that I would be getting grade-A service in return.
So let's talk more on the topic of services provided by the government. In light of the current financial sector meltdown, I think that the government should provide oversight over and regulation of the various sectors of our economy. Many argue that it's sacrilegious to our capitalistic foundation to grant government so much power over firms and businesses. Hell they're using the bailout package to essentially buy a stake in these companies! A colleague of mine states that so much regulation would put a stranglehold on innovation and the creative means by which businesses generate money. He argues that no one had a problem with these companies when they were making money during a boom and tax revenue was coming in. This is true. It's easy to turn a blind eye to situations when the good times are rolling, but that doesn't necessarily mean that when everything heads south we shouldn't take a step back, evaluate where things went wrong and how to prevent them in the future.
Everyone is scared about where this economy is heading. Wall Street is scared about the future and the markets have really plummeted in the last week. When the Great Depression hit, it was the lack of movement of money which really made things worse and fed the panic. In order to prevent that scenario, our Congress passed a $700 billion bailout package to ensure liquidity. However, even after they passed the bailout package the markets continued to plunge. So why are investors still hesitant about the economy? Well, one of the reasons is that although the amount of money was agreed upon, the actual implementation will take a few weeks and possibly months to feel the impact. But I think that the traders on Wall Street need more assurance. What sort of regulations will be put in place to ensure that this doesn't happen again? Heck, what the hell are they even going to regulate? Derivatives? In speaking with my cousin, it doesn't seem like derivatives are all that bad if used properly. It seems like it was the underlying contracts that were risky. Regardless, it's Congress's and their subcommittees' jobs to figure this out. And I think that eventually a set of checks and balances will restore confidence back in the market.
Additionally, the government should set up a "bubble watch" committee which would keep an eye on bubbles in various sectors report them to Congress once a quarter. It's not hard to see that there's a bubble forming and once Congress is notified, steps can be taken to differentiate a speculative bubble from a genuine boom. This ability to nip a bubble in the bud may also restore confidence in the stability of our economy.
I recently came across transcripts of FDR's fireside chats online. He held these chats to reassure the United States' citizens during the Depression and explain to them in layman's terms what the government was doing to restore the economy and their reasons for taking those steps. I wish the next president holds the modern day equivalent of these fireside chats. .
Coincidentally, all of this is going down as we get ready to select our next president. Politics and the economy are going to definitely go hand-in-hand in this election race but I find it disconcerting how each candidate promises to cut taxes and cut spending, because I personally think that's the wrong way to handle the economic crisis that we're in. Let me tell you something, the DEFICIT is killing us! It's devaluing our dollar, increasing our dependence on foreign countries and weakening our ability to conduct diplomacy. Most importantly, it's taking away real wealth from the average American household. In recent history, the government's been cutting taxes and banking on the hope that these cuts would spur enough growth to eventually cover the deficit caused by the cuts. Then they cut spending to make it look like they're doing all they can do to save us - the regular Joe Six-Packs of the country - money. But the government is the biggest spender in the country and I think it needs to spend money to spur growth in a New Deal-esque way. You need to spend money to make money right? Spend money on our infrastructure, on alternative energy sources for the short term and the long term, on services that improve the quality of life (health care) and build a stronger, more competitive workforce (education), etc. All of this has to be paid for in some way. Tax us fairly so the rich don't get richer through tax loops; widening the gap further between the middle and upper class. I personally do pay a lot in taxes but wouldn't mind the tax burden if it meant that I would be getting grade-A service in return.
So let's talk more on the topic of services provided by the government. In light of the current financial sector meltdown, I think that the government should provide oversight over and regulation of the various sectors of our economy. Many argue that it's sacrilegious to our capitalistic foundation to grant government so much power over firms and businesses. Hell they're using the bailout package to essentially buy a stake in these companies! A colleague of mine states that so much regulation would put a stranglehold on innovation and the creative means by which businesses generate money. He argues that no one had a problem with these companies when they were making money during a boom and tax revenue was coming in. This is true. It's easy to turn a blind eye to situations when the good times are rolling, but that doesn't necessarily mean that when everything heads south we shouldn't take a step back, evaluate where things went wrong and how to prevent them in the future.
Everyone is scared about where this economy is heading. Wall Street is scared about the future and the markets have really plummeted in the last week. When the Great Depression hit, it was the lack of movement of money which really made things worse and fed the panic. In order to prevent that scenario, our Congress passed a $700 billion bailout package to ensure liquidity. However, even after they passed the bailout package the markets continued to plunge. So why are investors still hesitant about the economy? Well, one of the reasons is that although the amount of money was agreed upon, the actual implementation will take a few weeks and possibly months to feel the impact. But I think that the traders on Wall Street need more assurance. What sort of regulations will be put in place to ensure that this doesn't happen again? Heck, what the hell are they even going to regulate? Derivatives? In speaking with my cousin, it doesn't seem like derivatives are all that bad if used properly. It seems like it was the underlying contracts that were risky. Regardless, it's Congress's and their subcommittees' jobs to figure this out. And I think that eventually a set of checks and balances will restore confidence back in the market.
Additionally, the government should set up a "bubble watch" committee which would keep an eye on bubbles in various sectors report them to Congress once a quarter. It's not hard to see that there's a bubble forming and once Congress is notified, steps can be taken to differentiate a speculative bubble from a genuine boom. This ability to nip a bubble in the bud may also restore confidence in the stability of our economy.
I recently came across transcripts of FDR's fireside chats online. He held these chats to reassure the United States' citizens during the Depression and explain to them in layman's terms what the government was doing to restore the economy and their reasons for taking those steps. I wish the next president holds the modern day equivalent of these fireside chats. .
Friday, August 29, 2008
Politically Incorrect
I watched Obama's speech last night and I have to admit, he's a good public speaker. He seemed very comfortable up there on stage. I look forward to listening to McCain's speech next week. See, I'm not really one to associate myself with a party. I'm not Red and I'm not Blue. I'm more of a Purple - kinda Red and kinda Blue. And I think that's probably the case with most Americans. I agree with Obama on some things and I agree with McCain on some things. We all essentially gavitate to the middle.
What I don't understand are the hardcore Democrats and Republicans. We have a few of those at work. I don't really enjoy discussing politics at work because it's such a divisive topic, but some people love to wear their Red or Blue on their sleeve. So this Democrat, we'll call him Elephant, was raving on and on about Obama today. I liked the speech too, but come on! This grisley bear of a man sounded like a 13 yr old school girl gushing over Justin Timberlake. And the Republican, we'll call him Donkey (not to be confused w/ Donkey from Shrek), turned beat red (pun intended) talking about how McCain's choice for VP doesn't take away from the Republicans' attack that Obama is too inexperienced to become president. I find it comical. I wonder if they make their own choices or just adopt their party's choices because they're loyal to that party.
I'm Purple. I think that the artist formerly known as Prince would love it if a party adopted Purple to represent them. He can perform "Purple Reign" at the innaugural. I wish they had a font for the symbol which represents the artist formerly known as Prince so I wouldn't have to type "the artist formerly known as Prince."
What I don't understand are the hardcore Democrats and Republicans. We have a few of those at work. I don't really enjoy discussing politics at work because it's such a divisive topic, but some people love to wear their Red or Blue on their sleeve. So this Democrat, we'll call him Elephant, was raving on and on about Obama today. I liked the speech too, but come on! This grisley bear of a man sounded like a 13 yr old school girl gushing over Justin Timberlake. And the Republican, we'll call him Donkey (not to be confused w/ Donkey from Shrek), turned beat red (pun intended) talking about how McCain's choice for VP doesn't take away from the Republicans' attack that Obama is too inexperienced to become president. I find it comical. I wonder if they make their own choices or just adopt their party's choices because they're loyal to that party.
I'm Purple. I think that the artist formerly known as Prince would love it if a party adopted Purple to represent them. He can perform "Purple Reign" at the innaugural. I wish they had a font for the symbol which represents the artist formerly known as Prince so I wouldn't have to type "the artist formerly known as Prince."
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Work
Work.. that's the magic word lately. Everywhere I look, someone's talking about how much work they have. My friend, S, has been swamped lately. She's been working until all hours of the night and stressed with having to deal w/ a crappy project manager and incompetent consultants. Pobresita.
We have also been swamped at work since we're in the midst of a huge web re-engineering project. My manager's been putting in a crap-load of hours on it. Late night calls testing printouts to the client in Japan, db back-up and restores a million times over, canceled vacations. The list goes on and on and it seems that whenever something goes wrong, it inevitably falls on his lap. I try and help out where I can, but it's been getting to me too. These consultants - though they're nice guys - are a pain in the ass! Their requests are becoming more and more demanding and we have to cater to them like WE work for THEM. And even though H & M have put in work to the project, most of these requests go to my manager or myself. That wouldn't even be so bad if it's the only thing we were working on. A lot of people have the luxury of working on one project and then going on to the next project. Not so for us. It seems like every IT related project goes through our Network group at some point so we get dragged in a million different directions at a time. The best is when someone from one of the project keeps asking for your status and you really don't have anything to tell them because you just haven't had the time to work on it.
I've learned, however, that no matter how bad you have it, you'll always find someone who has it worse than you. I was talking to one of the Indian consultants at work and he was at the brink of cracking up. He was telling me how he's been working until 11pm or later for the past 2 weeks and how his wife is mad at him and doesn't understand the pressures at work. He had planned to take his mother-in-law (who's visiting from India) on a trip to Niagara Falls last weekend but had to cancel it for work. So I'm sure that didn't go over too well w/ his wife. This man was on the verge of breaking into tears as he was telling me this. Thank God he didn't start crying. I don't know how to act in front of a crying man!
So, yeah, work has been a bitch lately but I don't have it so bad in comparison to him. Plus, I'm on a 100-day plan right now. Basically, ever since I got back from Florida, my plan has been to push myself harder than ever for the next 100 days. It's not like I'm going to coast afterwards, that's not my style, but the idea is that during these 100-days, I'm going to just go all out in everything I do. "I don't sleep, cuz sleep is the cousin of death."
We have also been swamped at work since we're in the midst of a huge web re-engineering project. My manager's been putting in a crap-load of hours on it. Late night calls testing printouts to the client in Japan, db back-up and restores a million times over, canceled vacations. The list goes on and on and it seems that whenever something goes wrong, it inevitably falls on his lap. I try and help out where I can, but it's been getting to me too. These consultants - though they're nice guys - are a pain in the ass! Their requests are becoming more and more demanding and we have to cater to them like WE work for THEM. And even though H & M have put in work to the project, most of these requests go to my manager or myself. That wouldn't even be so bad if it's the only thing we were working on. A lot of people have the luxury of working on one project and then going on to the next project. Not so for us. It seems like every IT related project goes through our Network group at some point so we get dragged in a million different directions at a time. The best is when someone from one of the project keeps asking for your status and you really don't have anything to tell them because you just haven't had the time to work on it.
I've learned, however, that no matter how bad you have it, you'll always find someone who has it worse than you. I was talking to one of the Indian consultants at work and he was at the brink of cracking up. He was telling me how he's been working until 11pm or later for the past 2 weeks and how his wife is mad at him and doesn't understand the pressures at work. He had planned to take his mother-in-law (who's visiting from India) on a trip to Niagara Falls last weekend but had to cancel it for work. So I'm sure that didn't go over too well w/ his wife. This man was on the verge of breaking into tears as he was telling me this. Thank God he didn't start crying. I don't know how to act in front of a crying man!
So, yeah, work has been a bitch lately but I don't have it so bad in comparison to him. Plus, I'm on a 100-day plan right now. Basically, ever since I got back from Florida, my plan has been to push myself harder than ever for the next 100 days. It's not like I'm going to coast afterwards, that's not my style, but the idea is that during these 100-days, I'm going to just go all out in everything I do. "I don't sleep, cuz sleep is the cousin of death."
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Nickel & Dime
My cousins and I went to Six Flags Great Adventure yesterday. It's actually a tradition that we go to the park once a year together. I heart doing these things w/ my family. This year we asked Dhruvi, Bhavik, Sagar B. and Yaggy to come along with us and it was pretty fun. We were rolling 10 deep! Sagar B. and Yaggy's dad made us sandwiches from his deli too. They were soo good! We got to the park around the time it opened and went straight to the new Dark Knight ride. If anyone reading this post is planning on going to the park, take my advice and don't bother even trying to get on this ride. It sucks so bad. And on top of that it wasted about 1.5 hrs of our day.
One thing that's apparent is that Great Adventure is blatantly nickel & diming the masses. They used to have little cubbies to put bags and stuff near where you boarded a roller coaster. However, now they make you put your bags and loose items in lockers for $1, and each coaster has a locker area near it. You're not allowed to even get on line with a bag! That seems so petty to me. We've pretty much gone to G.A. every year since we were little and they always let the girls drop their bags by the roller coaster control desk. Is there a real need to nickel & dime you like that after you've paid an outrageous amount to get into the park?
Another annoyance is the Flash Pass. This little device is what I'd like to refer to as legalized line-cutting. There were so many times when we'd get to the front of the line after waiting a long, long time and the security guard would let the Flash Pass holders go ahead of us. I'm not blaming the pass holders because they paid good money for it. But now G.A. is basically distinguishing between the Have and Have Nots. We paid $275 for tickets, at least $50 for gas, $30 for parking, and at least $175 in food and drink. We weren't going to pay another $202 (yeah you read that right, it's $202 for 10 people) to get a Flash Pass.
So I guess nickel & diming the average Joe (or Raj) is a sign of the times. They must need that money to operate if they are going to resort to that right? I wonder how else they could raise revenue without taking these measures? lol, go green?
One thing that's apparent is that Great Adventure is blatantly nickel & diming the masses. They used to have little cubbies to put bags and stuff near where you boarded a roller coaster. However, now they make you put your bags and loose items in lockers for $1, and each coaster has a locker area near it. You're not allowed to even get on line with a bag! That seems so petty to me. We've pretty much gone to G.A. every year since we were little and they always let the girls drop their bags by the roller coaster control desk. Is there a real need to nickel & dime you like that after you've paid an outrageous amount to get into the park?
Another annoyance is the Flash Pass. This little device is what I'd like to refer to as legalized line-cutting. There were so many times when we'd get to the front of the line after waiting a long, long time and the security guard would let the Flash Pass holders go ahead of us. I'm not blaming the pass holders because they paid good money for it. But now G.A. is basically distinguishing between the Have and Have Nots. We paid $275 for tickets, at least $50 for gas, $30 for parking, and at least $175 in food and drink. We weren't going to pay another $202 (yeah you read that right, it's $202 for 10 people) to get a Flash Pass.
So I guess nickel & diming the average Joe (or Raj) is a sign of the times. They must need that money to operate if they are going to resort to that right? I wonder how else they could raise revenue without taking these measures? lol, go green?
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Why? Because nice guys finish last, that's why! They get played, duped, swindled, made fools of, taken for a ride, taken advantage of, taken for granted and eventually they're made to be the scapegoat, put out to dry, take the fall, left for dead, foot the bill, etc.
So if you've gotten accustomed to having me cover for your ass, sorry, homeslice, but fend for yourself. If you (HO) try to dump work on me, I'll dump it right back. If you owe me money, pay up, bitch! A new day has dawned and I'm not taking crap from anyone anymore!
Eh, Jim's right, who am I kidding!?! I'm too nice a guy... But that doesn't mean I can't make changes. I'm no longer going to be taken advantage of again!
So if you've gotten accustomed to having me cover for your ass, sorry, homeslice, but fend for yourself. If you (HO) try to dump work on me, I'll dump it right back. If you owe me money, pay up, bitch! A new day has dawned and I'm not taking crap from anyone anymore!
Eh, Jim's right, who am I kidding!?! I'm too nice a guy... But that doesn't mean I can't make changes. I'm no longer going to be taken advantage of again!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Game Theory: Nash Equilibrium
It's no big secret that after watching A Beautiful Mind, I became very interested in Game Theory. I sometimes pick up on games as they occur in real life. Things start move a little slower and I start analyzing minute details of the events and interactions before me. Actually, I have picked up on these situations before I even watched the movie, but I didn't know that there was an actual term for it.
Recently, J at work brought up something with which he has an issue and I think I can classify it as a GT example - specifically a Nash Equilibrium example. In J's example, there is a task that needs to be carried out by a group and one person from that group has to always be available to execute the task. The problem is that this task has to be executed around lunchtime so not everyone from the group is around and, specifically, one of the group members always gets up and leaves as soon as it's 12:00. One of the other group members always find a way to be there when it needs to be executed.
The Nash Equilibrium is a game "in which each player is assumed to know the equilibrium strategies of the other players, and no player has anything to gain by changing only his or her own strategy (i.e., by changing unilaterally). If each player has chosen a strategy and no player can benefit by changing his or her strategy while the other players keep theirs unchanged, then the current set of strategy choices and the corresponding payoffs constitute a Nash equilibrium."
Therefore, in our example, it comes down to a question of what each member of the group believes is beneficial. The guy who leaves at 12:00PM on the dot would probably think that as long as he gets to go to lunch, that's all that matters since the other members of the group will execute the task in his absence. The rest of the group may believe that as long as the task is executed, it's all that matters. Since that one guy is always leaving anyways, the rest have grown accustomed carrying out the task.
So long as the individual and the rest of the group hold onto their strategies, does that constitute a Nash Equilibrium with two recognized goals? They would, of course, have to hold onto their belief of what is beneficial. If another member of the group changed his mind as to what is beneficial, then that would disrupt the equilibrium. Or, even better, if the individual changed his belief to coincide with what the rest of the group believes is beneficial, then that would create a new equilibrium with only one beneficial outcome instead of the two I've presented.
No one stated that it is the right thing to do for the individual to consistently leave at lunchtime - he's obviously not a team player. But regardless, he's found an equilibrium state in which he is definitely benefiting since the rest of the group's goals are being met. Maybe he shouldn't be considered a part of the group being analyzed in the equilibrium. But, no, he's still a part of that team. Ah, I digress.
Recently, J at work brought up something with which he has an issue and I think I can classify it as a GT example - specifically a Nash Equilibrium example. In J's example, there is a task that needs to be carried out by a group and one person from that group has to always be available to execute the task. The problem is that this task has to be executed around lunchtime so not everyone from the group is around and, specifically, one of the group members always gets up and leaves as soon as it's 12:00. One of the other group members always find a way to be there when it needs to be executed.
The Nash Equilibrium is a game "in which each player is assumed to know the equilibrium strategies of the other players, and no player has anything to gain by changing only his or her own strategy (i.e., by changing unilaterally). If each player has chosen a strategy and no player can benefit by changing his or her strategy while the other players keep theirs unchanged, then the current set of strategy choices and the corresponding payoffs constitute a Nash equilibrium."
Therefore, in our example, it comes down to a question of what each member of the group believes is beneficial. The guy who leaves at 12:00PM on the dot would probably think that as long as he gets to go to lunch, that's all that matters since the other members of the group will execute the task in his absence. The rest of the group may believe that as long as the task is executed, it's all that matters. Since that one guy is always leaving anyways, the rest have grown accustomed carrying out the task.
So long as the individual and the rest of the group hold onto their strategies, does that constitute a Nash Equilibrium with two recognized goals? They would, of course, have to hold onto their belief of what is beneficial. If another member of the group changed his mind as to what is beneficial, then that would disrupt the equilibrium. Or, even better, if the individual changed his belief to coincide with what the rest of the group believes is beneficial, then that would create a new equilibrium with only one beneficial outcome instead of the two I've presented.
No one stated that it is the right thing to do for the individual to consistently leave at lunchtime - he's obviously not a team player. But regardless, he's found an equilibrium state in which he is definitely benefiting since the rest of the group's goals are being met. Maybe he shouldn't be considered a part of the group being analyzed in the equilibrium. But, no, he's still a part of that team. Ah, I digress.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Dear Abby
I've become Abby from "Dear Abby." I don't know when or how this happened but at some point I took on this role. It's funny because I really am very unfamiliar with all of these problems that I am presented. Yet, lately I've been asked to find solutions, fix relationships, talk people off ledges (figuratively speaking, though, not too far off), mend friendships, end friendships, advise on career paths and so on. I have no social skills or experiences that would make me any sort of authority whatsoever! I can barely hold my own! I don't know how to hold down a relationship. I am very sheltered on a lot of things that I'm asked about. I don't know or comprehend a lot of things. But I'm asked for my two cents nonetheless. I've made it sound like I'm upset that I'm asked for help on these things. I'm not at all. I just don't know what qualifications I have.
Let's see. Here's what I've come up w/ so far:
1) I'm a robot (beeep boop beeep). I'm very logical with regard to a lot of things and those people that ask for my assistance are usually more on the emotional end. Trust me, I've been emotional myself at times, but I don't deviate for my normal robotic thought processes for long. I always come back to being logical. So I can relate to the emotional craziness but bring it back home to the logical end.
2) Read I'm Like Sylar. I am pretty good at looking at the problem for my patient's point of view. I've read them and profiled them and know what their reactions would be. It helps in finding the best fit solution.
3) If I didn't help, I'd feel guilty. I think if you're put in a position to help and you don't, then you failed that person.
4) I'm not stubborn. People are so damn stubborn that they fail to see what they're at risk of losing if they just give in a little. "It's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise that moves us along" - Maroon 5. I like that line a lot.
5) I think I like being the "go to" guy. :-P I like being called up to pinch hit in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs. I'll walk up to the plate with a cocky-ass look and just when the pitcher's about to throw his pitch, I'll ask the umpire for time just the psych out the pitcher.. ok my example went off on a tangent. Focus people.
Hmm when I started this list, I didn't think I was qualified at all, solely because I was asked to help out in situations that I haven't dealt with. But after looking at my list, I think I really am pretty qualified. Yeah I'm full of myself. At least I admit it.
05/04/08: Update. I changed my mind. I don't want to be at the plate anymore.
Let's see. Here's what I've come up w/ so far:
1) I'm a robot (beeep boop beeep). I'm very logical with regard to a lot of things and those people that ask for my assistance are usually more on the emotional end. Trust me, I've been emotional myself at times, but I don't deviate for my normal robotic thought processes for long. I always come back to being logical. So I can relate to the emotional craziness but bring it back home to the logical end.
2) Read I'm Like Sylar. I am pretty good at looking at the problem for my patient's point of view. I've read them and profiled them and know what their reactions would be. It helps in finding the best fit solution.
3) If I didn't help, I'd feel guilty. I think if you're put in a position to help and you don't, then you failed that person.
4) I'm not stubborn. People are so damn stubborn that they fail to see what they're at risk of losing if they just give in a little. "It's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise that moves us along" - Maroon 5. I like that line a lot.
5) I think I like being the "go to" guy. :-P I like being called up to pinch hit in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs. I'll walk up to the plate with a cocky-ass look and just when the pitcher's about to throw his pitch, I'll ask the umpire for time just the psych out the pitcher.. ok my example went off on a tangent. Focus people.
Hmm when I started this list, I didn't think I was qualified at all, solely because I was asked to help out in situations that I haven't dealt with. But after looking at my list, I think I really am pretty qualified. Yeah I'm full of myself. At least I admit it.
05/04/08: Update. I changed my mind. I don't want to be at the plate anymore.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Vegetable Lasagna
My lab partner in class is like Vegetable Lasagna from that Seinfeld episode in which Putty and Elaine are arguing all the way home from their European trip. I don't mean to say that my partner (let's call him YM from now on) is dumb. He does grasp the concepts perfectly fine. But it just seems like when it comes to the labs, he slows down to a turtle's pace. It kills me! It literally kills me. Since he isn't so great with the commands, I let him do all the typing. When he types in the commands, he first stares at the one-line instruction for like a full minute. Then he types it soooo slowly; correcting typos along the way. Then he fakes as if he's going to hit Enter to apply the command but then hesitates and re-reads the one-line instruction for another minute. Then onto the next command. Each time he does it, I get a mini ulcer. My mind is zooming and I'm already on step 10 by the time he completes step 1. So I wait and agonize. Poor me. Ok, I know I'm being a little baby and that this class is supposed to be a learning experience, so I don't say anything to him or act annoyed. At least he's learning this material, and the fact that I'm on step 10 by the time he's done w/ step 1 allows me to give him a better explanation when he asks a question.
I don't know why I called him Vegetable Lasagna, but I kept thinking that all day. Maybe it's because Vegetable Lasagna was sort of an inert, space-taker and when YM pulls one of his classic freezes, in which I could probably hear the gears churning in his head, he seems very inert. Poor YM. I won't be mean to him. I'll suffer through my mini ulcers.
I don't know why I called him Vegetable Lasagna, but I kept thinking that all day. Maybe it's because Vegetable Lasagna was sort of an inert, space-taker and when YM pulls one of his classic freezes, in which I could probably hear the gears churning in his head, he seems very inert. Poor YM. I won't be mean to him. I'll suffer through my mini ulcers.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Back 2 School
Aw yeah! I'm back in school baby! hehe. I started my SNPA class today and already picked up so much info that I know we can use back at work. The instructor's pretty good so that helps. This reminds me of my CCNA class, but with the exception that the other students in this class are really knowledgeable about their stuff. No offense to my CCNA classmates but they were newbies. It was fun to be in a room full of people who knew what they were doing. You can really learn from them or even from the questions they ask.
But yeah, I totally wouldn't mind it if I could do this full time :-) Think Jim will mind? A while back Jay and I discussed the topic of winning the lottery and what we'd do if we did win it. After touring the world like madmen, we'd probably go take classes on subjects that we like. No stress of having to pass exams or anything; just going to class and learning something new.
But yeah, I totally wouldn't mind it if I could do this full time :-) Think Jim will mind? A while back Jay and I discussed the topic of winning the lottery and what we'd do if we did win it. After touring the world like madmen, we'd probably go take classes on subjects that we like. No stress of having to pass exams or anything; just going to class and learning something new.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Baseball's back!
I loooove baseball and I'm so glad that it's back. In fact, during the winter, I kinda go into withdrawal and desperately seek any baseball-related news that I can dig up. Last week, when Jim and I were working until the wee hours of the night, we were talking about baseball and I told him that one of my favorite baseball memories is from when I was a teenager. I was laying on the sofa in cool air conditioning on a very hot, muggy day, watching an afternoon game and sipping on some iced tea. For some reason, that memory is burned into memory. Another favorite memory is of how in the fall of 1996, we wasted so much time in history class because we kept bringing up the Yankees' successes in the playoffs with our teacher, Mr. Sacci, (who also happened to be a huge Yankee fan). And, finally, there were the 1995 playoffs when Donny Baseball finally made it to the playoffs only to lose to Seattle. That's when I first became a Yankee fan :-)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Beware of the Ides of March
The last three Marches have not been so kind to me. In March of 2006, I had really bad bronchitis. I remember that I had to get a chest x-ray done and I had to take some asthma medicine to help me breathe. Last March, I tore the meniscus in my right knee and had to get an MRI and go to physical therapy. This March, I seem to have gotten the flu to end all flues. Five straight days of 100 degree temperatures and a cough that made me pull some muscles I never even knew I had. blah!
It seems to me that from now on, whenever March rolls around, I should step into a bubble and not come out until April Fool's Day.
It seems to me that from now on, whenever March rolls around, I should step into a bubble and not come out until April Fool's Day.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Entitlement
I really get so mad when people act like they're entitled to things - whether they are material or immaterial things. I guess it's just because I've always worked for whatever I got, and it irritates me when people start to expect things without putting in any real work to warrant it. Maybe I should feel sorry for them because they aren't capable of understanding how good it feels to earn something. But whose fault is it? Is it the parents? Maybe. I don't know. But I'm not going to take a chance with my kids. I'm going to teach them how satisfying it feels to set goals for yourself and achieve them rather than being handed everything.
Ok that's all for my rant :-)
Ok that's all for my rant :-)
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
I can hardly contain myself!
Last Saturday we placed an order for laminate flooring for the basement. I also took this upcoming Friday off so I can work with my dad to install it since he has Fridays and Saturdays off. So on Friday, we'll wake up really early and pick up all the flooring and start installing it in my sister's room. Yeah, I know, from the title of this blog I made it sound like I was going to Disney or something but this is really exciting for me! We've worked so hard to renovate this basement. First the bathroom, then my sister's room. Now a cohesive floor throughout the basement will be a huge step. It will allow us to walk on a nice, warm surface instead of the cold, damp cement floor w/ vynl tiles. Also, since a close family friend is taking the extra washer/drier, we'll get to use the second living room as an actual living room now! We can finally make use of that sofa and huge coffee table :-) We still have to re-polish it because it has some dings on it, but we got it because it was a really big table on which we can play board games. Legendary Monopoly games w/ the cousins hehe
Oh, side note. Apparently, once every month we face a weird, overpowering odor at work. Last month it was the unbearable smell of fish that someone heated up in the microwave near us. Today it was the smell of sewer gas which was pumped throughout the floor via the vent. Oh man that smelled so nasty. Nevertheless, Jim and I wasted no time in using our classic Seinfeld lines. "It's not B.O... it's B.B.O." "What am I? Hard of smelling?" hahaha great episode.
All my rap video groupies, gimme a holla! :-)
Oh, side note. Apparently, once every month we face a weird, overpowering odor at work. Last month it was the unbearable smell of fish that someone heated up in the microwave near us. Today it was the smell of sewer gas which was pumped throughout the floor via the vent. Oh man that smelled so nasty. Nevertheless, Jim and I wasted no time in using our classic Seinfeld lines. "It's not B.O... it's B.B.O." "What am I? Hard of smelling?" hahaha great episode.
All my rap video groupies, gimme a holla! :-)
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Stupid Cabs
My cousins, sister and I went out on Saturday night to celebrate my cousin Palu's new job. We went to a place called Brasserie52 and it was pretty good food. Afterwards, I got us lost on our way to a bar called O'Flaherty's. I thought it was on 47th St. between 8th and 9th Avenues but it was really on 46th St. between 8th and 9th Avenues. So of course, I didn't just go to the next block, but rather, I circled around going back in the direction we came from. haha! We've been to that place before and it had a library feel to it because it had these bookshelves filled with books. My cousins and I have tagged a few books on our previous visits and we planned on tagging another book but when we entered, we were told that the section w/ the books was now reserved for dinner. Blah! We hung out on the sofa then. Regardless, they were good times.
On the way home, my sister and I missed the last bus to our area of Jersey City. So we walked down to 33rd street to catch the PATH to Hoboken. Luckily we got in and the train pulled out soon after. Once we got to Hoboken, we got out of the PATH and got on line for the taxi cabs so we could get a ride to Jersey City. However, TWO empty cabs passed my sister and me without even asking where we want to go, only to subsequently pick up white passengers. Bastard taxi cab drivers. I thought those were my people. I guess not! It was freezing outside and I know these taxi cab drivers saw that my puny sister and my puny self were cold as heck but they still passed us up. I could've understood if they asked us where we were going and then declined to pick us up because they weren't going in that direction. But no! They looked at us and waved their finger and said no. Where's Al Sharpton!
On the way home, my sister and I missed the last bus to our area of Jersey City. So we walked down to 33rd street to catch the PATH to Hoboken. Luckily we got in and the train pulled out soon after. Once we got to Hoboken, we got out of the PATH and got on line for the taxi cabs so we could get a ride to Jersey City. However, TWO empty cabs passed my sister and me without even asking where we want to go, only to subsequently pick up white passengers. Bastard taxi cab drivers. I thought those were my people. I guess not! It was freezing outside and I know these taxi cab drivers saw that my puny sister and my puny self were cold as heck but they still passed us up. I could've understood if they asked us where we were going and then declined to pick us up because they weren't going in that direction. But no! They looked at us and waved their finger and said no. Where's Al Sharpton!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Goals
So things haven't been so great lately. But I could either let it consume me or I could keep busy and do my own thing. That's what everyone tells me. Stay busy. Keep your mind busy. So I'm going into super study mode and hitting the books. I'm planning on taking my SND exam at the end of March so I'll be cramming until then. I even took the last week of March off so I can completely focus and prepare for the exam. I'm taking a class for the second exam starting mid-April so I hope I get the first exam done with before then. I hope to take that second exam by June. And if things go well, my third exam this fall. My plan is to finish the 5 exams needed for my CCSP by next year when my CCNA expires.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Hail to the bus driver!
The bus driver for the number 85 bus at 4:30pm is a dead ringer for Joe Girardi. He even has the crew cut like Joe. Shouldn't he be getting the Yanks ready in Legends Field instead of driving me home? hehe Ok, that's all I have on the matter.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Adventures of S & A
So I went to Home Depot with S today because she wanted to get her boyfriend a toolbox and she needed my assistance in picking out such an item. She also got a plant from HD which kept tipping over in her car and spilling soil. I was in the passenger seat and the plant was on the floor behind me and I had to hold it up with one hand. At one point we thought we had sufficiently held the plant in place by moving my seat back so it pinned the pot to the backseat, but then she turned and there it went again! She exclaimed, "How come every time I'm hanging out with you, it turns into an adventure!?" hahaha It's true, there have been some really fun adventures. I'd like to point out two in particular that we recalled. 1) We were looking for a Papa John's on route 440 and ended up in Staten Island. A guy yelled at me at the toll booth because I was slowly changing lanes and he was speeding towards the booth and I got in his way. We ended up at Olive Garden that night and she made a waitress drop all her dishes because S wanted to get attention to ask for more bread. 2) S and I went to Edgewater one day and were in the drive through of a McDonald's because we wanted McFlurries and these kids cracked us up because one was pushing another in a shopping cart through the drive through. lol! Funny kids. That wasn't so much of an adventure as it was something funny but aahh, good times.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Death in Venice
Death in Venice is a book by Thomas Mann and it's one of my favorite books. I first read it in high school and even after all these years, the imagery has really stuck with me. Aschenbach was a renowned writer who decides to take a trip to Venice. During his vacation, he develops a distant love for a young boy named Tadzio. (No the gayness isn't why I like the book.. keep reading.) This love eventually turns to obsession. At the time that Aschenbach takes his trip, Venice is overrun by a secret disease. Although the city is a great tourist attraction and caters to them, there are warning signs posted by the Health Department and the smell of disinfectant is in the air. What I like about the book is that there are two sides to everything. Aschenbach is famous and has to present that image to the public but secretly he has another side to him. Venice is a beautiful tourist attraction but it is secretly being eaten away by disease. I think that the hidden side always ends up eating away at the facade that's presented to the public. Whether you present yourself as a free spender, but in reality you're a cheapskate, or whether you act like you care, but you really don't give a rat's ass, or whether you act pious, but you're just a sinner, or whether you put on a brave front for someone, but you're really torn up inside. It all eventually bubbles to the surface no matter how hard you try to suppress it.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
I'm like Sylar
For those of you who don't watch Heroes and don't know who Sylar is, allow me to explain. He's a bad guy with a power to grasp how another person with a power clicks - how they use their power. He then goes on to chop off the top of their skulls and absorb that person's power. Whenever he starts to read a person, they play a ticking sound in the background. He was originally a watch repairman and first displayed his power by grasping the inner workings of a broken watch. Skylar sees a person and has the ability to see their inner workings; sees why they're "broken" - for lack of a better word. He can see what's wrong with them and what makes them the way they are.
I think I'm like Sylar because I am also pretty good at getting to know the inner workings of a person once I get to know them. I know what makes them tick; and what makes them tock for that matter. I know some aspects about them that they may not know themselves and I link these traits to one another in my head. I take conversations, actions and the like to form a tapestry of that person.
So even if you think I don't know you and I don't know what's wrong, I do. For those close to me who are broken, I do hear you ticking. And I'll do whatever it takes to fix you.
I think I'm like Sylar because I am also pretty good at getting to know the inner workings of a person once I get to know them. I know what makes them tick; and what makes them tock for that matter. I know some aspects about them that they may not know themselves and I link these traits to one another in my head. I take conversations, actions and the like to form a tapestry of that person.
So even if you think I don't know you and I don't know what's wrong, I do. For those close to me who are broken, I do hear you ticking. And I'll do whatever it takes to fix you.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Revelation
Part I of this post by S I've been through the desert on a horse with no name and a recent conversation with her gave me a profound revelation of sex and birth order in Indian culture. I'd like to start off by saying that S is a smart girl and I don't mean to insult her in any way with this post.
I've always told her that I wanted to be rich, but I could never convey my reasons for it. Consequently, this led her to believe that I was just a selfish, greedy, money-hungry basto (bastard). When we conversed today, I think she finally began to understand my point of view and I was happy that I would not be considered a greedy bastard any longer, but I realized that she would not be able to truly understand my point of view. So allow me to explain..
Resolved: I want to be rich. I want lots of money. I want, I want, I want.
Why do I want? Am I materialistic? No. Do I believe money will bring me happiness? Not exactly. You see, I believe money = security.
I don't think that my father - at any point in his life - ever earned more than $40k. I don't want to throw that number out there to embarrass him; but rather to show how much he's accomplished with so little. Let me throw another wrench into this situation. He supported six of us: himself, my mother, grandmother, aunt, sister and me. We weren't rich, but we weren't poor either. We actually lived a relatively comfortable life. I never felt like I didn't have what I needed. His primary job was a black & white photo developer at a company in NYC. He also worked weekends as a wedding photographer to bring in some extra cash. As he grew older, he was not physically able to endure the long days of shooting wedding picture with a heavy camera (he has a bad back). Growing up, I remember that there was always a fear of my father losing his job and this really scared me. What if we did cross that ever-so fine line into poverty?
When I was a teenager, he sat me down and went over how much he made and then went over his monthly expenses. I sat there and tried to figure out how he was able to keep the house running. I figured that since I was the oldest, and future "man of the house," I would do something - anything - to get us out of that situation. This is where my point of view differs from S's. She's the youngest and a girl who's always been taken care of while I'm the oldest and a boy who'll run the family. So I thought and thought. I was a teenager and didn't know much about anything. What could I do to ensure that when it was my turn to take care of the family, I would be able to do so and my kids wouldn't have to struggle like we did? It's funny. I was not an investor at all at this time but I did hear on TV that one should diversify his investments. So why couldn't one diversify his income as well. Hear me out. I made sense. I figured that I would work and that my wife would work. So that's two sources of income. We would probably be able to pay bills and save a little. But what if one of us lost our job? We'd probably be in a dire situation and our kids would probably feel that same pit in their stomaches as I did when I heard my dad could get fired. So what if we had more sources of income to diversify us further? I thought I would invest in the market and that would be another source. Also, I thought that I would own businesses and their income would further hedge us.
In 1999, when we were kicked out of Hoboken, my parents were able to buy a house! We lucked out because it was right before the bubble. I was amazed at how he did this and I don't think I still fully understand. The house was a two-family building and we rented the second floor to help cover the mortgage. It helped out so much! I added real estate to my income diversification plan as another hedge. Even though we now had a house and we were moving in the right direction, didn't mean that those same fears from my childhood were behind us. I worked co-op while at Stevens and used one semester's earnings to pay for my next semester of school. Moreover, my dad's hours at work were cut around that time and I began to help pay for monthly expenditures around the house.
After I graduated, I was out of work for 6 months. Not to brag, but I thought that I was a relatively intelligent person and the experience that I had gained during my co-op days would have helped me get a job quicker than it did. I couldn't make sense of it. I did have some money saved up but it was depleting quickly and I would soon have to begin paying off school loans. Just then, lifelong friend, Mike, got me an interview with Sumitomo for an entry level support position. After two years, Jim promoted me and I got a raise. I was saving money and looking to put my plans in motion. Not too long after that, my father lost his job. I was 25 yrs old and I thought it would've been longer before the baton was passed to me and I would be the "man of the house." I wasn't saving as much anymore and I had to put my income diversification plan on hold because my money had to go into taking care of the family. It was hard but my friend Jay said that it's an honor to take care of your parents and he wished he could do the same. Jay was right; it is an honor. My dad did start working again after a while - even though it was for less than what he used to make, it paid the bills.
So I started saving some money. I put more money in the market and I've made and lost some money in it, but I've learned a lot. And we began to shop around for businesses that we could buy. The plan was to buy the business and have my mom & dad run it but nothing really fell through. Earlier this year, I saw a building around the corner for sale. It's backyard touched and ran the length of our backyard. It was a much bigger place and I bought it. Yeah the housing market sucks now and it probably was a bad time to buy, but we're happy. We rent out both apartments in the old house. The point is: baby steps. Baby steps towards income diversification. My goal to become rich isn't because I want fancy cars or a lavish lifestyle. I believe that it will put my kids in a better position to succeed in their lives. As I explained to S, the point is to build on the shoulders of the previous generation. I want to give my kids all the opportunities I can so they can build on my accomplishments as I've built on my father's.
I've always told her that I wanted to be rich, but I could never convey my reasons for it. Consequently, this led her to believe that I was just a selfish, greedy, money-hungry basto (bastard). When we conversed today, I think she finally began to understand my point of view and I was happy that I would not be considered a greedy bastard any longer, but I realized that she would not be able to truly understand my point of view. So allow me to explain..
Resolved: I want to be rich. I want lots of money. I want, I want, I want.
Why do I want? Am I materialistic? No. Do I believe money will bring me happiness? Not exactly. You see, I believe money = security.
I don't think that my father - at any point in his life - ever earned more than $40k. I don't want to throw that number out there to embarrass him; but rather to show how much he's accomplished with so little. Let me throw another wrench into this situation. He supported six of us: himself, my mother, grandmother, aunt, sister and me. We weren't rich, but we weren't poor either. We actually lived a relatively comfortable life. I never felt like I didn't have what I needed. His primary job was a black & white photo developer at a company in NYC. He also worked weekends as a wedding photographer to bring in some extra cash. As he grew older, he was not physically able to endure the long days of shooting wedding picture with a heavy camera (he has a bad back). Growing up, I remember that there was always a fear of my father losing his job and this really scared me. What if we did cross that ever-so fine line into poverty?
When I was a teenager, he sat me down and went over how much he made and then went over his monthly expenses. I sat there and tried to figure out how he was able to keep the house running. I figured that since I was the oldest, and future "man of the house," I would do something - anything - to get us out of that situation. This is where my point of view differs from S's. She's the youngest and a girl who's always been taken care of while I'm the oldest and a boy who'll run the family. So I thought and thought. I was a teenager and didn't know much about anything. What could I do to ensure that when it was my turn to take care of the family, I would be able to do so and my kids wouldn't have to struggle like we did? It's funny. I was not an investor at all at this time but I did hear on TV that one should diversify his investments. So why couldn't one diversify his income as well. Hear me out. I made sense. I figured that I would work and that my wife would work. So that's two sources of income. We would probably be able to pay bills and save a little. But what if one of us lost our job? We'd probably be in a dire situation and our kids would probably feel that same pit in their stomaches as I did when I heard my dad could get fired. So what if we had more sources of income to diversify us further? I thought I would invest in the market and that would be another source. Also, I thought that I would own businesses and their income would further hedge us.
In 1999, when we were kicked out of Hoboken, my parents were able to buy a house! We lucked out because it was right before the bubble. I was amazed at how he did this and I don't think I still fully understand. The house was a two-family building and we rented the second floor to help cover the mortgage. It helped out so much! I added real estate to my income diversification plan as another hedge. Even though we now had a house and we were moving in the right direction, didn't mean that those same fears from my childhood were behind us. I worked co-op while at Stevens and used one semester's earnings to pay for my next semester of school. Moreover, my dad's hours at work were cut around that time and I began to help pay for monthly expenditures around the house.
After I graduated, I was out of work for 6 months. Not to brag, but I thought that I was a relatively intelligent person and the experience that I had gained during my co-op days would have helped me get a job quicker than it did. I couldn't make sense of it. I did have some money saved up but it was depleting quickly and I would soon have to begin paying off school loans. Just then, lifelong friend, Mike, got me an interview with Sumitomo for an entry level support position. After two years, Jim promoted me and I got a raise. I was saving money and looking to put my plans in motion. Not too long after that, my father lost his job. I was 25 yrs old and I thought it would've been longer before the baton was passed to me and I would be the "man of the house." I wasn't saving as much anymore and I had to put my income diversification plan on hold because my money had to go into taking care of the family. It was hard but my friend Jay said that it's an honor to take care of your parents and he wished he could do the same. Jay was right; it is an honor. My dad did start working again after a while - even though it was for less than what he used to make, it paid the bills.
So I started saving some money. I put more money in the market and I've made and lost some money in it, but I've learned a lot. And we began to shop around for businesses that we could buy. The plan was to buy the business and have my mom & dad run it but nothing really fell through. Earlier this year, I saw a building around the corner for sale. It's backyard touched and ran the length of our backyard. It was a much bigger place and I bought it. Yeah the housing market sucks now and it probably was a bad time to buy, but we're happy. We rent out both apartments in the old house. The point is: baby steps. Baby steps towards income diversification. My goal to become rich isn't because I want fancy cars or a lavish lifestyle. I believe that it will put my kids in a better position to succeed in their lives. As I explained to S, the point is to build on the shoulders of the previous generation. I want to give my kids all the opportunities I can so they can build on my accomplishments as I've built on my father's.
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