Written on January 15, 2010 by Imran Mirza
Well, hate is not really the word, but I find them really annoying. They aren’t in order, I couldn’t make up my mind.
1) Copy/pasted quotations - I see at least 10 of them daily. Right from the utterly philosophical to the mushy ones, you’ll find them all. Rarely you’ll see the credits. I mean, come on! The world wouldn’t be a better place with your daily gyaan.
2) Farmville – Facebook developers should come up with some auto block app for all Farmville invites. “Fertilize my crops” (by clicking on this button). Really!? Why don’t you Farmville some more and help ease the inflation in food prices?
3) Astrology / Predictions – You would die in year 2xxx, You would be murdered, You would earn a lottery, blah blah. Half of the people in my list have been / would be murdered and the rest of them would win a lottery!
4) People liking their own status updates/links – It can imply only two things: 1) They did it by mistake. 2) They know that no one else would like it.
5) Colour of underwear – This one was quite a hit. I wonder how many actually got a mammograph done. It did help some underwear companies to know the most popular colours and some guys who always had to do with only imagination or sneak peeks.
6) Show off updates –
A- Stuck on the immigration counter since 2 hours…
B - Oh that’s bad! Where you off to?
A - I was just heading to Hawaii
7) Mob Wars – No I do not want to join and kill people for you and don’t send me any invites! I have no intention of becoming a click n shoot gangster.
8 ) Tagging photos without consent – If I want that pic on Facebook, I’d upload it myself.
9) Stupid Applications – What’s your stripper name?, What type of a sea shell are you? How deeply insightful! I never knew these quizzes can help me know myself so much better.
10) Click Here to Find Out – Someone has answered a really revealing question about you! Is it? Then why don’t you reveal it without making me click and invite 20 people to use the application.
Posted in General, The Critic, The Rambler | Comment Now!
Written on December 28, 2008 by Imran Mirza
The term ‘to invest’ is often misunderstood, especially when it comes to the stock market. As a stock market intermediary, I come across many clients who think of investments as something that can make them rich or earn high returns quickly.
The recent downfall in the stock market has made several people lose a lot of money, mostly due to lack of knowledge, patience and wrong choice of investments.
There are a few myths related to stock market investments that I would like to debunk: Continue reading! »
Posted in The Entrepreneur, The Investor | Comment Now!
Written on December 15, 2008 by Imran Mirza
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I just came across a newspaper report which stated that in a meeting of about 300 real estate agents and brokers in Gujurat, it was decided that they would not rent or sell property to “Muslims” as they fear that they would unknowingly shelter and aid terrorists.
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I don’t know if this would help bring down terrorist activities. Probably, it can. But what I am sure of, is the fact that it would further isolate Muslims in the region. This would just add to the list of reasons that “masterminds” across the border use to brainwash youth.
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I am not against such measures. However, the right thing would be to make background checks extremely strict, not just for people from a community or religion but for everyone.
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The same group of people who came together for this decision, could have resolved to have a robust system for property dealings, on the lines of KYC norms for banks. This would not only help curb terrorism, but also money laundering, fraud and many such problems.
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apney hi ghar mein khud ajnabee hun main
har kisii ke shuba ka mauzoo hun main
na duniya mein muhib-e-watan, na masjid mein mureed,
sarhad par sar qalam ho kar bhi na shaheed hun main
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- Imran Mirza
Posted in The Common Man, The Poet | Comment Now!
Written on December 2, 2008 by Imran Mirza
This is something that I wrote in my school days in a Geometry class. My mind was a kite…
Got a Kite and I want to fly it,
Got the string, I just have to tie it,
the string binds the kite, enwinds the Wheel
Waiting for the Wind, ready to reel.
Give it a flight, let it fly
spread its wings, reach out the sky
Sailing on the breeze, higher it goes,
Running free, anyway the wind blows.
Its just you and the Kite,
fighting against the Wind’s might,
And if you fear what the Weather might bring,
Just hold on to the String…!
Posted in The Poet | Comment Now!
Written on November 30, 2008 by Imran Mirza
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After every terrorist attack on Mumbai, when the dust settles down, I hear “Netas” talking about “the undying spirit of Mumbai.” It gives me a sense of Deja Vu.
Mumbai is spirited. Mumbai is full of life. Mumbai provides livelihood to millions. It gets back to its feet after every disaster, every attack, every riot. But the ‘real spirit of Mumbai’, the Mumbaikars are dying a slow death.
Terrorist attacks, natural calamities, regional and religious clashes. Mumbai is helpless against enemies known and unknown. Â
Mumbai is vulnerable and ill prepared against terrorist attacks. It does not have the infrastructure to fight floods that inundate it every year. It cannot do anything against a handful of people who kill in the name of language or religion.
Yet it moves on. Not by choice. Not to demonstrate to the world its undying spirit. It does so because it has no option. The average Mumbaikars get back to work the very next day in knee high water, gas chamber like local trains, under the cloud of terrorism, not to prove a point. They do so to survive, to feed their families, to get ready for another day of an endless war called “life in Mumbai”.
 ”Aye dil, hai mushkil jeena yahan. Zara hatke, zara bachke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan…”
Posted in The Common Man | Comment Now!
Written on November 30, 2008 by Imran Mirza
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In a world of my own,
where battling myself is my destiny…
Where I am the horizon, I am the ship.
I am the lonely ocean as the years slip.
Looking back, I’ve come so far, not knowing I am lost.
Now my roots keep searching for me everywhere.
I can’t see the difference whether it rains or shines.
And my eyes have lost sight of the silver lines.
Its been ages since I had a dream,
my bed lies awake in every sleep.
I walked out of my home looking in the mirror,
I still have that stone in my hand…
Posted in The Poet | Comment Now!
Written on November 17, 2008 by Imran Mirza
As the head of a content writing company, I come across many young graduates looking for jobs in Mumbai. In this so called age of “BPO†and “call centre jobsâ€, it is difficult to find candidates who are looking for a career. I don’t know if it’s the same in smaller cities and towns, but it is the ground reality in metros. Continue reading! »
Posted in The Common Man, The Entrepreneur | Comment Now!
Written on November 9, 2008 by Imran Mirza
It all started off in 1998 with a cyber cafe in Mumbai. Me and my friends came across this “coolest thing to do while bunking college” – internet surfing. It wasn’t cheap. Rs.80-100 per hour for a trip down the virtual world, but nothing could keep us away from the information superhighway Continue reading! »
Posted in The Rambler | Comment Now!
Written on November 7, 2008 by Imran Mirza
It is no myth that capital is scarce. It is more so for small businesses and startups, where every penny matters. It can be quite difficult in the beginning when you are just starting off and have very limited resources. While some expenses and costs are totally unavoidable, a budding entrepreneur can really cut down costs with some street smart ideas. Continue reading! »
Posted in The Entrepreneur | Comment Now!
Written on November 2, 2008 by Imran Mirza
The journey of a thousand blogs begins with a single post in the right direction….
At last, I finally managed to take out some spare time out of my ‘spare time’ to jot down these couple of lines.Â
 Right now, it seems, I am all set for an interstellar overdrive. Get ready to hitchhike…
Posted in General | Comment Now!
