New Beginnings

 Back in late 2020 I was in India and casually browsing youtube when  post caught my attention. It talked about earning additional dividends on your equity investments using something called covered calls. I got interested and started digging around. And thus started a new chapter in my life. Options Trading! 

I read up as much as I could watched countless youtube videos and finally got my broker to enable Options Trading for my account. I first trade I did was in 2021 Jan or Feb. And since then, I've covered some distance. 

I am by nature, risk averse. Then what am I doing trading Options?? Options Trading is entirely about risk management. The best can make money on options buying, consistently. The novice lose money on options buying and the mediocre collect premiums powered by Theta Decay If they can manage their risks. Their returns(ROI) are a fraction of what options buyers make. So, where a good options buyer may make 100% returns on his capital every month, a mediocre(good) options seller can make 100% returns in a year. The truly mediocre can aim for 40-50% returns a year. Nothing great to write home about but enough to make it worth your while. Enough to foot your bills and even run your household. In other words a viable retirement passtime.

So, I started writing options. Before I knew it, was was playing with 1-1.5Cr capital and with half assed knowledge and little experience making 5 lacs a month. All while working full time. I was blown away. WoW! I could retire today! I thought. Then the tide turned. And come October, the maths was working backwards. I started losing money. 2 months of reversals and I stopped. I told my wife, I don't know how I'm able to make such money and if I knew I could be a champ. Little did I know that all that was happening to me was beginners luck. And by Oct-21 I was running running out of it. The law of averages was catching up and the heap of money was vanishing into thin air faster than I could imagine. And so after losing a third of what I had made I stopped. Got off the high horse and decided to go back and learn. 

Like I said, I'm risk averse. And because of that I stopped when the losses started mounted. I did a good thing. I also got lucky. I got paid to learn my lesson. 

  

10 Year Journey Ends Here

 Back in 2013 as I turned 40, I was struggling with my career and my personal life. To keep myself going through it all, I promised to myself that I'll keep working for 10 more years and then retire. I set myself a few financial and personal goals and started the clock.

I decided I'll blog this journey and I did so for around 3 years. Then as my previous UAE stint ended, I decided to continue working and stop measuring. Honestly, I worried I'll not be able to meet those goals within stipulated time and there was no way I could retire unless I secured my future. 

Then in 2018 when I got another opty to work in UAE I decided to return but with a lot of trepidation. It offered me to get closer to my goals and maybe meet them within the timelines I had set. 

The plan was to work for 3 years and then reassess. I was hoping the run would be easier this time and I could survive 3 years. The stay has been eventful and rocky but yes, I survived so far. Its 5 years now. I've met the targets I set up and then some. Reassuring. I had to pay a big price though. I have stayed away from my family all this while. 

The Covid disruption hurt everyone, but it offered my a unique opty to work from home in India. I used this as much as I could and that helped me get through 5 years. Its now time. I hope I can have an orderly exit. My daughter starts her college this year. I hope I can see that transition and then exit AbuDhabi by the end of the year. 

I do have a golden visa so I can return if I like. Perhaps not for work but to stay here for some time with my wife. She loves Abudhabi. I'm not so sanguine. 

Anyhow, this is a milestone that must be recorded and that I just did.  

19 Nov

Today is 19-Nov. Fortunately only I remember. Everyone else has got over it. I’m still hurting. Am I?

Hi Abu Dhabi!

I came, I Saw, I Lost, I Left, Got Vindicated, I came back. Two years ago I left this city, bitter and shattered. I was collateral damage in a power struggle at workplace. Right after I left, the personnel responsible for my ouster was let go too. Didn't bring me any comfort for I was dead and out...

I returned to Mumbai, joined a bank and got on with life. Last year October we were visiting Dharamsala and were returning from a visit to Norbulingka when I got a call from Abu Dhabi. They were asking me if I'd consider a position with them. Took me completely by surprise.

My wife was livid. How dare they! I bought some time. We debated. We agonised over it. Finally decided to see if I can return on my terms. After protracted negotiations, they agreed. And so, here I am, back in Abu Dhabi.

Lets see how it goes... 

Elevating Disappointing and Crushing

1-Oct-17, I ran the half marathon on the treadmill in 1:52. Elevating. Best ever when compared to my past performances on the treadmill.
1-Oct-17 broke the running deck of the treadmill. Disappointing. C'mon. I'm 82 Kgs. Running @12 at times should not break the deck. Now my treadmill is ruined.
8-Oct-17. Ran the first outdoor run of the season. Could not complete even 10 kms in Mumbai Oct heat. Took 1:05 min just to run 10Kms. Welcome to the real world. Crushing...

Marginal Tax Rates

When it comes to Congress misrule, one of the things that comes up often is that it kept the marginal tax rates insanely high.
Just to set the context the marginal tax rates in the vanguard of Capitalism the US over the years is captured here

https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/09/28/opinion/092817krugman2/092817krugman2-tmagArticle.png

Say What!

Keep Dreaming Boy!

8 years on... fueled by Deep Purple!
I really wasn't planning on it. When I woke up, I thought I'd do a 16K to cover 20+K for the week. I had run just once this week and was keen to round it off with a 16K run. But then I got delayed getting on to the treadmill and decided to cut it off to 12K.

All these years, doing 12K in an hour was just a wish, like wouldn't it be something to cherish, if only I could. Over these years I've done 11.2K in an hour in the best of times. The most I had run at 12K speed was 5K and was proud of it.

Back in 2014 when I went to Abu Dhabi was the first time I could push it to 7K and then to 8K @12K an hour 5min per km.

But over the last six months, its been happenning. I first closed in with a 8K run and then with a 10K and recently I clocked 11.85K in an hour.

Today is special. Its 12K with 1:20 min to spare. I'm proud. I'm satisfied. I'm home...
There is 1 more hill to climb... We'll see about it...

AWS Ins and Outs

I'm not an AWS expert and surely it hurt my billing for more than a year. So, sometime in 2015, my AWS platform became outdated and I was forced to upgrade. It was a pain and I might have taken a few wrong turns. As a result after reconfiguring, my billing went up significantly (25%). I was simple unable to figure out how.

I finally got around to fixing it last month and saved $30 a month. Now, that's what I call a King's ransom ;) 

12 Kms In a little over an hour

Thus far my best 1 hr performance.
In march I had my annual check up only to discover my vitamin D was barely 8. I had aches and pains in my joints. My fingers pained when I woke up and my legs pained after each run.
I never thought much of it. I had a feeling that my Vit D was low but wow! 8 is bad.
And so I took a couple of Vit D strips. I also made it a point to swim at 12 noon for 30 min over weekends spending good time under the sun.
Within a month or so, the pain is gone and I'm hitting my strides. I'm also taking Calcium tablets and Vit B12 capsules.
The results are pleasant. I never thought I could do this distance in this time. It's my dream to do 12 kms in 1 hr. As the treadmill clock measures time in minutes post 60 min mark, what it shows is slightly misleading. But overall, I know I perhaps did this distance in 1:00:40 or so.

10 KM 50 min

5-Jan-2017
Just for records

Feed the Monster

Back in 2005 I bought my first car. Ford Ikon. At the time, it was one of the aspirational cars. It never however suited me. A month into the car, I had an accident. And after that I continued to bang it multiple times till 2006 when I moved to the US. I decided to send that car to Bhopal to my parents. There it stayed till May-16.
I have two parkings at my residence apt. One, I had bought, the other, I am alloted by my society. After my return from Abu Dhabi, I had no cars and someone from the committee suggested that I get the cars or my parking will be alloted to someone else.
I bought a Celerio for my wife and asked my parents to send over the old war horse to be parked here.
Ever since the Ikon returned, its been a bottomless pit. Its resale value is just about 35K. But so far I've already spent 45K on its upkeep. That's 1 month and 1K kilometres. Initially, I spent 26K for denting, painting and basic repairs. Within a couple of weeks its AC broke again and so did the locking system. Spent another 2K to fix these.
Another 2 weeks and its coolant pipe burst. The mechanic asked me to keep driving it slowly and stop when it got hot. I tried but the temperature gauge was also busted and thus the gasket blew up and the car stopped. Another 10K gone. Then the battery, another 4K. Overall, for a car worth 35K I've already spent 45K and I'm to change the tyres. Its just a bottomless pit and I'm fucked up!

I HATE IRCTC

I've been a big fan. I have even posted some flattering content about IRCTC else where in my blog. 

But this is the third time they have blocked my account. 

They do it for no apparent reason. I've had no fraudulent transactions, no failed payments or agent like behavior. Yet they have blocked me, not once but thrice. 

When I re-registered I could not use my mobile or email. 

The last time I called them about it they actually blamed me of fruad. But largely were clueless about the actual reasons. 

Bad bad unacceptable behaviour. 

Uber Experience Mumbai

Its been a couple of weeks I've landed in Mumbai. I started work on the 28th March. Once I checked in the hotel with my family, I asked the reception if they could arrange a cab for me to travel to office? Please use Ola or Uber Sir, pat came the answer.
So I downloaded both Ola and Uber apps and tried my luck the next day. To my surprise, pleasantly, I got an Uber Cab the next day at 8:00 am. The guy was at the hotel gate based on my published location and he called me once he reached. I was impressed. I did not have PAYTM wallet and so decided to pay cash. It was fine. The car looked and smelled good. The ride was comfortable and it cost me some 380 bucks. Not Bad I thought.

Since then, I've made a habit of trying to ride for Uber Cabs everyday. An in about 15 rides or so, I've had quite an experience. Both good and bad. One car was smelly, so I rated him 3. Uber asked for feedback and I provided. Another one was when the driver got lost and could not find me even after my giving him explicit directions over phone. I was pissed when Uber dinged me 60 bucks for cancelling.

Last weekend I moved to my home in Mulund and suddenly all the Uber cabs vanished from the radar. Today morning I got a promotional code from Paytm saying I could save upto 25% of the ride cost if I paid through Paytm. I tried searching for Cabs in Mulund and WTF, Uber informed me that to ride the cab I need to pay 3 times the cost. Hell! I decided to take a rick than be held to ransom.

I was wondering if I can live without a car. Only on services like Uber and Ola, but given their whims, I think having a car is far more reliable than letting them screw you at will. So, I'm now scouting for a new car....

Bye Abu Dhabi!

A Weird Phenomenon that explains Donald Trumps Popularity

http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/krugman/2016/03/15/return-of-the-undeserving-poor/#modal-lightbox

Look at the alarming death rates amongst the white Americans compared with similar ethnic groups in other parts of the world. It explains the fact that the white American is despondent and angry at the establishment. His quality of life compared to his forefathers and his peer group across the pond has declined to a level where there is impact on his mortality despite improvements in the medical sciences. 

I think this graph succiently captures the essence of white mans anger, the hopelessness and the rise of Trash politics such as that of Trump. 

#36 New Mobile Features

I tried learning SWIFT, but it seems too ahead of me. Perhaps I'll try it again later sometime. Now that I am counting days for my return, I was thing what else could I do to fill time.

Since beginning, the mobile app served the purpose of recording the cash expenses and listed them down for reference. Every end of the month, I'd reconcile these against the cash withdrawals and start off again.

The user challenge was that I had to wait till the end of the month to know how I fared in terms of expenses. I was always one month behind. Though I have great data from all my banks, here in UAE and India and I have a broad understanding of how expenses stack up, I never knew how I was faring in the current month, till the month was over.

The way to fix was 2 fold.
1. I had to record all expenses and not just cash ones and compare them with the target limits I set out against all the budget groups.
2. When recording the expenses I however, had to be careful. I need to segregate the cash expenses as I still needed to reconcile these end of the month. The card expenses are actually throw away ones. They only help with the getting a handle on how I'm doing this month. End of the month the statement files would come out and they will be the single source of truth for posterity. Also, the kind to annotations I could do with these statements would be too much work to do for manual entry. Hence not worth it.

There were 2 other features I wanted.
1. Ability to view my current month expenses against all categories and also against the budget groups.
2. Ability to delete an expense on the mobile itself in case I entered it wrongly. A feature I did not have till now. Strange, coming to thing of it.

Took me 3 days. With my tech challenges sorted out back in dec, I was able to roll these out in just 3 days. Its incredible. If technology supports you, you can achieve incredible productivity.

Showed these to my wife. She likes them... Gratification received. 

#35 Getting Tech again.(Dated)

This post relates to the challenges I faced back in Dec-2015. It all seems like a blur now. It started with Android Lollipop upgrade in Jan-2015.

The app I built back in 2012, worked fine with its limited mobile capabilities for good 2 years. Then, I got my wife a Moto G and within weeks the OS upgrade to 5.0. I'm always trigger happy and I promptly upgraded the OS. Alas! it broke my Sencha app such that it stopped showing the screen. I tried searching the web for possible remedies, but there was hardly any chatter around it. No document or discussion threads. Well, it still worked on my iPhone iOS 8 and for the time being it was okay. I hobbled along with my iPhone.

Back in July I bought a cheap Android phone to host my India SIM. Around the same time the Moto G started acting strange. I think the moisture got to it and it started freezing up. M has little patience with technologies, so she promptly exchanged her Moto G with my Alcatel. Alcatel was still running Android 4.4 and the app sprang back to life. Life moved on.

Then in September, iOS came up with version 9. I promptly downloaded it and What The Heck, the App broke again. This time iOS.

After Nov incident, as I looked for ways to fill time, I decided to fix the issue. By the time Sencha had upgrade to version 2.4, I had moved on to Ubuntu and the world looked new and full of promise. But that enthusiasm didn't last long. I thought porting the application to Sencha should be a breeze as I was not using any of exotic plugins. When I tried building the application, it broke badly. I tried no end fixing it but to no avail. The application would not refresh and the older structures, Models and Stores that worked perfectly stopped working. I painstakingly almost completely rebuilt the application to find out just commenting out a few lines is all I needed.

Anyhow, I built the application for prod to first deploy the minimised version on test but it would not build. Struggle started all over again. The error messages did not help and the threads were all over the place. If I thought that was bad, when I tried deploying a new war on prod, it completely broke  down.

The AWS world had moved on since 2012. My platform with Tomcat 7 and Amazon Linux were an unsupported lot. There were no 32 bit versions available or supported. Meaning, I had to rebuild the entire infrastructure from grounds up. Once I had created a brand new infra, the application would not deploy on Tomcat 8. I then had to upgrade my development env with Tomcat 8 and fix all the libraries which was mostly 32 bit libraries. Well, I fixed the few logging jar conflicts and deployed it back. Fortunately the site came up. But the I had to upload the exploded version of the Sencha on prod. Terrible, Terrible. It took 45 seconds to load on a 12 mbps line and a minute on 3G. Atrocious.

I had to find a way to fix the build issue. And I did. It was weird. I thought the minified version kept everything including models, views and stores in app.js. Yet the app.js kept asking for store files from some location which did not exist. So, just to make it shut up, I created that folder structure and put raw store files there. And Viola, it worked. This was around week's worth of effort in Dec. Just for records...

The 10 year count down

By the time I turned 40, 3 years ago, I was  overcome with the hopelessness of my prospects. I was so beat, I found it tough to keep my head above water. Finally, I decided to carry on till I was 50 and then call it quits(work wise). I started the count down and recorded sporadically for 3 years about the journey. Well, it didn't work out too well. 

When I landed the job in Abu Dhabi, I thought of it as home run. If I could plough through another 8 years, I would not need to work another day. But it was not to be. With my layoff, that sprint was over. In the end it was not about fairness or politics. It was about survival. And in all this there was an important lesson for me. I may not want or even need to work beyond 50, but living without some form of work is equally if not more frustrating. For the last 4 months I've lived this thought every day. I've dissected it, turned it around, tumbled and rolled with it. I can't seem  to find an alternative to work. Work's part of keeping my sanity. 

And then there is my dad. At 74 with no liabilities and a pension beating a King's ransom, he does not need to work for money for even a minute. His work place is no picnic. With the age challenges and constant insinuations and daily indignities he still gets up every day, does everything from fetching water to cooking the meals and then gets dressed and shows up for work. It's one of the God's graces, that a man has work and he clocks in everyday, day after day. A Man's Dharma...

So, stop whining! Get out there and get the work done. It's one thing I do better than most. So do it and let age be just a number. Get up, get out there and keep moving forward... 

When it rains, it Pours

Having a wet week at Abu Dhabi. Its been raining incessantly for the last couple of days. I woke up at 4 am with hail pounding against my window pane. ADEC closed the schools for couple of days. Right in the middle of final exams for my daughter. The papers have been rescheduled, hope we get our logistics sorted out in time for our departure.

Diversity of Ubuntu 14.04, Win 10 and Mac OS

Last September when my VAIO Hard Drive gave up on me after 7 years of great service, I decided to replace it with an SDD. I then installed Ubuntu 14.04 on it and that aging Core 2 Duo turned into a blazing race horse. As my daughter needs a PC for her school work and Ubuntu is still a geeky platform, I got her a Lenovo i5, Win 10 laptop. Early last month when we decided to relocate to India, I gifted myself my first MacBook Pro.

So now I have a wide spectrum OS to choose from and I'm facing the challenges and conveniences of owning each. One thing I've learned is that while Ubuntu has come a long way in terms of catching up with the peers, the moment you stray from standard script, you need to roll up your sleeves and get into DIY mode.

The first challenge I faced was setting up my Canon Printer MX4240 on Ubuntu. Though drivers are there, the set up is far from straight forward. It took me a couple of days to get it hooked up to the printer with a lot of trial and error. Even after I was able to set it up, the print speeds were terrible.

The good part was I could install Skype, Chrome and Drop Box without any issues. The email client Thunderbird worked quite well. I occasionally miss MS word and Excel but mostly, I'm able to get by with Libre Office. I set up Eclipse and Filezilla and MySQL bench and I was mostly whole again  untill last week when I decided to configure MS OneDrive. Unlike DropBox, it does not have a release for Ubuntu for obvious reasons. So I again had to scout for external solutions. I downloaded a project called OneDrive-d from Github, built it and installed it only to figure out the  challenges. As this is an amateur offering, the sync is 2 way. Working with 120GB SDD I do not want a two way sync at all. I want to upload whatever is in my sync folder on Ubuntu to OneDrive and view all the uploaded files on Onedrive. But I do not want to download them, unless I need them. Such fine grained use cases are not available on OneDrive-d. Also, the sync program  fails too often. Finally I shut the door on it.

Couple of days back I got myself a Time Capsule. I tried setting it up on my Mac and it was such as breeze, I was surprised. It just worked.

But I wanted my Windows Laptop and Ubuntu to work as well. It seems Airport Utility for Windows is all but abandoned. I downloaded 5.6 version and used it to set up sync for my MS profile. But that needed restart of the Time Capsule. That wasn't so great. But still okay. Now that I want to set up Access for my wife and daughter, I will need to reboot the TC a couple of more times. On the other hand One Drive utility on Mac works just fine...

Configuring Ubuntu was a battle of completely different magnitude. The couple of options available on the net are helpful but incomplete. Mounting a drive using mount-cifs was a learning. The /etc/fstab file configuration and the challenges of using the right options made this a long and arduous journey. Finally when I could finally mount it, it would not let me write. It took me a lot of tinkering to finally get the combination right.

//192.168.1.xxx/Data /media/timecapsule  cifs    password=xxxx,sec=ntlm,user,rw,noperm,forceuid    0 0 

Later when I tried copying some of the photographs from Ubuntu to TC, I was shocked at the poor transfer rates of hardly 500kbps. Any how it was done and I heaved a sigh of relief.

I get it. I love the Vaio. Can't let go of it. Whatever it takes to keep it within the family. If it means I have to endure the lack of Ubuntu Ecosystem, so be it!