And.... Thud-Crash-Bang-BOOOOOM!!!

So went the US markets on Monday afternoon. I was happily going to class, located at 14th wall street. I got off the subway, and started walking towards wall street, with my mp3 player loudly playing 'east side story', of course, Bryan Adams.. As the NYSE loomed in front of me, i was shocked at what i saw. Hundreds of people crowded the street. A zillion photographs being clicked, dozens of interviews being taken, and probably every news channel in USA was there. Me being my usual oblivious self, walked on. After all, there was nothing new i saw here today. On several days i had seen news reporters and film shootings happening on the world famous Wall Street.

Only, today was different. I saw men wearing 800$ suits sitting on the pavements with their hands on their head. Wow! I thought, something big must have happened, and kept walking. I reached class, and there, on the TV set in front, was the news. Man oh man!!! The first thought in my head was, F***!!! Are you kidding me! The market was down 700 points. Which seems to be a really funny number, since the entire situation was a reaction to the House of Representatives rejecting the Bailout Plan of $700 billion.. see the weird connection!? Well, the class was fine, except, in spite of sitting in the front row, i wasn't really listening. All i could think of was.. what the hell! I came home, and researched the entire situation, and read the opinions of hundreds of people, postings on the WSJ and many other sites, and of course, i too have my own opinion (which i should probably post in my next post. this one is getting too long!).

But what is really awesome ( i am using the true meaning of the word here, which means something that generates AWE in you ) is that, maybe 5 years later, or ten, i can say.. I WAS THERE WHEN it HAPPENED!.. i was RIGHT there on Wall Street, when it was falling apart! Wow! people say its the end of an era, i say, maybe, it is the beginning of a new one...

To begin at the beginning..

I have been thinking about writing. Well, can't really say it was a complete, continuous process of thinking, but once in a while i did think. And, being my lazy self, i found more satisfaction in sleeping every extra minute i got, rather than take the pains of logging on to the website, registering, making my profile, the blah-blah-blahs.. Well, i finally got off off my butt and did register, and sigh, i might as well write my first post.. heh!

To start at the starting, as Mrs Nair, my history teacher used to say in every single lecture she ever gave us, I should talk about myself.. I am a 25 year old living alone in the 'city that never sleeps' (it seems) - of course, NY. Been here since a year now, away from home, and away from family, and unfortunately, away from the love of my life, pursuing the dream, or should i say, what the most people say 'should' be my dream, of becoming rich and, well, i don't really wanna be famous, so, lets keep it to rich..

To think, i shall be graduating in december 2008, with a masters in financial engineering from one of the best schools in US, doesnt really make me feel very good, coz, as has been the trend in the last few weeks, every firm i apply to for a fulltime job, shuts down a week later.. what a bl**dy irony! So, currently i am swimming in a pool of self pity and pessimism, as i look towards the bleak future lying ahead.. heh! the joke is on me..