The US tax system and me

What is my “default” reaction when things don’t go the way I want them to? Anger. I get angry that things are messed up. This pretty much ruined my happiness in Hyderabad. I hated Hyderabad pretty much every day; I am not sure what good came of that hatred.

Now that I have just moved to California, I am angry again. Both in India and Australia, you don’t have to choose how much tax you want to pay. Your employer deducts the right amount of taxes from your salary and you get exactly what you should get. But in the US, I need to decide how many “deductions” I “claim”, how much extra tax I want to pay, etc. There is a long form to work out all these numbers.

Impatient and irritable, like my usual self, I don’t want to think about money. Even today, I haven’t learned about or made an informed choice on these numbers. I am not even sure if I am underpaying or overpaying my taxes. One thing I know for sure is that taxes are more taxing here than in any other country I have lived in.

Every once in a while, I hate this country for doing taxes differently, especially when I feel like I am paying way too much in taxes. Unlike in Hyderabad, however, here I am a bit more conscious of my hatred. Also, moving to California was a choice I made; not something imposed on me. Maybe I should relent and get familiar with this tax system. That would end this hatred for ever.

Sleep deprivation + driving = not good

While driving, I made two stupid mistakes this morning within a few hours. I have been sleep deprived for a few days now, and I think that has elevated my response time. It’s scary when this happens. I need to sleep well this week.

Driving on the freeways

I have always considered driving on the highways easier than driving in the streets. There’s a lot of space for yourself and a lot less possibilities for a collision. Every time people expressed their view that driving on the freeways in the US was a little dangerous, I refused to accept it. What happened yesterday and today has made me think again.

I was on a ramp connecting CA-85N to US-101N. The ramp was mostly empty, and I was driving at around 50mph. There was a Honda Accord to my right just ahead of me. I wasn’t paying much attention to my own lane because I was busy looking at the fine details of the Accord’s body. Only after a second or so I saw that my lane had completely stopped with cars queueing up. I stepped on the brake and thank god my car stopped without colliding into the car before me.

On the same road today, (US-101N) I was merging onto the right-most lane so I could take the next exit. Traffic was moving at around 30mph or so. In the one second I turned my head to look at my blind spot, the lane had completely stopped and there was hardly a second for me to stop. I jammed the brake again, and my car stopped just at the right time.

It’s crazy how unpredictable traffic on freeways is!

Fear of Unknown

If there’s one thing that’s consistently keeping me from reaching my goals, it’s this: Fear of Unknown.

2011 BMW X3: first impressions

I have been driving a 2011 BMW X3 for 3.5 days now. Thought of recording my initial impressions with the car. (I know it’s not technically a car, but calling it a car makes talking about it easy.)

I was driving a rental Chevy Sonic Hatchback until I got the X3. Switching from this puny car, I didn’t like the X3’s handling in the first two days. The car felt massive and heavy. I think I am starting to get used to the bigger car now.

Compared to the Jeep Cherokee I test drove, however, the X3 was nicer to drive. The X3 had a lot less body roll, and the suspension was a lot smoother on the X3. Cherokee screams “utility” wherever you look. It had plenty of storage space; it had a wireless charger in-built; it had a 110V plug point. X3 doesn’t have as much storage space, which is a bit inconvenient at times.

I didn’t get to choose the features of my X3 because it was a used car. But I’m quite happy with the feature set my X3 has. Putting essentials like bluetooth audio streaming, navigation, etc. aside, the first thing I liked about it was keyless entry. I can open, drive, and lock the car with the key in my pocket. I don’t even have to touch the key. This is liberating, and I love it. The next thing I noticed was that it has auto-dimming mirrors. Looking in the mirrors at night is very pleasant. When I was driving inside Yosemite National Park last night, my car’s headlights turned in the direction of the steering wheel so I could see what was on the road before the car turned. This is a nicety that you won’t much notice when you have it, but a pain when you don’t have it. I’m glad my car has it.

The car’s engine response is good. Cruise control is great too. When the car is on cruise control, the speed never fluctuates no matter how the road is. It climbs up or down the hill with no change in speed — very impressive.

In the last two days, the car’s overall fuel consumption has been 27.2 mpg (11.56 kmpl), which is better than the quoted numbers (19 mpg city, 25 mpg highway).

Overall, the car has been good, I am happy with the purchase. Although my plans to try off-roading may not work out well with this AWD car.