Tuesday, June 22, 2010
So it's IRDA that gets to govern ULIPs now. I guess we should be thankful that we were spared a long-drawn legal battle between the 2 regulators. It could be a case of mere perceptions but frankly I trust SEBI more than IRDA. The insurance regulator has been too slow in bringing out changes to help the investors. I am not about to trust them in a hurry. So I am going to steer clear of ULIPs at least in the foreseeable future.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
I have this thing about hospitals. I mean the moment I step into one, I feel like turning back on my heels and heading right out again. But I had a reason to go to one this week. Nothing serious - just a mild ear irritation and I could not find any standalone ENT specialist. I waited for 2-3 days for the problem to correct itself. It didn't. So I had no choice but to go to this multi-speciality hospital that my family has a membership into.
I had the membership card so I didn't have to fill up any form at the reception. Thank God for that! Filling up a form on an ordinary day is trial enough. Imagine doing it when you have throbbing pain in one of your ears. :-( I paid up and headed for the doctor's room.
They have 4 wings on each floor and a sort of general seating area in the middle. When I reached the floor that the ENT specialist was on, this central area was full of people. I stepped into one of the wings and handed over my receipt to one of the guys. I was told I will have to wait for 10 minutes. A door separated the wing from the seating area. But from time to time people would walk in or out and I would catch a glimpse of people waiting there - some with a worried look on their faces, other looking at their watches. Some talking on phones, others staring into space. I was counting minutes - literally.
Just then a woman walked by - her mouth covered by a protective mask - the kind that had come into vogue when the country was gripped by H1N1. I wasn't sure whether it was for protecting herself from the germs in the atmosphere or for protecting others because she was sick. But either way, it added to my uneasiness.
Fortunately, I was called by the doctor just then. Minutes later, I walked out, greatly relieved that, today at least, I would be walking out of the belly of the beast within minutes. As I headed out, an ambulance, its siren wailing loudly, turned right in.
Honestly, I don't know how the doctors and staff manage this - day in, day out. Hats off to them!
I had the membership card so I didn't have to fill up any form at the reception. Thank God for that! Filling up a form on an ordinary day is trial enough. Imagine doing it when you have throbbing pain in one of your ears. :-( I paid up and headed for the doctor's room.
They have 4 wings on each floor and a sort of general seating area in the middle. When I reached the floor that the ENT specialist was on, this central area was full of people. I stepped into one of the wings and handed over my receipt to one of the guys. I was told I will have to wait for 10 minutes. A door separated the wing from the seating area. But from time to time people would walk in or out and I would catch a glimpse of people waiting there - some with a worried look on their faces, other looking at their watches. Some talking on phones, others staring into space. I was counting minutes - literally.
Just then a woman walked by - her mouth covered by a protective mask - the kind that had come into vogue when the country was gripped by H1N1. I wasn't sure whether it was for protecting herself from the germs in the atmosphere or for protecting others because she was sick. But either way, it added to my uneasiness.
Fortunately, I was called by the doctor just then. Minutes later, I walked out, greatly relieved that, today at least, I would be walking out of the belly of the beast within minutes. As I headed out, an ambulance, its siren wailing loudly, turned right in.
Honestly, I don't know how the doctors and staff manage this - day in, day out. Hats off to them!
About 3-4 days back when I was reading The Mint I was shocked to read about the 60+ days' blockade that was gripping the whole of the Northeastern state of Manipur. I am sure I didn't see anything about it on the news channel that I watch - at least not anything on the "Breaking News" front. That was strange. Or maybe not. The Media in general ignores the North-Eastern states the way the central government does.
It was yesterday that I heard about the situation slowly returning to normal though the commercial vehicles are still not plying the national highways according to the news report. It is worrying though that the central government chose to turn a blind eye to the steadily worsening situation for days. Do we really want these states to break away? :-(
It was yesterday that I heard about the situation slowly returning to normal though the commercial vehicles are still not plying the national highways according to the news report. It is worrying though that the central government chose to turn a blind eye to the steadily worsening situation for days. Do we really want these states to break away? :-(
Saturday, June 12, 2010
I usually don't send any SMSs that promise to tell me about my professional or love life or future. But this SMS promised to tell me about the car that I am supposed to like. So just for the fun of it, I sent it. Here are some details from what I got back:
You will seek out futuristic and fully-equipped cars.
Wrong! I am not at all for the James Bond style gadgets. These days most of the cars come equipped with standard stuff like AC, power windows and CD player. Keyless entry has become a must too. And sun roof will be a nice touch :-) But that's about it. For heaven's sake, a car is for taking you from point A to point B and not for living in it. But that's just what poor me thinks.
You like black and white cars.
Hmm...I like black but white is a definite no-no. The other cool colors for me are gray and red.
You will either choose an old/used car based on your wallet, or you want the most stylish, technologically developed one.
Wrong! I think I will always go for a new one that suits my wallet and taste. I don't care much for style and technology.
If anybody is a passenger in your car, s/he will have to move things to find the seat
Wrong again! I hate people who treat their cars as their house-on-wheels, piling it with all sorts of junk. I agree that it is not possible to keep it as squeaky clean as it was the day you drove it out of the dealer's but there is no harm in trying ;-)
My dream car though is a black Mercedes! I am almost drooling at the thought :-)
You will seek out futuristic and fully-equipped cars.
Wrong! I am not at all for the James Bond style gadgets. These days most of the cars come equipped with standard stuff like AC, power windows and CD player. Keyless entry has become a must too. And sun roof will be a nice touch :-) But that's about it. For heaven's sake, a car is for taking you from point A to point B and not for living in it. But that's just what poor me thinks.
You like black and white cars.
Hmm...I like black but white is a definite no-no. The other cool colors for me are gray and red.
You will either choose an old/used car based on your wallet, or you want the most stylish, technologically developed one.
Wrong! I think I will always go for a new one that suits my wallet and taste. I don't care much for style and technology.
If anybody is a passenger in your car, s/he will have to move things to find the seat
Wrong again! I hate people who treat their cars as their house-on-wheels, piling it with all sorts of junk. I agree that it is not possible to keep it as squeaky clean as it was the day you drove it out of the dealer's but there is no harm in trying ;-)
My dream car though is a black Mercedes! I am almost drooling at the thought :-)
Friday, June 11, 2010
I didn't know that India's last Viceroy Mountbatten was assassinated by the IRA till I saw a program about it on the History Channel (Infamous Assassinations) yesterday. I wonder whether he ever thought that his decision to partition India was wrong. I surely wonder. 60+ years later, the 2 countries are still in turmoil - because of religious differences - the same reason that caused the partition in the first place.
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