Del Mar Fair

Just got back from the Del Mar Fair!
It was a lot of fun! I would sit @ Brigantine and watch the fairgrounds...but I didn't know it was this big! It was a lot of fun....we sat in many rides that keep on circling round and round....for anyone who knows me....knows that anything that spins round and round is not really my specialty....but guess what?? I SURVIVED....hahahah

Here's some pics:

I WANT HER

BUT I GUESS SHE WILL DO JUST FINE.... :)

the Standard - Downtown LA

Anyone who has been to the Standard in Downtown LA will be completely overwhelmed by the visual treat this hotel has to offer. The movie "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" starring Robert Downey Jr. was shot in this hotel for most part. The hotel is so chic that words cannot describe the beauty and elegance it has to offer.

Having stayed there most of the times when I hang out in LA, I can say that it definitely delivers the goods! For e.g. you have the 24x7 bar/restaurant. I cannot even begin to tell you how important this is when it's about 3am and you don't wanna drive around for more drinks or food! This restaurant is packed all day (except for wee hours of the morning) when people are trying to tell their hands from their feet :)

Here's a quick snapshot of the visual treat the 24x7 restaurant has to offer:
The next best thing is the rooftop bar....this bar turns into a party destination for all trendy LA troopers! Here's a view of the rooftop bar:

The mystical orb shaped water beds and the fancy hotel rooms make it an experience everyone will remember. I would highly recommend staying in the Standard for people who don't want to worry about driving around too much and still want to have the best night in LA. I've been there 3 times now and never have I regretted staying there. It is just so convenient.....and luxurious!



Live Life.....King size!!!

Lifestyle Design (Contd.)

ESCAPE THE MUNDANE BORING LIFE!

Continuing with a great lifestyle requires a lot of time management. My inspiration is Tim Ferris from the book "The 4hr Workweek". I have finally come to a point where I don't think I want to work for someone else anymore. It gives me a lot of time in the day to work on my business and also gives me time to have an exciting life.

I have been traveling a lot. I have been going out a lot. I have been working out and have finally started doing things like playing my guitar and taking swimming lessons. These are things I have procrastinated for years. I haven't practiced playing the guitar for years and I have been trying to take swimming lessons for more than 2yrs. Its time to reclaim my life back!

Life is all about health, wealth and relationships. The time you invest in yourself will provide you with more benefits over a period of years. Research has it that the more you spend time on yourself, the better things will be for you. Your job will be even more better if you work on yourself first. Survival is the key here. Once you learn to survive at your job, the next phase involves working on your self!

Some other things I am interested in doing in the next few months:
1. Mountain biking
2. Kayaking
3. ATV Riding
4. Painting (more!)
5. Learning Salsa
6. Traveling

Professionally I would also love to work on my business and release some new products that I have in my mind.

Los Angeles Comes A Callin'

Living in San Diego is a lot of fun! You have the Gaslamp District, you have Pacific Beach, the endless beauty of La Jolla and the mystical charm of Del Mar.

But once in a while when I feel the itch to take my luxurious lifestyle to the next level, Los Angeles definitely comes to my mind.

Previously I have pretty much stayed at The Standard Hotel in Downtown LA. You can view the pics here

Every now and then, I head out to Los Angeles to relax and find a peace of mind. One would think that people from LA escape for peace of mind. I on the contrary, actually run towards it for my peace of mind. Ironical as it may sound, I actually thrive on it. Blame it on being born and brought up in the fast life in Bombay!

So I am heading out to LA (again!) for the weekend and will post my escapades as early as I can.

Here's a little bit of the items on my TO DO THINGS IN LA:
1. Have a nice sushi dinner @ KATANA
2. Buy killer pair of jeans from Melrose Place
3. Visit Foxtail Lounge
4. Visit Ketchup Restaurant
5. Eat @ JJ's Indian Chinese again (box it up to last for 2 more meals)
6. Take my uncle and aunt out for a good dinner.
7. Meet my good friends Gary and KF for a day and hang out!

Life is good, and will be great!

Reading - An Essential Skill

Some of the most successful men read a lot of books. It is said that on an average, a CEO of a big corporation reads about 4 books a month and earns up to 567 times more than an average man!

Take some time to sink that last statement in. This is really some indicator of the wealth of knowledge that reading brings in. Reading also adds multiple dimensions to your personality. Just after reading a month's worth of books, you will notice a tremendous shift in your vocabulary, your thought processes and your overall personality. I highly recommend that you compile a master list of books to read on each avenue of life.
Here is my list of books that I am reading or going to read for my business/professional skills:
The striked or red ones are already read.


Unlimited Power - Tony Robbins
Awaken the Giant Within - Tony Robbins
Awakening the Entrepreneur Within - Michael Gerber
Wikinomics
The Four Hour Workweek - Tim Ferris
Tuned In (great link: http://www.tunedinblog.com/)

Theory of Capitalism

The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World--by Alan Greenspan;

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable--by Nassim Nicholas Taleb;

Wealth and Poverty--by George Gilder;

Prophet of Innovation: Joseph Schumpeter and Creative Destruction--by Thomas K. McCraw;

On the Wealth of Nations--by P. J. O'Rourke;

The Road to Serfdom-- by Friedrich Hayek;

Flat Tax Revolution: Using a Postcard to Abolish the IRS--by Steve Forbes;

The Way the World Works--by Jude Wanniski;

The Twilight of Sovereignty--by Walter Wriston.

History and Heroes

Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way--by Richard Branson;

Bowerman and the Men of Oregon: The Story of Oregon's Legendary Coach and Nike (nyse: NKE - news - people )'s Cofounder--by Kenny Moore; Bill & Dave:

How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company--by Michael S. Malone;

Gates: How Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people )'s Mogul Reinvented an Industry and Made Himself the Richest Man in America--by Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews;

Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist--by Roger Lowenstein;

Walt Disney (nyse: DIS - news - people ): The Triumph of the American Imagination--by Neal Gabler;

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin--by Benjamin Franklin;

The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance--by Ron Chernow; The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression--by Amity Shlaes.

How Capitalism Works Today

Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes--by Mark Penn and E. Kinney Zalesne;

The New Normal: Great Opportunities in a Time of Great Risk--by Roger McNamee;

The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail--by Clayton Christensen;

The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us--by Robyn Meredith;

Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy--by Thomas Sowell.

Instructional Tips

Bull's Eye Investing: Targeting Real Returns in a Smoke and Mirrors Market--by John Mauldin;

Rule #1: The Simple Strategy for Successful Investing in Only 15 Minutes a Week!--by Phil Town;

Boomtown USA: The 7 1 / 2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns--by John M. Schultz;

The Intelligent Investor--by Benjamin Graham;

The Only Three Questions That Count: Investing by Knowing What Others Don't--by Kenneth L. Fisher;

The Elements of Style--by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White;

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind--by Al Ries and Jack Trout;

Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits From Your Small Business--by Jay Conrad Levinson;

Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!--by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter;

How We Got Here: A Slightly Irreverent History of Technology and Markets--by Andy Kessler;

The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything--by Guy Kawasaki;

Accounting Workbook for Dummies--by John A. Tracy.

Management Secrets

In Search of Excellence: Lessons From America's Best-Run Companies--by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman;

It's Your Ship: Management Techniques From the Best Damn Ship in the Navy--by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff;

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don't--by Jim Collins.

5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Food for the Soul

They Call Me Coach--by John Wooden with Jack Tobin;

Think and Grow Rich--by Napoleon Hill;

The Fountainhead--by Ayn Rand;

The Acts of the Apostles--by Luke;

The Purpose-Driven Church--by Rick Warren;

Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking--by Robert Schuller;

The Greatest Salesman in the World--by Og Mandino;

The Richest Man in Babylon--by George Clason;

The Soul of a New Machine--by Tracy Kidder.

Useful Entertainment

Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs, a Parody--by Fake Steve Jobs;

The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between a Little Craziness and a Lot of Success in America--by John D. Gartner;

Investment Biker--by Jim Rogers;

All the Money in the World: How The Forbes 400 Make--and Spend--Their Fortunes--by Peter Bernstein and Annalyn Swan;

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game--by Michael Lewis;

The Bonfire of the Vanities--by Tom Wolfe.

[Updated July 10, 2008]

[Updated Aug 03, 2008]

ROWE Mania

It is finally happening! What I have been doing since I was a kid now finally is accepted! YoHooo!! I used to tell my parents that it doesn't matter where I study as long as I get the results! When I came here for master's i would sit @ Starbucks every day instead of slogging in a library. Then I moved to an area where there were pretty women...it just drives me!
For 3Yrs, i have been preaching the power of allowing people to have the flexibility of working from anywhere at anytime (within reason) as long as they can produce the same results. I have observed in my case that I work better and am more productive and happier......

Read More Here

Get Up, Stand Up...Don't Give Up The Fight

This could be the second line to Bob Marley's iconic song....or it could be a blog post that will change the way you look at things forever. Like I always said, I have been a super-believer, if such a term exists. I believe that everything is possible. Sometimes people label me as crazy because I try to make stuff happen despite everyone else just giving up.
That is me. I have a model in my head, a model that says, "Never give up."

There comes a time in our life when everything seems unfair. A time when our faith, our values, our patience, our compassion, our ability to persist, are all pushed to our limits and beyond - Tony Robbins. It is in these times that some people identify their true self and learn and excel, while it is in these same times that many fail and falter.

It is all a matter of beliefs. People who are unhappy and who live broken lives are often people without the results they have wanted for so long. They often believe that they can no longer produce the same results with their actions - Tony Robbins.

The difference is how you empower your belief system. Why is it that some of us live the exact same lives and yet product enormously different results. Others model excellence, while some model failure.

I want you to model excellence! There is no failure, it's only feedback. There is no end to the ups and downs in life. i have gone through so many downs lately that I can't even begin to count, and yet I manage to smile. The words: depression, frustration, anger do not even come to my mind. Yes I am not perfect. Yes I do get carried away and go through each of the above mentioned negative emotions, but I come back. And I stand up taller and I fight.

That is who I am....I am a fire sign....I am a fighter. I may not be 6 feet tall....I may not be externally strong, but internally, I am the ROCK! I have the power to change lives of people around me.

The above paragraph is my belief system. I recommend you start building your own belief system as well.

Never, Ever, Never, Ever, Never Ever....Give Up.

Life is too short, and too precious. Time wasted is time lost. Time that never comes back. But learn from the experience. Learn to live better than before with each passing day. That is the true essence of life.

Until next time,
Charged,
Anup Marwadi