Friday, June 27, 2003

these days, whenever I get some time off, I'm listening to Eminem and reading his lyrics. This guys kinda makes sense... ok sometimes he goes onto some extreme stuff. But then, his stuff is extreme. From 'The Way I am':


and it seems like the media immediately

points a finger at me (finger at me)..

So I point one back at 'em, but not the index or pinkie

or the ring or the thumb, it's the one you put up

when you don't give a fuck, when you won't just put up

with the bullshit they pull, cause they full of shit too

When a dude's gettin bullied and shoots up his school

and they blame it on Marilyn (on Marilyn).. and the heroin

Where were the parents at? And look where it's at

Middle America, now it's a tragedy

Now it's so sad to see, an upper class ci-ty

havin this happenin (this happenin)..

then attack Eminem cause I rap this way (rap this way)..

But I'm glad cause they feed me the fuel that I need for the fire
these days, whenever I get some time off, I'm listening to Eminem and reading his lyrics. This guys kinda makes sense... ok sometimes he goes onto some extreme stuff. But then, his stuff is extreme. From 'The Way I am':

and it seems like the media immediately
points a finger at me (finger at me)..
So I point one back at 'em, but not the index or pinkie
or the ring or the thumb, it's the one you put up
when you don't give a fuck, when you won't just put up
with the bullshit they pull, cause they full of shit too
When a dude's gettin bullied and shoots up his school
and they blame it on Marilyn (on Marilyn).. and the heroin
Where were the parents at? And look where it's at
Middle America, now it's a tragedy
Now it's so sad to see, an upper class ci-ty
havin this happenin (this happenin)..
then attack Eminem cause I rap this way (rap this way)..
But I'm glad cause they feed me the fuel that I need for the fire

Thursday, June 26, 2003

Was speaking with Sameer about this today:

Some day, which isn't too far, when we are heading teams or departments (like we both have in the past, I at Lifepositive and Sameer in Combit), If we see people around us who are kick-ass talented and are able to handle jobs to the extent that they may overshadow everyone, let them. When one encourages talent, one grows too. Your chariot will look good with and because of the horses that run it. Where we come in is with our experiences of harnessing good talent and channelizing the young guns' energy waves. Suppressing others in the team from achieving what they can only because they may look better than you is not only suicidal, but also leads to a stagnant mind resulting in bitterness in life and a maggot like perception of the world... yuck!
Was speaking with Sameer about this today:
Some day, which isn't too far, when we are heading teams or departments (like we both have in the past, I at Lifepositive and Sameer in Combit), If we see people around us who are kick-ass talented and are able to handle jobs to the extent that they may overshadow everyone, let them. When one encourages talent, one grows too. Your chariot will look good with and because of the horses that run it. Where we come in is with our experiences of harnessing good talent and channelizing the young guns' energy waves. Suppressing others in the team from achieving what they can only because they may look better than you is not only suicidal, but also leads to a stagnant mind resulting in bitterness in life and a maggot like perception of the world... yuck!

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

Touched a new level at work in these last two weeks. I'm finally merging illustration and design, seriously, after a long while. Made a survey with Sameer which had his tech expertise, sense of humor and ability to connect to people at a personal level along with my design and illustrations. Although I've done this before in Life Positive for the Tarot Cards, teaming with the editorial and programmers for their respective expertise, here:


http://www.lifepositive.com/tarot/


doing this for the Intranet of a Management Consultancy is a different ballgame altogether! Pity this can't be seen publically...

Jhankar Beats turned out to be an enjoyable movie! Also saw the worst movie of the season, Khwaish, on the same day. Movie making needs a certain understanding of how it will be received from the viewers perspective; what is being delivered in 2-3 hours time, irrespective of what message one is trying to put across. Example, Jhankar, although made at an amateur level and hardly had a story line, created a world / environment / experience one could relate to. Jokes and dialogues bordering on sex need to be handled with care too. Jhankar made it sound funny, whereas in Khwaish, it was almost vulgar. The way the condom issue was handled in both the flicks were so different in portrayal. One thing about Rahul Bose, every role he's played are so different in nature. In 'Everybody say I'm fine' and even in Jhankar, he fears not redicule on self, which makes him an entertainer, and he's smart. Knows how to do it. Anyone who can master emotions and sees the matrix of connecting to people at different levels of personal interest, will truly go ahead to make entertaining, memorable content worth the recall. This guy's going a long way...
Touched a new level at work in these last two weeks. I'm finally merging illustration and design, seriously, after a long while. Made a survey with Sameer which had his tech expertise, sense of humor and ability to connect to people at a personal level along with my design and illustrations. Although I've done this before in Life Positive for the Tarot Cards, teaming with the editorial and programmers for their respective expertise, here:

http://www.lifepositive.com/tarot/

doing this for the Intranet of a Management Consultancy is a different ballgame altogether! Pity this can't be seen publically...
Jhankar Beats turned out to be an enjoyable movie! Also saw the worst movie of the season, Khwaish, on the same day. Movie making needs a certain understanding of how it will be received from the viewers perspective; what is being delivered in 2-3 hours time, irrespective of what message one is trying to put across. Example, Jhankar, although made at an amateur level and hardly had a story line, created a world / environment / experience one could relate to. Jokes and dialogues bordering on sex need to be handled with care too. Jhankar made it sound funny, whereas in Khwaish, it was almost vulgar. The way the condom issue was handled in both the flicks were so different in portrayal. One thing about Rahul Bose, every role he's played are so different in nature. In 'Everybody say I'm fine' and even in Jhankar, he fears not redicule on self, which makes him an entertainer, and he's smart. Knows how to do it. Anyone who can master emotions and sees the matrix of connecting to people at different levels of personal interest, will truly go ahead to make entertaining, memorable content worth the recall. This guy's going a long way...

Monday, June 16, 2003

Ok where do I start from... just got back from Rohtang Pass, Naggar, Chandigarh; a 60 hour vacation that felt like a week! Awesome driving, Devinder! Ok here are the details...


Friday, 13th

I met Anand in CP at around 5pm from where we headed for ISBT. Took a roadways bus till Chandigarh. We talk our brains out.


Saturday, 14th

12am we reach Chandigarh. The place is all roundabouts! Devinder is waiting for us. We drop in at Barista at sector 17 for a quick bite from where we go to 36 to check out Devinder's pad at number 1005. Then we packed up and got going... but wait! We suddenly realized that we left our bible (guide to weekend getaways) at Barista! So we went back for it.

It's now 1 in the night, and we are off to Rohtang Pass. Dev hasn't had enough sleep and keeps driving till 11 in the morning. His eyes are red but insists on carrying on. At 1pm we reach Rohtang Pass, where we hire boots, a coat and gloves to walk around on the ice. The place is so crowded we had to walk away for some peace on the road heading further out. Now this is the road that would take us to Ladakh some day. We fool around a bit, then head back down for Naggar, little paradise. Manali is so crowded it was a puttoff. The whole town looks like a bus stand. We buy booze from Manali which we hardly felt the need for. At Naggar, We put up at Sheetal Lodge (Rs. 500 a day) and have Pasta at the Ristorante Italiano (Rs. 450), a 10 minute walk upward. 'The Castle', a government run Lodge is a lovely lodge to put up in if you don't mind the splurge of a grand for a night.


Sunday, 15th

Next day, we get up reluctantly and head downhill for Breakfast at the Nightingale cottage. Here we downed 2 bottles of plum juice, two Honey pancakes, two mashed patatoes, 3 plates of Mushroom, Olive and Cheese Bruchette. (Rs. 330).

We select some CDs for Dev's car stereo and check out of the lodge ( Rs. 700) and head for the Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery. This place is a must-see. At this cottage, the art gallery is on the ground floor and residence of the artist, Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947), above it. His entire pad is sealed and visitors can look into all the rooms through the glass windows. The rooms have been preserved since they used them last and it all appeared like a time capsule you could look into, with all the oil lamps, furniture, stationary and books in their place as left behind by the couple. His classic Dodge car is in the garage too, with an awesome output of 27 HP... mean machine... There were some more of his really surreal works in another gallery for Tribal and Folk art.

We pick up a bottle of Plum wine and another bottle of Plum juice from Nightingale for the road and head for Chandigarh. On the way, we stopped at the river side in Kullu to bathe in the river, Anand taking the lead. The water was cold alright! We now get serious and head for Chandigarh coz we're really short of time. Devinder'a driving is straight out of a video game. When we reached the plains, we took a u turn for Anandpur Sahib. Huge complex, this. It has hospitals, petrol pumps, more Gurdwaras. Here, we joined the others in the langar which gave us the dinner we needed. I still recall the taste of the halwa that came in the end. Mohali is on the way so we drive around Dev's office complex, Quark. We reach the bus stand at 1 am, get into a roadways at 1:30 and reach Delhi in 4 hours (5:30 am).


Monday, 16th

By Pass is close to home so I had a bathe and got into the waiting office cab at 6 :15 am and here I am in the office at 7:30 am putting all this down while it's still in my head. Is this living or what...! Fan-f@*&$#*g-tastic, Devinder and Anand! Only flip side to this trip: me tummy has gone for a six with all that senseless hogging!

Ok where do I start from... just got back from Rohtang Pass, Naggar, Chandigarh; a 60 hour vacation that felt like a week! Awesome driving, Devinder! Ok here are the details...

Friday, 13th
I met Anand in CP at around 5pm from where we headed for ISBT. Took a roadways bus till Chandigarh. We talk our brains out.

Saturday, 14th
12am we reach Chandigarh. The place is all roundabouts! Devinder is waiting for us. We drop in at Barista at sector 17 for a quick bite from where we go to 36 to check out Devinder's pad at number 1005. Then we packed up and got going... but wait! We suddenly realized that we left our bible (guide to weekend getaways) at Barista! So we went back for it.
It's now 1 in the night, and we are off to Rohtang Pass. Dev hasn't had enough sleep and keeps driving till 11 in the morning. His eyes are red but insists on carrying on. At 1pm we reach Rohtang Pass, where we hire boots, a coat and gloves to walk around on the ice. The place is so crowded we had to walk away for some peace on the road heading further out. Now this is the road that would take us to Ladakh some day. We fool around a bit, then head back down for Naggar, little paradise. Manali is so crowded it was a puttoff. The whole town looks like a bus stand. We buy booze from Manali which we hardly felt the need for. At Naggar, We put up at Sheetal Lodge (Rs. 500 a day) and have Pasta at the Ristorante Italiano (Rs. 450), a 10 minute walk upward. 'The Castle', a government run Lodge is a lovely lodge to put up in if you don't mind the splurge of a grand for a night.

Sunday, 15th
Next day, we get up reluctantly and head downhill for Breakfast at the Nightingale cottage. Here we downed 2 bottles of plum juice, two Honey pancakes, two mashed patatoes, 3 plates of Mushroom, Olive and Cheese Bruchette. (Rs. 330).
We select some CDs for Dev's car stereo and check out of the lodge ( Rs. 700) and head for the Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery. This place is a must-see. At this cottage, the art gallery is on the ground floor and residence of the artist, Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947), above it. His entire pad is sealed and visitors can look into all the rooms through the glass windows. The rooms have been preserved since they used them last and it all appeared like a time capsule you could look into, with all the oil lamps, furniture, stationary and books in their place as left behind by the couple. His classic Dodge car is in the garage too, with an awesome output of 27 HP... mean machine... There were some more of his really surreal works in another gallery for Tribal and Folk art.
We pick up a bottle of Plum wine and another bottle of Plum juice from Nightingale for the road and head for Chandigarh. On the way, we stopped at the river side in Kullu to bathe in the river, Anand taking the lead. The water was cold alright! We now get serious and head for Chandigarh coz we're really short of time. Devinder'a driving is straight out of a video game. When we reached the plains, we took a u turn for Anandpur Sahib. Huge complex, this. It has hospitals, petrol pumps, more Gurdwaras. Here, we joined the others in the langar which gave us the dinner we needed. I still recall the taste of the halwa that came in the end. Mohali is on the way so we drive around Dev's office complex, Quark. We reach the bus stand at 1 am, get into a roadways at 1:30 and reach Delhi in 4 hours (5:30 am).

Monday, 16th
By Pass is close to home so I had a bathe and got into the waiting office cab at 6 :15 am and here I am in the office at 7:30 am putting all this down while it's still in my head. Is this living or what...! Fan-f@*&$#*g-tastic, Devinder and Anand! Only flip side to this trip: me tummy has gone for a six with all that senseless hogging!

Thursday, June 12, 2003

Friday afternoon we are out of here, will meet Anand and later Devinder in Chandigarh. There's nothing like travelling in excess. The more the better. In fact, I'd base my life upon it. Slog me butt out so I can get it out of the city. Weather it out man. Every trip changes something in me.
Friday afternoon we are out of here, will meet Anand and later Devinder in Chandigarh. There's nothing like travelling in excess. The more the better. In fact, I'd base my life upon it. Slog me butt out so I can get it out of the city. Weather it out man. Every trip changes something in me.

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Ho Boy, it gets difficult by the day to fall in love now. Everyone's the same these days, with a minor exception of a quirk here and there that makes them a wee tad interesting. What am I expecting from them? Nothing at all, I just wish they wouldn't too. Good friendship rules.
Ho Boy, it gets difficult by the day to fall in love now. Everyone's the same these days, with a minor exception of a quirk here and there that makes them a wee tad interesting. What am I expecting from them? Nothing at all, I just wish they wouldn't too. Good friendship rules.

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

All time favorite guts-n-glory movies(list subject to change) :


Lawrence of Arabia

Days of Thunder

Varsity Blues

Escape to Victory

Predator

Bugs Life

Training Day (from Ethan Hawk's perspective)


more as and when I think of it...
All time favorite guts-n-glory movies(list subject to change) :

Lawrence of Arabia
Days of Thunder
Varsity Blues
Escape to Victory
Predator
Bugs Life
Training Day (from Ethan Hawk's perspective)

more as and when I think of it...

Monday, June 09, 2003

Putting up with other people's incompetency is abetting incompetency and in time, means being incompetent. When a person willingly refuses to improve and imposes his obsolete / dated ideologies on others, then that person deserves to be taught a lesson. I hope I don't end up doing something rash. Give me patience, Lord. Show me you exist.

The more one travels the bigger the world gets. A change has definitely come over me.


Devinder, I saw Durabatt's website. For those who are oblivious, Durabatt batteries are fake Duracells. we bought them in Loharkhet on our trek in Kumaon. It looks like the original with even the power gauge printed on it! It was so funny we brought them back with us!
Putting up with other people's incompetency is abetting incompetency and in time, means being incompetent. When a person willingly refuses to improve and imposes his obsolete / dated ideologies on others, then that person deserves to be taught a lesson. I hope I don't end up doing something rash. Give me patience, Lord. Show me you exist.
The more one travels the bigger the world gets. A change has definitely come over me.

Devinder, I saw Durabatt's website. For those who are oblivious, Durabatt batteries are fake Duracells. we bought them in Loharkhet on our trek in Kumaon. It looks like the original with even the power gauge printed on it! It was so funny we brought them back with us!

Thursday, June 05, 2003

Saw a desert travelogue last night. It's called Lawrence of Arabia. What makes people make movies like this?! So many faces to the desert, like each view was painted. The thought of being there itself was scary, but that was what gave these guys the high I guess...wow, wanna make a flick like that... someday...
Saw a desert travelogue last night. It's called Lawrence of Arabia. What makes people make movies like this?! So many faces to the desert, like each view was painted. The thought of being there itself was scary, but that was what gave these guys the high I guess...wow, wanna make a flick like that... someday...

Wednesday, June 04, 2003

Yesterday I had ... ok I got it... "Uncle Pinto's Goan Prawn Curry" at the Machaan in Taj (it's on the ground floor from my office) with a friend. It wasn't the most expensive on the menu, but it was rich alright! That little serving of rice and the bowl of curry with 4-5 giant prawns did absolutely not look like it would fill up me sack but by the time I guzzled down a Virgin Mary... hubba hubba... the curry was laced with coconut milk and even the outer shells of the prawns were munchable... aaargh I loved it...


Quoting Devinder in http://devinder.blogspot.com/


"...only when you head out to a glacier or drive down to the sea... "


... son of a mother... I love this guy!!!

Yesterday I had ... ok I got it... "Uncle Pinto's Goan Prawn Curry" at the Machaan in Taj (it's on the ground floor from my office) with a friend. It wasn't the most expensive on the menu, but it was rich alright! That little serving of rice and the bowl of curry with 4-5 giant prawns did absolutely not look like it would fill up me sack but by the time I guzzled down a Virgin Mary... hubba hubba... the curry was laced with coconut milk and even the outer shells of the prawns were munchable... aaargh I loved it...

Quoting Devinder in http://devinder.blogspot.com/

"...only when you head out to a glacier or drive down to the sea... "

... son of a mother... I love this guy!!!

Tuesday, June 03, 2003

I imagined today what it would be like if I were someone who hated everyone and everything and how I would perceive life with a 'hell-with-all' frame of mind. It felt like being on an island, I see a ship going by and I could wave my hands or start a smoke signal, but then I decide to let it go because I don't need to go anywhere and I don't need to be with any more people than I am with and know already. I am so full of myself, my own experiences and whatever intelligence I have, that I see absolutely no need to grow anymore. I need nobody to show me anything else about life, I can handle things on my own. Then someone sees me on this island and a flash comes to him or her, that hey, I gotto tell this guy about another place I know of... but then, he'll just brush me off so why bother. I am on this island for life, till I actually make an effort to get off it... I need to start a smoke signal...
I imagined today what it would be like if I were someone who hated everyone and everything and how I would perceive life with a 'hell-with-all' frame of mind. It felt like being on an island, I see a ship going by and I could wave my hands or start a smoke signal, but then I decide to let it go because I don't need to go anywhere and I don't need to be with any more people than I am with and know already. I am so full of myself, my own experiences and whatever intelligence I have, that I see absolutely no need to grow anymore. I need nobody to show me anything else about life, I can handle things on my own. Then someone sees me on this island and a flash comes to him or her, that hey, I gotto tell this guy about another place I know of... but then, he'll just brush me off so why bother. I am on this island for life, till I actually make an effort to get off it... I need to start a smoke signal...

Monday, June 02, 2003

it's not being myself to go into the code to change things, I like GUI interaction, coming purely from me... so when I get into the blog code to change the Page title without changing the title in the Content area, it's a major achievement here. Coders, laugh yer head off...:))
Some more intranet work... this is endless... I mean, so what if I'm the world's best web designer? So bloody what? There has to be more to this... I'm definitely capable of more. Animation, illustration, 3d art, merging with design with a watercolor border/ mesh, logos, the combos can further generate endless results, really exciting interactive experiences. 10% of me is being utilized here. Dammit where's that scanner I was going to buy...
it's not being myself to go into the code to change things, I like GUI interaction, coming purely from me... so when I get into the blog code to change the Page title without changing the title in the Content area, it's a major achievement here. Coders, laugh yer head off...:))
Some more intranet work... this is endless... I mean, so what if I'm the world's best web designer? So bloody what? There has to be more to this... I'm definitely capable of more. Animation, illustration, 3d art, merging with design with a watercolor border/ mesh, logos, the combos can further generate endless results, really exciting interactive experiences. 10% of me is being utilized here. Dammit where's that scanner I was going to buy...

Wordpress it is!

I have moved to Wordpress. After much introspection and discussion on what Blogger and Wordpress are capable of, I figured a one-stop shop...