11:30 AM
TAIN
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Friday, May 28, 2010
House on the hill top
Everything I want the world to is now coming true especially for me….I am on the top of the world looking down at creations and the only explanation I can find…Carpenters could sure have not got it better than this! A place on top of the world is all one can dream of so why hold back….live your aspiration…So if you do not want the conventional, but, a platform for the jaw dropping view then what better option…? So next time you find the right picnic spot where you but want to settle down then go for it…Sitting atop amongst the picturesque hills and a beautiful view of the meadows, you sip your evening tea….the sun setting by and the birds returning...
Grumble Mumble
I need space when I am at mastering the way to my man’s heart do I not?So well planned kitchens with space well managed can be the women’s ultimate salvation. The layout for a good kitchen will be either a straight line, L-shaped, U-shape or a galley style. Storage space, amount of work surface, equipment and appliances you need will all be well looked after. So you the kinds who just love to entertain guest at home….well need for extra storage for food equipment is going to be never ending, special china, lass and serving dishes and a greater than average area for preparation is going to be on the consistent demand. But on the other hand if you are catering to food buffs then storage for food will gain priority on your list. So trying to deal with storage then, open shelves, base units and...
Now MANage
Give it a thought….if the new age man can be called a homemaker then the alien would be from earth wouldn’t he?So do not be surprised if I tell you that a man is now capable of doing up his own house….so voila…I learnt to place a flower vase in the correct place and fortunately learnt the correct use…..so did not attempt to play baseball with it….unbelievable…I matched the bed cover with the curtain.. I understood the utility of a sofa and did not mistake it for my bed…I am the new age man and can proudly call myself a home maker ….yes you heard correct a maker not wreaker!Oh! Well I do not advocate a stay at home daddy….all I say is that….even a bachelor should know how to keep his stuff well so that the house can be called a home. Driven by the need to not only have a house to live in but...
Drool over the pool
With the mercury levels rising, what better way to cool your self than a hip and happening pool party! So do not be amazed if it gets even hotter with the glam bods and hot outfits….but for this Bodilicious treat…you need to have the perfect pool, the perfect location and a barbecue is on the charts! So get it all ready, with the pool that is a reflection of your own taste. Floating pool chairs, floats, lounge chairs, pool lights and fountains, the in-pool side accessories is going to make your party hard to miss.So not only will they make a great reason to throw a party, but will also convert your basic backyard spot a location for your ultimate family entertainment activity. Make your pool more accessible, attractive, and more versatile. Thus this investment can make your fun time in the...
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A movie to remember…..
For the movie buffs I found a perfect catch…fair and square the movie is perfect for a watch while you have it to catch up some good stuff! The Apartment directed by Billy Wilder in 1960, is movie that has a perfect theme as a movie directed by a person of such caliber is expected….but what interests me the most is that the whole movie is set to revolve in and around the apartment. Complete genius on part of the script writer as for not the name…..somebody would wonder….did that movie have the protagonist as ….the apartment?The plot spells out a man using his apartment as a stepping stone to success and how the tables turn to complicate issues for him and steal the love of him life and destiny that finally brings them back together. A movie that got five Oscars and many more claims to fame...
I want to be up there!
A tree house….always have dreamed of living up there. Getting up in the morning beside the birdie’s whose chirping will but be my alarm. Having a bath in my balcony, under the open sky without a care of my neighbor peeping in. Decorating , my room with fresh lilies. Hmmmm…wishful thinking….getting down to collect groceries for my meal….! But all I get is a rude shock like just an earthquake crumpled my house and brought me crashing to earth. Dreams can hurt real bad…..but then tell me away possible to stop dreaming…..But tree houses are not only hot for recreation but also eco-friendly and sustainable and what better location than the forest,...
The Art of chaos
Even cluster has a beauty to it, if you have intended it to be that way and if this particular style reflected your personality though you need to understand where it adds beauty and where we can do without it. Whoa…enter ….WHOSE ROOM IS THIS?You should be ashamed….is that your pet lizard on the bed? What’s that sticking out from under the T.V is that your blue scarf?Your closet is going to collapse with burden…its stuffed…what kind of new lamp shade is that with a VIP tag…oppose! Man….whose room is this, sure needs some advise on cleanliness….what! What? Did you just say…..This room belongs to Me. Oh! No wonder looks so familiar, it just is the way I like it.Common reactions and easy way to escape the dreaded task of cleaning up….no not just the teenagers you see come under this category,...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Glass House
They say people who live in glass houses should not throw stones should not throw stones. Err…hello excuse moi; but sorry to burst your bubble o Person of worldly-wise phrases – what kind of a fool (unless inebriated) would contemplate the above?Tipsy or otherwise; glass houses if they induce anything within you; which I’m sure is not throwing stuff around; is a true sense of living in style. How many times have all of us lusted for that masterpiece of wonderment that sits perched vicariously atop the cliffs of Monaco or St. Tropez? It’s an addiction that induces a kind of high like none other. Glass houses engulf you within the aura of magnifique opulence and sheer simplicity that leaves you reeling for more. Now top that with a hot tub on the porch and a living room that opens up into the...
Inside Indus
Every time I look at the apathy that surrounds the architectural sights of this Glorious ‘City of the Seven Islands’ of mine, I cannot help but wonder whatever went wrong down line. Is it the incessant flow of migrants to the city or just the pressure being built up day in and day out playing the role of the financial capital to businesses all around the world? One can never know for sure…but a walk down the lanes and interiors of Mumbai would reveal how shortsighted we turned out to be with a lack of planning ordinance whatsoever!No pun intended here nor any intentional condescension directed to anyone; but it is simply unbelievable how the Development guys failed to notice miniscule rising demands which were evidently on the fast-track chart. This takes me back to a time when a few handful...
Wonders of wonders!
Ever heard of a domestic transformer ….NO? Well….here let me introduce you to something amazing that I came across, Mr.Gary Chang’s architectural wonder, a man who converted 344 square foot unit accommodating 24 different designs just by sliding walls and panels around. Into a mansion that anybody would dream of living in.Wonder how that was possible? I was in awe too. The wall units are suspended from steel tracks bolted into the ceiling and f seem to float an inch or so above the black granite floor. As the walls are shifted the apartment unfolds various living spaces; kitchen library, wash room, laundry room, dressing room, lounges with...
Playing with the green
My terrace is my garden.A concept though not new has never stopped appealing the urban sector audience who search for a green space to be alone. So a concept of a terrace garden is always welcome! The essence is outdoor living spaces that entice your senses, weather it be reading a newspaper, taking a short nap, talking, swinging, or just relaxing. A space that is totally separated from your otherwise clustered world. A garden that is to be a statement of your individuality and creativity, simple though elaborate this provides the ideal space for living amidst nature. So at the end of the day when you are as dead as a log, this will provide the...
Lighting up the right way
Apartments can definitely take on a whole new look by effective use of lighting options, ever considered that…? Not necessary the artificial sources used for lighting but also managing the natural sources well can add new dimensions to your living spaces.
I manipulate what I can not change…
Fixed lights, which you have no way of getting away with can be managed to suit your personality with the use of different lamp shades and globes or bulbs. Chandeliers or small shades, you opt according to the look you intend to give. Try different textures and colours than sticking to the plain old glass to give a whole new look to your room.
Light up your floor
Want to add some interest to your home, do it this way. Floor lights not only come in interesting shapes and patterns but can also be placed...
Monday, May 17, 2010
The House that built me
A song that keeps playing in my mind. ‘The house that built me’ has lyrics that anybody can so easily identify with. Miranda Leigh Lambert has given all the country music lovers a song to remember. The song reminds of all the houses I ever lived in, the houses that I have memories linked with. Come to think of it a house is a place only until it has never been occupied, after which it becomes a story that narrates the life of each occupant. The story that has it all laughter, tears, fights, make up’s, parties, funerals. It takes you through a roller-coaster of emotions .So while buying a home be ready for the ride!
“You leave home, you move on and you do the best you can.
I got lost in this whole world and forgot who I am.
I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
this brokenness inside...
It’s as simple as that!
Investing is the best way to secure your future, In this world there are two ways to earn an income…one money in exchange for labor of the other let the money do the earning for you….the wise invest for a rainy day! If we talk about savings…your savings account can never keep pace with the inflation at an average interest rate currently at 2%.
Should I risk it?
I shall not be a mere spectator of the life passing by, I shall live it and for living it, I take the risk. But I minimize the gamble with a lot of research and educating myself on investments, the more I know, the less my chances get of investing in the wrong place.
Diversifications, a strategy that investors have been employing since ages, invest in diverse sectors to play it safe. Have investments in various companies, from blue...
Saturday, May 15, 2010
You're Real Estate Double Agent
Choosing a real estate agent is perhaps one of the most critical parts of the real estate process as that agent will become your closest ally in the long term effort to buy or sell a home. Real estate transactions are major milestones in a person's life and that real estate agent is the key person to be involved in making sure your wants and needs are met throughout that process.
After that extensive process, you are then faced with a person that you have invested a great amount of time and effort in. Trusting that real estate agent to represent you fully at all times may seem to be at the foundation of a realtor's responsibilities, but there are other types of responsibilities those agents are motivated to serve that you need to be aware of.
Knowing who is on your side during a real estate...
Friday, May 14, 2010
Shouldn't there be a shorter word for "monosyllable"?
Ahaa….the complicated world…sooo twisted and turned that if one even wanted to even ask himself a simple question as Why am I here? Or even something as simple as Who am I? You never get a straight forward answer…Wondrous oh! Marvelous! Hmmm……….How would you describe the simplest of emotion to this ever complicated world…..sit to write a poem and you may think of an out of the box theme, so try to write another description of not the daffodils but maybe the sunflowers and thy may seek to wonder where in the whole poem was the sunflower……….so here is where we just need to unwind ourselves in the natural beauty of simplicity….. A toddler just taught me that. So I shall keep it simple and short and hope that you have got ...
OOPSS!
Doesn’t everybody have this one person in the family that we always tend to avoid…..an uncle whose jokes where outdated even the last time you heard them, an aunt whose tales about the family put you to sleep even at the dining table…..a cousin who just can not stop bragging…...I am sure everybody does and so do I , an aunt…..great grand aunt…..every time I was cornered by her I sent puppy looks to people all around so as to gain some sympathy but none would come to my rescue. AH! Guess what the best part was I did not even get what she was talking about…soo….poor me trying to figure out at all times what she is talking about….gave a dutiful nod at intervals.Hmmm….sooo here she cornered me at the end of the room where I found no route to escape, she smiles at me, and I prepare myself for the...
One in a million!
When I was getting engaged all the people I knew told me that I was so lucky to find a husband like this, he is one in a million…oh! You lucky female! And in the light that I still had no experience of the male species as my husband (nor the same of my gender)… I willingly agreed.Now five years of blissful marriage…..Get me the towel! Where is my phone? Why is there so much salt in the food? Where are the kids? Why aren’t you ready? What ….why…who….how…when…..do this…do that…..god! I wonder if instead of marrying the man I was supposed to….. I married the machine that keeps you on the run…so that you stay healthy!How many kids do you have….two I reply…one daughter and one son? they ask….no one daughter and one man I reply!So all those who told me that I was marrying a man who was just perfect,...
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Hah! caught you on this one did I not….I am a humanitarian….defined by what standards….fighting for the poor tribal and their rights or standing up for the ‘injustice’ being done to Kasab,by giving him a death sentence. Well! The ways of the world never cease to amuse me…..So how about starting with giving a thirsty man on the road some water, or a man who has collapsed on the footpath some recognition, why? Debate over the global topics when the local ‘HUMANS’ are in need for dire help. This fight for human rights has really….got me thinking….do not the poor traffic policemen suffer inhumane conditions, standing in a busy junction and inhaling the not so pure air, so why not fight for them to be provide with masks, why not provide the rag pickers with some protection from those toxic wastes,...
A TALK
“Hey! I am you inner voice.”Oh…hi! I said to meet you is niceWhy have you come to meet me though?“I have some things to you to show”“You live your life everyday, what have you in these years but gained.”Puzzled by this question, me, replied, experience, meekly!“What do you meant by that?”Without an answer I there sat…“Seek your soul and answer me….tell me what you think it should be”I thought and thought……not a word but came to me…“Now I shall go, then you will see…”My Inner voice left me there….I said a question without an answer is not fair….Few days then went by…I thought about this often, I shall not lieWhat have I gained in all these year’sWas it love? Was it fear?What was left when he went?What do you gain when something leaves?Oh! Yes it was but….Memorie...
A fleeting thought
Wandering in the hills so high I look down at the world below…Wondering what my heart wanted, what it wanted to know…Find some reason for my being…Find some truth in what I am seeingLive my life not in an illusionOr maybe live my life just as it is…Saw a rat run aroundWithout a thought, without a soundWas my existence just like thatWill I just live and like moment just go by,Oh! Why do I ponder so…?I should just let it go…These thoughts that I have for nowThe glamour of my life shall drow...
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
What a woman wants…
Well! Since time immemorial men seem to have asked this question……but the answer seems to never be found? Call it the mystery that tempted Adam towards Eve of call it the lack of intelligence of the male gender…So the world is run on the wimps and fancies of a woman….now if you say you do not agree ……Mr.Manmohan Singh is our Prime Minister yes!!! But the strings are in whose hands? Now if you do not agree with me on this one then you ought to be ignorant or a male chauvinist!!!Want to know the power of a woman then just notice how the life of a bachelor completely changes after he wears the ring…no I here do not refer to the wreath of flowers over your body but that piece of metal that clutches your finger.Well….the rapid transformation is unbelievable like a virus just caught you! To pain...
PUNWADI TO PUNE
Fifty years back known as ‘Pensioners Paradise’ industrialization converted the city of Pune to the ‘Detroit of the East’ but the city has always been known as the ‘Oxford of the East’ because of its educational and research institutions.Pune is a historic city surrounded by old forts and ancient temple towns. A good blend ofModernization and a pride that the city dwellers feel for their rich culture and heritage reflect Pune Indianized in the real sense. The city will take you through the ancient and medieval culture of central India and Maratha Dynasty into the world of technical growth and cultural unification where we identify ourselves a citizen of a global villa...
10 Reasons why the computer is the best
It reads only what you want it to.The problem of space can be solved through a hard disc.It switches of when you want it to and It stays on stand by without a complain.The mouse does not eat up stuff.You can click with it instantlyYou can create dollars with just a short cut….$$$$$$You can delete your question marks easily….?The monitor does not monitor you , you monitor what’s on the monitor!It gave you easy and full access to god- GoogleYou get all that the world has to offer at a single destinati...
Why flip the coin again?
Want to take a chance….do not because living on chances is a gone funda. Invest cleverly and wisely is the statement of the new era…Real estate investment is a clever choice considering the fact that, Almost 80 per cent of real estate developed in India is residential space, the rest comprises of offices, shopping malls, hotels and hospitals. According to the Tenth Five Year Plan, there is a shortage of 22.4 million dwelling units. Thus, over the next 10 to 15 years, 80 to 90 million housing dwelling units will have to be constructed.So the growth of this industry is going to be magnanimous…So investing in real estate now considered, I guide you to make a clever choice…TAINWhy invest in Tain? Exploring possibilities…well the tag line describes the standing of this corporate. Defined by its...
Why Invest in TAIN
Causes are many the question remainsWhat makes us different? You may tend to askA promise we have to deliver the bestMaking your home different from the restWhat in your mind is best for youKeeping in mind that’s what we doWhat you are look forThat’s what we giveA home in which you always wanted to li...
My Four Poster Bed
For all those who believe in the holy powers of healing, Pranayam or the Art of Living, way to go folks..!! The yonder is not that far on the horizon for you. Me (and I’d like to believe there are quite a number of us out there), on the other hand take the phrase- ‘The art of living’ far too literally.For me ‘tis not just a way to exist. It’s the space, the perimeter, the comfort that extends into the surroundings I breathe into. My quest for the same made me travel through the ages of the Neolithic, spanning through the Baroque, Gothic, Medieval and the Richardsonian. After a lot of thought investment and comparisons as to which style would complement my state of mind, etching this down into permanency within the four walls of my abode became quite a task. While some were too overwhelming,...
Hang UP!!!
If you happen to be 96 years old and reading this…atta boy, way to keep up with the times!I’d rather write about your 9 and a half decades than ‘contemporary-ness’ in full bloom because then what else could stand true for kuhn-tem-puh-rer-ee.Newton’s discovery of the calculus was one that was contemporary with that of Leibniz or a classic Georgian table with a contemporary wig stand. What it does stand for is the fact that it is in sync with the current times and…belongs. The same goes for the piece of art that adorns your wall. Time and again there have been incidences where you try and interpret why..why so? The cat in a circle overlapped by a hemorrhage of other geometrical shapes that lives in my bedroom; I’m sorry I do not know what it interprets into but I attribute it as the cat’s life...
A Secret……
Weelll… I do not know how many people in the world are same as I , cause my times for myself,to understand and introspect are in the shhhh…….Bathroom! Either it is the privacy that I get there of maybe I am just wiered.The best of ideas strike me but there…..No! I am not one of those people who carry a book to give me company! I just like to be there by myself. A childhood habit that never left me, I remember those days when my mom and dad used to yell at me cause I have been inside for a godforsaken 1 and a half hours!!! What are you doing in there? Is your Cleopatra bath over? The bus is outside….come fast you haven’t had breakfast……the never...
My Heart and all it wants
Wonder what our heart is…never senses logic! The brain I suppose must often wonder oh! Why am I so often linked with the most foolish of organs…the heart. The answer never was clear, the debate went on…the religious follower of the brain said…they who follow the heart are condemned to be foolish and the followers of the heart branded their rivals as insensitive.So here my quest began to find the solution to this raging war….who will win? Nah… I found a perfect solution, a truce. The answer was TAIN….now ask me why that is….Well a perfect mix of the heart and brain….where you invest cleverly in a dream. See…what I mean. The perfect solution to...
The Forgotten Game
When we were children, my siblings and I…had to end the day with a game of carom,It was not only the time for just a game but also the time when the family went over all the happenings of the day. Leg pulling and fighting was also an essential part of these fun filled times.As time waits for none, we grew up and went on in different directions and to have our own families. I got married and have three kids, settled in with everything for a comfortable living. For the recent family get together we went to my parents house the place that held fond memories of me growing up.Owing to the monsoon showers, our evenings were confide at home, so my brother came up with the suggestion that the carom board relegated to the store house should be brought back to its former glory. Those evenings made me...
One Day!
When I grow up I will have a homeThe walls of sunshine, the roof a rainbowMy bed will be of flowers, where I shall sleep for hoursI will cook a meal in a small little caveI shall wander in the open meadowsI shall collect fruits for a rainy dayThe birds will sing along with meOh! How wonderful life will be Squirrels and I, shall play a game of hide and seekTheir climbing skills they shall flaunt The day will be spent as I wantIn the night I shall gaze at stars far awayAnd wonder what to me they say,The moon will be my bedroom lightNo darkness for me, there shall be no frightMy home will be my little heavenI known, none will believe what I am sayingUntil they see a home at TA...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Dream all you can…
.Dreams are what one tends to always take for granted, I dream about having a beautiful house one day, a house that I will design, a house that will have a big kitchen, I will have a gaming room….. dreams die fast don’t they or may be we just grow up to realize that since they may, just may, not come true so give up on them!Well I had a dream….a dream house where everything would be just as I wanted it to be….then one day I started earning….and realized that it would take a lot more to build myself a palace. Well! That’s what it would be with me having to construct my own space.Then I came across TAIN, they gave me an opportunity to live my dream...
Leaving for home
Delhi was the city I was born and brought up in thus leaving it was something that I had not event pondered about…….And ‘phoof’ all my misconceptions blow off! We are leaving for Pune in a month’s time…..excuse me! Am I invisible? Can somebody care to ask me if I want to go? And that was the end of my life or I thought so……I came to Pune and realized that I did not mind the city too much; actually I took quite a liking to it. But one thing that I never find was home….until….My parents decided to invest in a house in Pune….That was when I left for home…a place that was to wipe away all the tears I had shed….I could design my part of the house….I...
I live again
Buried in those days are memories so close to my heartThose friends from whom nothing could keep me apartThose moments those were carefree, those evenings of playingAll those times when you knew not what you were sayingSpending those nights in sleep and days in daydreamingThe first time I was scolded and all my howling and cryingThe first time I walked, the race that I won,All those memories of joy and funThat trip to Goa with College friendsAll those breakup and amendsMy graduation picture, those awards that I wonThe first date with my wife, the day we were marriedThe day, in my arms, my daughter I did carryAll those moment I live and relive againIt brings a smile to me and heals all my painThis room is dedicate to me and my memoriesA room that is designed especially for meA room in where...
Friday, May 7, 2010
ONCE UPON A TIME
Far across in a land so far…Lived a princess called TainelaShe was known for her beauty and strengthAnd all the goodness along with that wentElegant and beautiful was sheClassier than any princess could beOne day she met a prince so fineHe was called TainlentineStrong and handsome was heSo brave and confident of himselfYet never proud, nor meek to helpThey both in an instant fell in loveAll said they were meant to be; that even a blind man could seeThey were blessed from above with a lovely sonThe named the boy Tain,Tain was a powerful mix of the King and QueenNothing so wonderful would you have ever se...
MY LONG LOST LOVE….
One of my favorite books have been Ayan Rand’s ‘Fountainhead’, that’s one of the reasons why my teenage aspiration was to become an architect, no not for the reasons you are guessing….that was because I had fallen in love with, Howard Roark. So in hope that if I pursue this career I may just land up meeting a man like him, I let my heart sway in the direction of his dreams Sounds like a good Mills and Boon plot even to my ears, but man proposes and god disposes. Architecture though remained the love that never was fulfilled. Walking into the site of TAIN construction, my long lost love found a way to blossom. Reading about the structural innovation...
Thursday, May 6, 2010
SUCH IS LIFE…!
Oliver asks for more…more…more …..more…….well! reading, Oliver Twist I never was able to figure how someone can stay perpetually hungry! Dreams aspirations……want…want…want…..guess that story ought to have taught me something, the same tone rings in our everyday life. Well so if somebody asks me, then I without a doubt would claim that satisfaction is the ultimate truth, the only path to attain nirvana.No I do not write for the column of ‘Speaking tree’ , I just talk about the dilemma that I face, a gap between………who am I and what I want to Be. A desire to be a wildlife photographer and all the skills I had to become one were drowned in the reality...
You Wish!
I sat by the stream and enjoyed the feeling of running water under my feet, the clear blue sky, the birds so involved in a conversation from which I was totally excluded due to language barriers, the fragrance of the flowers tickled my nose making me wonder, had I passed the judgment day and entered the garden of bliss, was I in heaven?Tirrrrr……my cell vibrated and brought me back to reality. These are the times when I regret buying my beloved blackberry. My thoughts take a new turn….. So easily have we given up all that nature has to offer, the twittering birds have been replaced by following the twitter religiously, the cool breeze replaced...
IF......
If …..No this is not what Kipling said, and not at all what he meantDream oh! Yes one must do but find a way for them to come trueArchitecture all so fine but I want a tree too, to reclineAll I want is a room somewhere, but through the windows want the sun to shineWind that blows in through one window, and whoosh! Through the other out it goesI feel so safe and provided for, protected from all my foesThe walls of my house talk to me and reflect all that I am and want to beI saw you grow in front of my eyes, that now you do, reach the skiesYing and yang all combined, you are the best, one can findA house has never been a home to meBut with you a future I can seeLiving with you in blessed matrimonyI thank those who gave you to meYou are all I fantasized, TAIN saw me long for you,Cause of them...
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Is that the 'right' price for your dream home?
If you are currently scouting the market to find the ideal ‘roof over your head’, you probably ask yourself this question several times a day.Home buyers are constantly nagged by doubts such as, ‘Is this house overpriced?’, ‘Seems like a good price but should I try and get a better deal?’, ‘How do I know this is the best deal for me?’Purchasing property is a daunting task and property valuation is an ever more daunting task.Moreover, if it’s a home purchase, its not a purely financial deal, complicating matters further. Right?Developed real estate markets have clear methods of determining what is called, ‘fair market value’. Also, the variation in prices of property in a particular area is not much making it easier to determine the price of property.However in fairly underdeveloped and disorganized...
The Home Buying Experience
We sealed the deal last month.Buying a home is an extremely stressful experience. Infact I will go so far as to say that buying a home can be more stressful than getting married!(which is widely accepted as the most stressful experience in one’s life). After all I had known my husband for 6 years before we tied the knot last year. But if you like a house, the sales guy will know through some weird 6th sense and he will pressure you into signing that cheque as a token of your commitment even while he paints a fairly vivid picture of a family walking through the door in the next 5 minutes ready to snatch your future home from under your noses I re-lived the stress, helplessness, confusion, uncertainty, anxiety, not to mention acidity I experienced during my wedding in those excruciating months...
Investing in realty- Is it for me?
Investing in realty- Is it for me?Real estate is undoubtedly the oldest and most trusted avenue of investment, apart from gold. Look around and you will know this is true. You probably have old relatives who have never heard of (those who have heard, do not trust) insurance, mutual funds or other such ‘modern’ investment instruments. They have probably invested their life long savings in property and gold, and maybe a bank FD.However in the last few decades we have been exposed to so many ways to grow our wealth multifold, that we ignored these old, trusted modes of investing and growing wealth in favour of more glamorous, high profile ways of getting rich fast and easy. And we could do no wrong! Powered by personal finance tips from business channels, pink papers and not to forget self-help...
Everyone is an Investor
The real estate industry worldwide differentiates between 'end users' and 'investors' as distinct categories of buyers. 'End users' are those who buy property in order to occupy it themselves and 'investors' are those who buy property to earn from it (by booking profit when the rates appreciate or by leasing the property for regular income)It is widely believed that what these distinct categories look for in a property purchase is equally distinct.One needs to appeal to the heart and the senses of 'end users' as it is believed that the property buying decision is an emotional one for this category. Little wonder then, we see so many properties being positioned as tranquil, ticket to happiness, path to a better & more desirable/up market lifestyle, key to the family’s togetherness and so...
WHY EUROPEANS SLEEP WITH THEIR DOGS AND OTHER ARCHITECTURAL THEORIES
Modern society has brought its urbanites economic independence from their parents; medical security against disease and surety of income in one’s old age. Working women, equal opportunities and fast track professions have made the traditional family redundant in many societies, and in a large segment amongst India’s young urban population.. The glue that used to hold society in place has melted! Maybe stickier glue has come in its place? Architecture is as much an engine of this change, as it is a result of this phenomenal transformation in our cities. Indian architects are quick to implement the new world order, eager to appear creative and different, by copying the banal and the mundane. The cell phone has replaced physical neighborhoods and the Internet is the street corner gossip! The...
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Who moved my Garden of Eden?
And the other day I walk into a club with a bunch of friends after a long day of work hoping for some fun and killer music. Turns out all we had was our share of a wet cat who was not at all amused with the turn of events. On a closer look, it was my friend- the hoighty-toighty Miss ‘I-never-step-out without-my-Manolos’ who ended up landing in a stream of water right in the middle of the dance floor. Amusing? Hell yes!! Although a ruined pair of $450 Manolo’s did can the scenes for the night, the nonplussed lot of us who didn’t seem to understand the reasons as to why a pair of shoes (that look like a bunch of geckos died for) should put a lid on it. We, (us the unaffected) simply headed to a pub downtown. But the one specific thing that caught my fancy was, ‘Why a running stream...
Shed Some Light
My early experiences as a child visiting another country have been those of facile amazement and suffused with wonder.One such vivid memory that will remain etched forever involves a trip to the palace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Fortunately this was a time when my Pa was spearheading a bevy of construction projects for him which automatically entitled me as a 9 year old to tag along and visit the horse stables, the gardens and..and ‘The’ Palace!! My initial reactions of awe gave way to amazement. Of course it needs no introduction as to how opulent the Arabs are in their ways of living. Ginormous dome shaped foyers, landings the size of Victorian balconies, Moroccan influences and their fascination for all things ‘Gold’. However what took the cake was the life-sized chandelier...
When Frank Gehry beat The Tudors by 10-0..!!
It was not a long time ago when the best descriptions about a place were the ones that were a reflection in lieu with one’s culture and the way of life. Agatha Christies houses; (albeit the victims or the perpetrator’s), always used to be the one’s located amidst lush greenery at the corner of Hyde Park or some even obscure place by the name of Holkham Hall or Wells-next-the-sea!! Enter the Millennium and call it a shift in mindset or (as I prefer to call it: The love for all things ‘Box’), the ornate cravings seem to have vanished, the dome-shaped ceilings have disappeared. John Vanbrugh and his Baroque style of architecture no longer stood trial. Royally sidelined by the common man, the newest penchant for contemporary designs was something that took the world by storm. A friend...
