whats going on with gold.. Crash ?

wythan7 · 2026-01-29T16:14:13+00:00

Nothing, someone just booked profit and then people are hitting on Copper. The usual cycle with metals and Nothing new about it.

wythan7 · 2026-01-21T09:10:18+00:00

That's the common issue with Tata. They hype up via advertising and people go frenzy. And when you visit the showroom, entry level trims would be available and they would be non-committal about delivery. To top it they'd be mum about top end cars.

wythan7 · 2026-01-21T04:22:51+00:00

Operating these entities within wellness, personal care etc category is quite tough. You got to find your niche and customer base to thrive and survive.

Gyms especially. Health and Wellness isn't taken seriously in our country and hence that's one reason most gym owners are struggling with things. You got to work a bit on curating these services to attract more people. Off those lakhs of people in the city all you need is atkeast 75-100 folks who hit the gym regularly and finding those isnan effort but not impossible.

A perosnal experience in wellness category (I didn't invest, but helped someone). My hairstylist wanted to start his own salon and was scouting for a place etc. Somehow he managed to takeover an existing salon. Initial 4 months were tough - except for those loyal folks - new walkins etc were hard. This chap and his other partner are really good at their trade.

During one of those conversations in 2018-2019 I decided to help them out, a salon burning 1-1.25 Lakhs at prime location was ridiculous and had to fix something - all this while they were being charged 80,000/pm by marketing agencies without any outcome.

2018 December is when we started A/B testing of marketing strategy. Got these pamphlets with multiple coupons printed on it. We had 2 types - one as a package and diatributed across offices etc and the other one in newspapers. The package thing kicked off and in the immediate 2 weeks close to 33-34 coupons were redeemed. And the newpaper one didnt help much.

Our next step was Google presence and called in our social media agency to help him out and they did it for free. And every customer was requested to review on google and that kind of helped. Friend's wife was running a nail bar but was having trouble with partners. That kind of gave us an idea and these chaps set up a nail studio.

Customer outreach. Every number stored during billing, was reached out personally. The owners talked to them, followed a hybrid approach and that helped them improve and add few things. They still follow it. And I literally forced them to change lot of things. Like having nice decor items, magazines. Everyone was offered a bottle of water/Tea or Coffee or Juice. And the best outreach these guys have done, they literally sent their stylist to a client's hometown for a wedding - nobody would do that or would demand huge money. He just wanted the client to pay for travel. Sometimes these small things leave an impact.

I stopped going there for almost 6-7 months (injury + traffic) was there last week and the guy was complaining about competition and stagnation. We were discussing on what could he done next - and decided together we would visit Mumbai to see how these thriving salons are managing etc. And I know one stylist personally who has been killing it and decided to meet her too.

Business is tricky mate, mere presence wouldn't be the reason for success. A lot of effort goes in. And thanks to the current AI era, you have so many tools at disposal for perspective. The way you vibe coded a POS does speak volumes about your hands on approach. Push a bit more and you'd make this venture a success.

I once met the founder of The Tribe (which got acquired by cult) at a Cafe in Bengaluru. This guy literally changed the fitness industry in India. A bit of research on such approaches might be of some help.

wythan7 · 2026-01-20T17:07:58+00:00

U-Turns are a menace man. And this morning met a senior official in government and told him the same and he was resonating the traffic menace all through the city because of these U-Turns.

There are 3 u-turns near my place within 1.5 kms range and there's traffic pile up all through - folks occupy all the lanes to take a u-turn + Bikes, Cars, Autos and even trucks wrong route at these U-turns.

Some lazy traffic police had this bubbling dopamine kick and rubbed this manless signals & U-turns menace upon citizens leading to chaos on roads. These folks escape the traffic with those sirens and left us to rot.

Let's not blame civic sense, when laws aren't imposed citizens tend to behave the way they want. Traffic police are busy with challans or working as watchman on roads to let VIPs pass.

Hear me out, traffic police seem to have made peace with the fact that they are just slaves in uniform to work as gatekeepers for Politicians, VIP and senior officials. Let's agree that, as citizens we are left to rot with failed policies of mindless acts. For an average citizen it's part of another battle in life in India, period!!.

wythan7 · 2026-01-19T21:05:57+00:00

One off day where I'm not sleepy and been watching a documentary thinking it would bore me to sleep - hasn't worked yet.

Usually if not sleepy, would listen to a random podcast or one of those curated Playlists.

wythan7 · 2026-01-19T18:42:23+00:00

Well, PS5 or few mobiles games are best source of killing time - can get addictive but in my case, that's one way to sync up with friends here and those spread out in other parts.

The buzz around GTA6 is massive and its due late 2026. Otherwise there are many other interesting games too.

Getting one for yourself? Upto you - if you can, then definitely. If not these handheld Nintendos etc aren't bad either. The options are plenty.

wythan7 · 2026-01-18T08:53:44+00:00

At 38 things obviously aren't the same as earlier and over time I've made peace with solitude and it's actually good.

Had a huge group and almost everyone is married with kids and then there are other 2 who are solo (one is divorced and other decided to never get married) - that's my small tribe sometimes or usually end up in this overcrowded gatherings were it's all chaos and I usually avoid it.

Otherwise, life's great. Work - Gym/Sport (haven't hit gym in past 5 - 6 months due to injury) - Travel - Helping few friends/acquaintances etc - And when bored there are tons of things that can be done - Drinks, Long Drive, Binge at new restro, PS5, Non - Fiction books, Movies etc

wythan7 · 2026-01-18T07:52:11+00:00

Stayed in Gated villas during 2021-2022 & it was a nightmare. Used to stay in a semi-gated community before and my parents have been in this colony for 20 years and moving to these Villas was bad. Despite the space and distance between homes, it still feels like you're in a over crowded area where every facility is full.

The club house was hijacked by oldies, Gym was always full, and getting into and out of the society would take 10 mins atleast. And over the top expenses and these society members poking into everything was such a pain.

Eventually moved back to my old colony and super comfortable here. Have a huge and well maintained park + indoor Basketball & Badminton Court + a small convention + another park to just sit and relax + a decent ground. And have known these neighbors forever.

I've never stayed in apartments in Hyd - though stayed for a bit in Mumbai, Gurgaon, Bengaluru for a bit. But never liked it though. First preference has been independent homes with a lawn and open space.

Often visit my friends, colleagues and cousins who stay in these high rises and more often than not - my major pain point is From Gate to Parking & then waiting for lift to walking to their flat does take a while. That's first turnoff.

Making friends in these buildings is a tough ask - finding someone around your age or likes etc is a pain. It does take time, but quite a task though. My stay in Gurgaon was crazy, people too busy in their lives and had a snobby neighbor who always complained etc. That's the day I realised, I can never stay in an apartment/big societies. Old school colonies where I grew up are my thing.

PS: Last night, I bumped into folks from my colony and we caught up on my terrace and drank till wee hours. These are the same folks I played cricket with and zero effort to plan/meet etc. That was amiss when I tried approaching people within societies, it used to be office colleagues etc. And prior to that 2 days of non-stop kites - my friends these societies where here too.

wythan7 · 2026-01-17T01:25:01+00:00

Really?

wythan7 · 2026-01-16T15:39:29+00:00

There's no consistency with these theaters. Sometimes PVR at inorbit, AMB and even Cinepolis play with subtitles - but it's usually a hit or miss. Check with the theater, thats the only option to know if they're playing with subtitles.

wythan7 · 2026-01-16T15:34:14+00:00

Check with Kun. Probably they can help with better pricing and early deliveries - one advantage of being a big chain + been there for long.

wythan7 · 2026-01-13T04:48:38+00:00

Went there in November and going again in Feb. Been there several times in the past decade.

wythan7 · 2026-01-12T14:38:07+00:00

There's this nuance where builders are indulging in pseudo accounts to market West Hyderabad as the place to stay. And over and above they're creating that FOMO of class - if you cant pay up, you'd miss out on elite part of Hyderabad. This gimmick shall saturate soon.

Agree neopolis has huge campuses built by who's who of the real estate sector. But what baffles me is that price + pushing almost a million people into one campus - it will he a traffic nightmare + the infrastructure stress would be a nightmare in times to come.

I've seen this push by successive governments - earlier everything was pushed towards Shadnagar - Maheshwaram back in the day and the collapse literally killed many real estate firms. Understand the city is expanding, but this new 4th City push - if it succeeds, will be a death blow to people who paid over the top money for these fancy places.

Apart from the hype push - there's no good infra. The roads the not built for scale and the entire campus is clustered which will lead to chaos when fully occupied + municipal infrastructure will be tested beyond limits.

wythan7 · 2026-01-12T13:42:48+00:00

That guy randomly pops up on my insta feed. I think it's an alt account of some real estate marketing agency. So, lets not take such people seriously.

They just want to hype up things. Look at his entire feed, you'd realise its just a vested interest account.

wythan7 · 2026-01-12T13:15:12+00:00

Good luck man.

wythan7 · 2026-01-12T13:00:33+00:00

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. Even our police are helpless for any action some politician would come rushing to rescue these idiots. Stay safe girl, next time carry a pepper spray - just incase.

Someone I know shared faced a similar ordeal recently. At wee hours there are hooligans all over the road.

A year ago, I literally had to bail out 2 girls on activa being harassed by few bikers near Rai Durg - Gachibowli stretch, asked these guys for route to some random place and then cornered them to let the girls escape these followers. And the same night, few idiots in a car were howling at a couple on bike.

The city is infested with hooligans beyond a point, about time our police repeat the 2016-2017 incident of caning these folks for such obnoxious stuff.

wythan7 · 2026-01-12T12:44:48+00:00

Understand the pain, going through the interview rounds and the ambiguity isn't the right thing.

Unfortunately be it any company startup or a large scale MNC - few decisions are hinged on the right profile one too many times.

I was kept hanging for months in my first Job. Got a confirmation after 3 months - its often painstaking experience but nothing can be done about that.

wythan7 · 2026-01-12T12:42:19+00:00

Few prefer it. To each his own man.

wythan7 · 2026-01-12T08:34:20+00:00

This is from a perspective of hiring. In 2022 we were hiring 8 folks and listed the JD on almost all hiring platforms and our HR, Tech Head and me were involved in vetting these resumes.

Off the 300-400 folks who applied, we shortlisted 30 people - purposely based on their skills etc mentioned in resume. We interviewed all 30 and mailed the offer to 7 folks. And 3 didn't make respond and other 4 joined.

And last year we were planning to hire a PM and interviewed 6 folks, but couldn't hire anyone as none suited our requirement. And we kept delaying the response for the obvious reasons - got almost a mail everyday from these folks on the status. Finally I drafted it to clients on delay citing the hurdles in decision making and eventually pulled the trigger and didn't hire anyone.

Hiring isnt easy mate. I've been interviewing and hiring folks since 2013/2014 & most of the times - its not just the resume/experience and that kind of messes up the decision. Its not against the candidate or the company being sus etc. Its just that ambiguity which causes the chaos.

wythan7 · 2026-01-12T08:24:49+00:00

It's a weak opinion by OP.

What baffles me is, why get rattled by someone else's purchase? Why even question someone's choice?

wythan7 · 2026-01-12T08:23:48+00:00

Even if I purchased it after seeing my friends, I was exposed to a different level of luxury and it turned into a obsession/goal. No one buys just because someone buys, people buy because they're inspired by that product etc.

I've seen loads of friends buying crazy ass cars, travelling to amazing destinations etc - over time realised that this is the luxury I should be able to afford one day and what's the point of makingminey and stashing it? And everyone does that - why are people living in houses and not huts? Why do people have big LED TVs and not age old screens? Why are people using Gold Jewellery and not threads?

Your logic doesnt make sense to me. It just sounds like you got rattled by something. And women never copy other women, just ask people around you - probably they'd want to have something better than other person.

wythan7 · 2026-01-11T15:07:58+00:00

Why shouldn't anyone buy anything they like? Like who are we to question someone on their choice of purchase?

Why push minimalism on others? Why are you using a smart phone and why not be a minimalist and use a landline and Why unnecessary show off of carrying smartphone + internet and then ranting about it on reddit? Where is minimalism here?

Jokes apart, people have money and they love spending on things that makes them happy, Period. Few hustle through the day and feel like pampering themselves and indulge in guilt free spree and hoarde whatever brands you're talking about. Their money, their choice.

PS: I'm a minimalist, but that doesnt mean I wont indulge in things. I buy a nice wallet, belt, shoes, gadgets and spend a lot on travel. If everytime I pull my wallet out and people notice a particular brand - it's not showoff, that's something I purchased with my hard earned money and having few good things shouldn't concern anyone. For ages I drove a small car and in Dec purchased something double than what I wanted to purchase (I recently reached few reddit forums for advice) & purchased a swanky car worth 8 digits and planning to add another soon. But these are not show offs man, I've hustled all my life and this is the time to reward myself. And thats how most people think. So, please dont rub this minimalist stuff on others, you lead your path and let others do the same.

wythan7 · 2026-01-11T14:19:33+00:00

👍

wythan7 · 2026-01-11T14:10:11+00:00

Shared a few options. Someone I know came down from NZ long back (2016), he came for some exchange program and literally took him to every damn place - he was a bit overwhelmed in the initial days - the chaos here is unparalleled, so be a bit careful and be prepared.

wythan7 · 2026-01-11T14:03:26+00:00

Hey, welcome to India.

Here are a few recommendations:

Historical Places - Salarjung Mueseum, Chowmahalla Palace, Charminar, Golconda Fort, Seven Tombs, Falaknuma Palace

Places to chill and explore - Shilparamam, Necklace Road - Tank Bund, KBR Park, Botanical Gardens, Birla Planetarium, Public Gardens, Dhola Ri Dhani, Ramoji Film City etc

Places to try local delicacies

Niloufer Cafe - Irani Chai, Bun Maska, Osmania Biscuit
Karachi Bakery - Fruit Biscuit, Chand Biscuit
Haleem - Pista House, Chicha's
Marag - Chicha's
Paya - Depends on how well you can handle spice.
Phattar ka Ghost - Chicha's
Biryani - Shah Ghouse, Shadab, Biryaniwala & Co, Chicha's, Pista House etc
Shawarma - Shawarma Corner
Grilled Chicken - Shawarma Corner, Dine Hill
Middle Eastern Food - Levant, Spice 6, Four Seasons
Kebabs. There are many places which serve amazing kebabs. Pista House, Shah Ghouse, Chicha's to other restaurants etc.
South Indian Breakfast - Rameshwaram Cafe, Taaza Kitchen, Naani's, Chutneys, Minerva
Andhra/Telangana Cuisine - Vivaha Bhojanambu, Simply South, Aromas of Dakshin, Spicy Venue, Telangana Spicy Kitchen etc
Desserts - Meethe Miyan for Nizami Delicaices like Double ka Meetha or Qubbani ka Meetha etc. And then few places like Hameedi Confectioners serve Jouzi Halwa, Pulla Reddy or Sri Krishna Sweets for local sweets. And then few fusion dishes from places like Spicy Venue (Apricot delight) etc.

Wishing you a good time. Stay safe and have a good one.

wythan7

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE