the air

Today, I’ll be going on vacation for a few days for the long weekend. Unfortunately, this means that I may be unable to post while I’m away. Not sure if there is a solution for that.

I’ll be visiting my aunt and uncle along with my cousins in Toronto, Canada and maybe swinging by my dad’s best friend’s place in Rochester, NY. If I do go to Rochester, it is my hope to see Niagara Falls since it has been quite some time since I’ve seen them. I’m also hoping that I can get some free time and have internet access at my aunt’s place. Maybe I’ll be able to write a few posts and post some pictures.

Everyone enjoy their long weekend and I hope you all have fireworks because you’ll definitely have to light one for me since I won’t be able to.

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HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

I want to wish every American a happy and safe independence day. 231 years ago, on this day we proudly declared the colonies independent of the tyrannic rule of the British Empire. Today is the day that our founding fathers stood firm and signed a piece of paper that defined our lives and continues to guide us through life. God Bless America!

Today is the day that United States of America triumphed over tyranny and oppression.

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I took the plunge

After talking to Jennifer Lynn and reading her blog for some time, I finally decided to go for an online savings account. Now that I am working (i.e. an internship), I really want to save my money and not spend it on trivial things. Hence, I went ahead and signed up with ING Direct.

Why ING? They have a pretty lousy interest rate of about 4.5% APY

I spent quite a bit of time reading up on both iGoBanking and ING Direct. In fact, I was even looking at other companies such as FNBO Direct as well (they were offering 6% introductory APY). Ultimately, I settled on ING Direct for the following reasons:

• Excellent customer service
• Veterans of the market
• Sign-up process

This was easy

While doing some research on ING Direct, I learned that they have one of the best customer service experiences of any competitor. This really made my day because this is my first foray into online banking, I really wanted to make sure I can talk to a normal human and have any of my questions answered. So did I call customer service? To be honest, no I did not. But just knowing that I can turn to them and have my answers quickly is a comforting thought.

ING Direct has also been around longer than most others. Although that may not mean much today, it does serve to show that they are experienced and know how to handle their customers. At least I hope. Additionally, the sealed deal is the signup process. Unlike iGoBanking, where they use snail-mail to send you your password to your site, ING Direct simply lets you do it all online. Although it still takes a few days for your account to be active (i.e. till you can do anything), they don’t rely on the USPS. The entire signing up process took about 15 minutes to complete including a soft credit check. That basically means they did not ask for my ENTIRE credit report from the agencies, but they did just ask for a quick overview. This prevents my credit to be affected in a negative manner.

Not all is lost with 4.5%

I realize that ING Direct is not paying me a competitive interest rate, but it is better than any brick-and-mortar bank which average just about 0.5%. I’m sure once I am comfortable with everything, I can always switch over to a new bank and enjoy higher earnings. So far, I just dropped $50 into this thing, so hopefully they won’t steal my cash. If you have not started a savings account, stop being so lazy and go open one NOW! And if you already have one, who is it with and how has your experience been?

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The Fountain has to be one of the most under-rated movies of this year. It is one of those movies that revolves around religion and challenges your beliefs or proclivities surrounding faith. If anything, this movie blends thought and belief quite well and leaves ample room for interpretation. What does all that mean? This movie makes you think!

Earlier in the year, I read “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. That book really makes you think about life and how you view it. The Fountain invokes a similar process, however, it focuses on death rather than your living life. The Fountain, in a way, argues about how death itself is a release from your current manifestation and how you are truly free once you are dead. It illustrates its arguments with three parallel story-lines that continually challenge the protagonist’s beliefs. In fact, a loose interpretation of the movie would be how the main character is able to overcome his own fear of death and loss. Don’t worry, I did not spoil the ending because the ending itself is open to interpretation.

I’ve never seen “Requiem for a Dream,” who’s director, Darren Aronofsky, also directed this movie. From what I have heard, both movies require the audience to think and continue thinking about the actions, plots, and the story behind each element of the movie. Those are the kind of movies, in my opinion, that leave a lasting impression. To me, this movie seems to blend the ideals of Buddhism, Hinduism, Mayans, and Christianity. My interpretation of the movie is that no matter what religion you follow, the ultimate goal is achieving nirvana to release yourself from the bonds of fear and life and elevate your mind and soul to a much higher platform. You may disagree or agree, but either way, your interpretation is correct. That is the true beauty of this movie.

If you like movies that challenge your mind and force you to re-evaluate your beliefs, I strongly encourage you to watch this movie. Make sure you watch this movie with an open mind and do not form any opinions until you see the end credits. Don’t worry, everything will be alright.

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As the weekend comes to a grinding end, I am finally able to relax for a little bit and enjoy the warm days. My family from India was touring the US and Chicago was their last stop. They arrived last Thursday night and since coming back from work, I have been busy taking them around and showing them the sights and shopping. Now that I have some of my own money, I bought my cousin’s daughters some really nifty gifts. The oldest one got a brand new iPod Shuffle and the younger one got a bunch of music CD’s of her favorite artists. Nothing beats seeing kids beam with delight when they receive the coolest gifts.

I somehow was able to find time and help Jennifer out with her blog. She needed some help with placing an advertisement on her site and that in itself was an interesting experience. Both of us got to learn some HTML and I learned how good my HTML knowledge is. Luckily, I was able to help her out and have her place her ad in a prominent and excellent location. Hop over to Brokeass Student’s site and see what you think. Besides, her blog is definitely something ALL of you should be reading.

Now that things are settling down a bit, I can spend some time relaxing and thinking of how I can improve myself at work. Now that is what I call a fun life.

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