tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62794952024-03-13T07:54:22.639-07:00Look at world through my lensesA place for thoughts and ideas that caught my attention and the people who left an impression. The views expressed are my own.Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-51588851500133251432012-05-18T19:40:00.001-07:002014-02-25T21:40:14.167-08:00Of days we remember
A group of my friends meets to discuss soul searching questions like how does one live
a purposeful happy life. Recently we talked about the purpose of commemorating
dates - birth(day)s, anniversaries (of events and people), graduations and so on - in our lives. Dates are an opportunity to reflect on the paths taken, the successes achieved and the lessons
learnt. They are also a way to rememberSoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-34047857050474023302012-04-24T07:20:00.000-07:002012-06-25T07:20:04.417-07:00The Economics of Household Labor and Pay Differences between Sexes
The Economist recently
published a summary of recent study on division of household labor which
reinforces a lot of what we already know. The previous studies that it
references are worth mentioning, and some of the other conclusions that it
draws are probably new. Even in a developed country like America, women spend
three times the time doing housework on an average day as men. The Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-43604244033505706272012-04-09T19:25:00.006-07:002012-04-13T09:45:03.031-07:00Life Changers - Finding meaning through Amy
As I look back, whenever I thought I was struggling (professionally or personally) in life is when I have done the most meaningful work. This post is meant to be a part of the series of reminisces of those time periods.
A few years ago, I was involved with an organization dedicated to the cause of the domestic violence victims in the tri-state (New York - New Jersey - Connecticut) area. Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-939444928583102242012-02-09T19:22:00.000-08:002012-02-10T16:39:36.463-08:00Every great man has a secret .. and it's not a good oneWe often idolize men who are successful and ascribe to them greatness which is a heavy burden. It is in this light that the rest of this piece needs to be read. My point, which I give three examples for, is that we are all human. If one avoids the baggage of expectations, it is easier to accept people without the need to be blinded by their greatness. In his book on the life of Socrates, Paul Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-351929290825339322012-02-02T20:53:00.000-08:002012-02-03T13:39:46.409-08:00Happiness : Do you earn to live or live to earn ?The age old question! How important is money in our lives ? This what the recent coverage of the Facebook IPO reminded me of. A lot has been said about the IPO - the possible price per share (from ~$27 to $31) , the money various people will make from the founder, to the employees to their financial adviser - and how it compares with the other technology stocks.
A commentator on Bloomberg Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-7238826320771123732011-12-28T08:45:00.000-08:002011-12-28T14:50:30.374-08:00The Anatomy of Loneliness<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-2202767768396821502011-11-30T21:28:00.000-08:002011-12-04T08:29:10.794-08:00Insights from Greeks: The Evolution of Morality and Religion<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-56525917166675506352011-10-03T21:41:00.000-07:002011-10-03T21:43:01.126-07:00Thought Provoking : Indian Women Are the Most Stressed OutWomen's issues are a subject close to my heart, and recently I came across a study that was though provoking enough for me to take a break from the blogging hiatus.
A research survey done by Nielson of 6500 women across the world found that Indian women – especially the educated professional ones – are the most stressed out in the world. Indian women balance career ambitions while Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-56860355746753297412011-02-26T13:42:00.000-08:002011-02-26T21:26:01.527-08:00Limitations to beating the marketOne of my professors (yes I am back to school again, minor detail) is the reason I read a lot of research about the investing process and strategy. Since I have learnt that most academicians who are practitioners too are averse to public profiles, I will stay away from names and stick to the issue.
One of the limitations to generating abnormal returns is the size of portfolio. As your portfolioSoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-38540139801574520732010-08-26T10:29:00.001-07:002010-08-26T12:06:56.696-07:00Contrarian Viewpoints: The positive economic opinionsSince May of this year when the Greek debt scare coupled with woes of the Euro region rattled the world markets, most experts have been talking about a double dip in the developed world. In these constant forecasting of doom, two articles with a contrarian viewpoint on the editorial pages of yesterday's Wall Street Journal captured my attention. The editorial titled, "The Housing Mirage," Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-27857957446974641282010-06-23T14:26:00.001-07:002010-06-29T11:42:16.613-07:00Warren Buffett's philanthropic pledgeWas reading Warren Buffett's philanthropic pledge in the latest Fortune and the following passage stood out.
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 life of others on the battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-youSoniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-26245660982077996582010-06-21T16:15:00.001-07:002010-06-22T08:38:54.102-07:00Dealing with failuresDisappointments and failures – both professional and personal – are a part of anyone's life. How you deal with them shapes your life and that of others around you. People handle disappointments in a many ways ranging from inability to control their emotions with behavior such as stomping feet, shouting and throwing tantrums, to complete denial and building a shell around them so that failures Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-86148326506271739452010-06-08T12:28:00.001-07:002010-06-15T18:32:06.906-07:00Book Review : The Trillion Dollar Meltdown
I just finished Charles Morris's The Trillion Dollar Meltdown which was published in January 2008. Since the book is based on an area of professional interest, I think it deserves a detailed review and not just an update.
Morris' book was one of the first texts on financial crisis to come to the market. In less than 200 pages the book covers a huge breadth of topics. Starting Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-41951829530815575722010-04-15T13:39:00.000-07:002010-05-17T14:52:10.102-07:00Why Do I Volunteer?The most important of life's lessons do not come to you while you are managing P&L's and fretting over project schedules. They often land in your lap when you take the time (or are forced to) to sit back and reflect.
Nice Guy is this American teenager I met during one of our outreach sessions. The weather was biting cold and we were distributing hats, gloves and sweaters. He told me he Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-35165300706597944932010-03-28T15:06:00.000-07:002010-05-17T14:46:07.685-07:00The Wharton India Economic Forum: Healthcare (India versus US)On Saturday, March 27, 2010 I attended the 14th Wharton India Economic Forum. So I believe the event started in 1996 marking five years of liberalization of Indian economy. There was an impressive list of speakers. You had people from Private Equity, Information and Technology, Social Sector, Healthcare, and Education and Training. There also was panel of woman leaders talking about issues of Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-39933524831367631082010-02-07T12:08:00.001-08:002010-03-30T11:10:07.388-07:00Canadian Impressions: February 2010
Recently, I was in Canada for a few days. It was my first visit ever to the country, and left me desiring for more. Canada may not appear foreign if you are an American, because you don't need a visa to travel there. But I did find Canada to be very different from USA. And, since I am comparing apples to apples - Toronto to New York - I think my impressions are representative. First, the Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-38916230097169836942010-01-30T10:17:00.001-08:002010-01-30T11:03:55.761-08:00HOPE 2010 New York: A lesson in involving volunteersLast week, I got an opportunity to lead a team for New York's annual HOPE (Homeless Outreach Population Estimate) survey. I didn't know what to expect while entering the public school near 33rd street. But there was anticipation because we were there to help the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) plan out their services. Outreach itself didn't scare me much. I have been doing that for three Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-75078296078229967262010-01-14T12:39:00.001-08:002010-04-20T15:43:34.169-07:00Google vs China: Lessons in good corporate communication
Right when I am in the middle of Googled by Ken Auletta and, fresh after reading how companies in China are improvising, expanding and acquiring to make the country a manufacturing super-hub, comes the Google China standoff. What better time? The first thought that comes to mind about this story is that it is unique. A company versus a government? There maybe a few cases involving Russia and Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-8620007578208622702010-01-07T10:28:00.001-08:002010-04-20T15:18:33.987-07:00Globalization & FDI: The winds of change
I have been interested in the phenomenon of Foreign Direct Investment for a while. Till a few years ago, FDI implied the flow of foreign funds into a developing country. The direction was almost taken to be granted and the thoughts of India investing in Europe or Americas didn't cross my kind. Money flowing into the economy was an important indicator of the country's standing and opinion in Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-84820521180939657762009-12-10T17:19:00.000-08:002010-01-06T10:33:53.657-08:00Why those who are too big to fail should be charged ? !There has been ample debate about need for greater regulation of financial firms. Am sure with so many people employed with financial firms and so many other blaming their unemployment on the same firms, there are opinions on both sides. There are two points on which I have a definite thinking. The consumer protection laws and need for such a agency and the second, the subject of this post, that Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-16850539546779536632009-11-11T14:23:00.001-08:002010-01-24T13:52:13.088-08:00The huge difference in work-culturesYesterday, I was at the office of a non-profit I am involved with here in New York. I noticed something that made me think and compare the working styles and, the so called open door policies.
It so happened that a gentleman whom I recognize by face as the Executive Director, the senior-most person in the organization, walked over to a door in the hallway. Standing outside the room he asked, " Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-33070164721301169092009-10-06T08:20:00.000-07:002011-12-13T13:36:55.938-08:00Strategies in a Recession - Proctor & GambleBusiness school cases often consist of how companies adapt their strategies for different times. By that benchmark last one year has provided a life's worth of learning for managers. I have read and observed numerous instances of companies changing strategies to adapt to the consumer's spending habits and changing priorities - the new normal.
Lately, P&G, known for is investment in R&D Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-36500459327444734072009-08-14T10:50:00.000-07:002009-08-21T13:22:47.978-07:00Credit Bubble in a Slum ?Far away from the credit boom of USA from 2004 - 2007, both in distance and in time.A front page article in the Wall Street Journal states that the micro-finance push maybe creating a credit bubble in India. What started as a social initiative, caught the eyes of investors due to higher returns. Micro-finance loans have interest loans to the tune of 24% - 39% and are generally given to women (Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-46918258383254215992009-06-16T21:23:00.001-07:002010-01-13T15:33:51.201-08:00New India Film Festival and Interview with Nandita Das (MoMA)I had my fill of Indian Cinema at the New India film festival at Museum of Modern Art. Five movies (so far) with three of them introduced by actors/directors. The souvenirs include autographs of Nasserudin Shah and Nandita Das.Nandita Das, an actress I greatly admire was here to talk about her debut as a director in Firaaq (Search/ Quest) which showcases the aftermath of riots in Gujarat. Here Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279495.post-57987535273314577002009-06-16T20:51:00.000-07:002009-08-07T11:29:18.973-07:00Reviewing India's electionYou may call this an optimistic take on the Indian election but it seems logical that after quite some time this year's election results favour someone who has been out of focus of the business of governance for a while, the Indian voter. Read this article explaining how the Indian voter is the real winner of the lastest Indian National elections. My take may might sound unusual yes, but I am Soniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183452120290085809noreply@blogger.com0