House h(a)unting in Mumbai... contd..

So my house hunting in Mumbai continued. I soon realized, that I was what they called a 'bachelor girl'. Yes, they needed to know my marital status, and then they needed to know why I was wanting to live alone. Why don't you live with your aunt? Why aren't your parents moving here when you have such a good job? Can they come down just to help you get your accommodation?

These were all the questions I used to be asked when speaking to real estate brokers. It came to a point when I actually thought of going back to my old landlord and begging them to let me continue there, even if I was in a sort of prison for the rest of my life! (Read why I call it a prison, my previous blog post: House hunting in Mumbai)

Then I asked a friend at work, how did you find a place? You are a single guy, with a very similar background - from out of town, working as Deputy Manager in the same team as me. How did you find a place? He gave me his estate agent's number and told me to tell him that he had recommended the agent. That's right, he did not recommend me to the agent, he just told me to tell the agent that the agent had been recommended (You should watch Bachelor Girls to understand why I stressed on the fact that I didn't need a letter of recommendation for this agent).

So I gave the agent a call, and he told me to come meet him. He simply told me - 'so you are single and looking for a place in Mumbai. I'm going to be honest, it is tough, cause most societies don't allow single ladies to take a place, especially without room-mates'. So he asked me to think about that option. I didn't think for a minute! Told him, I don't want any room-mate, simply because I want a place where I can be alone! I work all day with people, I need some space to myself and then when my family comes, where are they going to cramp up and stay? So he wrote down my requirements and said he will shortlist places and tell me in a day or two.

I left very hopeful that he will show me good places. I had little more than a month before I had to vacate my old place.

Over the next week, he showed me various houses, in the area all of which looked like they would crumble with even the slightest of breeze!

I finally asked him, don't you have any accommodations in places like my friend's building - the one who recommended you? He laughed and said 'madam alag hai na, woh gents the, aap bachelor ladies ho' (madam it's different, he was a guy, you are a single girl). I can never forget that line! He quite honestly and in a matter-of-fact manner reminded me that I couldn't find a place as easily because of my gender. I really wished at that moment that I was married or was a boy. Those seemed to be the only two options to find a good place to stay in Mumbai!

He clearly saw the disappointment on my face and told me to give him a few more days. Said I will find something good for you, don't worry.

True to his word, he found a place, quite to my liking. I finalized it, My mom insisted that I take my aunt and uncle at least when signing the papers because she didn't want the estate agents thinking I was alone and end up fleecing me. I agreed, because I didn't want them thinking I had cut them off! I hadn't, but I knew somewhere inside they were upset as to why I wasn't taking their help to find a place again. So I figured, if this can help cover that hurt, it's fine.

We, my aunt & uncle, my friend (who's a biker girl, again not a norm in Mumbai) and me, went to sign the papers. The landlord (who lived in the floor below the one I was finalizing) then told me, no boys allowed. My and my friend looked at each other in shock. Cause we were a gang of 4 - 2 boys and 2 girls! So no boys means we couldn't have all met together at my house!

Then he went on to say, 'sirf chacha ka beta aa sakta hai, mamma/masi aur bua ka beta allowed nai hai' (only your father's brother's son can come, your mother's brother/sister's son or your father's sister's son is not allowed). I immediately went out and told my aunt that if I take that place, her son would not be allowed there. So we just politely said we will see and take more time to think and then get back to them.

When we left, the broker called me and I told him, my father's brother doesn't have any sons! All my cousin brothers are from the relations he just told me can't come into that house! So forget my friends, my own cousins can't come there!

The agent tried to give me ways out - they won't notice, not like your cousins will be there all the time etc.

I then explained to him that I want complete freedom in my house. I don't want to worry about someone seeing and threatening to throw me out. So he asked me, are you planning to do a live-in? I asked him what that had to do with anything. He explained that then he would try and find a place where that would not be a problem. So I told him I need a place where I can live-in with my boyfriend!

The next day he showed me 3 swanky nice places, but all a bit over my budget. So I told him, perfect place, now find something like this in my budget! Sure enough 2 days later he called me to rush from my workplace to the unit he wanted to show me - saying its new and I would be the first to see it, but it was likely to get booked really fast!

So I told my friend and we rushed. We both fell in love with the place. But this place was right behind the one I had recently rejected due to boys not being allowed etc. So I again checked. He said it will not be a problem here, because the complex is the same, but this building resident association was different, and it had a lot of bachelors already.

So I took it. My landlord there was really nice! He told me straight up, I always prefer giving it to girls, single or married, but if a girl is looking I always prefer that. He himself had a daughter, probably a little younger than me. Maybe that's why he thought this way. He was an amazing landlord! Never interfered in what I did, was happy that I had my friends over (guys and girls). In fact, the next year, he asked me if I could renew my lease for 3 years straight. Without a second thought I agreed!

House hunting in Mumbai was a nightmare, one that I never again wanted to relive!

Honestly, I was lucky, I got an agent who in his own way was able to help with my requirements and helped me understand the real estate lingo for finding accommodation for single women who didn't want to live in a hostel or with room-mates.

It's due to this reason, people say, in India, it's easier to be gay/lesbian than straight. People have no issues with women meeting other women or living with other women (of course without telling them that you are a bi-sexual or lesbian), but if they want to live/meet a guy, there will be a hundred eye-brows raised!

How can our country expect women to become equal to men, if this basic necessity is not at par?

I hope and pray that things change, and all those who believe single women are 'dangerous', I'm simply going to say yes, we are dangerous - hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

House h(a)unting in Mumbai...

Today must have been a usual Wednesday afternoon for most folks. It was slightly different for me, since I hadn't gone to work. So I decided to watch a documentary instead of a movie while having lunch.

On Netflix, there are a number of documentaries, one of them in particular stood out - Bachelor Girls. Reading the summary, I knew it was about single girls in Mumbai trying to find accommodation. The first thought in my mind was 'been there, done that, let's give this a miss'. Then for some reason, I decided to watch it. Kind of glad I did, cause it gave me major throwback to some years ago when I was in that situation.

I decided to share my story today, simply because things need to change. If you want 'women empowerment', and 'equality at the workplace', it needs to start with the basics. So here goes...

In November 2012, I moved to Mumbai, my mother's city, after landing a job with one of the fastest growing financial groups in India. When I moved, my mom wanted me to live with her sister. I insisted that I wanted my own place and my father and sister supported me!

I stayed with my aunt for about a month or 2 and then decided to 'fly from the nest'. Of course since it was my first accommodation, on my own, living alone, in a big city, everyone jumped on-board to help make sure I had a 'safe' and 'known' place to move into. One of my aunt and uncle's friend was a real estate agent and he helped me find a place which was a 10 minutes walk from their house.

My parents were a bit at ease that I was near enough to them that if needed I had help nearby. I agreed. So In January 2013, I moved into my own place.

Having my own place was fun. Living in a city on my own was even more fun. My weekends were spent either with my friends or with my cousins and my house had become the 'adda' house or the place to hang out - especially for me and my then best friend (who was a guy). So since February, I would often have either my friends, or my cousins over. In May, we decided to have a cousins meet-up at my place because my sister had come down from Delhi.

My cousin brother, who is a well known doctor in the area, had parked his car inside our complex (he had done this countless times before). The watchman (an old man, who was always high on something) came up and told us it is not allowed (first time in 5 months he decided to come tell us that). He said he wanted Rs. 100 to let the matter go. I was going to just give it to him so the matter ends there, but my brother reminded me that it is basically him bribing us for something that wasn't even against the rules or anything. So we decided not to give in and told him to go tell whoever he had to. My cousin knew many people in the building so was sure it wouldn't become an issue.

Sure enough, that never became an issue. But my landlord did reach out to me. He said 'the guard has told me you keep having friends over, in particular a man..' I cut him off and said 'yes, I do have friends over, but recently, I've only had my cousins over'. He ended the conversation by telling me to just inform him about the next time I have any friend over.

Personally I felt it was a violation of my privacy, but I didn't bring up the topic with any of my family members who helped me get the house, simply because I felt I didn't want to hurt them with such a trivial issue.

Unfortunately, a couple of days later, my grandmother passed away. I was out of town for around a week. When I came back, I decided to try and not have friends over, simply because I didn't like the idea of having to constantly tell someone about every move I made. I was 26 years old and working as a Deputy Manager - I shouldn't have had to tell a stranger about who I chose to meet in my house.

I still did it a few times (twice). The third time, my landlord came to the house and asked me - you have a man in the house. I was quite shocked. I told him I have already told you about my friend being here. He just simply told me 'this is not your house, if you want to do such things, you need to leave this place. Give me your notice and go. I can otherwise take it up with the broker who connected me to your aunt and uncle and you'.

I had had enough. I told him ok, my lease is over at the end of November so if you want, I can move out then, or I will move out before then - you decide and let me know. He told me I could stay till November. But I decided to start house-hunting nonetheless.

A couple of days later, when I was in office, I got a call from my cousin brother, asking me about this incident. I told him what happened - explained to him that they only reason this whole thing has come up now, is because we didn't pay the guard that Rs. 100. Until that time, my 'friend' used to come to my place at least 2-3 times a week and stay over. But after that incident, he hardly came like 1-2 times a month. Yet this was brought to light then, and not before.

My cousin's major concern was about our family reputation and about what society would say especially if my aunt and uncle found out. I told him not to worry and that if anyone did find out I would explain things to them, and I am sure they will see sense in it simply because I hadn't committed a crime!

News travels, so soon another cousin of mine called me to tell me that I should tell my parents and my aunt and the whole world simply to avoid any problems. I simply said, if I need to ever tell them I will, but I don't think this is any of their concern.

Don't get me wrong, I love my cousins to death, but in some things, I guess we don't (or didn't) see eye-to-eye.

I said to myself: I am an adult and can handle this myself. I'm not a school girl who needs to tell her mummy and daddy about something that has happened, before the teacher tells them.

That day I decided, never again involving family members to help me with such things, at least in India. I was angry, and upset and felt really alone. I then turned to my friends, many of whom were bachelors and had found accommodation for themselves. One of them helped me with a real estate agent's number and I started taking one of my other friends to see the places with me.

My mom often asked me, why not just go back to the estate agent who helped you get the first house. I said, cause I don't want people spying on me or keeping a check on every move I made!

I often wonder, what are we teaching our next generation, it is ok to have girls over, and not guys? And then we talk about gender equality? How? I have always had closer guy friends than girl friends - so that means I could never have friends at my place.

I soon realized this was true unless you told your broker very personal details about your life, or maybe lied about it! More about that in my next post!

False Alarm

I was walking back after meeting friends when I saw a fire truck parked outside the building. My first thought was oh no - something's happened! I couldn't see any smoke - but you never know.

I walked into the building and saw a lot of people hanging about. So I decided to ask one of them about the incident.

There was a false alarm on the 2nd floor, so the fire department was called in automatically. Now, after the situation had been assessed, the alarm needed to be re-set. Untill that was done, the elevators wouldn't work.

So I waited for a few minutes. Then some more people came in. Then concierge then mentioned to them that he had no idea how long it would take to get the alarm re-set. He suggested we all take the stairs.

26 floors - maybe a few short of. Say around 22-23 floors. That's how much I was about to walk up. As I was walking up, I wondered - the place I've taken is 21 floors up - if this happens there, what then?

All because of a False Alarm (honestly, I am extremely glad it was a False Alarm).

Canada...

So I've been preparing to move to Canada for the last 2 months (or maybe more)... although I must admit, I don't yet feel like I am. The excitement of it happening seems to be over-shadowing the 'anxiety' of it happening! There are mixed emotions - the thought of leaving life as you know it and starting out in a place where you haven't even been a tourist, is scary, exciting and a little weird!

In my previous post, I mentioned that I would write a bit about the process in my next post - which as it seems is this one. I am not going to go into the details of the process (honestly, that's available on every second blog and video). I am simply going to go through the emotional journey.

I had started the process last year, in October. I must admit, I had signed up with an agency. Although to be honest, in hind-sight I think that was a bad decision - not because the agency was bad - simply because I underestimated myself. I assumed I may have scored fewer points (CRS Score) and therefore I would need to apply through PNP (provincial nominations). But that wasn't the case. I sailed through with the score I got.

The excitement of starting the process soon turned into frustration due to the time taken at each step. I should add, frustration, excitement, and various other emotions were all fighting for the top spot! I got my ECA on 23rd March, and then it was one thing after another - creating my profile, submitting it, getting the ITA and then collecting all the required documents and actually submitting my application for Permanent Residency - everything was done by 6th April!

Come to think of it, that was an extremely stressful time - and I don't mean just for me. I'll bet it was just as stressful for my friends and family who were literally being driven mad by me during the process. After submitting my application, it was an agonizing waiting game!

By June end, I was under the impression that probably my application was being rejected. But that thought was soon put out by some amazing friends! On 26th July, I got my PPR (request to submit my passport to get the One-time entry Visa stamped)! I was excited and of course super happy!

The thought that I am leaving a life behind and literally starting afresh didn't seem to come to mind till my farewell parties started. Leaving Bombay was difficult, to say the least, but then again, I knew many of them were on their way to move to the other side of the Globe as well.

Moving continents turned out to be tougher than I thought!

Getting ready for something big!

I've been wanting to move overseas for a while now! Bitten by the 'NRI' bug! What's made it stronger is the fact that mom and dad are living overseas as well. The trip to London this year gave me the extra push!

For the last 2 years I have been thinking about how to move abroad. First I tried the more sensible route - look for a job overseas and move. But then again, that was more difficult especially given my own fuss about where I wanted to move. There were just 3 countries in the running - U.K., Canada and Australia.

U.K. was always the front-runner! Moving to the U.K., however proved to be more difficult given the whole 'Must be eligible to work in the E.U.' condition. Therefore, despite studying in the country, many of us couldn't stay back and work in the country. That didn't dampen my spirits (okay, it did a little!).

After realizing that siting in one country and finding jobs in another wasn't exactly as easy as I thought, I decided to use the 'easier option' - get a P.R. and then find a job in my new home country!

I decided to apply for P.R. to Canada - simply because I had heard the the country is the right mix between the U.S. and U.K. There were several other reasons to select the migrating to the country (in case you are interested, you can check some videos on YouTube.

The P.R. process to move to Canada is easy, especially if you enroll through the Express Entry Program - but more about that in my next post! 

Help Needed for Kashmir Flood Victims

I am sure we all are aware of the tragedy people of Jammu and Kashmir is going through. I humbly request you to please join hands with my friend, Inayat, in giving whatever little support we can in making some difference. 

Inayat is trying to work closely with Jammu and Kashmir house under the able guidance of Ms. Nayeema Ahmad Mahjoor. 

Following is the list of items required by them (last updated on 13th September Morning)

Drugs in short supply:
Inhalers
Anti Cold Medications
Paediatric Ofloxin OZ
Sinarest Pd Syp
Xcold Plus Tab
Co Amoxyclave (In Bulk)
Arythromycin Tab
Tab Roxythromycin
Sphexum Tab
Losar Tan Tab
Losar Tan H Tab
Metoprol 50 Mg
Asprin
Ciopatab (Clopitab Grel)
Phenly / Disinfectants
Diapers 
Baby Food
Insulin
Masks (In Bulk)
Detol Soap Hand Wash 
Sanitiser
Clorhehidin Mouth Wash Small Bottles
Ointmnet Silverex
Inj Diazepam

Medicine list for children
Syp Norflox Oz 2.5ml
Syp Xpct P D 2.5 Ml
Syp Paracetmol125 5 Ml
Syp Augmentin Duos 5 Ml
Syp Donitel 2.5 Ml
Ointment Herpex
Tab Citrizine
Candid Powder

The above list was specially given by them. Request you to please make as much contribution as possible in that segment.  

In addition we are also looking for some support both monetary and in kind. 

Support in kind:

People in the valley are running short of food supplies. Help is pouring from all over India but it is still not adequate enough to cater to the needs of the people. There was a video clip shown where a girl child had no water to drink for three long days !!!

General List of such items:

Mineral Water Bottles
Pulses
Rajma
Wheat Flour
Baby Food
Milk Powder
Any type of dry food
If you want to donate any item or items mentioned above then please let me know. 

If you are in Delhi:

Then please call Inayat (number mentioned below) or comment on this post.  I can coordinate with you. 

If you are from any other part of India:

There are various centers which he has tied up with. Please call him or comment on this post. I can organize things accordingly. 

Monetary Support:

In case you want to send in your help in terms of cash then you can do so by sending a crossed cheque in the name of "Umeed Trust". Umeed Trust is an NGO which is working on providing relief to people in on ground zero. The cheques can be dropped to any nearest Jammu and Kashmir Bank. A/C Type: Current Deposit A/C Number: 166. If required you can coordinate with Inayat and he can have the cheques picked up. 

In case you want to make an online transfer bank details are as follows:

Account Name: Umeed Trust
Bank: Jammu & Kashmir Bank
Account Type: Current Deposit
Account Number: 1112010100000166
IFSC: JAKA0POLOVW

If you are making a monetary contribution please do let Inayat know so that he can inform the authorities about it.

Inayat Ullah Khan
Phone: +91-9999679100
Facebook: www.fb.com/inayat.u.khan
Twitter: @inayatukhan
Skype: iullahkhan

Perception... Worth a Read

I got this message on Whatsapp; found it interesting so thought of keeping it... And sharing it...

Grand Conversation between twins inside the
womb:
Baby 1: And you, you believe in life after
birth?
Baby 2: Absolutely. It’s obvious that life after
birth exist. We are here to become stronger
and to get ready for Whatever awaits us next.
Baby 1: This is absurd. There is nothing after
birth! What would life look like outside the
womb?
Baby 2: Well, there are many stories about the
other side. I’ve heard there is a blaze of light
there, an intense and profound feeling of joy
with deep emotions, thousands of things to
live for… For example, I’ve heard that we’ll
eat with our mouth, there.
Baby 1: That's silly. We have an umbilical cord
and that is how we eat. Everyone knows that
we don’t use our mouth to eat! And, on the
top of it, no one has ever come back from the
other world… Those stories are all coming
from naïve people. Life just ends at birth.
Period. That’s the way it is and we must
accept it.
Baby 2: Alright, then allow me to think
differently. That's for sure, I have no idea
what life after birth looks like, and I can’t
prove anything to you. But I like to believe,
that in the next world, we’ll be able to see our
mother and that she will take care of us.
Baby 1: “Mother”? You mean that you believe
in ‘Mother’? Oh! So where is she?
Baby 2: Everywhere, don’t you see it! She is
everywhere, all around us. We are part of her
and it's thanks to her that we are living right
now. Without her, we wouldn’t be here.
Baby 1: This is ridiculous! I’ve never seen any
mother so it’s obvious that she doesn’t exist.
Baby 2: I don’t agree, that’s your way of
seeing things. Because sometimes when
everything quiets down a little bit, we can hear
her sing. We can feel her hugging our world.
I’m pretty sure that our life will start after
birth.
Read it a second time by changing some
words....

Change the word
BIRTH to DEATH
WOMB to WORLD
MOTHER to GOD...
you will find a mystery unveiling...

Will Hike catch up to Whatsapp?

So a few days ago, my status on Facebook said don't invite me to new messengers... Why you ask? Well, I have Whatsapp, Gtalk, Facebook, Skype and even Twitter. Then of course there's good old SMS. So why would I want another app? Just because it claims to have some innovative features?!

The whole idea of people have so many messaging platforms seemed bizzare. Although I must admit; the idea of being able to choose who sees my status updates and who sees my 'last seen' was tempting. Then of course. The idea of having hidden chats - there are some close friends we all have. And chats with them are personal - very personal!

Anyways. Today, I finally gave in to temptation and decided to download Hike. Just to try it out and just to see if I by any chance like it more than Whatsapp. So far: Yes. I do. I do indeed.

I'm loving the whole themes idea as well as the stickers. The hidden chats is an amazing feature, but I'll need more people on Hike to be able to actually use it!!

The only problem now - I'm on Hike - but my friends aren't!! Sure, they MAY join - eventually. But untill then its plain vanilla Whatsapp. Vanilla because after using Hike for even a while, it seems like that!!

Me and Football Fever?

The FIFA world cup is on and everyone around - whether they understand football or not, is going to be up at night watching the match!! If you know me... You would have guessed - I'm one of them!

I've never been a big football fan - but I do enjoy watching the game! Especially because I have such fond memories of various world cups. I used to watch these matches with my dad while growing up. At that time, I would ask him the stupidest questions! I just wanted to see them score goals - didn't matter who scored!

So some people reading this might wonder which planet I hail from. I have actually always had friends who were cricket fans, nobody spoke of any other sports. My dad was the only one who watched other stuff.

It all depends on the people around you. If you have football crazy friends you will have fun when watching the matches - even if you understand zilch. Then of course, you will also have nostalgia set in when you catch repeats.

Till I went to London, I didn't hear my friends talk of any other sports etc - cricket or at the most football. Then I understood F1, tennis, a tad bit of rugby, a bit of rowing. When I came back, I somehow thought it was all going to go back to before - apart from home, I won't have many people who like other sports. But my apprehensions were put to rest when I came to Mumbai and realised that my new friends here follow all the sports equally! Games can be great fun if you have fun people to watch it with!!

MIA on Blogger

So it's been a while since I blogged... There was a time when I managed 3-4 blogs... And all of them were active!!! So what changed?

I don't have a laptop any more... Ever since I upgraded my phone.. I sort of stopped using my laptop!! I browse sites on my phone, have apps for nearly everything - including my groceries, and most importantly, i have social media at my finger tips.

So that still doesn't answer why I stopped blogging?! I mean there is a blogger app... And truth be told, that where this post is being typed!

Fact is, if u don't have a laptop, but have a phone with a 16GB card, you could easily blog!! Otherwise... If like me you're stuck on a 2GB card, yoy just might miss a few apps!

For anyone reading this... It all really boils down to just 1 thing... Do you want to write a blog post! If you do, there are tons of ways to do it... But sometimes... Its just our 'mood' that decides - in my case at least.

You can put the Blame on....

When I came to Mumbai, I got mixed reactions from people regarding how safe Mumbai was compared to Delhi!

Some people said that it was very safe compared to Delhi, some said it was as bad. Fact is, 5 months on, I don‘t know what‘s true!

Yes I agree, people in Mumbai are less judgemental than those in Delhi. And I'm not just talking of those roadside romeos - I'm talking about people in general - girls and boys. I would feel far more comfortable wearing a dress on the roads on Mumbai, than in Delhi!

Now, after there have been 2 horrendous attacks in the capital, the question becomes even more pertinent. Why do people is Delhi a sort of Rape capital? To put it more crudely - why are men in the capital, and actually all over north India, more desperate than men in the rest of India??!!
Talk of any sort of sexual crimes and the cities in the north come to light before any other part of the country?! And that‘s where they worship female deities the most!

Is there a connection? I wonder, if we implemented the kind of punishments meted out in Arabic countries, wouldn't it help?!

In December after the first incident took place, there were thousands of protests across Delhi and many other parts of the country. Now, 4 months later, with all the new laws and regulations in place, we still had an encore! Why?

Is it just the police? Is it just the government? I'll bet half the people who took to the streets have some sort of eve teasing record to their name! So why is it, that every time we start the blame game, we tend to turn to the police or government? Is it cause we don't know who else to put the blame on?

Well for starters, how about upbringing? How many kids (esp boys) in India are taught that if they are not given something when they ask nicely, they should learn to stand up and demand it, until they get it - stand up for your right? Well, from a rapists perspective, he demands that the girl sleeps with him, if she doesn't he will stalk her, and if she still doesn't then... sounds absurd right?

How many people in our country still believe that men can (and have the right to) control women? When I say people here, I mean all genders!

Fact still remains, we don't know who to blame when a man violates a women - sexually or mentally!

Can you live without the Internet?

Sometime last year, I wrote a post about how life would be without the internet! To be honest, I thought it would be very boring - and maybe it would!

The last few months, I have sort of restricted my use of the Internet... not by choice! I have a netbook, which does not allow certain device drivers required for using a data card. So my quick fix - hotspot on my phone.

Flipside of this is, I cannot use the internet as much as I‘d probably have liked to! For instance... I cannot watch movies online or download movies, songs or tv shows! But I‘m still doing everything I would otherwise have done.

For instance, right now, to write this blog, I‘m using my phone, instead of the laptop... for reasons best known to me...

The fact is, I would love to test the limit of living without the laptop, instead of without the Internet (which proves far far more challenging!).

Life without the Internet, includes life without Whatsapp!! Which means I pay for all my texts! I doubt I can live without being in touch through some medium!! In fact, I doubt anyone with a smartphone would be upto the challenge!?

New Years Resolution!

It's that time of year - when you start thinking about the year gone by, and the year that lies ahead. Nearly everyone thinks of the same thing - I will change this year! It will not be the same as it's been all these years! It has to be different.

One year later, you think of exactly the same thing! I've been trying to think of my new years resolution for ages!!! Ever since mid-December... and I have come to one conclusion - I will not keep it anyways, so why bother thinking of one?!

Nevertheless, I did make a resolution, and true to new year resolution rules, I did not stick to it for even a day!! But I will start (hopefully this year itself!)

So what was this big new years resolution that I thought of - decided to keep it simple - Finish what I started!

NOAH - I'm going to take the next step and make sure NOAH works the way I wanted it to!! 1 hour a day, that's all I will spend on it - the YouTube series, the website, the blog, the facebook and twitter accounts - anything and everything!

Some day soon, I will start working on it - Again!! 

Amchi Mumbai...

London, Delhi... and Mumbai, all within a few months! Its been incredible! I had hardly finished my welcome back parties, and I already had to start saying my good byes! Honestly, I never expected it to happen so soon!!! For some reason, we just tend to think we have all the time in the world to say what we have to!!

Truth be told, we don't! I never managed to say a hi or a bye to many of my friends back in Delhi! But nonetheless, Mumbai and Delhi are much closer than London and Delhi! So I keep telling myself, either I'll go there soon, or they'll come here soon!

Unlike many other countries, each city here is very different from one another! Delhi and Mumbai are poles apart! I for one have always been a 'Delhite', but now, I'm set to become a Mumbaikar!

Part of the excitement of being here is that I already know half the places - of course, living in a place and visiting the place are 2 completely incomparable things! But I'm ready to make Mumbai my new home - it's always been my second home!

Amchi Mumbai... Hope you live upto my expectations!!! :) 

Memories... Back in Time...

9 months ago, I landed in London at around 5 in the evening. My first thoughts - Has London changed since I last visited? Is the Baggage claim as bad as I've heard? I hope some of my friends are still in London!

The rush of questions was interrupted by the view outside the window. I could see London - from way up there, it looked just like it had the last time. My feelings about landing were just the same - only difference - this time round, I knew I had to stay here for a year. So this was going to be my home for the next one year - not just another vacation spot!

The view looked nice. To make sure I could hold onto those images, I used my petty phone camera and started clicking pictures. After a while, I stopped with the pictures and started trying to figure out where my place was, and whether I could see Russell Square Garden from up there - clearly I had my perceptions skewed - I had mixed up Russell Square and Regent's Park! So I thought Russell Square was huge, when it was actually not as big - not that I could see either of them from up there!

I saw a car park...

and some houses.... 

and then some more houses... 

Finally I gave up, and just waited for the plane to land. My thoughts shifted towards what my new life would be like. I was sitting next to another Indian student who was going to study in UCL. At that point, I had no idea that my classes would be held in UCL's Birkbeck. I just presumed that it would be far. 

A new city - all new people (except the few who I knew)... Looking back, I never thought I would be sad just thinking of going back. But the fact is, I am! Right now, we have 60 days of our course left. I would love to go back and meet my friends! But then again, I want to stay here forever! Although I must admit, when I think about it, I do crave going to some places and doing some things which I just can't do here!!

I'm in a fix... If I stay here, I'll miss Delhi... If I go back, I'll miss London... I need a job which will allow me to travel between the 2 and a whole list of other places on my travel list.

Pinning Away

"Pinterest -  A content sharing service that allows members to "pin" images, videos and other objects to their pinboard. Also includes standard social networking features ..."

That's what you see when you search for the platform on Google. That's pretty much what it is about, but it provides for a whole day's worth of entertainment. My own perception - Pinterest is like a mesh up of Facebook and Google Images! 

So, for those of you who are unaware of what Pinterest is, here's what it looks like: 

The pictures are pinned onto a board which users create. So for instance, I have some 6-7 boards, and I have given a theme to each board. So if I was to pin the image of the lanterns (above), I would pin it to 'Just Beautiful', but the picture of the cat or the house would go on another board. 

After YouTube, I'd say Pinterest is the best site to keep you busy, browsing the whole day - I'm quite sure you wouldn't get bored! 

If you add the 'Pin It' button to your browser, you can pin anything from any website to boards of your choice. Studying digital marketing, my mind keeps shifting to how this could be leveraged by marketers - and the answer is right in front of you! When I pin any item, it gets shared with all my friends (the same effect as sharing an image on facebook or twitter has). However because it has only images, it becomes a lot more appealing, You can make sure that images of your product are shared via Pinterest with ease. Just add the 'Follow us on Pinterest' or 'Pin It' button to your website. 

Apart from the marketing stand point, of all the social networks that have come and tried to overthrow Facebook, Pinterest seems to have taken a huge slice of cake when it comes to customer engagement.

Again, like I mentioned in my post about whether Facebook and Google will be around 10 years down the line, the whole debate and question about mobility comes to the fore front. Pinterest, is far more 'mobile' friendly than either of the other platforms. When you take a picture of something you've eaten at a restaurant, the chances of you sharing it with your friends are high. Now imagine, a friend of yours wants to make plans with some other friends about having the same dinner, all he has to do is pin it to his board and either tag his friends. 

You could argue that they could do the same on Facebook. Yes they can. And till now, they have. But with people increasingly liking the idea of browsing content that interests them and being able to store it in one place, I have no doubts that Pinterest, with a good mobile app, will overthrow the Facebook over the next couple of years - unless the later buys them out! 

For now, happy pinning!!   

Will Facebook, Google be around 5-10 years from now?

I came across an article a while ago, about whether or not Facebook will be around in a few years from now. The opinion of the article was - most likely, no. In fact, it would be wrong to say just Facebook will not be around, the write-up actually referred to Google, Facebook and several other websites we're hooked-to. The reason - not because they are not popular, or because they are going bankrupt. The reason was quite simple - they cannot adapt. Just like MySpace went out (though it still exists), so will Facebook!

Remember the time you jumped to Yahoo or Lycos or Alta Vista everytime you wanted to search for something? And how many of you had email ids on every website that popped up?

How many of you remember ICQ? Do you remember your number? I don't! Though I do know a few friends who do. How about your Hi5 account? How often do you visit that? They all still exist, but few ever visit such sites. We just changed our minds and started using things which were easier to use! In more techie terms we shifted from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0

When I look back, I used all of these platforms. But I was never able to stay hooked to one! The whole idea of using the internet is to make life simpler - so when a newer (and simpler) site comes up, I switch, as do many others! When I realised that all my friends were shifting to Facebook, I did it too! Though I have often wondered why?

I have seen this shift very often -- MySpace to Facebook, Orkut to Hi5 and then to Facebook, and then off late, people often choose between Twitter and Facebook. I'm guessing its because we all have one reason for using social networks - to keep in touch with people. So if people shift, so do we. But that begs the question, why do they start shifting? The 'whys' can be answered by psychology, and although I wish I was an expert at it, I'm not.

Coming back to the topic, the reason why Facebook and Google may not be around in a few years from now, is because the companies cannot adapt as quickly as we do. If we have started using our phones more than our computers, it is in Facebook's and Google's interest to ensure they have mobile versions of the site. But not just mobile versions. It's the whole experience of using the site that needs to be translated to a mobile platform.

On a personal note, I sort of agree - Google Search may be mobile friendly, but not the other Google products - I mean, how many 'Google' products do you have on your phone/tablet? Even for all the Android users, do you use Google Goggles or Google Earth or Google Latitude?

But then again, can you imagine having to send 'friend requests' to all your friend again? Or starting to get used to a new platform altogether? - Not that Facebook hasn't trained us for it, with all their changes to the way you use your profile, there is no doubt, we're all experts at getting used to new social networks in a giffy - We love Pinterest don't we?

But as of now, thinking of a world without Facebook and Google although tough, is not impossible! 

A simple example that I thought of when reading the article was - Whatsapp. We all use Whatsapp, but did it occur to anyone that you can use G-Talk, Skype or any other such messenger across all platforms?  Or was it because there is no G-Talk for iPhone? and no Skype for Blackberry? I guess that is exactly what the articles means by it will lose out!

Now imagine if tomorrow Whatsapp launches a profile option allowing you to share status updates with your friends? Oh wait, it already does that right? You can share statuses, create groups, share pictures, videos, etc - you just can't share it with everyone without 'chatting' with them! But if they do bring such features in, would you start using those instead of Facebook? 

UKBA - Studying in the UK, a Wrong Choice?

For the last 6 weeks, I have been working on various school projects and had sort of forgotten what the end goal was! But today, I was suddenly reminded of the real deal - study here, but be ready to pack your bags soon! Why?

I'm studying in an American University in UK, but I happen to be an Indian! I should have either chosen to go to US and study at the campuses there or I should have made sure I got into a UK university - either of the two might have made things easier - MUCH easier!

But am I sad about my choice? NO!

My experience at Hult London has been amazing - to say the least. Working with real companies for nearly all our class projects has made sure that we can take on any sort of project. But today, I realised that for many of us, non-EU students, working in the UK will be tougher than expected.

For instance, I read this article today, that said 'Genuine Students are Welcome'. The point is, sure you say you're welcoming 'genuine' students, but are you really? One could argue, that since Hult is an American university, I should not be cribbing - I made a choice. But I do know students from UK universities who are facing problems just like me. Why?

When the visa rules were enforced last year, many companies decided to ensure that they only get EU applicants (or at least those allowed to work in UK). This meant, that you cannot even apply for some jobs if you say you're not an EU resident. That's it. Full Stop. End of Matter.

Now that the rules have changed, it should get easier to get a job for international students. The key word here is SHOULD. With restrictions of how long you can work for and how much they have to earn, etc, there are few chances that companies will want to hire them.

That being said, international students have a better chance getting educated and 'employable' in US or Australia because they can at least work there for a few years after studying.

There is nothing wrong with trying to protect the interest of your own citizens - but one should think of the repercussions of doing so. The tough visa rules, clearly reflects in the reduction in the number of applicants to UK universities. UK earns a large part of its revenue from international students. This number dropped last year, and I am sure it will drop further this year - does this benefit UK citizens?

Why would foreign students come to the UK if they know at the end of the day, they are going to have to cope with their loans/finances by getting jobs elsewhere? Wouldn't they rather study 'elsewhere'?

I agree that since I knew the laws were changing, I should have chosen more thoughtfully - so does that mean, my decision to study in the UK was wrong? 

Life without Facebook and Twitter... and Watsapp?

Continuing my thoughts on 'Grown Ups'... The internet has sort of taken over our world!

The whole aspect of 'Second Life' will change! It will probably become 'life'! I was actually thinking about the never-ending debate of how technology is taking over our lives! I know that being a marketing student, and specializing in Digital Marketing, I should be utmost thrilled about the fact that more and more people will be hooked to the platforms. But, somewhere inside, I myself want to know how my mom and dad spent their days! I mean when she was my age, she did not have a twitter or facebook! So how did she keep in touch with friends? Snail mail?

What did they do when they went out? How did they make plans to hangout? I really wish I could understand, but for the life of me, I can't imagine living without my phone, or the internet!

Then I remembered the challenge that Mashable brought out, to leave social media for 2 weeks, I was up for the challenge. Like Sam Laird, I want to see the other side! How was it before facebook and twitter came along! I know its only been a few years, but honestly, would you be up to the challenge?

No social media means no twitter, no blogging, no facebook or any other social networking website. It means you can at most read mails and news. You cannot do anything much! For me, personally, I will have to change the way I use the internet! At present, whatever content I come across, originates from some tweet or facebook post! If I am not allowed to do that, I will have to focus on other aspects of the Internet.

Coming round to the student side of me, that might be a good thing. It might just help if I know how people use the internet without facebook and twitter! My father for instance, spends all day online, but he doesn't have a Facebook or Twitter account! I guess I could do with a glimpse of his cyber-world!

Despite the noble intention, I'm going to have to put the challenge on hold!I have to think about the various projects I'm doing! I need to be online to promote them! I will most likely take up the challenge during my next break - in May.

Spring Break!

I have spent half (or more than half) of my spring break just lazing around at home and watching tele! But somehow, that seems to be just what I needed after the madness of Module B. A week from now, I will be in the 3rd module of my program.

It feels like I left Delhi just yesterday! But then it also feels like my Christmas holidays just ended. Although these may be my thoughts now, they were quite different a few days ago! Last week or 10 days back, I was counting the days till my next break! Our last term at Hult was a whirlwind! But as usual, we survived! Like Kelly Clarkson's song, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!', well, the term just prepared me for the madness I have coming up in Module E!

So coming back to my spring break - I have been watching tele! Cooking shows, travel shows, animal planet, you name it, I'm watching it! So basically I have in a way been expanding my knowledge about things... Sort of...

I watched a movie during this time, called 'Grown Ups', some of you may have heard of it. Well the bottomline of the movie is that kids today, don't 'play'! Well they play, but not the way their parents did! The movie got me thinking. I'm into digital marketing, and at present there are a handful of people around the world who use internet round-the-clock! But a few years from now, the whole world will have a duplicate cyber-world!