Lost and Found!

Political entertainment...

2009-11-09T16:33:00.005+05:30

Its rather amazing how our elected politicians sometimes behave, but I guess its hardly surprising as even they are also humans, after all. Like everyone else they are also emotional, and are eligible for an emotional outburst or two.

With the above as background, its hardly surprising what happened in the Maharashtra assembly today. Emotional legislators on the two sides and some high-pitched drama - a perfect recipe for a Bollywood potboiler (however, its too real to be actually made into a movie). The issue seemed simple enough (and Mr. Azmi's act democratic enough); perhaps no one would've even noticed it (or maybe I am wrong here), if not for our very charged first time emotional MLAs from MNS. But language could be tricky issue to handle or even understand.

Or am I being presumptuous by assuming that it was pure emotion on display, perhaps it was a pre-planned move with a very clear objective. Its hardly unlikely, considering that its all within the highly murky political samunder. It generated a lot of noise and possibly even some entertainment, and would perhaps ensure some more votes and maybe more than 13 MNS representatives in the next state elections too. And tons of publicity...

So where do we go from here? I wonder how low do we fall (both us and the politicans) before we decide that now its nadir for us all and decide to do something about it.

But I am still inclined to give the benefit of doubt to all parties involved, possibly everyone is innocent and correct in their own places. But a feeling of disgust persists...

As time goes by...

2009-11-07T12:06:00.003+05:30

There is little original on my blog of late, and even this is also a borrowed one. A song which is very dear to me. I guess many of us can relate to these words, simple but intense.

You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.

And when two lovers woo
They still say, "I love you."
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by.

Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date.
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate.
Woman needs man
And man must have his mate
That no one can deny.

It's still the same old story
A fight for love and glory
A case of do or die.
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.

Oh yes, the world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.

It was written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931 and was later used again in the movie, Casablanca in 1942. The version here is the one used in the movie.

Succubus and Incubus

2009-10-29T20:53:00.004+05:30

Succubus: A female demon supposed to descend upon and have sexual intercourse with a man while he sleeps.

In medieval legend, a 'succubus' is a female demon which comes to men, especially monks, in their dreams to seduce them and have sexual intercourse with them, drawing energy from the men to sustain themselves, often until the point of exhaustion or death. This legend was an explanation for the phenomena of wet dreams and sleep paralysis.

Incubus: An evil spirit supposed to descend upon and have sexual intercourse with women as they sleep.

It is a lascivious male demon said to possess mortal women as they sleep and to be responsible for the birth of demons, witches, and deformed children. According to one legend the incubus and his female counterpart, the succubus, were fallen angels. The belief in these demons was especially prevalent in the Middle Ages, and stories of assaults by incubi were not uncommon. There are similar spirits in many cultures. In current usage, incubus means a person or thing that oppresses, such as a nightmare.

The perceived origin of these demons, is said to be as an excuse, for women to have been cheating on their husbands. Saying that they were raped by a demon during the night. Back in those times, this was very well believable. If the woman got pregnant, she would still blame it on the Incubus.

More information for curious readers...

In medieval lore, a succubus was a female spirit that would lay with men to steal their seed: it was given as an explanation of night arousal and wet dreams. It was also paired with the incubus, the male form, sometimes transforming between the two forms to pass along the stolen seed to unknowing women.

In the fifteenth century, the succubus and the male demon, the counterpart incubus (which takes the form of a man, to seduce women), were associated with witchcraft, and witches were assumed to have intercourse with demons.

The Test: Victor Hugo relates that in the Channel Islands Satan himself -- tempted more than elsewhere by the beauty of the women, doubtless -- sometimes plays at incubus, greatly to the inconvenience and alarm of the good dames who wish to be loyal to their marriage vows, generally speaking. A certain lady applied to the parish priest to learn how they might, in the dark, distinguish the hardy intruder from their husbands. The holy man said they must feel his brow for horns; but Hugo is ungallant enough to hint a doubt of the efficacy of the test.

Pehla Nasha

2009-10-25T21:19:00.005+05:30

Its a movie I saw as a kid and loved it even then, despite it being a super flop! And today I came across the name somewhere and it revived all those memories. I also used to dream about something like this...falling hopelessly for a dangerous seductive woman and all the action-adventure-thrill that follows!

It was only much later that I got to know that it was a remake of a Hollywood flick 'Body Double'. I guess it was a daring debut film for Ashutosh Gowarikar, and the movie was far better than his latest 'What's your Rashi?'. It had a weird star cast too - Deepak Tijori (his first movie as a male lead), Raveena Tandon (looking hot in all her saari dances) and Pooja Bhatt.

Maybe I would get a CD for this one and see it again. Who knows what would happen then...

naam, name...

2009-10-24T03:27:00.003+05:30

Odissa is now Odisha and Oriya is Odia (cabinet approved, pending Parliament approval).

Last 10 years have been eventful with politicians insisting that its important to go back to the roots and change names to original ones. Maybe this all was spurred by Bombay being renamed to Mumbai, followed to Madras (to Chennai) and Calcutta (to Kolkota). Bangalore also joined these big cities and rechristened itself Bengaluru.

One of the cities which can soon join the above could be Ahmedabad. It could very well be called Karnavati in future.

Renaming doesn't just end at cities, but extends to crosses, roads, buildings. Hence VT (Victoria Terminus) becomes CST (Chhtrapati Shivaji Terminus), Connaught Place turns to Rajiv Chowk and so on. The fact there was no Railways when Shivaji ruled and no Rajiv when Lutyens designed the Connaught Place is, of course, immaterial.

I do give the impression that I am against renaming these relics of the past. But that's not the concern, the concern is who decides whats right in these cases. Somehow I feel, despite the fact that politicians are elected democratically, they are not exactly the best people to decide on name changes. And what if some people want the name to be changed, while some are against it. The obvious answer would be to let the elected representatives decide...

Xie Caiping

2009-10-22T11:35:00.003+05:30

Xie Caiping is known as "mama san" of one of Chongqing's notorious triads. Xie is accused of operating gambling dens, drug trafficking, giving and collecting bribes and terrorizing people, including policemen who had tried to investigate her illicit activities.

In Chongqing, police operations started in June, leading to the arrest of over 4,800 suspected gangsters and the confiscation of 1,700 illegal firearms. Investigations led to many city officials, including police officers. They include Wen Qiang, Xie Caiping's brother-in-law, who is now accused of colluding with gangsters. Xie Caiping's profanity-laced testimony drew a rebuke from the judge last week, but delighted the public, which reveled in tales in the local media that she kept 16 lovers.

Chongqing became the world's largest city in 1997 when the central government, by administrative edict, incorporated a huge area adjacent to the city into what is now the Chongqing municipality.

References: bbc, telegraph, wikipedia...

Trip back home...

2009-10-13T23:07:00.001+05:30

Perched up on top of a high chair in dull green saree with pale golden border, and red wall serving as background, she was a perfect motherly figure. Looking at her smiling face, I immediately felt welcomed in the household – a simple home with just the basic necessities. A Ganesha fresco is what I saw first as I entered the living room. It was apparently made on the occasion of her son Rajesh’s wedding a few years back, He now has a young daughter as well. Rajesh is also a political worker; I couldn’t exactly make out his political affiliation, but I somehow assumed that it would be either Shiv Sena or the MNS. Its weird how I could assume something like this so easily, rather disappointing I would way.

The grand-daughter continued playing with her neighbourhood friend, while Bhavin chatted with aai and I looked at the wooden utensils and other broken toys of the kid. I liked the setting, it was new but still relaxing. And it was quite there, except for an occasional dog bark, or a neighbourood dog playing, or the utensils in the kitchen.

The day passed off like this, we also followed it smoothly. Partly climbed up the hill behind the village, saw the village school (where Bhavin studied and his dad taught), saw kids playing Cricket (what else!) and a nice wholesome lunch. Most were almost surprised that I didn't eat mutton for Sunday lunch, and so a special vegetarian meal for prepared for me. I also looked most of out place (long hair and odd clothes), and drew some stares from the other villagers. Even Bhavin looked like an outsider.

A week later I was in my hometown Nainital and still looked like an outsider, my language more refined, my mannerisms alien and my stamina limited. Almost like a tourist at home.

I am happy

2009-10-12T21:04:00.002+05:30

It was cool and it was dark.
After a long tiring day,
It was time to enjoy the walk, the sea, the breeze.
The sea hitting dark rocks, and a lot of happiness around me.
And I was happy too, and almost content...

The wine finished slowly,
I saw the sun set and darkness set in.
The salty sea breeze, keeping me awake for a long night ahead,
I could hear stories, and I could even see some of them.

The walk to the cafe, the numerous coffees to keep myself awake,
With a pen constantly filling pages and a companion almost sleeping,
I was happy, and I was content.
Not thinking about the next day, I wished the night to just go on.

The nap in the park bench, the long walk back to where we started,
Getting lost again and again and still finding our way,
Reaching hours in advance,
And again sitting again with a sleepy companion.
I looked at her and yes I was happy,
There was nothing like being there...at that moment.
Sitting on the floor, quietly leaning against the wall,
Watching the world pass by, while I waited for the sun to finally rise.

The Bai Clan (TBC)

2009-10-01T13:38:00.002+05:30

This is how the family history/ tree goes/ grows.

There is Bhaben. We have no clue why she is called that, apparently we (i.e. Bhavin and me) are the only ones who call her that. Bhaben has a daughter Hetal (pronounced Hettal), who works in the house downstairs (and at times at our place as well). Hettal is good decent girl and works well. Bhaben also has a competitor, known as Ramilaben 2 (the original Ramilaben gives food dabba for dinner). Ramilaben is afraid of Bhaben but has a mobile and so is reachable most of the time. So she is our 'Pasand No. 1'! Now, Ramilaben 2 has many kids and we are still rather unsure of the exact numbers. We at least know of three - two daughters and a son. The elder daughter is Sheetal (or Sittal, as she calls herself) and the younger one is Rekha (or Rekkhha).

Sittal is a warm girl and thinks of every girl who visits us as our spouses! I find this exceptionally funny. And she also has some weird characteristics which are a little difficult to describe here. Her sister Rekkhha is quite and extremely quick with work. In fact, they are all very quick.

We always knew they all these women (and some men) were related, but the connections were often vague in our heads. Here is how it works. Hettal is Sittal's mausi and hence Ramilaben 2 is Hettal's cousin. Sittal and Rekkhha still remain sisters, but Ramilaben becomes Bhaben's niece (or something on those lines). And obviously Hettal is still Bhaben's daughter.

More updates in TBC as and when we learn something new about the Clan.

Dussehra

2009-09-28T14:48:00.002+05:30

Dusshera

Evil: Moral badness, or the deviation of a moral being from the principles of virtue imposed by conscience, or by the will of the Supreme Being, or by the principles of a lawful human authority; disposition to do wrong; moral offense; wickedness; depravity.

Good: That which possesses desirable qualities, promotes success, welfare, or happiness, is serviceable, fit, excellent, kind, benevolent, etc.; opposed to evil.

Office timepass again...

2009-09-25T22:18:00.002+05:30

Another totally timepass video with the office junta :)

Garba over the years - Part 1

2009-09-22T23:10:00.006+05:30

Ley gayi dil mera manchali,
khalibali khalibali, khalibali khalibali...

I have always enjoyed Navratri in Gujarat, albeit from a distance. A few times, that I actually got into the field, the disasters (one of them included punching a big fat aunty on her face in Baroda) convinced me that I was not meant for this graceful dancing style.

Pardesia, yeh sach hai piya...
Log kehte hain maine...tujhko dil de diya...

The singers here today are actually good, and music loud and jarring. But I can still enjoy the festivity in the air.

Pari hoon main, mujhe naa choona...

While in school, most garbas (Arkee, United Way, Vaccine) were places to see pretty girls. The first year I visited with my parents, but next year onwards it was only with friends. I would hook onto one girl I liked the best, and would continue looking at her. She would come in front once every round...those were the days...

Khaike paan banaras waala, khul jaaye band akal ka taala...

Garbas in NID were a different affair, I ended up avoiding most of them. I especially remember the garba in first year when I visited only once on the last day for the pooja.

Brazeeeel....(this was actually pure fusion as the words after this were completely in Gujarati)!

I thought I was a purist as far as music is concerned. But I am quite in favour of fusion now. The fusion one hears during Navratri is both innovative as well as entertaining.

Jay Ambe maata ni jai!

Salty Dead Fish and Pizza

2009-09-14T00:59:00.003+05:30

This time last year I was craving for salt like a mad man. Doctors had advised loads of glucose, but all I wanted was salt. It was rather odd, because I have a BIG sweet tooth. I used to actually dream about eating salty sea fish for my meals almost every day. As my skin turned yellower, the craving for the salty fish meal also grew exponentially! Watching 'Travel and Living' all day long gave some exceptional visuals to my imaginations. My substitute to salty sea fish was 'salty' tadka arhar dal!

My Salty fish fantasy finally came true at an awesome open air restaurant in Torino with cool breeze soothing my very tired body, when based on Muzayun's recommendations I decided to take a bite from the very salty 'Tuna Pizza'. Her very audible and orgasmic 'OOHs and AAHs' convinced me that it would be almost a sacrilege to leave Italy without eating this 'Tuna Pizza'. It was for the first time in the last decade and half that a salty and very very tasty dead fish had come so close to my mouth. My desperate taste buds were all up waiting for the salty fish to touch them and give them instant International Nirvana/ Moksha.

The silence that followed (not literally of course) their contact was almost like an unexpected anti-climax to an exceptional build-up of desires and expectations. The buds recoiled, my mouth closed and my hands reached out for the very tasty and fine red wine for a soothing BIG gulp. A certain Ms Muzayun Mukhtar was still making her orgasmic 'OOHs and AAHs' with every bite!

Suddenly my 'Travel & Living says all Salty Sea fish tastes yum' dream came crashing down. And it was heart breaking too but returning to my simple, authentic and very tasty 'Margarita' was rather easy. However, my disappointment continued - no matter how much I tried, my tasty 'Margarita' could just not inspire me to make even an occasional orgasmic 'OOH and AAH' that a certain Ms Muzayun Mukhtar was still making!

Sid the cook!

2009-09-09T12:27:00.007+05:30

The first time I remember doing anything on the cooking gas was frying blood-filled over-bloated ticks (from my dog Pluto in Nanpara) with a neighbourhood friend. It was a messy affair and resulted in some good beatings from amma. However, my efforts after that have been a little less disastrous!

Recently we got a gas connection at home and I am trying to hone my cooking skills once again. My list of recipes is limited so most weekends some of my friends from NID come over and cook and I observe or help in cooking. Its a process that I am surprisingly enjoying a lot now. Most of the times I cook only for myself, but even that is not a deterrent. Lets see how this journey goes...the start looks promising!

Today's menu - Pasta (well its just a ready to mix Sunfeast one) and Suji Halwa (because I am really in mood for something sweet).

rumi, sema, darvesh, mevlevi...

2009-09-05T20:04:00.010+05:30

Darvesh is derived from the word Dar which means 'the door' in Persian, hence a Darvesh is the one 'who opens the door'.

Rumi has said in reference to Sema, "For them it is the Sema of this world and the other. Even more for the circle of dancers within the Sema Who turn and have in their midst, their own Ka'aba." and what he is saying is that when, like in Mecca you have come closer to God, likewise when you perform Sema you are also closer to God.

The Sema was practised in the semahane (ritual hall) according to a precisely prescribed symbolic ritual with the dervishes whirling in a circle around their sheikh, who is the only one circling around his axis. The Sema is performed by spinning on the right foot. [3] The dervishes wear a white gown (symbol of death), a wide black cloak (hirka) (symbol of the grave) and a high brown cap (kûlah), symbol of the tombstone.

Sema ceremonies are broken up into four parts which all have their own important meanings.

Naat and Taksim - Naat is the beginning of the ceremony where they sing praise for the Prophet Mohammed. The first part is finished with Taksim or the playing of the reed flute which symbolizes our separation from God.

Devr-i Veled - Devr-i Veled is when the dervishes bow to each other. The bow is said to represent the acknowledgement of the Divine breath which has been breathed into all of us. After all the dervishes have done this they kneel and recite a short dhikr before removing their black cloaks.

The Four Selams - The Four Selams are the central part of Sema. The semazen, or the whirling dirvishes, are representative of the moon and they spin on the outside of the Sheikh who is representative of the sun. They, as previously mentioned, spin on their right foot and additionally, they have their right palm facing upwards towards Heaven and their left hand pointing at the ground. The four selams themselves are representative of the spiritual journey that every believer goes through. The first one is representative of recognition of God, the second one is recognition of the existence in his unity, the third one represents the ecstacy one experiences with total surrender, and the fourth one, where the Sheikh joins in the dance, is symbolic of peace of the heart due to Divine unity. After the four selams, this part of the ceremony is concluded with another Taksim.

Concluding Prayer - The fourth part of the ceremony is a recitation from the Holy Qu'ran and a prayer by the Sheikh and then the Sema is complete.

The only live performance I've seen was last year at the Sarkhej Roza. It was beautiful, but I saw it just like a performance. Wonder if I would ever be able to actually experience the trance...

Paryushan, Ramadan

2009-08-23T09:10:00.000+05:30

Its interesting to see two religions (Jainism and Islam) so close to each other. While today is the last day of Paryushan (for the Jains), the day also marks the beginning of Ramadan (for the Muslims). Today is almost like a holy communion of two great faiths which appear to be far from each other in their thoughts, but surprisingly have enough meeting ground as well.

Paryushan - broadly means "abiding" or "coming together" while Ramadan is derived from old Arabic which meant 'intense heat, scorched ground and shortness of rations'. Both the festivals start with fasting and end with a major festival on the final day (something not uncommon in Hindu festivals as well).

Festival of Paryushan ordains the Jains to observe the universal supreme virtues in daily practical life with meditation and prayer which also provides an opportunity for looking within and towards the teachings of the Tirthankars for the guidance. Its a period of abstinence from worldly pleasures. Similarly, during Ramadan Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.

But this is just information. I was talking with a friend who is a Jain while waiting for another who is a Muslim, and realised how close these two are in their thoughts during this period of fasting. Fasting gave joy to both of them, and they both had more energy during this period though they ate much less.

For one its the last day, while for the other its a beginning. And today is the day that they share...and I share it too because I am making this unusual connection. Perhaps, we can connect most festivals with one another based on the thoughts associated and not disassociate them because of the difference in the faith of people practicing them.

I took help from the blog of my friend for some information on Paryushan.

Public is the new Private

2009-08-14T02:26:00.005+05:30

An interesting thought...

http://whatsthenewwhat.blogspot.com/2008/05/public-is-new-private.html

"What’s the new what? I say Public is the new Private. Let’s face it, conversations that used to be conducted through private e-mail exchanges are now posted for all to see on facebook walls. Clothing that used to simply imply “I’m better than you” now actually says “I’m better than you”.

It’s gotten out of hand. For my generation, sharing information is no big deal. I no longer hesitate when I type my phone number and detailed plans for the evening on social networking sites. In fact, sending information through private channels has become unheard of, even out of style. The last time I got a Facebook message, I expected it to be SUPER juicy, since only I would be able to access it. Facebook messages are like emails, whereas wall posts are visible on your public profile. I thought the message would at least include a social security number, or perhaps a dirty comment about a backstabbing friend. Instead, the message was just a simple “what’s up” – this secretive “hello” almost offended me. I mean, who sends a hello message and doesn’t make it public? With wallposts such as “I went to this show last night and got so drunk, and then I hooked up with some hot guy named Jake and we spent $14.00 at the hookah bar on Mission…” there is really no need to send private messages.

Young people aren’t only publicizing extremely personal information online, but they’re broadcasting messages through their apparel and accessories. When I walked into Target last week I noticed a wide variety of handbags, the majority of which had messages emblazoned on the front. While t-shirts that say “Angel” or “Devil” on them have been on the rise over the last few years, it’s only recently that purses and jewelry joined in on the public display trend. Bags that used to have pretty patterns and delicate embroidery are now printed with things like “I AM NOT PLASTIC,” and “MY BABY’S DADDY BOUGHT IT FOR ME”. Whether the messages are about saving the environment, or random, they are almost always unnecessary.

The word “subtlety” is being drowned out by lewd and loud comments. We now know each other’s innermost desires (to one day publish a novel that Oprah selects for her book club) and greatest fears (to live alone with a house full of cats at the age of 75), whether we want to or not. There’s no denying it, in today’s day in age, transparency is definitely trendy. But I’m still quietly debating (on youtube, myspace and blogspot) whether public is in fact better than private."

http://www.digitaltip.com.au/index.php/is-public-the-new-private/

"Is public the new private? It’s inspired by this photo I found on Tumblr this weekend.

Celebrities are used to living under the harsh glare of constant scrutiny, where even their rubbish bins are combed for the ultimate levels of personal information. But public living is starting to overflow into ordinary lives - mainly when a lot of people subscribe to a Twitter feed or Facebook status updates. Many people who don’t get Twitter, don’t understand the attraction of watching the micro patterns of a huge range of semi-strangers lives unfold in front of your eyes. Facebook is about subscribing to the lives of poeople you know. Twitter is about subscribing to the lives of people you don’t know. What constitutes oversharing on the public channel of Twitter?

This is an issue which is only going to get more intense as more and more people jump on Twitter and start talking about their workplaces, or better making witty and sarcastic comments at the said workplace’s expense. Leslie Nassar a.k.a. The Fake Stephen Conroy was “let go” from his employer Telstra when his real identity was revealed. A Telstra employee could not be seen to be sardonically depicting the Minister responsible for trying to impose an internet filter that Telstra supported and no-one wanted. Leslie is going to be talking about his experiences as the Fake Stephen Conroy in the Social Media Club Sydney’s first event on 27th April Authenticity and Transparency in Social Media.

A lot of the general issues arise around whether you want to be held accountable for what you say because of the archiving quality of the internet. If you say something nasty in a verbal conversation its easy to deny it or have it forgotten. There is an aspect of having to silo different parts of your life off depending on how publicly you want to live. There’s also an aspect of creating an alternate persona (by impersonating a celebrity, brand or magazine you naturally attract a lot of attention and people following. Long term, you will have to sustain the following through decent content, at least on a superficial level you may be able to attract on fake name alone) It’s also really hard when random people start taking pot shots at you on a public channel like Twitter and you are trying to hold it together and not engage in a public mud slinging.

Australia has a tiny population compared to Europe or the US and as a consequence our digital industry is a petri dish. It’s hard to forget that everyone working within it is practically known to everyone else. The ramifications can be quite dramatic if you manage to damage your reputation through carelessness, saying the wrong thing on a public channel and all of a sudden its brand x down the gurgler.

@RubyRose1 (an Australian MTV presenter) wanted to run away from Twitter based on a Daily Telegraph story about a conversation with Jess from the Veronicas. She could have DM’d Jess and not become tabloid fodder. She’s done the sensible thing now and locked her updates instead.

I am proud to out myself as an E! Channel E! News watcher. In the last 2 weeks or so there is at least one daily report of which celebrity is tweeting what to the masses. So a lot of angst of private being the new public relates to the equation:

- how famous/reputable you are
- relative to how private you want to keep your life
- relative to your awareness of who your talking to
- and what you are saying
- how public the channel is

I personally silo off different “roles” to different social networks. I like leaving Facebook for people I know personally and limit profile to work colleagues. Professional, career building stuff stays in LinkedIn. Twitter is a mixed bag of everything and is the closest to the real me. I have become a lot more conscious of Twitter’s public channel aspects lately but rather than deleting tweets, I’ll take the conversation to DM if I want to keep it private. I stand by everything I write online, ironically, I am far more straight up in person, in terms of expressing my personal opinions. Working in advertising, you never know who your next client is going to be - bummer if there’s an online rant that you can’t take back. So my non-celebrity life is nicely segmented into private vs public on 3 social networks, with some filtering."

women...

2009-08-13T17:47:00.004+05:30

The women in the ID team at IDEA :)

not my views...

2009-08-11T14:21:00.010+05:30

It was introduction time in office today and we were finally introduced to a genuinely warm Alex who would now work in our Studio.

Few interesting things from the discussion that ensued...

jamdesign.co.uk
Ross Lovegrove
Tynant Water
Maletti - spa
Conran & Partners
Inspecs

Plain, Simple and Useful

"You don't design a mobile phone which looks like a Jellyfish for for Motorola"

Obvious ID observations - what are these? They are so obvious that they can easily be missed at times.

Neat and Crisp products have a business like feel to them, no nonsense products.

Design
Designer led design
Brand led design
Concise direction for design works well at times...

Focusing intense energy on a project leads to great results...

And this is a sketch I made during this very long meeting :)

Connections

2009-08-09T03:52:00.004+05:30

Its odd when you decide that you should write a post at 3:30 in the morning, especially when you have no clue what would the post be about.

Its a dark room and the light is coming only from my laptop screen. I can see the curtains on the open door glide seductively, revealing the world outside, still keeping its secrets intact. I can see the sky, the ponto and its reflection, the moon (occasionally) and the white wall of the house in the front. All of these mean nothing and on second thoughts everything. The sky is sky, the ponto is Rome, moon is Muzayun and the white wall is white because there is moon. There can be numerous other meanings, some more interesting than these, some less.

Looking around I can also see a sleeping lamp, a basket with dirty clothes, a half-empty suitcase, a mirror reflecting nothing... There can be meaning to all of these. Mind is capable of giving meanings and making connections with inanimate things. And these remain with us for a long time to come, some remain forever. Some torment us, but we still can't give them up.

I see the keypad, recently cleaned by someone very dear. The recollection makes me touch the keys more softly than ever, to see its whiteness even in the dark, to enjoy typing. I see darkness in some corners of the room, places I am learning to ignore.

I heard the bell ring a while back, ignored that as well. Who could it be at this hour?

The night is never long enough, a couple of hours more and there would be light outside. I will see the birds, the sun, neighbours, dogs and make even more connections.

Saturday...

2009-08-08T09:28:00.006+05:30

Its a nice and cool morning in Ahmedabad. The fact that its a weekend only adds to my delight...

Started the day with almost no plans, but now interesting thoughts are coming into my head. Something that I always wanted to do, but didn't just feel the time was right. But then the time is never right, and I may just die one day with these thoughts in my head.

Today is a day dedicated to writing; I am not sure what would I call these - random, broken memoirs, maybe? I should have written these down a while back, the memories have already been adulterated by so many events after them, things much more dominant and much less in my control.

This post is also odd, like an extended version of your status on Facebook or Twitter. Oddly enough, though both of these look superfluous, when one dwelves deeper into them, they reveal so much about a person. People say things which they would never say otherwise. And try going through your own older posts, it would reveal something new about you as well. You would be surprised with some very personal, raw emotions...

Death of a dead phone!

2009-08-04T14:20:00.000+05:30

My beloved (despite many people hating the phone, but loving the ring tone) Motorokr died late this June at approximately this time.

This video shows how to kill an already dead mobile.

This was shot after office hours and under strict supervision of experts. It is, however, strongly recommended that one should repeat this at home and share the results here. A few disastrous examples could even be featured here.

p.s. Its actually long and demented and almost senseless!

trust...

2009-08-04T14:09:00.001+05:30

Read something on Arpit's blog and it triggered so many emotions...

http://agarwalarpit.blogspot.com/2009/08/thoughtday.html

Muzayun the Cook :)

2009-07-29T18:51:00.006+05:30

Cooked food
Pressure cooker
Bhavin
Floor mat
Jeera; well actually Saunf :)
Curd
Dum aalo
Rice for us and all our future generations...
Tasty
Muzayun
Tomoato
Heeng
Toor dal
Gas
Missing dessert :)
Pyaaz
Siddhartha
Home
Oil
Pots and Pans
Dhaniya
Latest addition - "Lots and lots of Love"

Loved every bit of it!

p.s. found this old from Bhavin's birthday last year showing our footwear, taken at exactly at the same place where we had our dinner :)

The Inevitable...

2009-07-27T13:41:00.001+05:30

Why is it so difficult to accept the inevitable?