Don'ts:
1. Do not read from back wards.
2. Do not read from middle of the book. The author's intended train of thought will be definitely missed by reading this way.
3. Do not read with a closed perspective. Of course, reading more and more books will change this attitude.
4. Do not read, if you feel like stopping.
5. Don't discuss your reading with some one who is not interested. This will make you a comedian in front of others.
Do's:
1. I read from end to end, including acknowledgements, index, bibliography etc.,
2. I will give a short pause, when the author really stirs my brain either by positive or negative way.
3. Please read the foreword also. Many times forewords will give you more thought provoking ideas rather than the book.
4. You may start writing notes from the books you read. But I know it would be difficult. Start taking mental notes of what you are reading. With practice you can track down every concept to a particular book you read.
5. Critically examine author's point of view - This would help in identifying bad books.
6. Unless you read a lot, it is very difficult to find a bad one.
7. Keep a record of books that you read. Make your profile in www.shelfari.com. Visit profile "kums20" in shelfari.com
8. When you are reading biographies of extra-ordinary people, feel proud to understand the personality. Not everyone gets this chance.
9. I generally don't read any review of the book.
10. I generally prefer to read one book at one time. Curb the curious inclination to read, if you come across another mind-blowing book.
11. Try to reward you when you actually finish the book, especially for non-fiction books.
12. Get books from any source: Library, borrowed (but please return in good condition), platform, second hand, photocopy, scrap vendor, lying on the road etc.,
Monday, March 16, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Missed - Second golden opportunity
As I understand, my first golden opportunity was not booking a flat when the rates were around 1300- 1500, in Pune, my second disappointment was realized only yesterday.
Background & Assumptions:
As I described in the earlier post, buying a house in Madurai is the "right" thing for me. And the search continued. My father and my father-in-law were doing that task through some brokers. During that process, we came across certain houses, which were not FIT to live according to my own beliefs and assumptions, though lot of families are living in such houses. A disparity with reality. So we naturally discarded those houses. Off late, I visited those rejected houses when I last went to Madurai and I appreciated myself for not doing a mistake by buying that house.
But as you understand, I am not smart to assess the reality. There are 7 rented families in one particular house. Suddenly yesterday I thought that it would be a good investment to buy that house, since a second source of income would be guaranteed. I eagerly asked my father about the status of that house. As my own luck troubles me, that house was sold for 13 lakhs. That was the amount they told to us also. Another big mistake made by me. When I was keen to think it as the investment option, no one supported me for the very fact, that the locality is not good, buildings are old and all other negative points. Despite all these comments, I should have strongly committed to buy that house.
Hmmm. Gone is gone. Let me start searching with a new perspective. I am NOT looking for a house for me to live there, I am NOT looking for a 2000 sq. feet individual house with fences and a nice parking shed for a four wheeler. Also I am NOT going to buy something, which is of extreme pride for me to show to someone.
I am looking for a simple, old house in a densely populated area with some 4-5 pious families staying in that house, where a source of income is guaranteed though it is minimum.
Background & Assumptions:
As I described in the earlier post, buying a house in Madurai is the "right" thing for me. And the search continued. My father and my father-in-law were doing that task through some brokers. During that process, we came across certain houses, which were not FIT to live according to my own beliefs and assumptions, though lot of families are living in such houses. A disparity with reality. So we naturally discarded those houses. Off late, I visited those rejected houses when I last went to Madurai and I appreciated myself for not doing a mistake by buying that house.
But as you understand, I am not smart to assess the reality. There are 7 rented families in one particular house. Suddenly yesterday I thought that it would be a good investment to buy that house, since a second source of income would be guaranteed. I eagerly asked my father about the status of that house. As my own luck troubles me, that house was sold for 13 lakhs. That was the amount they told to us also. Another big mistake made by me. When I was keen to think it as the investment option, no one supported me for the very fact, that the locality is not good, buildings are old and all other negative points. Despite all these comments, I should have strongly committed to buy that house.
Hmmm. Gone is gone. Let me start searching with a new perspective. I am NOT looking for a house for me to live there, I am NOT looking for a 2000 sq. feet individual house with fences and a nice parking shed for a four wheeler. Also I am NOT going to buy something, which is of extreme pride for me to show to someone.
I am looking for a simple, old house in a densely populated area with some 4-5 pious families staying in that house, where a source of income is guaranteed though it is minimum.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Why I could not book a flat on time?
I did not book a flat when the rest of the world was doing so!
Impact & suffering:
1) Rs 1350 per square feet have now become Rs.3000 square feet. For an 800 sq feet home I made a virtual loss on Rs.1.3 million in one shot!
2) Convenience loss, comfort loss - by not booking at the correct locality
3) Criticism from people. "You are waste", "No house till now?" "What are you doing for these 10 donkey years?" "Where are all your savings for these years?"
I don't know do I really want to answer these questions!
Why I missed that opportunity?
1. I did not know that the opportunity was golden
2. I had one notion of buying house only with land - No hopes in apartment system as such.
3. Just bothered about the initial money deposit and the subsequent expenses, since I did not have that much money and I did not know some one, who can lend and leverage my position
4. Not wanted to go for a fresh loan, since only by that time the loan settlements were over.
5. I thought that the builders are not trust worthy. I was thinking that naturally some "gadbad" would happen
6. Assumed that the land prices would not shoot that much and I hoped that I can make one house after some years.
7. Living a very comfortable life in colony- ignoring that change is the only catalyst that can improve or deteriorate the life. But as Alvin Toffler said, I could not sense the rate of change that was happening around me. One can cope with changes, but not with the frenetic pace of the change, at least it was true for me.
8. By watching my peers, booking flats and other things, I personally felt that there is something "fishy" going on. Not trusting the reality!
9. Buying a house in Madurai is considered as the right one.
10. I thought that instead of buying something in Pune, I thought buying with land in Madurai would be a good investment. But situations changed, land rates in Madurai have become unrealistic when I had an idea of buying a house. I did not have any futuristic thinking.
11. My common sense was so blunt that I could not understand what others were doing around me and for what reasons they are doing it.
12. I was not brought up in an environment, where always there was excess money, so that it can be used at times of contingency.
I am NOT doing any justification for my act of not booking a flat on the right time ( again I dont know what "right" means). I am just telling my inefficiencies and my incompatibility with the "accepted smartness" or "accepted intelligence" of the common people. I am just giving the reasons on which, I based my decision. I feel that I even don't deserve to initiate any justification for my indecisiveness.
Action plan: Work hard, think hard, keep in touch with your environment, understand what people are doing around you (though it is difficult to do so), keep your eyes and ears open and watch like a silent spectator
Impact & suffering:
1) Rs 1350 per square feet have now become Rs.3000 square feet. For an 800 sq feet home I made a virtual loss on Rs.1.3 million in one shot!
2) Convenience loss, comfort loss - by not booking at the correct locality
3) Criticism from people. "You are waste", "No house till now?" "What are you doing for these 10 donkey years?" "Where are all your savings for these years?"
I don't know do I really want to answer these questions!
Why I missed that opportunity?
1. I did not know that the opportunity was golden
2. I had one notion of buying house only with land - No hopes in apartment system as such.
3. Just bothered about the initial money deposit and the subsequent expenses, since I did not have that much money and I did not know some one, who can lend and leverage my position
4. Not wanted to go for a fresh loan, since only by that time the loan settlements were over.
5. I thought that the builders are not trust worthy. I was thinking that naturally some "gadbad" would happen
6. Assumed that the land prices would not shoot that much and I hoped that I can make one house after some years.
7. Living a very comfortable life in colony- ignoring that change is the only catalyst that can improve or deteriorate the life. But as Alvin Toffler said, I could not sense the rate of change that was happening around me. One can cope with changes, but not with the frenetic pace of the change, at least it was true for me.
8. By watching my peers, booking flats and other things, I personally felt that there is something "fishy" going on. Not trusting the reality!
9. Buying a house in Madurai is considered as the right one.
10. I thought that instead of buying something in Pune, I thought buying with land in Madurai would be a good investment. But situations changed, land rates in Madurai have become unrealistic when I had an idea of buying a house. I did not have any futuristic thinking.
11. My common sense was so blunt that I could not understand what others were doing around me and for what reasons they are doing it.
12. I was not brought up in an environment, where always there was excess money, so that it can be used at times of contingency.
I am NOT doing any justification for my act of not booking a flat on the right time ( again I dont know what "right" means). I am just telling my inefficiencies and my incompatibility with the "accepted smartness" or "accepted intelligence" of the common people. I am just giving the reasons on which, I based my decision. I feel that I even don't deserve to initiate any justification for my indecisiveness.
Action plan: Work hard, think hard, keep in touch with your environment, understand what people are doing around you (though it is difficult to do so), keep your eyes and ears open and watch like a silent spectator
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
