Jokes: What are some dumb questions you have been asked?

My girlfriend and I went to watch Avatar when it was released. Apparently, it was her first 3D movie experience and God was she excited.

When she came out of the theater, visibly overwhelmed, she asked me, "Don't you think the world would be much more beautiful if we could see it in 3D?"

I drank myself to death that night.

EDIT: This is now the most upvoted answer on Quora. Thank you guys, my girlfriend will be so proud.

What are the things that you should let go in order to make your life simpler and happier?

One day a busy husband in office got call from his wife..

Wife: Hey..

Hubby: tell me quickly!!

Wife: Had lunch? How is curry?

Hubby: (angrily..) Do you think I am sitting idle like you to discuss these things... I am rushing through important presentation for the evening, you are such a fool to c...

..(Wife immediately hung up on him)

The husband felt guilty but ran through the presentation, however, he could not do well before client due to the disturbed mind which invited a warning letter from his boss..

Further to pacify his wife, he had to purchase an expensive gift while returning home..

It would have been simpler & happier day for him:

• If he had let go his anger and simply said "I am busy. Shall I call u back please"to her.
• If he had let go his ego and said "sorry" to her before presentation to clear the disturbance in his mind
• Atleast If he could let go the disturbance in his mind before the presentation

If he could let go the negative emotions, there would be a simpler & happier day for his wife, client, boss and finally for himself..

Controll of emotions such as greedy, anger, ego, etc.. is the basic thing needed for a simpler and happier life :)

What are some of the most useful skills to know?

Sean is right.  The most useful skill is the ability to express oneself clearly and eloquently.  Usually this means writing well (do not neglect your grammar or your vocabulary!) but speaking is also important (vocabulary again!) and drawing can help too.  If you can move people with your ideas, words or art, you have power that nothing else can provide.

How do I stop hating and getting angry on people and start accepting them as they are ?

If you hate others and you are getting angry too often, the reason is that you actually hate yourself and you are angry on yourself.

Sounds illogical!

How can we hate ourselves?

The fact is that most people hate themselves. Let me list some of the reasons

1. You are overweight and you desire to lose weight. You can’t stop temptation to eat high calorie food in excess quality. You are always cursing yourself after eating.
2. You want to get top position in your college but your mind is always diverted. It does not allow you to concentrate. As a result you perform poorly. You are angry with yourself.
3. You want your dream job but you don’t feel like studying despite all your desires. You curse yourself for it.
4. You have high ideals for yourself. You want to become great like Vivekananda or Narayana Murthy. However, you are driven by your passion and lust, which always spoils all your dream.
5. You love a girl (or a boy), who does not reciprocate your love and repeatedly insult you. However, you are still running after her as you are unable to forget her. You curse your heart for not listening to your mind.

I can list a large number of reasons why we hate ourselves. The cause of this hatred is

• We have conflicting desires which can’t be fulfilled
• We have high ideals that can’t be achieved
• We overestimate our abilities
• We are chasing false goals in life
• You are in a wrong profession
• You are doing something which you don’t want to do
• You are unable to do what you wish to do

All the inner conflict gets reflected in our outer behavior.

When we hate ourselves, we can’t love others.

You can give others only what you have inside.

We hate others to justify our own hatred inside.

Because you don’t want to blame yourself for your problem, you choose other people to be blamed for your problems. You want to have some scapegoat on whom you can throw all your responsibilities.

• You blame the fast food companies for producing harmful foods
• You blame the media for spreading hatred
• You blame your parents for not giving you right guidance and support for your success
• You blame your friends for misguiding you
• You blame your relatives for humiliating you
• You blame your country for not giving you the right opportunities

It does not matter how much you blame them, you can’t solve your problem because the problem is within you and not outside. So you blame them even more and even start hating them since they don’t help you or change as you desire.

You have to take care of your inner contradictions and conflicts to find a peaceful world outside.

Once that is done, you will have peace in your life and you would have no complaints against anyone including yourself.

You will naturally accept people as they are when you accept yourself as you are.

What-are-suggested-books-for-RBI-grade-B-exam

I gave this exam when it was subjective. Now the pattern has been changed and phase 2 has been made objective. Which in my personal opinion is not right step.

I went quickly through some of the questions that were asked in recent objective phase 2. And I believe following sources may be included in the preparation:

1) The Hindu (and not TOI)
2) Business Standard (and not FT)
3) JAIIB and CAIIB books - selective reading as per the syllabus (emphasis on some of the compulsory topics of CAIIB)
4) Governor, Deputy Governors speeches on RBI website.
5) Economic Survey of India and Indian Budget

Above list is not exhaustive.

Go through the RBI website before asking

Economic and social Issues:

Books:

1. Indian Economy: Uma Kapila.(Series of Books)
2. Indian Economy: Mishra Puri. (Latest Edition)
3. Growth And Development: Devraj Ray
4. Sociology: C.N. Shankar Rao

News Papers:

1. Economic Times
2. Hindu
3. Business Standard

Weekly/Monthly Magazines/Bulletins /Reports:

1. Economic and Political Weekly
2. Southern Economist
3. Yojana
4. Business India
5. RBI Bulletins

Reports:

1. World Development Report
2. Economic Survey of India

Finance and Management:
Suggested reference material:

1. An introduction to Economics – A W Stonier and D C Hauge
2. Monetary Theory and Public Policy – Kenneth Kurihara
3. Indian Economy – Mishra and Puri
4. Indian Economy – R. Dutt and KPM Sundaram
5. Economic Growth and Development – Mayer and Baldwin
6. Major economic newspapers and Economic and Political Weekly
7. Public Finance – K K Andley and Sundaram
8. Financial Management – Prasanna Chandra

Economics

Suggested reference material:

1. Microeconomics, Student Value Edition (8th edition) by Robert Pindyck, Daniel Rubinfeld
2. Intermediate Microeconomics : A modern Approach (8th edition) by Hal R. Varian
3. Macroeconomics (2011) by Rudiger Dornbusch, Stanley Fisher, Richard Starz
4. Macroeconomics by N. Gregory Mankiw, (Seventh Edition),
5. International Economics (2013) by Domimick Salvatore
6. International Economics (2011) by Paul Krugman and Maurics Obstfeld
7. International Finance and Open Economy Macroeconomics (1993) by Francisco L. Rivera- Batiz, Luis A. Rivera- Batiz
8. Public Finance in Theory and Practice (1989) by Richard Abel Musgrave and Peggy B. Musgrave
9. The Concise Oxford Companion to Economics in India, Edited by Kaushik Basu & Annemie Maertens
10. Indian Economy since Independence (2014) edited by Uma Kapila
11. Indian Economy : Performance and Policies (2015) edited by Uma Kapila
12. India Development Report (2015) edited by S. Mahendra Dev

Statistics:
Suggested reference material:

1. Atkinson, K.E. (1989): An Introduction to Numerical Analysis, Wiley.
2. Bhat, B.R. (2007): Modern Probability Theory, New Age International.
3. Cochran, William G. (1977): Sampling Techniques. John Wiley and Sons, New York
4. Das, M.N. and N. C. Giri (1986): Design and Analysis of Experiments. Wiley Eastern Ltd.
5. Draper, N.R. and H. Smith (1998): Applied Regression Analysis, John Wiley & Sons.
6. Goon, A.M., M. K. Gupta and B. Dasgupta (2001): Fundamentals of Statistics. (2 Vols.), World Press, Kolkata.
7. Gibbons, J.D. & S. Chakrabarti (2007): Non parametric Statistical Inference, Chapman and Hall.
8. Gupta, S.C. and V. K. Kapoor (2007): Fundamentals of Mathematical Statistics, Sultan Chand and Sons.
9. Gupta, S.C. and V. K. Kapoor (2008): Fundamentals of Applied Statistics, Sultan Chand and Sons.
10. Hollander Myles and Douglas A. Wolfe (2006): Non Parametric Statistical method, Wiley.
11. Kshirsagar, A.M. (1983): A Course in Linear Models Marcel Dekker, New York.
12. Montgomery, D. C. (2008): Design and Analysis of Experiments, John Wiley and Sons.
13. Montgomery, D.C., E. A. Peck and G. G. Vining(2006): Introduction to Linear Regression Analysis, John Wiley and Sons.
14. Murthy, M.N. (1967): Sampling Theory and Methods. Statistical Publishing Society, Kolkata.
15. Rajaraman, V. (2010): Fundamentals of Computers, Prentice-Hall India.
16. Rohatgi, V. K. and A. K. Md. Ehsanes Saleh (2009): An Introduction to Probability and Statistics, John Wiley and Sons.
17. Saxena, H.C. (2005): Finite Differences and Numerical Analysis, S. Chand and Co.
18. Silberschatz, A., H. F. Korth and S. Sudarshan (1997): Database System Concepts, McGraw-Hill.
19. Sinha, P.K. (2010): Computer Fundamentals, University Science Press.
20. Sukhatme, P.V., B. V. Sukhatme, S. Sukhatme and C. Asok (1984): Sampling Theory of Surveys with Applications, Iowa State University Press, Iowa, USA.
21. Swaroop, K., P. K. Gupta and M. M. Singh (1985): Operations Research, Sultan Chand and Sons.
22. Taha, H.A. (1982). Operations Research: An Introduction, Macmillan Publishing Company.

I feel like I missed out by not going to a prestigious university. How do I overcome this?

As I look back on my education, I realize I got a wonderful jump-start at Columbia University.  I also realize that in the 4 years I spent there, I learned a lot.  It probably adds up to about 0.5% of what I know now.

The university is only the beginning of your education.  A great university gives you a great beginning.  But a head-start is less important than endurance. Slow and steady wins the race. If you keep learning, every day, every week, soon whatever you "missed" at the university will fade into nothingness.

When I graduated from Columbia, I was annoyed that the ceremony was not called a graduation, but was called a "commencement".  Hey, I wanted recognition for the four years of work I had struggled through!  

In retrospect, that was exactly the right name.

As you grow older, you'll see many of your friends and colleagues become couch potatoes, with their bodily health and strength gradually going downhill.  Don't let it happen to you.  But far worse, their brains will also go downhill.  Not forced to learn, they will stop learning.  Don't let it happen to you!

Every year of your life, learn more than you did last year.  It gets easier to do this as you get older, because the main thing you learned in college was how to learn. And you can keep getting better at it.

The key to learning is recognizing how much fun it is.  When you enjoy something, you learn without effort.  In college, I had no interest in history, little in world affairs; now those subjects fascinate me.  I find almost all of life fascinating.

Forgive me for ending with a cliche: 
This is the first day of the rest of your life.

Life Lessons: How can I make my life simpler?

I love this Q! Here are my 10 ideas for you:

1. Don't watch TV. It is waste of time and mental energy. Kicking it out will make your life simpler, happier and more productive.
2. Before you organize, ELIMINATE. Everything: clutter, tasks, social obligations, meetings, boring people, meaningless activities. Define what is essential and eliminate ruthlessly.
3. Do 1 thing at a time. It is more difficult than it sounds, but it is proven to be more productive, less stressful and yes, simpler.
4. Track your income and your expenses. Life is much simpler when you are aware of your finances.
5. Make a meal plan and create your shopping list accordingly. Simple action, leads to more saving, healthier eating, less wasted food. And you'll never find yourself wondering what to make for the lunch tomorrow or realize that you don't have anything to bring at your workplace at 8:30.
6. Turn off the notifications on your cell phone. It is so helpful!
7. Write things down. Not just expenses (see #4) but also your thoughts, fears, problems, ideas. When it's on the paper it doesn't occupy your mind.
8. Write To-do list with 3 tasks. Verbarize it- use verbs instead of nouns. (Meaning, instead of writing: Project XYZ, write: create an outline and delegate tasks to person A, B and C for project XYZ). Simple and works!
9. Work slowly, devoted. That is how great work is done, stress is minimal and life simpler.
10. Know thyself. It will help you understand your emotions, change your habits, recognize your triggers, optimize your work. Simply wonderful.

I hope you found this list useful (and simple). Thanks for this great question!

In what ways are the Non-Resident Indians contributing to India?

1. NRIs send $70 billion (Rs. 4.2 lakh crores) every year to India. That is just 25% less than the total Indian government's plan expenditure ($94 billion). In essence, the few NRIs put almost as much money in India as the whole of the Indian central government. Why Does India Beat China In the Remittance Game?
2. It is not just the quantum of money, but the type of it is even more juicy. The remittances are in the form of dollars and thus substantially reducing India's currency risks. 23 years ago, India was practically bankrupt with Manmohan taking whatever little gold India had to London and get the precious dollars. Those dollars are needed to buy crude oil, machinery, vegetable oil etc. NRIs make sure such a dollar shortage never happened after that.
3. NRIs bring the best practices of the rest of the world back home. Gandhi, Nehru, Netaji and Patel were NRIs at one point. Then there were guys like Sam Pitroda who helped India open up. Plenty of my professors in business school often fly back to India to advice the government on various things. For instance, my global strategy professor was a top advisor helping the government on dealing with foreign companies, in the Narasimha Rao period. Plenty of charities like Asha and AID start elsewhere before moving back.
4. Overseas Indians shape foreign policy. This organization - United States India Political Action Committee - relentlessly works to build Indo-US relationships. Back in my college days, I used to volunteer for them and we used to get top ministers & businessmen from India and connect them with top American officials. During the nuclear deal and other big deals, this group spent nights hard working. The office bearers Surabhi and Sanjay with Hillary Clinton. 
5. NRIs help bring tourism. Plenty of NRIs take their US friends back home for weddings or just showing them around. They also help pique people's interest outside. I often act as an overseas tourist guide helping people plan trips ;-)
6. NRIs help non-Indians understand Indian culture in a positive way. I often see weddings with white Americans that happen in Hindu temples. Many Americans have a genuine interest in Indian culture and NRIs help them enjoy it at the comfort of their home. Every US town now has major temples like this. 
7. Finally, overseas Indians bring new business to India. They often take up top assignments in the India offices of major MNCs and help bridge the transition. They help in tech export.

What is the single most effective piece of financial advice you've ever received?

I would mention two advice:

• "A penny saved is a penny earned."                                                                     - Benjamin Franklin
• "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it."                                 - Albert Einstein

The second one is actually a wonder if you think about it.

What are some small facts that might save your life one day?

If you are in Jungle:-

1. Wild Elephants:- If wild elephant are chasing you, Know that elephants run faster than humans, They can run at 35-40kmph (25mph). Usain Bolt (the fastest man in the world) was clocked at 37.383kmph. Humans cannot outrunelephants.
   So to get rid of Elephants, Run in the lower direction of slope. This is the only way you can outrun them. reach a high point and run towards to low point. Elephants have problem balancing on Downward Slope.
2. Snakes :- If a snake is chasing you, Run in zig-zag way. This magical way is also applicable if you are being chased by other reptiles.
3. Wild Bear (Not applicable if Bear is heavy and big) :- If you find yourself in a tussle with a wild bear, take a long stick in your hands, and hold it with both hands (like in Image below)
   
   Bears attack using their fore-arms, Make them hold the stick by pushing your hands towards the attack.
   
   Basically you have to hold the Bear with your Stick in such a way that Bear is standing on its rear legs
   It is difficult for bear to remain standing on two legs so eventually they will back off.
4. 4. If a Cat (big cats etc.) is behind you and you have no way out then grab a stick form any plant or tree and get ready to push it inside the mouth of the animal. One can easily kill a lion this way.
   
   Edit
   In the worst case (if you don’t have anything like stick etc) you can just push your arm inside throat of the animal to save your life. This trick is killer for any animal.
   Hunter escapes attack by shoving arm down bear's throat
   
   5. Crocodile/Alligator in water, On the land you can avoid crocodile by running in zig-zag, but in water they are most powerful, they can even hold an elephant still, in water. 
   If you are attacked by crocodile in water compose yourself, aim for its eye, and poke hard inside its eyes with your fingers, do it repeatedly until it lets you go. If you are not able to aim its eyes Blow its head with your fist continuously. It will leave you just after a single good poke to its eye.
5. 
   

Can an average student become an IAS officer?

Any average guy can pass IAS provided

1. He/She is totally focused on studies
2. He/She is willing to work very hard
3. He/She is willing to spend a few years for preparation
4. He/She chooses the right optional
5. He/She gets the right guidance
6. He/She gets the right environment where he can study peacefully
7. He/She avoid all diversions during preparation
8. He/She has a positive mindset and optimistic outlook
9. He/She has high motivation to become an IAS officer

How-do-I-reduce-my-tummy-?

Hi there. The first and foremost piece of information that I would like to convey to you is that you cannot spot reduce fat. You will have to work out the complete body to attain what you desire. You have taken the right initial steps to reduce the fat. But if you want to accelerate the fat burning process, I would recommend you to join a gym and do some kind of weight training designed for fat burning. Any plan which involves high intensity workout would be good for you. You can find plenty of such programs on the internet. I recommend weight training because the body continues to burn calories during the recovery time after the workout and hence aids in fat reduction. Other than this here are some tips which you can follow:

1. Drink lots and lots of water. Start your day with 2-3 glasses of warm water (you can add lemon and honey too).

2. Drink green tea and black coffee. They boost your metabolism.

3. Split your meals into smaller portions. Suppose if you eat 3 meals, split the same food into 5 meals at regular intervals. This will boost the metabolism.

4. Try to get your carbohydrates in complex forms.

5. Reduce sugar, fat intake in daily foods. You could also try the "no carbohydrates after 8 rule".

6. When performing cardio, prefer high intensity interval training (HIIT) over normal jogs/running. The idea is to shock the body.

7. Eat more and more greens. They are full of fibers and aid in boosting metabolism.

All the above measures were taken by me when I too was facing the same problem. So they have been tried and tested personally.

Hope this helps.

What should be the daily routine of an IAS aspirant for the UPSC exam 2015? And what is the real routine of famous serious IAS aspirants like Akand Sitra?

I had a friend of mine and here was his routine:

5:00 AM-9:00 AM New topic reading

As we expect morning time to be fresh,hence it’s perfectly justified

9:00 AM to 11:00Am

Reading newspapers by detail. This time also include bathing, breakfast etc

11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Going coaching institute. He said his professors take him to next level of thinking.

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Afternoon nap. He thinks it’s necessary to create buffer for brain in order to grasp concepts.

5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Gym, racket. This is also necessary to clear the exam. Helps improving concentration.

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Further study of two hours.

9:00 PM to 11:00PM

Discussions about current affairs amongst all aspirants. Ways to improve things, brainstorming , dinner etc.

Discipline is the key. He thinks anyone can follow routine quite easily. The syllabus is such that you start perceiving things in life in an all together different manner. International relations, history of world, geography, diplomacy and politics and economic models all converge at one point. Indian philosophy and psychology is stunning.

He says every students should at least work for exam for at least 1-2 years in his lifetime. We might fail in exam but we will be successful in life because the preparation teaches persevance, discipline and our true potential. Learning how to work with such shear hardworking, life seems easy for coming times.

P.S-He is currently an IRS officer.

What is the point of life? Why do people work so hard in life even though they know that nothing they have done or ever will do will remain with them?

Imagine that you have to perform a long distance train journey from Delhi to Mumbai. You have several options to travel.

1: You can travel by Air Conditioned (AC) Tier-I Class where you can sleep comfortably in the night and reach to your destination comfortably reading a few books, surfing the net and listening the music.

2: You can travel by Sleeper compartment, where you can get a berth to sleep but you have to suffer all the noise of the moving train and the hot/cold weather in the night.

3: You can travel by in a ‘unreserved’ general compartment where you may not even get a seat and you have to spend your night standing on foot.

In all the three cases, you start and reach to the same destination exactly at the same time. However, your journey is not the same in all three cases.

Imagine a journey which lasts for 80-100 years.

Given a choice you would like to travel by AC class with all the comfort. However, you have to earn money to buy an AC ticket which would be 5-6 times more than the price of the general class compartment. You have to work hard to earn that money to buy the tickets.

The journey of life is similar to the journey by train.

Everyone is born one day and everyone has to die one day.

What is different is the experience between the life and death.

If your journey is pleasant, life is a joy.

If your journey is unpleasant, life is a torture.

Every person has the right to live his life with joy and avoid torture when he is alive.

How do you know that your life is unorganized?

1. Do you need 5 alarms and phone calls to wake up?

2. Do you find only one sock from each pair and the other is nowhere to be seen?

3. Do you always reach the office/college late?

4. Do you frequently forget a file or document at home that is required the most in that day’s meeting?

5. Do you “forget” to call your parents?

6. Do you need reminders for your parent’s birthdays, anniversary etc.?

7. Do you go to market and think “what did I come for?”

8. Do you set goals for each day and cannot fulfill even half of them?

9. Do you always look tired?

10. Do you spend your free time sliding between channels, watching nothing, because you’re worried about work?

11. Do you always fail to plan a vacation for yourself?

12. Do you drink/smoke to reduce stress?

13. Do you have plenty of free time, but no time for yourself?

14. Do you screw up your relationships?

15. Do you only come up with “nothing” as an answer when you ask yourself at the end of the day, “What did I do today?”

If your answer to most of the question is YES, congratulations! You can call your life unorganized.

What-are-some-of-the-best-random-conversations-you-have-ever-had-with-an-autorickshaw-or-a-taxi-driver

This one is short but deep. Happened in a cab in Chicago around 2006. Was more of an epiphany than a conversation.

I am sitting in front alongside the driver driving on the famous Michigan Avenue towards the loop. He is a black guy in his 50s, wearing a brown hat, and black sunglasses. I could not help noticing how amazingly smooth his driving was, his braking at the stop signs, without being too slow.

As we were cruising swiftly, suddenly a lady stepped onto the road though there was no pedestrian crossing allowed there. (Mind you, this is extremely rare in the US)

I immediately thought - "What the $#$#@%$!! Is she blind?????" And was expecting a reciprocal sarcastic comment from him as well. I can never forget his response.

He quickly and calmly slowed down on time, then regained speed. Smiled and exclaimed.

"Poor lady. She looked lost. Something must be really bothering her today. I hope she feels better soon"

It was like pouring a bucket of cold water on my head. It was the shortest and deepest lesson on how everything is just a matter of perspective. He could have been absolutely right, not just 'too nice'. But I simply reacted out of my negativity. Today whenever I do manage to pause before over-reacting emotionally, I always think that experience has to do something with it.

What is maturity?

A lot has happened in a couple of years.

I wanted to buy an IPhone. I was saving for it for a long time. But then I realized Dad has a dream to buy bullet(because of our studies and expenses, he always neglects his dreams.) . I had saved enough for an iPhone but then I decided to gift dad a bullet from my saving. I'm saving for it. I thought I've put my Parents wishes above mine. I felt I'm matured.

My sister went to a doctor for a checkup with her husband. She got the news, she was pregnant. I was the first one she called. I had a tear drop in my eyes when she said, soon you'll be mamaji (uncle).

I said her, Dad and mom must be very happy? .

she replied, You are the first one to know this.

I asked, why me?

She replied, you might be younger than me but after my marriage, you treat like an elder brother. You're a good listener.

I felt I'm matured.

I had a skullcandy headphone. I was pretty attached to it. My younger brother asked me for it, I gave it to him. I thought , now I value emotions more than the materialistic things. I felt I'm matured.

My mother was cooking and I heard her sneezing. She had cold .I made my mother rest and cooked food for her. I thought I have learned from my mother loving selflessly. I felt I'm matured.

I had a Gf. She was not emotionally stable. She had mood fluctuations. I didn't give upon her. I thought I've learned to be patient. I felt I'm matured.

A friend was going through rough patches in his life. He came to me for seeking advice.I tried giving some advice. They got along well. I thought I value relations.I felt I'm matured.

A friend punched me out of frustration. He left and I was stunned, he was my roommate. He came back, hugged me and said sorry . I left my ego and hugged back. I felt I'm matured.

A while ago, I overtook a car, the stranger yelled at me, I didn't take things personally. I felt I'm matured.

I hope I have written about maturity in this post. If not, you can call meimmature.. :)

What are the ten most important things about personal finance someone without a finance background must know?

A) Don't get a salary. A salary will never make you money. 
B) Don't invest any of your money. Investing is for wealth preservation, not wealth creation, so first you have to make wealth
C) Come up with ten ideas a day. This doesn't seem like "personal finance" but it is. 
D) Don't try to save money by not buying expensive coffee or taking subways instead of cabs. That's a myth. The best way to save money is to make more. 
E) Learn how to copywrite. 
F) Come up with ten ideas for how two people can help each other. Introduce them and stay out of the way. This is real networking. Not fake networking where people hand business cards to strangers. 
G) When you have wealth, never invest more than 2% of your wealth in any one idea. 
H) Don't enter a business with a lot of competition. Enter a business with a monopoly. This means high profits, high perks, great education. 
I) Read a lot about things that have nothing to do with finance. Then combine them. 
J) Sleeping 8 hours a day might be the most important personal finance rule. 
K) Be around people who love you and who you love. Eliminate people who bring you down. 
L) Gratitude = Abundance. You can only be grateful for what is abundant in your life or what will be abundant in your life. So practice gratitude / abundance all day long. 

Is Narendra Modi able to sleep at night ?

Yes. He sleeps for 3.5 to 4 hours every day. He sleeps late at around 12 O clock and gets up early around 4 O clock. Yet, he is so fresh and energetic throughout the day due to his healthy practice of Yoga for nearly 2 hours after getting up.

He says he gets sound sleep within 30 seconds he lays on bed. That's incredible! He also mentions he can get up at any time he wishes to.

He spends 3/4th of his time working.  On Independence day, 2014, He told he is a pradhan sevak, and if you work for 12 hours, I work 13. You work for 14 hours, I work for 15. Actually, he works for more than 15 hours. Lucky to have him as our Lead-er.

What are some interesting facts about the least known countries in the world?

In Cambodia , there are special shelters which are built for teenage girls to have sex. They spend nights with different guys until they find suitable partner. Divorce is ILLEGAL.

In Mangaia ( Cook Islands ) boys have sex at the age of 13. To learn about the act , they do this with elder women who teach them to last longer and how to please partner.

A tribe in New Guinea allow children to have sex at 6-8 years while age of boys is 10-12 years. They can have sex before marriage but can not share a meal before marriage.

In Ghana , a widow needs to sleep a night with stranger in order to cleanse the spirit of her deceased husband.

Kiribati is the world’s only country to fall within all four hemisphere -Because the nation of Kiribati is comprised of numerous small islands spread throughout the Pacific Ocean, it just so happens to have territory located in all of the earth’s four hemispheres (Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western).

Ethiopia still follows a traditional calendar that is seven years behind the rest of the world - Because of the strong presence of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the country, the traditional calendar of that church is still influential in Ethiopia. The calendar came about in the 16th century when most of Christianity changed the date Jesus is believed to have been born on, but those in Ethiopia decided to maintain the original date. Because of the time discrepancy, Ethiopia held celebrations for the new millennium in 2007, 7 years after the rest of the world.

• In 1973, Bhutan instituted a policy to measure the nation’s Gross National Happiness (as opposed to the more typical Gross Domestic Product) - Although the policy didn’t take away from working on the economy, it did help to think about that sort of government work on the same level as protecting cultural traditions and ensuring a fair life for all citizens. In recent years, though, leaders have begun to move away from this rhetoric of happiness in favor of a more traditionally political discussion.

Canada is the country with most number of lakes. The number is close to 3 million.

Monaco , smaller than central park in New York City. - Although Vatican City is smaller (.17 sq mi) than Monaco (.8 sq mi), unlike Monaco it doesn’t have any permanent residents which leaves Monaco as the sma

What are the bitter truths of going to the U.S. for an MS as an Indian?

Wow, I am going to USA. New life, all my dreams are now going to come true - These are some sentiments with which people start they grad school journey. But as with everything in life, there are two sides to it. You have asked for bitter truths, here they are in my opinion-

• When you get down at the US airport and go to claim your luggage, you will have to pay $5 for a trolley. And you will curse - that is Rs 350! You will convert $ to INR for every damn thing and make yourself miserable. You won’t eat properly, buy fruits, use dishwasher, drink juices because everytime you will tell yourself, that’s too expensive.
• You will hate the milkless coffee in the beginning, there won’t be any good tea. Slowly you will Americanize yourself and start developing a taste for the Starbucks, apple pies, guacamole, donuts etc etc
• First time you attend the classes and see your assignments, you will sweat and struggle. We practically learn nothing useful in our Bachelor’s in India but the you will be expected to know so many things and tools in USA. You will curse yourself for wasting your time in college. You would wish you have actually coded, learned linux, blah blah. So you will start learning there and would feel a bit behind. There might be a Chinese in your project group who would seem to know it all. You might develop an inferiority complex unless you gear yourself up to start learning.
• You might start working part time in cafes or libraries etc to meet your living expenses. That would make you feel like shit. You, who had two servants at home, are washing dishes? Ouch. You would tear up.
• Your classmates would ask you to go to pubs for hanging out and you won’t because you don’t drink or smoke. You will judge Americans and any Indian who would go. Someday you will be curious enough to go too. Shit might happen, someone throwing up. You might be disgusted.

But somedays could be fun. Gradually you find yourself closer to these people. And then you will realize that they are just having their version of fun and it doesn’t have to be judged. You would find your healthy space where you can enjoy the company and getting involved in drinking/partying only to the extent you feel comfortable.

• Topic of sex and physical relationships will keep you bamboozled :D. Your flatmate seeing a girl and vice versa might make you uncomfortable but you will get around it eventually. People ditching relationships, making new gf/bf will supply you endless gossip and you would keep judging until you realize that it is okay to do so.
• You would love your first snowfall until you realize that the bloody thing doesn’t stop. Heavy snowfall might happen and you notice that it is already dark at 4pm. You would feel utterly depressed.

• It is Holi and there are no colors. It is Diwali but no crackers or your mom made delicacies. Yes, there are garba parties and candle lighting etc. But you would miss home terribly. You would miss your siblings on Rakshabandhan. You would always miss Roti Daal or Sambar or whatever it is that you got everyday at home.
• Job season would come and you might find yourself relatively incompetent. The interviews here are more intense and you are expected to know things. There is no jugaad or winging things in US. You feel fucked but then you would work your ass off and get yourself placed.
• You think you will work for a couple of years and will go back to your loved ones in India. 95% chance is there that it won’t happen. You will find a good job, get married and decide to settle in USA. Once kids arrive, no one goes back. You will be the first generation immigrant and you will neither belong to India and you never be an American in true sense. That feeling of ‘not belonging’ will gnaw at you in your later stage.

• You would visit India more frequently in the start and then they would taper off. Eventually you would realize that everyone has their own lives. You have moved on, and they have too.

I hope that’s not too depressing because the fact is you will make great friends, meet some incredible people, grow, become confident and see beautiful places as well. Do you turn it all into a happy or sad climax is up to you. I am a big proponent of going to USA for MS :)