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...