Tuesday, February 27, 2007

KFC Earns

How Much does KFC Make out of your hunger?

  • 1USD = 44.20 Indian Rupees (INR)
  • Rs. Implies INR in all discussion below.
  • 10 grams Gold worth Rs. 9728 in India
  • Per capita income in India = USD 705
  • Rs. 100, 000 can buy a YEAR of decent living, children education and basic entertainment in an average Indian family of four members.

In KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) one fine evening, in Kolkata February 24, 2007 Saturday I had a light dinner and made a guestimate* of how much the owner of one of such store can earn.

Data:

Location: City Center, Kolkata

Min. Priced food: Rs. 75
(Only two items in this category, most of them lie in a range of Rs. 100 to Rs. 200.)

Floor Area: 30 x 30 Square Feet.

Employees: 12 (5 waiters, 2 Counter Boys, 1 welcome girl, Assuming 4 cook)

Average Number of customer at any instance: 40

Assumptions:

  1. One customer spends one hour in the restaurant which is a far long time because usually people come in group of 3 in average.
    Which makes 20 minutes per customer but here we are calculating worst case income.

  2. Employees are paid Rs. 10,000 per month for 5 hr/day 7 days a week.

  3. Total cost on food includes cost of raw material, storage cost, cost of cooking aids (Gas, water, power etc.) and depreciation cost of cooking aids.
    It is assumed 50% of sale price of food.

  4. Operation hours: 5 hrs/ day 30 days a month.

  5. Rental, security, insurance, advertisement, public relation cost: Rs. 125, 000.

  6. verage money spent per person per visit: Rs. 100.

Calculations (per month):

Total Revenue:

Total customers x Average order price = 50x5x30 x 100 = Rs.750, 000.

Total Income after removing cost incurred in converting raw material into edible food:

Total Revenue x (1- fraction of food cost) = 750, 000 – (1- 0.5) = Rs. 375, 000

Total Profit:

Total Income – Salary Payment – Rental etc. cost

= 375, 000 – 120, 000 – 125, 000

= Rs.130, 000 per month

Worst case profit:

Yet the calculation itself was made too tight to leave a space for any further deduction, in worst case the profit is assumed to be 75% of calculated profit.

0.75 x 130, 000 = Rs. 97, 500 per month

Best Case Profit:

1.50 x 130, 000 = Rs. 195, 000 per month

* Guestimate = Guess + Estimate.

In guestimate I observe and try to calculate some facts in a rough manner. This process includes basic observation, rough idea of processes involved in final estimation and nano amount of common sense to keep things in-bound.

There is absolutely zero reliability of this information, please don’t start putting this data as a fact but if you do so please be ready to logically explain each assumptions that are being made in calculation.

Genre: Guestimate
Type: Personal View
Language: English
Category: For ALL age group
Place and Time: IIT Kharagpur. February 27, 2007. 02:01 in afternoon.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

My Favorite Rock Bands

Why Do I Like These Bands?

(Why Do I Like It Series)

CLARIFICATION: I AM NOT A KNOWLEDGABLE PERSON IN MUSIC. I LISTEN THEM AS MY HOBBY. WHETEVER I AM WRITING HERE IS ONLY WHAT I THINK ABOUT THEM. IT IS TOTALLY MY POINT OF VIEW. NO CRITICISM.


Linkin Park:

Genre: Alterative Rock, Alternative Hip-hop, Pop grunge, Electronica

Why? Distortion: They use distortion in massive amount.

Eshtyle: Almost scream but controlled, like loud expression of frustration.

Eshpecial: Mostly they keep same trend in a song. For example if a song starts with very-very fast vocal, pace doesn’t change in between the song.

When? When utterly frustrated.

Which? Almost every song.


Metallica

Genre: Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, Hard Rock

Why? Theme: Each song has a theme, a story. Good lyrics.

Eshtyle: Song usually have a start, a rise and an end.

Eshpecial: Powerful expression of emotion through vocals, lyrics and music altogether.

When? Every time.

Which? Almost every song.


Pink Floyd

Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock, Electronic Rock, Hard Rock

Why? Not-A-Song: They don’t really make a song. Their songs are in a dialogue with your brain. A weird mental-music dialogue.

Eshtyle: Surprise. They have surprises for you in each song. You will either like it or hate it but nothing in-between.

Eshpecial: Good guitar solos during song.

When? Wenever you’re lost and down or drunk.

Which? Comfortably Numb. High Hopes. Hey You. Another Brick in the Wall. Brain Damage. Almost half of all of their songs.


Rammstein


Genre: Tanz-Metall, Industrial Metal

Why? Ultra Heavy Guitar, Prominent Drum, Exxxtra Strong Vocal.

Eshtyle: Very brief start usually slow then sharp rise in all aspect. Occasional pace variation in song.

Eshpecial: Dominating. You cannot think of anything else while listening them.

When? Mood Josh.

Which? Du Hast, Engel, Hallelujah, Amerika, Sehnsucht, Zwitter, Spring and few more. (I do not understand their lyrics even a single word. I don’t know German)

GENRE INFORMATION FROM http://en.wikipedia.org
LOGOS ARE COPYRIGHTED AND TAKEN FROM AUTHENTIC WEB SOURCES MOSTLY FROM BAND’S WEBSITE.

Genre: Documentary
Type: Persona View
Language: English
Category: For ALL age group
Place and Time: IIT Kharagpur. February 20, 2007. 08:30 in Evening.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Gaylentine Day

[Gaylentine and all related articles are a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in these pieces are fictitious and are for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.]

Gaylentine:

The Concept:

14th February. Does it ring a bell? If No; Read on.
Valentine Day, It is Valentine Day for all those who have a girlfriend. And for all others it is just another day with all routine crap to do.

During the lunch today (i.e. February 14), someone coined the idea of Gaylentine Day. The concept is simple. Valentine day is not suitable for a country like India. It has its own risks; physical risk like danger of being beaten by Shivasena and/or VHP individuals, social risks like being exposed in media as ‘Laila-Majnu caught kissing behind Hanuman Mandir’ with a photograph in which police forcing them to show their face to camera, and few other obvious risks like economic risks and humiliation.

Valentine is applicable to minorities of India, as majority of Indian male do not have a female partner but most of them do have ‘pretty close’ male friends.

So for all those who cannot afford / fetch a girlfriend there should be a way to celebrate this day – A celebration of companionship. Since most of the girls get a boyfriend (at least we think so) so this would be a fiesta of boys (mainly). Keeping these things in mind The Someone gave it a name Gaylentine day i.e. valentine day for men only.

It is safe and easy to use.

The Story:

Baby and Mathur – A saga of struggle: On 13th February night, Baby came drunk to his room. Next day morning i.e. on Gaylentine day, Mathur came to Baby’s door with jasmine garland rounded on his wrist. As he opened the door, he found Baby sitting on bed and the room was filled with puke up to bed level.

Seeing the situation, Baby said, “You have to cross the puke river to be my Gaylentine.” Mathur replied, “But Baby meri jaan, I don’t know swimming.” Baby asked, “What can I do?” and shrugged.

Mathur dipped into the puke river and rose near Baby. Mathur was completely soaked with puke. When he smiled there were puke particles in his teeth. Baby smiled back with his mouth dirtied by his puke. They kissed each other and lived happily ever after.

This way they got their Gaylentine. Someone truly said, “Yeh puke ka dariya hai aur doob ke jana hai.

Famous Gaylentine Pairs:

Baby and Mathur
VD and Maharaj
Vixy and Adi
Sausi and Dumbledor
And many untold heroes

Genre: Drama
Type: Fiction
Language: English, Hindi
Category: For MATURE age group
Place and Time: IIT Kharagpur. February 14, 2007

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Craps, Art and Life

Craps, Art and Life

[I don’t know much about literature; never read big books. I am not a person who likes written things very much. I read things when I have to and all other time I love thinking – wandering in my own dreams, getting amazed by my own thoughts and being happy; and then sleeping.

Lately, I thought – just in search of fancy articulation – let’s try something like Art. I started gawking on paintings, listening music, reading articles, stories, novels and poems. I have to say, I used to think that by not touching these things I am not loosing anything vital. Believe me I was correct until October 2006. Then life changed miserably and every fraction of life turned upside down and turned into something like a homogeneous mixture of bad luck and rows of my timetable – each single event is sandwiched by a pair of bad luck.

Someone had once suggested me that reading/ watching very sad stories/ images/ movies elevates you temporarily from your depression. I started that. I was astonished by the realization that how stories/ Images/ Movies/ Poems which you used to yawn at can seem so close to you when you are completely shaken from inside.

The best thing about *ANY* art form is its interpretation totally dependents on person and varies from person to person. And for a person, an art piece is a function of time and space.

I know most of what I said is like a confused confession to you but it is not, you will understand it someday…, because it is a function of time and space.]


Emily Dickinson’s this poem when I read two years ago (mid 2005) I thought, “Whoa! Another sad poem! Who the hell reads these craps?” Last month (Dec 2006) it had changed meaning to me. Here is the poem:


'Success is counted sweetest'

Success is counted sweetest

By those who ne'er succeed.

To comprehend a nectar

Requires sorest need.


Not one of all the purple Host

Who took the Flag to-day

Can tell the definition,

So clear, of Victory,


As he, defeated, dying,

On whose forbidden ear

The distant strains of triumph

Break, agonized and clear.

-- Emily Dickinson (1864)

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1. The image is "Bailleul_Edmond_Paysage_Mediterranean" by MichaelAngelo.

2. The Poem "Success is Counted Sweetest" is by Emily Dickinson