Predict for me, Paul!

Half of the world seems to be besotted by Paul, the miracle octopus that seems to be bang on while predicting winners of every game in the ongoing football world cup in South Africa. But that’s not unusual considering mankind’s eternal fascination for all forms of prophesies. And I am no different.

Except that what’s important for me is not the prophesy……what has to happen will happen. All I am looking for is an early indicator that helps me plan some preemptive action.

So Paul, would you work for me? Should you agree, here’s what I would set as your 10 KRAs and want you to predict for me:

1. How much hike would my employer give me this year?...so I can decide whether it’s worth staying put
2. When would I get possession of my home?...delays such as these drive me crazy anyways
3. When would the SBI increase / decrease my home loan rate?...better fiscal planning could have helped even the Government of India reduce its budget deficit; some early warning should save me the worries as well
4. Would apartment rentals in Bangalore decrease next year?...extremely wishful though
5. Would petrol prices rise next week?...another strike…another unscheduled holiday…this time I might plan another new place, much further off
6. Which stocks should I invest in?...strike while the iron’s hot
7. Would the weekend movie be worth the multiplex tour?...I don’t quite agree with Rajeev Masand always
8. What would be the next social networking sensation?...I am pretty late on the blogging scene
9. Will my maid come to work tomorrow?...3 days of laundry is pending, haven’t had dinner home given the rather limited, unwashed kitchenware and the home’s a mess. Here are some some clues – any festivals around? Any weddings or puja in her locality? Everyone in her family healthy? Has she found another higher-paying employer?
10. When would India win the next cricket world cup?...given your penchant for predicting games, this one should be a cake-dive for you

Help me, Paul! Can you predict all these? Viral media reports that Paul gets the choice of picking food from 2 different transparent containers lowered into his tank; each marked with a flag of the playing teams. Football fans believe the container (and hence the flag) that Paul opens first is the one that’s going to win. For a detailed demo of how Paul does it, check out this video:



If you guys can predict any of the above, pitch in on this blog. If you have your own questions, pitch in again, I am sure Paul can do some freelancing. A word of caution, Paul – your 8 arms might entangle in the maze of ifs and whens and buts, while attempting to predict any of these.