I think the whole concept is hilarious. Just 2 months ago there was a “Best friends day”. Blah.

You think I am your friend? Awesome! It is a privilege to have your support. Thank you and please continue being one.. I really appreciate it.
You dont need to wish me on some random day decided by some random dude so he could sell more greeting cards. And if you send me sms spam / email spam / facebook spam about some friendship day, I consider it very unfriendly and insensitive.

I have recently taken a keen interest in microfinance. And considering that, at Credit Mobile, we are planning to start a company that would use mobile technology to help the rural popor, I felt I had to become an expert on the needs of the rural poor.

And I felt the best person to seek advice from was Muhammad Yunus.

“Banker to the Poor” is the autobiography of Muhammad Yunus, a Economics professor from Bangladesh who was so moved by the poverty that followed the Bangladesh famine (1974 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_famine_of_1974) that he started a new branch of economics called microfinance. And no, he didnt just teach it to his students, he implemented a revolutionary concept and started the Grameen bank (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grameen_Bank) which has spread its wings in 80000 villages over the world both in developed and developing countries alike. It had a turnover of USD 93 million in 2009, and 7.41 million members.

I am back. And I want blood. 

So do you.

My electric bat and highly developed brain vs your annoying proboscis and admirable zest to procreate. 

Let the fight begin!

Yet, it is taking me so much time to believe 100% in myself and go with what I think is right.

I guess it is part of a process and I believe it is a positive process.. Slow and steady..

Suppose you wanted your techie friend to help you set up a website. How would you proceed?

Instinct would probably say
Go to friend, say “Hey can you help me set up a website? Thanks so much” and friend helps.

Most self help books would say “You don’t just keep asking people for help.. you should always look for a way to compensate. Or you try to find out what is in it for them”

They love my laptop. I have no idea where they come from but they come.. near my laptop. Strange bedfellows.

Home food. Is awesome.

Thank you!

“My luck was accentuated by my living in a market system that sometimes produces distorted results, though overall it serves our country well… I’ve worked in an economy that rewards someone who saves the lives of others on a battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-you notes from parents, but rewards those who can detect the mispricing of securities with sums reaching into the billions. In short, fate’s distribution of long straws is wildly capricious.”

It gets dug out of the ground in Africa, or someplace. Then we melt it down, dig another hole, bury it again and pay people to stand around guarding it. It has no utility. Anyone watching from Mars would be scratching their head.

The walk was nice. I managed to find a map. And I decided to walk around.. take in the awesome weather with the cool air and a touch of sunlight. It was a pretty curious place. There were these quaint 19th century buildings. and there were these little “potti kadais” (roadside shop) tucked inside. Sometimes there were even supermarkets hiding inside those buildings. And there were these occasional teenagers who would hand you a flyer and say something in Polish. You would stare amused at the letters on the paper, play a short game of “find the vowels”, give up and throw it into the nearest dustbin.

I have been getting bogged down a by problems lately. Getting stuck. Complaining. Looking for a way out instead of forcing my way out. I am becoming myopic. I feel myself devoid of the freedom I used to be proud of.

And it is amazing how quickly things move when your mental make-up changes from the caged nature of “Oh no, there are so many problems - this cant be happening to me!” to the freedom of “Assume the worst - solve the problem - move forward.”