@rgumental @dvisor

"Okini", said the clerk who issued us the tickets & subway card at Kansai airport. I had to google what it meant afterwards. It means 'Thank You' in Osakan dialect , but not so commonly used by the young generation apparently.. They prefer 'Arigatou'  ( Thank You ) and 'Domo Arigatou' ( Thanks a lot ) . Little did we know that we were set to hear these phrases an innumerable number of times  accompanied by bowing as a mark of respect..   That's Japanese society for you. Extremely polite, welcoming & helpful. Couple of days later, a gentleman who was rushing to his office, went extra-mile to help us locate a hotel that we were looking for. He even accompanied us right to the entrance of the hotel. Okini was perhaps an early indicator for us towards another thing as well. Japanese society is rapidly aging. Due to strong work ethic , career focus & extra-mile loyalty towards the companies that they work for, lesser number of marriages...

"Till she was about 10 years old, she grew up like just another girl. She was strong & was a  member of athletic team in her school. In 1954, she developed swellings in her neck , ears and upon being admitted to hospital, was diagnosed with Leukemia and was given maximum of one year to live..  It was in hospital that she learned about the legend of folding a thousand origami cranes to have a wish fulfilled.. She completed 1000, but her wish to live further was not fulfilled. She died in 1955, when she was 12"   --  Remarked our guide Nobu (a native of Hiroshima) in an emotional, yet composed tone,  as she detailed the poignant story of Sadako Sasaki, a survivor of Atom bomb who went on to die later due to the effects of radiation she suffered when she was barely two years old Sadako's Origami Cranes Hiroshima Atom bomb dome seen through the peace memorial & flame Immortalized by a monument dedicated to her next to the Hir...

Indian PM made a highly risky political & economic move by removing 500/- & 1000/- rupee notes from circulation. The move aimed at curbing black money & fake currency seems to be getting equal amount of support & criticism from different quarters at the time of writing. Currency is the lubricating factor on which economy runs. The Indian currency base as of Mar'16 is represented in the table below Currency Note     Value ( In Rs Billion)    Volume(In Billion)  Value%     Volume%     10                            320                               32                            1.95%       40.8%    20                       ...

Excerpts from a conversation with a person who works as a cleaning staff in Dubai. Actual conversation happened in Hindi.  Me: So how do you save money in India? Him: I transfer money to my uncle’s bank account. He takes it and gives it to my father. He keeps it. Me: So, a person keeps the all the money of earning members in your family? Him: Yeah, and he lends out money at 2% interest to our immediate & extended family members & friends when someone needs it Me: (My finance mind starts to work) Well, why don’t you open an NRE account? You get 4% interest tax free on savings account and 7.5% on fixed deposit (Thank God, I didn't advise Stocks & Mutual Funds) Him: Banking doesn’t work for us Sir. Our financial needs are different Me: Can you explain? Him: Sometimes for my daughter’s school fees, I need some money urgently. Maybe for some agricultural expenses, I may have some unanticipated need. If I go to banks, they ask for many paperw...

Let me start with a caveat. We could not even cover one-third of Cyprus. The country, even though it looks to be a tiny island in Mediterranean, has a lot to offer for more than a week. We were there just for 4 days including the travel dates. We landed at Larnaca on a Wednesday morning. Took our rental car and drove straight to our wonderful hotel @ Latchi  .. The cross country drive from South East of Island to the Western side took about 4+ hours ( 170 odd KM ).  Cyprus represents a unique fusion of Greek, Turkish & Continental European cultures. Its cuisine is distinctively Mediterranean. Not just fish & squid, but the European influenced beef & pork as well.  You drive on the left side of the road ( i.e, British system ) . Cypriot beach areas are of two-three distinct kinds . If you are a party-hopper , would suggest you to look for options near Aiya Napa   . Cities like Larnaca & Limassol offer good beaches, but often crowded as p...

Two of the things that I definitely wanted to visit in Budapest were statues. One was of a person whom I googled up couple of weeks before - Imre Nagy. The other one was of Ferenc Puskas, one of the greatest footballers ever. Imre Nagy Statue Overlooking Hungarian Parliament   Imre Nagy was out of a peculiar novelty. One of the best political satires of all time in Malayalam - Sandesham - has a reference to him amidst a political conversation . Something that highlights the ubiquitous political awareness of a keralite in the early 90's. Ferenc Puskas who led the invincible Magic Magyars of 1950's is part of football folklore. Someone who failed at perhaps the most important game of his career - World cup final 1954 .  Hungary of today seems to have totally forgotten him. There is a stadium dedicated to him in the city. But other than that, Puskas seems to be totally forgotten. We had quite a bit of difficulty in tracing out the exact location & identifying the co...

Roma ? Roma ? - Quipped a long faced gentleman who walked into our waiting area for EK095 at Dubai T3 -  to make sure that he's getting into the same flight.. He reminded me of Paolo Maldini, former Italian captain and one of the finest footballers I've ever seen. This was a much anticipated trip for me. The cradle of modern civilization, legal systems, urban planning - all could be traced to this city.  Like most other European cities, the city & civilization developed around a river (Tiber) and the seven hills surrounding it. Raphael's "School of Athens" Huge crowds throng the Vatican city - the center of Christianity , but more importantly, the place that houses the artworks of Raphael and Michaelangelo.  Incredible Frescos dominate the Vatican Palace. Every picture has a story behind it. Not just the Biblical stories, but images that capture various phases of Roman & Greek times. I remember this particular painting by Raphael where he combine...