Obama at "The Tonight Show"

MTR Train Route Map, Hong Kong

(Source: www.mtr.com.hk)

Visitor's Gallery to Wedding Pictures

Album 1 (Facebook Link) -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=81271&id=521206253&l=54579

Album 2 (Facebook Link) -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=81272&id=521206253&l=083d8

Visitor's Gallery

Facebook Album Links to Samui & Bangkok Vacation, Feb 2009

Visitor's Gallery to Samui and Bangkok Vacation 1 -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=80220&id=521206253&l=03d15

Visitor's Gallery to Samui and Bangkok Vacation 2 -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=80224&id=521206253&l=63b46

Visitor's Gallery to Samui and Bangkok Vacation 3 -

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=80228&id=521206253&l=b36ee

All Employee Get Together at Renaissance, Powai !

(Source: Ahana's cam)

Watch out for Vineet !!!

HC 09 - with Swati !

I have no clue when this pic was taken...
...but thanks to the Nimki for the snap !!

(Source: Nimki Gupta)

The beginning of a new END ??

Nomura May Sell Units to Raise Cash After Fourth Straight Loss

Nomura Holdings Inc. said it may sell businesses to raise capital and will cut executive pay after posting a fourth straight quarterly deficit on trading losses and costs to acquire parts of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

Japan’s largest brokerage will divide itself into “core” and “non-core” operations and may sell some units, Chief Financial Officer Masafumi Nakada said at a press briefing in Tokyo. Nomura today reported a record 342.9 billion yen ($3.8 billion) deficit in the fiscal third quarter.

The company posted a trading loss of 134.5 billion yen, compared with a 65.1 billion yen profit a year earlier, as the MSCI World Index dropped 22 percent. Chief Executive Officer Kenichi Watanabe has flagged costs of $2 billion to take over Lehman’s Asian and European units and has said he isn’t sure when the purchase will start generating earnings.

“Major factors behind the group’s trading losses were the failures of hedging and arbitrage strategies,” Standard & Poor’s said in a statement cutting its rating on Nomura one grade to BBB+. “The rising costs associated with the acquisition of the business units of Lehman Brothers also pose additional risks.”

Nomura will eliminate executives’ annual bonuses and cut their monthly pay as much as 30 percent as it aims to reduce costs by 10 percent in the fiscal year starting April 1, Nakada said. He said details for a capital-raising plan have not yet been decided.

The company’s four straight quarterly losses compare with five at New York-based Citigroup Inc. and six for Merrill Lynch & Co., the Wall Street firm acquired by Bank of America Corp. in a deal that’s sparked anger from investors.

Revenue Evaporates

Revenue plunged 99 percent to 2.7 billion yen in the three months ended Dec. 31 from a year earlier. Brokerage commissions declined 29 percent to 73.4 billion yen as investors shunned the stock market, causing the average daily value of shares traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to drop 33 percent from a year earlier.

“We posted a big net loss because of unprecedented turmoil in the third quarter,” CEO Watanabe said in a statement. “But our financial base is still strong and we can see synergies in cross-border mergers and acquisitions from merging with Lehman.”

Watanabe, who joined Nomura in 1975 and became CEO in April 2008, didn’t attend the press briefing.

Nomura fell 59 percent in Tokyo trading during the past 12 months and climbed 4.9 percent today to close at 639 yen before the latest financial results were reported.

Labor Costs Surge

“Nomura’s heavy losses leave no doubt that the global financial crisis has caught up with Japan,” said Neil Katkov, head of Asia research at Celent LLC in Tokyo. “Similar bad news can be expected from other Japanese securities firms, large and small.”

The firm, which agreed to take over about 8,000 employees from Lehman, said labor costs in the third quarter surged 73 percent. The company said last month it would fire as many as 1,000 employees in London, including former Lehman employees.

It also is eliminating more than 100 positions in Asia and cutting at least 100 jobs in Tokyo, mainly among former Lehman employees, two people familiar with the situation said Dec. 9.

Nomura will also cut its full-year dividend to 25.5 yen per share, from 34 yen a year earlier.

The company has previously announced it will raise about $6 billion of capital after about $4.4 billion of losses and writedowns tied to the global credit crisis.

Nomura booked a 32.3 billion yen loss linked to Bernard Madoff’s investment funds and lost 43.1 billion yen on Icelandic bank bonds. It booked a loss from its stake in New York-based Fortress Investment Group LLC of 62.3 billion yen.

(Source: Bloomberg)

Oh Kunal...Oh Kunal !

Many a times, you walk down the aisle,
And come across a guy, who loves to go another mile;
Sitting there, thinking...what next to do,
"Keep lying down or wear my shoe?!"

He keeps a never-ending love for things we dont understand,
For Heroes, Gadgets, Dedication...and not a single Contraband;
Every evening, he knows what he is going to eat,
"Is it going to be meat or is it going to be meat?"

With a 'pulsating' prowl, he ventures to the nearest shop,
Wondering...Chicken Makhani, Chicken Tikka Masala or Chicken Chop;
Then he decides....to say that divine word,
"Oh, let me just have some roti and some curd!

It is seldom that you see him talk like this,
He asks,"Is it this or is it bliss?"
Then, there is the next moment when you know he is right,
"I GIVE IN...I GIVE UP THE FIGHT!"

It's only 10 bucks more,
It's protein after all,
There is only health,
Of course, there is no fall!

Looking calmly at his conscience going into the sand,
He puts down the menu...and raises his hand,
The words do not understand why theyn sound so funny,
"Do Butter Roti & Ek Chickan Makhani!"

Oh Kunal, Oh Kunal,
Our great pal,
Resist the tempation..
Just for yourself...Sirf ek saal !

Just the name...Now, going to be mine !!

The Opel Antara is a mid-size crossover SUV produced in South Korea by GM Daewoo, but sold under the Opel brand. Launched in 2007, the Antara is based on the GM Theta platform which shares its underpinnings and powertrains with the Daewoo Winstorm. However, it has a different exterior and interior design, along with different exterior dimensions. In the United Kingdom, the car is sold as the Vauxhall Antara. In Australia and New Zealand the car is known as the Holden Captiva MaXX, and in North America as the Saturn Vue. In the Middle East, the vehicle is sold as the GMC Terrain, and as the Chevrolet Captiva in Mexico, India and Brazil.

Also called
Chevrolet Captiva
Daewoo Winstorm MaXX
GMC Terrain
Holden Captiva MaXX
Saturn Vue
Vauxhall Antara

The Antara was first previewed by the three-door Opel Antara GTC ("Gran Turismo Crossover") concept car, presented at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Antara GTC is based on the five-seater Chevrolet T2X concept. A similar two-door concept was later displayed at the New York International Auto Show as the Saturn PreVue. The production Antara, is however a longer four-door seven-seater vehicle very similar to the Chevrolet S3X and its derivative Winstorm.

(Source: Wiki)

Security !!

(Source: Email Forward)

Amit Harchandani...Shaheed !!

Source: Ahana's Picasa Gallery

Another Way to Die !!

Another ringer with the slick trigger finger
For Her Majesty
Another one with the golden tongue
Poisoning your fantasy
Another bill from a killer
Turned a thriller to a tragedy

CHORUS
A door left open
A woman walking by
A drop in the water
A look in the eye
A phone on the table
A man on your side
Oh, someone that you think that you can trust
Is just
Another way to die


Another tricky little gun
Giving solace to the one
That will never see the sunshine
Another inch of your life sacrificed for your brother,
In the nick of time
Another dirty money “heaven sent honey”,
Turning on a dime

CHORUS
Well, a door left open
A woman walking by
A drop in the water
A look in the eye
A phone on the table
A man on your side
Someone that you think that you can trust
Is just
Another way to die

(it's just another)
Hey! Another way to die!
(Another way to die…)
Shoot ‘em, bang bang!
Oh oh oh oh oh oh!
Oh oh oh oh oh oh!
Oh oh oh oh oh oh!
Oh oh oh oh oh oh…

Another girl with her finger
On the world singing to
you what you wanna hear?
Another gun thrown down and surrendered
Took away your fear
Hey!
Another man that stands right behind you
Looking in the mirror

CHORUS
Oh, a door left open
A woman walking by
A drop in the water
A look in the eye
A phone on the table
A man on your side
Someone that you think that you can trust
Is just
Another way to die

It’s another way!
Shoot ’em up, bang bang!
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
(Another way, another way…)
Yeah!
(Another way, another way…)
Bang bang bang bang!

(Source: Quantum of Solace OST)

Yes, we were there...

Congratulations, Amit !

(Source: Patricia's Cam)

Birtday Gift to Shubhi !!

Teddy for Shubhi !!

All the best, junies !

As you all would be entering a completely new phase in your lives &
careers in the next few hours, let me take this opportunity to wish
you all the very best and hearty congratulations in advance, for doing
so great !

Yes, it would have been a tough time...a rather painful and torturous
one for some of you...figuring out which stream to take, which company
to focus on and most importantly, what to do in these market
conditions ! I am sure the decision would have been tough & yes, a
rather introspective one as well !

For now, the time has come when the results would unfold & you would
be a different person altogether - but yes, do remember...

The journey has just begun !

Listening to the stories about some of us (and remembering the times
when we celebrated this day together last year), you would have known
- life (or i should say, the economy) takes many turns...less up,
mostly down ! What we have seen has taught us, and is still teaching
us, everyday...what matters at the end of the day is...who you are &
what you believe in !

So, go ahead...take this "small" decision today (of joining yet
another organization...or shall i say, institution) & live the
experience !

Believe me, nothing is as good as it seems on Day 1...at least, the
economy doesn't allow you to think so ! But yes, experience is worth a
lifetime !

Live this experience !

Enjoy it !

Is baar nahin

Is baar jab woh choti si bachchi mere paas apni kharonch le kar aayegi
Main usey phoo phoo kar nahin behlaoonga
Panapney doonga uski tees ko
Is baar nahin

Is baar jab main chehron par dard likha dekhoonga
Nahin gaoonga geet peeda bhula dene wale
Dard ko risney doonga,utarney doonga andar gehrey
Is baar nahin

Is baar main na marham lagaoonga
Na hi uthaoonga rui ke phahey
Aur na hi kahoonga ki tum aankein band karlo,gardan udhar kar lo main dawa lagata hoon
Dekhney doonga sabko hum sabko khuley nangey ghaav
Is baar nahin

Is baar jab uljhaney dekhoonga,chatpatahat dekhoonga
Nahin daudoonga uljhee door lapetney
Uljhaney doonga jab tak ulajh sake
Is baar nahin

Is baar karm ka hawala de kar nahin uthaoonga auzaar
Nahin karoonga phir se ek nayee shuruaat
Nahin banoonga misaal ek karmyogi ki
Nahin aaney doonga zindagi ko aasani se patri par
Utarney doonga usey keechad main,tedhey medhey raston pe
Nahin sookhney doonga deewaron par laga khoon
Halka nahin padney doonga uska rang
Is baar nahin banney doonga usey itna laachaar
Ki paan ki peek aur khoon ka fark hi khatm ho jaye
Is baar nahin

Is baar ghawon ko dekhna hai
Gaur se
Thoda lambe wakt tak
Kuch faisley
Aur uskey baad hausley
Kahin toh shuruat karni hi hogi
Is baar yahi tay kiya hai

... Prasoon Joshi

It's all over...everywhere !

(Source: Not Mine)

I am scared...

Source: Not mine!

Birthday Bash at Mayfair Sonata

Party by Ahana, Puneet, Rahul & Vineet !
Nov 7, 2008

Mayfair Sonata Residents...Evil !

Pankaj (Superman), Moi, Rahul (Daddy) & Kunal Gulati, CFA!