It sucks more to be Rajaratnam!

I follow with interest the travails of Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam, who is facing criminal and civil charges for illegal stock trading. In the current political climate where the greed in Wall Street is blamed for the collapse of the economy, Rajaratnam is certain to be punished with a prison sentence spanning many long years. The fall of this arrogant billionaire has been amazing. I wonder how his life has changed from the glory days when he had singer Kenny Rogers come to sing at the birthday party for his wife. I am sure that he and family are completely ostracized in the high society crowd they used to move around in Hampton, New York. He should be finding that a number of his ‘bosom buddies’ do not return his phone calls anymore. The guilt he must be feeling when he sees the sorrow and shame of his wife and children thanks to his actions, must be unfathomable.

Now-a-days, when I feel ‘it sucks to be me!’, I think of Rajaratnam.

New Year Resolution Status Report

Here is the current status of my New Year resolutions:

1. Do something fun every day. Enjoy life. Made a good effort. ( I covered some days by doing some quick drawing or painting at the last minute!). Overall, I am satisfied with my progress.

2. Focus on my artistic abilities. Complete a minimum of 50 oil paintings in the year, and get selected for at least one art exhibition. Have started work on this earnestly. Behind the goal of 4-5 paintings per month as frequent rains affected my progress (I paint in the outdoor patio of my house)

3. Reduce the time in front of the computer to a maximum of four (4) hours a day – Absolute failure! I have realized that it is impossible for me to accomplish this. So I am dropping this goal.

4. Reduce weight by 10 pounds -- at least by 7 lbs before my 50th class reunion in mid April. Started by losing 2 pounds.. but have put them all back. Now Lent (starting Feb 17th) is the only salvation!

5. Talk more about myself in the blog – Have made only one posting. My 50th Class Reunion group, which I administer, is taking time. Will focus on this in the coming weeks.

A morale boosting event

Last Sunday, an event occurred in this country which boosted the morale of the people. No, it was not another inspiring speech by President Obama, or a report showing a sharp plunge in the number of jobless. Remarkably, it was a sporting event which accomplished this. Until recently, the football team from the city of New Orleans, the New Orleans Saints, was a joke in the football league, being no match to the powerful teams from big cities like Boston and New York. Many called the team ‘A’ints’. Still the team maintained a loyal fan base -- although some fans had to watch their games wearing brown bags. The New Orleans Superdome, the home field of the team, became an icon of the Katrina disaster in 2005, when thousands of people gathered there for refuge as most of the city went under water. Finally, this year, 42 years since its formation, the persistence and hard work of the Saints paid off. They made it to the Superbowl, the finals of the American football. The team captured the imagination of the people in this country who are toughing it out under the severe economic downturn and joblessness. They wanted the Saints to win the Superbowl although the team was given little chance against the formidable Indianapolis Colts. Over 100 million people watched the game, making it most watched TV event ever in USA. The game started with the Colts taking a commanding 10-0 lead. The sports announcers started proclaiming the demise of the Saints since in the history of Superbowl (44 years) only one team had ever come back to win after trailing so many points. This did not appear to daunt the Saints. They hung in there, made a few gutsy plays. and gradually broke through the Colts defense to win the game 31-17. This thrilling win of a ‘poor’ team overcoming numerous obstacles, gave people something to cheer about, and optimism about their future -- although may be temporary.