Let me be honest, I don’t like to shop. I don’t like to buy things what I utterly don’t need. I don’t like to buy things to look good to ‘please’ others. Hence, I hate shopping for clothes. I possess a very limited wardrobe. But the point here is when I go out there to buy, I like to be in total control of the transaction.

I hate salesmen. They try to peep into my area of control and feel they can influence me into buying their product. Its not going to happen. I am the buyer and by default I have the upper hand here. I am not going to buy something just because you pointed out its merits and why I always needed a product like that. Thank you, I am not buying it. Neither, Should you.

Salesman are tricky people and trick you to buy stuff you don’t need. Sometimes, its with the money you don’t even have. Be very cautious. Very CAUTIOUS. I always entertain all their calls and requests as it helps me stay updated and entertained for a while. I pleasantly decline after I’ve heard their pitch. If it gets too annoying, I just ask them to get me off their list.

Stay in control. Its your money. Start buying and stop being sold to !

A 30 day challenge is a pretty nice way to cultivate a good habit. 30 days is just the right time you need to understand if something is for you or not. My first 30 day challenge I realized that blogging everyday was not for me. I would simply run out of things to talk about. This normally doesn’t happen.

But this time, I am going to try a 30 day challenge on a fitness level. I am going to go on a 30 minute walk everyday. A god forbid I miss a day, I ll make up for it on the next day. Very simple but demanding.

I am a manufactured geek. I like to use my brains and fingers to get work done. Not much of the active type. Lets see how this works out. I’ll issue weekly updates to update you people on how its working out.

I am of the strong opinion that the annual gitex is over rated. I understand you get discounts and stuff but I have found the market rates to be almost the same.  I mean, I never buy my mobiles or laptops from big stores like E-max or Sharaf DG because the items there are always over priced. I have managed to get the same items for at least 20% cheaper in market.

You need to know where to buy what in Dubai. I buy my mobile from Mobile round about in Sharjah. I have always got the best rate in market from there. I buy my laptops from Bur Dubai. So on.

That is why I would like to point out, all big electronics store are always more expensive than the market. So don’t be duped.

We live in a desert and burn crude/gas to produce electricity. We enjoy year round sun shine and some of the hottest weathers around the globe. There is a massive potential for solar technology in the gulf. I know the setup cost is huge but I think the government needs to do something about it. May be subsidize a bit?

I mean make it mandatory for new building to have a certain number of solar panels linked to its grid. Offer incentives for residents who install solar panel in their balconies. I am sure the saving is going to take time to recover but at the end of the day its worth it. The oil in this world is limited and the prices are going to go only one way and that is up. It might not go up tomorrow but the trend is upwards. A barrel of oil saved today might be worth much more after a year or two.

I am a strong advocate of decentralized energy production. I am not sure how it is going to be implemented but it has to be done.

Air travel is a pretty glamorous business. It makes sense that with all the economic development happening, people are going to travel more and more. There is a lot to this business that doesn’t meet the eye. The following is a very amateur analysis of the airline sector and why I would never buy a stock of a airline company.

Heavy Debt: All airlines operate under a very high ratio of debt. So basically time is of the essence. More the time the airline stays in the air the more money the company makes. But god forbids something goes wrong and the equations go haywire. The amount of money involved is huge and hence the risk is excess. It is very stressful and difficult to manage a show under such a heavy debt.

High Costs of Planes and Spare parts: A plane and everything related to it is expensive. An airline certified nut costs 4 times the normal nut. There is nothing different about both of them. Similarly, different spare parts and services are even more expensive. There are literally hundreds and thousands of spare parts. It is also required to stock all these spare parts because you don’t want to delay a take off for a spare part. But due to the sheer number of spare parts the logistics and inventory cost associated is huge. The money spent in buying spare parts is basically blocked.

High cost of skilled labor: Not everyone can work on plane. You need to be certified. The number of certified labors are pretty less and hence they earn a decent salary. The labor is expensive.

Monopoly of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) : Not a lot of companies make commercial planes. Not a lot of companies make parts and systems for commercial airlines. Not a lot of companies make engines for commercial airlines. Usually, the number is 2 or 3 in each field.  Therefore, these companies enjoy some of the most envious profit margins on earth.

Oil Dependent : The amount of risk one is bearing greatly increases when one’s business is solely dependent on fuel. Fuel prices are volatile. Unless you are a airline operating out of gulf you are pretty vulnerable. The profits of your business are greatly susceptible to volatility of the crude prices. This is a key element out of your control. I would rather prefer a business where the managers have a much more control over the business.

Low Profit Margins: The airliner’s usually don’t enjoy huge profit margins. They have net profit margins in the 6-8% range. Its just that the volume is huge and hence the net profit looks big. I am sure there are far better businesses that enjoy better profit margins.

Think about it. If you have a counter argument, I am game.