Of 14s and electronic q-tips…

The iPhone 14 is here, and so are the done-to-death “sell my kidney” jokes.

Do I upgrade? Well, err…ummm….anyone looking for a Gold iPhone 12 Pro Max Fantastic 256GB?

The airpods refresh seem tempting too.

But then, so does gold, at a yearly low, and equities, that are expected to dip as recession hits the West.

So do I buy the 14, or do I invest in gold? Seems like a stupid choice, but well, perspective matters.

Here is something that I wrote about earlier. Tell me what you think I should do:)


Well, I learnt a bit about both this week.

First – about gold. That it’s lure still attracts, but in ways that I didn’t quite imagine. Something about the yellow metal makes it impossible for us to stay away from it, even after so many years.

Anyways, I was speaking to someone about how he invests in gold, and there were a lot of things I learnt from it. So much that I now follow what I call the “gold and silver standard.”

Example? My iPhone is equivalent to two tolas (around 13.2) grams of gold, and more than one kilogram of silver. My computer is 3.5 tolas, and a dumbbell-equivalent of silver, my…well you get the drift.

Puts things into a more “radiant” perspective. If anything, may help me think twice before I upgrade my devices!

Jokes apart, there is a lot to learn on how investments work. We tend to spend a lot, but invest little. Like we tend to read a lot, but learn a little? The world is round after all (and a bit more glowing, I might add).

Now to the salt. Himalayan salt – the pink one that every yoga studio tends to advocate. It’s highly priced, and nowadays highly prized as well. Funny thing is – it does not come from the Himalayas, but from the Salt Range mountains in Punjab, Pakistan. Same level of NaCl as normal salt, with a few minerals thrown in, which may or may not be assimilated by the body.

Also, until 2019, Pakistan exported this raw salt to India, where it was processed and then sold to the international market. Post 2019, Pakistan has begun to process their own salt, and so what you see on the aisles today is a mix of Pakistani and Indian brands. So much for battles fought on the pitch and won on the trading table.

Yes, so the health benefit claims are mostly exaggerated. It does look good though, and well-packaged, being all pink and all. Of course, once you see the price tag, the Nezo packet that lazes on the aisle below suddenly looks a lot more attractive. Why fuss over salt!

My son seems to agree, as he shakes his hands vigorously when I explain this to him. Either that, or he is hungry. After 8-odd months, I am still guessing. Will try to stuff some food into him and see what happens.

See you tomorrow!