Life, post-bonus, looks distinctly good ... financially, at least.

May be that is a very materialistic way of looking at life - a lot different from how it used to be even a decade back. But then, 10 years back I never thought I'd own shares in a multinational.

Had been to the land of hookers and pimps (Thailand - which has cities like Bang-kok and Phuk-et) last week. Have been busy telling friends and colleagues that a good Bengali only watches from a distance, and fantasizes ... nothing more.

But shocking to see the extent of cleanliness that exists in Thailand. Parts of Bangkok and Pattaya can be passed off as any western city. And only two decades back the country was as backward economically as any other large Indian city.

The pics: a) the Irish pub where we used to go for our grub in Pattaya; b) the private beach from our hotel.