Coffee, Bagels and Trivia

It has been a long while or probably for first time in my life that my weekend starts with a 4.40am alarm!! Thanks to some enthusiastic friends, I have got into this routine of hiking every weekend. And I intend to turn it into a habit. It has been 4 weekends of going up Camelback Mountain around sunrise, taking in the beautiful views of the city of Phoenix (the Valley of the Sun) and then drive back for the other fun part of this routine; Coffee and Bagels and a couple of hours of chitchatting.

Our hangout is Einstein Bros Bagels. Do try it if you have never been there. Some really good bagels they have, especially their gourmet bagels. As soon as we settle down at our table the chatter begins. Regular topics include movies, books, personal stories, office gossip, weekend plans AND some trivia every time. 

Somehow, unfailingly, in our discussions some topic comes up where no one really has any idea what it’s all about, but the enlightened ones that we all are, we keep dishing out our opinions. It could be as varied as ‘what is the difference between a chapel and a cathedral?’ to ‘what is the difference between jams, jellies and marmalade?’. And then enters the savior, old faithful Google!! It is usually me who does the honors. It is said that Google is one of the biggest conversation killers, but trust me, there comes a time in such discussions when it is better to know the facts rather than going nowhere with so many experts.

And after this Trivia check, eldest in the group that I am, I end with these words, “So kids, what have we learnt today?” J

The Economics of Relationships

This one has been long overdue. I thought of writing this article after I had my finance and economics classes at Purdue. While hanging out with a friend in the common area at school, we extended some of the concepts we learnt in these classes to a different area, human behavior and relationships. It’s amazing how closely some business concepts support human interactions. Sometimes we might have gone overboard while trying to fit in things, but nonetheless, it was fun!! 

Probably the most important concept in finance is the Net Present Value or NPV. It is the present value of future cash flows. Many important decisions and deals depend on this NPV. We observed that human interactions are greatly influenced by this concept. Every person has an NPV and this changes depending on the other person involved. But here the present value is not of actual cash flows (maybe sometimes it is) but of something intangible; probably some favors or expected good times with the person or something with an emotional value. The NPV of my best friend is far greater for me than for someone who is just an acquaintance of his. For me this NPV is based on all the reasons due to which the person is my best friend. The NPV of smart students is high for others because of all the possible help which they could expect, but for the smart students the NPV of the others is not as much or sometimes negative because of the possible hindrance to their study time… hahaha.

Sometimes we may not know a person but still his or her NPV for you exists and can be significant. Take for example, all applicants for a job you have applied for. Most certainly all have a negative NPV for each other since one getting a job means no future cash flows, literally. I have observed changes in people’s behavior towards each other from ‘my dear friend’ to ‘do I know you?’ within a span of few weeks. It’s all got to do with how valuable or important the person is going to be; which is basically NPV.

Now let us extend this concept to incorporate Options. When you are dating someone, the persons NPV is quite high for you since there is a potential of a long term (hopefully lifelong) partnership. However, like in any big project, we make sure that we have a chance to exercise an option of backing out of this partnership if you see the NPV going negative once more information about the project is available. Thus, engagement is the time when each party gets the right, with no obligations to exercise the option in either way; stay (marry) or back out.

Having said all this, we know how unpredictable human behavior is. In so many situations we end up doing things that a rational mind would not think of doing. This is where the above concepts fall apart. Maybe this is where the concepts of speculation, risk/return tradeoff can be brought into picture. But I won’t delve into those now. I am done with my MBA and leave it to current management students who have some free time to spend in the common rooms J

Can I make a difference?

Over the last few weeks I have repeatedly come across this question.  Through discussions with friends, articles and videos on internet and the latest, a popular Indian TV show, Satyameva Jayate, this question keeps coming back. Can I make a difference? If yes, then how and when? Should I even care? Would that be too idealistic?

Even after 65 years of independence my motherland, India, and its people have not been able to get rid of numerous problems. In fact many new problems have cropped up. Every day is a challenge for many people, a puzzle to be solved… the solution to which would get them their next meal probably. I can safely say that I am one of the lucky minorities who live a relatively easy life. Then is it not my responsibility or duty or moral obligation (I don’t know the apt word here) to do whatever is in my capacity to help someone solve their puzzles?

I know people who have given up everything in their lives to help someone. Even when the riches of this world would have been within arms’ reach for them. I would not call them selfless because I guess that’s what gives them happiness. But I am pretty sure, how much ever I think of making a difference, I cannot give up many things I have in my life. Call me selfish or insensitive for saying this aloud, but that’s the truth for most of us. It is also true that I do not crave for too much money and would not mind giving up some of whatever I get to make a difference in someone’s life. Although, with a family in picture, this decision would not be solely my own. Giving my time and skills (with my MBA :P ) for some cause is another option. But again, with a career in balance, how much of your time can you give up?

So that’s the thing. Right now, it is just random thoughts troubling me. It is troubling because I know I will not be making too many sacrifices but still want to make a difference. It makes me look bad in my own eyes. So right now all that I’ll do is to carry on to get my life on track. When and how to make a difference is a question I’ll always keep open and I am hopeful that I’ll find an answer soon. I don’t know how many of us feel this way. But for those who do, here is a great line from a popular Hindi song…”kuch aisa karke dikha, khud khush ho jaye khuda”. 

Why do I always smile?

This post is dedicated to my grandmother who passed away 2 days ago

Ever so often I get this compliment.. “I always see you smiling”. I never thought about it much. Now that I think about it, I realize that it is not something I do consciously. It is totally involuntary, just like my breathing. And I think it comes from my attitude towards life, ever optimistic, always positive. And where did I get this attitude from? I give that credit to my wonderful family. And I want to thank God for sending me into this wonderful family and giving me this great life. I don’t remember anyone from my family explicitly telling me to have an optimistic outlook. But each member through example, through the way they have lived their lives, has left a lasting impact. That’s what has shaped me.

I would particularly like to mention my grandparents. Never ever have I seen them grumpy or complaining or fretting about things. My wonderful grandma who passed away this Sunday, was a tough old woman, a survivor. She fought off cancer and a small heart attack a few years back. She was 84, but had so much zest for life. Although in the past few years she couldn’t travel much, she loved to meet people and loved to have people come over to our place. Without doubt she has been one of the strong links that has kept us close to our extended family of multitude of cousins. I know she had been in pain and discomfort many times during her illnesses. But I never heard her complain too much. When I had an accident, my grandma was in the same hospital where I was, recovering after her cancer surgery. I was supposed to meet her that evening, but instead she came to my room to meet me and cheer me up. She said that she had a great life with great people around her and thanked God for it.

With such positivity in the family, it is natural for me to turn out the way I have as a person. Just like my family, I have some really wonderful friends always around me. It is comforting to know that they will always be there through good times and bad. God has been kind to me and there is no reason to complain about anything. So the least I can do to pay him back is to make sure people around me stay happy. I cannot change things in their lives but in tough times, if I can give them a few moments of happiness, some fits of laughter or just a simple soothing smile, I am sure I will make a positive difference.

While I was walking today along the river, I thought of a life mantra for myself… “Share your joys and others’ sorrows”. Now I am not a superhuman, so God forbid, there could be times when I would burden my close ones with my sorrows. But if I can help it, a smile is all that you would see J