5 ways to negotiate with a Hyderabadi autowala

1. Ask for sympathy (student, old age, lady, please, etc.)
2. Justify (small distance, no traffic, travelling to popular destination and hence sure another passenger, it is only day now, I travel daily at x costs)
3. Provoke/Insult them
4. Threaten (with policemen, act like a senior govt. bureaucrat, CBI officer, etc. - Anything to intimidate them to submission)
5. Default (after ride, pay what you think is right, not what they ask. Keep arguing with nothing to loose, they  understand the value of lost time in not transporting another passenger. Know that if things are going to get physical, there is that auto that can always be damaged with a stone throw.)

P.S: Do not use the methods in other places blindly. Each place has its own cultural norms, sensitivities and tolerances to things (like insults, default, etc.) Apply suitable method judiciously.

Things to check before buying land

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/real-estate/realty-trends/planning-to-invest-in-land-heres-a-checklist/articleshow/14706132.cms

Difference between Khata and Title deed
http://www.parasgroup.in/faq/what-difference-between-khata-and-title-deed

How to tie a tie - A two step process

Insert clip at the back of the tie into shirt.

Then clip it.

Voila! You are done. And do you look smarter or what? :D

Mail merge in gmail

How to get great discounts on SpiceJet

Spicejet is currently running an offer "Scan this code now and get discount of the day"

I just used this and got a Kool Rs.600 discount on each ticket booked.

And to make things sweeter, booked separate one way tickets to get twice the benefit = Rs.1,200/-

The code is what is called a QR code. The method mentioned in their website is complicated and doesn't work. Use the following method to get the benefit of the discount.

1. Printscreen the whole page with the small qr code.

2. paste in Microsoft Paint and cut only the code and save this cropped code.

3. Upload this code in this website http://www.onlinebarcodereader.com and get the code (which is something like SGDIS600)

4. Apply this alphanumeric phrase in the promotion code while paying for the ticket (just below the travel insurance section of the payment page) and voila! you get a nice discount. The discount could vary on a day to day basis, but it is actualy very much worth the effort.

Maybe soon, we can expect other websites also to give discounts based on this method.

In these cases, it is always better to book each passenger's ticket separately and each way separately too to maximise the discount on each person and each way.

Improving your Personal IT productivity

1. Customise and refine your gmail account:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/8094947.cms

2. Install wordweb software for offline instant access for dictionary meanings and alternative words while writing documents

3. Install Adobe Flash plugin, Quicktime and Microsoft Silverlight plugins for non-prohibitive access to all webpages.

4. Preset webpages to be loaded when you open a new browser using the settings in the browser.

5. Block pop-ups from the browser settings with exceptions to certain sites.

6. Have a handy searchbox (google/bing/yahoo) in the browser.

How to Steal and get Rich

A good article on how many of the inventions we owe to someone is actually someone else's.
http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/01/how-to-steal-and-get-rich/

Choosing a demat and trading account

There is a lot of confusion between a trading account and a demat account to a person new to the field of investing. The charges corresponding to them is even more confusing and many hidden(by marketers).

Let me first give a brief difference between the two and then explain the corresponding charges they have. Next, give a list of key criteria to consider which demat and/or trading account one should go for.

A demat account is like a savings bank account. It keeps your shares or rather the count of the shares of each scrip (A scrip is a company name whos shares you own!) you own. Just like your bank account keeps your money or rather a count of the amount of money you own.
A trading account is required for you to buy or sell shares.

The explanation of the charges is given here:

The key criteria for selecting these accounts are:

1. Your purpose/usage. In short, how frequently are you going to buy/sell and is it intraday or delivery based. Choose the Broker whose charges are lowest according to your transaction style.

2. Look at a complete solution and not just one individual product like a demat account. After all, the money in the savings account will be linked to your trading account for buying/selling shares and the trading account will be linked to your demat account for storing the shares. Suppose you have a Savings account with Financial group 1, and the trading account with financial group 2 and group2 trading account does not have a partnering arrangement with group 1, you will be forced to open a new savings account with Group 2 itself. Similar with the relationship between the trading account and the demat account. Usually, most non-bank brokerages have tie-ups with the popular banks for savings bank accounts and demat accounts, but brokerages in a banking group company may have only the same bank as its partner.

3. Internet based trading: Some of the brokerages try to make their websites very fancy and use hi-fi new web technologies(typical example is Flash on websites) or need some installation of their trading application on the user's side. But they don’t understand is that your company's internet browser may not be technologically enabled (say, no flash is installed) and you are not allowed to install softwares in the office. Then the whole point of getting a trading account and associated demat accounts/bank account linkages,etc are pretty much useless. Not totally useless as most/all brokerages have a trading desk that you can call and order them to buy/sell. Sometimes,  your call can be on hold when opportunities emerge in the markets for minutes only (Remember gains to be made on IPO listing when the price starts dropping after hitting a high).

4. Think long term. In case you have got yourself a demat account and you have existing shares in it and you want to move to another demat account, transfer of shares is not cheap. One of the demat accounts I checked was charging Rs.50  per company scrip that is to be transferred. If I have 20 companies, it is going to cost me 50*20=Rs.1000. Others may charge differently, based on number of shares or amount worth or anything. Please find out what this amount is, in case you are ever tired of useless service and you want to change the demat account. These transfer rates are never mentioned anywhere. Buyers beware!

5. Opening one of these: Bank account, Demat Account, trading account is not easy anymore. One needs address proof, identity proof, registered mobile number for instant authorisation, etc. Gone are the days when you can walk to a new city and get one of these as if you were getting a cup of coffee in a shop. Think about the long term implications before closing any of these. Can you ever open another one without much effort?

Happy account creations! :)

Perfume basics 101

A really good read on how to use perfumes:

http://bigdiscountblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/dress-to-impress-art-of-wearing-perfume.html