The Whole Caboodle

2011-03-03T08:39:00.001-08:00

2010-04-05T06:35:00.000-07:00

The Secret Life of I

We all have secret lives, which we share with our confidante. Ever wondered how many people have such secret lives? Every second person, you meet, you wonder, whether they are as good as they seem? Too many questions, too few answers. Curiosity kill the cat?

2010-04-03T00:14:00.000-07:00

The Designquest Presentation

In Search of Indian design Identity on Prezi

PLEASE VIEW ON FULLSCREEN (access it on the more button on the left of the window) AND USE THE ARROW BUTTONS IN THE CENTER OF THE WINDOW

Thank you Roshnee for the 'coo shun' image
Garre for introducing me to the software
Anup for introducing me to, Norman's 'affordance of objects'
Brinda a.k.a. budi for the IBM (Indaraj Bhadoo Movers) image
and Flickr and you tube for the rest of them.
Also, Bangalore R&D NID campus students for putting up with my eccentricities
I would invariably add that it was impossible to do this without Reagan, Sumit Bhaiya, Bhabi, Anjika, Mahima & Daddy :D

2010-03-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

Harbour Line @Mumbai

I have always wondered why the harbour side of mumbai is so deserted. By harbour, I am referring to the stretch from Masjid to Wadala. Isn't sea side supposed to attract crowds. Even if its just at ferry wharf, what about the rest? Many derelict warehouses and deserted crumbling buildings exist there. Why is it that people haven't taken notice of this prime property. Is it because of the land belonging to railways or port trust?

It is such a beautiful stretch. If your notions of beautiful do not include slums at the sides, maybe it won't be for you. But it has this freeness, which you wouldn't obviously notice in other parts of the city. The roads almost don't seem like having much of connecting to do. Since there are either G+1 or 2 buildings or huge boundary walls indicating some 'gate' or 'bunder'. I feel we can re-look at this part of Mumbai. Because in mumbai things always change. Wonder when this quiet charm will give way to more housing and shopping malls for the rich?

2010-03-22T01:58:00.000-07:00

Designquest

It was a great show at blue frog. We all had a great time. Few of us bungled up, few in our own world, few did well (according to the judges). All in all it was a great experience. No one was snooty or aggressive. It went smoothly and we all managed to finish by lunch, with precision. Blue Frog @ lower Parel, I think was an apt venue. Not too large to intimidate the speakers, not too tiny, to feel like a closed jury. And excellent lighting design!

Results will be out shortly, Hoping for the best. Keeping my fingers crossed (I wish I could bribe Almighty ;), but mere paap ka ghada is overflowing so am getting mailer daemon's back at me ;))

2010-03-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

please fill this for my project!

thanks a ton

Yashmi

2010-03-11T01:45:00.000-08:00

Information Design

Us industrial designers are all so 'product oriented' that our research generally takes a back seat even if it is relevant. We cant put information together at times or cant point to the crux of the information cause we are trying to make our products look more beautiful. I came across these booklets which given an introduction to information design. Incidentally, they explain all the concepts very clearly with the aid of live examples. They are primarily, targeted for NGO's and SME's for communicating effectively. Any of you interested, can check out their work at http://www.tacticaltech.org/. Happy Informing!

2010-03-09T04:55:00.000-08:00

'The art of wayfinding'

I was around when the 2 day workshop with a Canadian, Prof. Jay Rutherford & a German Architect, Dr. Bernhard Klein, was being conducted in the R&D campus of NID in Bangalore. It was super fun, in-spite of me not taking part in the assignments.

It basically dealt with wayfinding in cities and how a common man deals with information on the go, to be able to reach his destination. It also interested me due to the architecture & urban design angle to the topic. In our fourth year of architecture school, we had visited Jaipur and made a thorough analysis of a few blocks of the old city of Jaipur. Now just to connect the two, we studied about the wayfinding elements at the city level namely:

Paths

Landmarks

Nodes

Edges

Districts

These were categorized by Kevin Lynch and it kinda made life simple for urban designers to incorporate certain thumb rules from the above theory so that it makes navigation effortless, for people residing in a particular locality. These same things make life simple for graphic designers who design signs or are orientation specialists who can analyze an existing space for better navigation.

Now, also if it interests you, you can look at the work of Romedi Passini, an architect, researcher and visual artist.

2010-02-21T23:50:00.001-08:00

Please Vote at

http://thedesignquest.com/users/Yashmi-Prasad

2010-02-14T22:13:00.000-08:00

People who matter to you the most

2010-02-11T23:46:00.000-08:00

Mess in Blore!

Rajma is his dal

dal is plain curry

papad his prasad

with dahi & some chawal

Take it or leave it

2010-02-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

The NID'ian who sold his freedom

Following are a few words from one of my colleagues at NID about the Rathore case. I do not feel as strongly, but I feel his opinion is closest to mine.

"I have been giving alot of thought on this case, and believe the following. You are all free to voice your own opinion.

1. From however little I may know Utsav, he appears to be very much a normal person like most of us OBSERVANT and SENSITIVE NIDians and is brilliant at his work amongst others.

2. If Ruchika's case had been dealt with immediately, and the verdict had been declared within a reasonable short span, the guilty would have been dealt with according to the laws of our great nation, nobody would have been forced to take the law into their own hands, let alone whether the accused is the president, a top cop or a repeated criminal. Nobody must ever think that they are the law.

3. However, especially in this context, there is an unwritten rule, by which every civilized society follows. The Judicial system, IS NOT THE ULTIMATE IN LAW. WHEN THE LAW DOES NOT DELIVER JUSTICE, IT IS ANSWERABLE TO SOCIETY. Utsav is a rare and brave case of society reminding the law of its DUTIES TOWARDS THE NATION - for which Utsav will be ironically made to pay. MIND YOU - THIS ACT IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH MORAL POLICING, ADVOCATED BY POLITICAL PARTIES TO NAME A FEW - ITS CONTEXT IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT AND SO ARE ITS INTENTIONS.

4. Because nothing was done, the frustrations caused by the waiting for justice, made a sensitive young, intelligent, award winner, take the most radical step of his life, in sympathy for Ruchika. WITHOUT A SINGLE THOUGHT FOR HIMSELF, HE CARED ENOUGH TO GO SO FAR FOR A STRANGER, AND WITH HIS ACTIONS HE HAS DESTROYED HIS OWN FUTURE.
This is something that we are ALL blind to and only Utsav can see... HE HAS PUT HIS HEART OVER HIS HEAD.

5. The Indian legal system and the judiciary is to blame for Utsav's actions. The courts/judges should be made to answer for the numerous delays in pronouncing the verdict, and held responsible for Utsav's actions.

By throwing him out of college is not going to solve Utsav's problem. Putting him in jail will destroy such a brilliant mind. We have to remember we are designers too. We train ourselves to be sensitive and we do feel more than others. Utsav could not bare to see Rathore happy and smiling EVERY SINGLE DAY THAT HE LOITERED OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE. If India would not punish Rathore for his actions, Utsav wanted to. His method adopted may be up for debate. His emotions are COMPLETELY RATIONAL IN THIS CONTEXT.

After, 19 years of COMPLETE FREEDOM, a six month jail sentence, a 1,000 Rs fine, and a few "scratches" on the face, for a man who molested Ruchika, tortured her brother, humiliated her family and drove her to suicide, sounds like pittens doesn't it...? IF THIS IS JUSTICE, THEN INDIA I AM SORRY YOU HAVE FAILED YOURSELF AND I WILL BE COMPELLED TO LOSE FAITH IN YOU.

I hope NID may widen its horizon from written rule books, SENSITIZE itself and support Utsav.

I SUPPORT UTSAV

Rustom Mazda

Product Design | National Institute of Design (NID), India"

2010-02-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

"I won't be a good teacher.......why? ask I

Coz I don't like to be on IM or Gtalk or any such buddy list.....but what's the connection?

Coz I am not technology friendly & all my students will be on these chat lists looking out for me, not finding me or any knowledge...."

Thats Mr. Garre Pavan for you...from R& D campus

2010-02-09T01:55:00.000-08:00

Paldi & Bangalore

These days I am doing my diploma document & have taken refuge in NID bangalore campus instead of the hallowed Paldi campus. People wonder why?

1. I have to give my jury here.

2. My guide is here

3. My sponsor is here

So....now you know why, I am staying miles away from home, not getting paid or attending classes.

The best part about Blore campus is the people, there are few, so u inevitably get to know the lot. They seem more intellectual than my peers at Paldi, its a refreshing change.

Their parties are private parties since they live in apartments & not in the hostel like us.

They have only the college canteen to give them food, shelter, since this place is far away from civilisation.

The local chai tapri is also a kilometer away.

No wonder, everyone lives in peace, otherwise where will u go, after fighting?

2010-02-05T01:40:00.000-08:00

'Harishchandrachi factory'

Harishchandrachi factory has been in the news for being the Indian entry to the Oscars, but unfortunately not making it to the final list. Have a look & decide for yourself.

For all those people who can't understand what the fuss is all about, you can see the movie online at apalimarathi.com/. Decent streaming speed. A must watch for theatre enthusiasts & movie buffs.

2010-02-05T01:04:00.000-08:00

She stares at your food

wondering why her's taste no good

she read's the news with her mouth

wondering why the world's so uncouth

she's like the piper of Hamelin

luring you into playing

I cant remember what good I did

to receive her from Him, indeed!

She peeks at the side

wondering why you hide

she's sprung into action

within a second's fraction

you want her by your side

but she always wants a ride

I cant remember what good I did

to receive her from Him, indeed!

Her big trusting eyes

form evermore new ties

her shy unassuming smile

is just her style

'I love you' she says

simply by her mere gaze

I cant remember what good I did

to receive her from Him, indeed!

Everyday I thank Him

coz he gave her to me on a whim

I thank her guardians

coz I know, she's in the best hands

I wish her luck for her future ahoy!

I hope she likes only good good boys

Yep she's my niece

Anjika, Hasumati or chota bachcha she is!

2010-01-26T23:02:00.001-08:00

Its been long since I visited here. But I plan to write about my escapades etc. soon. Please wish me luck for keeping my promise. :)

2009-10-18T23:07:00.001-07:00

That sticky feeling (called mumbai)
I see a tall guy,
dark and handsome
I try to catch his eye
and not feel so lonesome
and i see yet another
but just not the same
am sure his name

isn't what I want

but another long one

2009-09-07T03:11:00.000-07:00

Its those days again

when the rain can feel my pain

and the birds

can singe my brain

2009-07-23T03:37:00.000-07:00

How many designers does it takes to cook dinner?

you need:

A sunday evening

1 designer (me) to chop vegetables with unrecognizable organic forms

1 designer (ritu) to cook pulses without salt and turmeric

1 designer (reagan) to burn chapatis on the tava

1 designer (bhati) to gaze at all the food with open mouth

1 designer (sarang) to want to help but doesnt know how to

2008-07-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

1 year since i joined NID......

things have changed soo much. I hardly get time for myself. there can be a lot of negative energies around and you tend to lose focus...

I miss playing TT, guitar, singing, dancing...and carefreeness

2008-07-22T12:13:00.001-07:00

A new semester begins with new hopes and resolutions.

As usual the whole,"I will get better grades,again..." slowly dwindles down to," lets just get it over with". Its been long since i have written here and my writing prowess has reduced to zilch considering the only quality reading I do is Buddha comics.

2008-07-21T06:10:00.000-07:00

What's a joke if you cant share it!!!

2007-07-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

"Date party"

I write this as I watch "Life in a metro" at 2:00 am on a monday morning ,still celebrating my sunday .

Date party is one of the first things you get to enjoy in NID in lieu, of fresher's party

so wait till u get your date card or see your name posted all over the mess, as u still come to terms with attending class after finishing a late night assignment in the studio or just a midnite gupshup at millenium ( the local hangout place).

Dont be surprised with a life size cardboard model of a human being trying to woo you, sent by a stranger...chocolates,flowers, letters,notes,table lamps,pencil stands..you name it and u'll see it!

So i embarked upon this journey to woo my so called ,date...

My previous date was a super sucess with lotsa dance, music and traditional pupettery....

I chose to back date a super-senior from the textile dept.

All seniors are super seniors in Textile Dept. somehow their co-ordinators beleive in a lot of 'hands-on' work and no 'minds-on'..hence everyone should take the textile as a 3 year course minimum instead of the stipulated 2 year course.

Anyways it was great fun doing date cards out of fluoroscent coloured papers. But i expected a more enthusiastic reply. The best part is when you see your date around and you know but he doesnt know which junior has chosen him!

2007-07-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

The big "bong" theory!

When half the students at NID are from the bengali community..

its a laughter riot trying to have a sane conversation (communication ,for that matter) with the lot.

However the bongs have many a valid points to make...

Take for instance "mirchi is teekhi", correct..as it is in the harmless hindi way

when u feel spicy u inadvertently say "mujhe teekha lag raha hai!" and not "mujhe "teekhi lag rahi hai!!"

life in room no. 117 is harmless except for ,when a gujju (apna furniture dept. ka harshang), a mallu(ceramics ka zinto) and of course bengali babu(dev mandol from ceramics again)

get together for a couple of midnite chat sessions....

u can imagine what will happen if a UP wala walks in,what will happen to his sentiments and mental state- hilarity is the key word here.

kehte hain bengali babus jahan bhi jaate hain logon ko apni bhaasha jaroor sikha dete hain..

ab toh alaam yeh hai ki harshang in the act of imimtating anindya's (my classmate from furniture dept.) bada ko bari, khada ko khara, pahad ko pahar,ladka ko larka aur ladki ko larki

has ,himself fallen into the pattern of mispronouncing d's in hindi!

well what can u say .....now ppl call zinto as zinto "mandol"! and he says it just as proudly as if he were knighted by the queen herself!

and this is just the beginning......

more to come.....

2007-07-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

Of colour co-ordianted buckets

you know how girls get when they get their own space to decorate...however small that be..doesnt matter..organisation,prettyness,shopping...all of this is part of a process called moving into a new college/place...

so thts what we did in the first week at NID...colour co-ordianted
buckets and mugs
curtains and rugs
pots and pans
memories and snaps
and all that jazz....

yup you bet all tht jazz...shopping at the local sunday market buying junk and transforming it into "lifestyle accessories"!
and of course trying to get to know each other..
imagine 200 unknown students thrown together..to add to the concoction all from various parts of the country and abroad..with crazy temperaments ,added with dollops of attitude and u get a bhaji (actually its pretty much a wholesome meal!) called NID...

u will wonder why some girl needs a turban to attend the class
or a smoke to stirr the creative energy
or better still going bald (thts the newest trend..every alternate week another girl/guy looses hair..... i sometimes wonder whether there are some cult practises happening in NID which we do not know about! which actually require hair (raising) sacrifices or the giving up of sanity...)
these are just to name a few.....

its definetely a visit to the zoo
when u have to save ur lives from the langoors
while going to the loo
you pray that friday comes faster
faster than lightning
only to realise
tht on a saturday
theres hardly
any strength left to muster

you grieve for the dead snails
and cant receive emails
after coming to the hostel
why??
only coz the wi-fi leaves you
with no patience
tuesdays and thursdays go in a blur
even while you try to digest
the images on the celluloid
throwing caution to the winds
after a trying day
sit in the audi asking for more
well there's more and this is just the beginning!

2007-06-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

NID

i walk with my head up

i see everything

yet i see nothing

am i different or

are they

a twist in the tale

a curve at the curb

finally come to a destiny

called NID

all the hue and cry

all the bheja fry

finally gets over

and lo!! rejoice!

2007-04-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that my life is pretty plain

I like watchin' the puddles gather rain

And all I can do is just pour some tea for two

And speak my point of view

But it's not sane, It's not sane

I just want some one to say to me

I'll always be there when you wake

Ya know I'd like to keep my cheeks dry today

So stay with me and I'll have it made
And I don't understand why I sleep all day

And I start to complain that there's no rain

And all I can do is read a book to stay awake

And it rips my life away, but it's a great escape

escape......escape......escape......

All I can say is that my life is pretty plain

ya don't like my point of view

ya think I'm insane

Its not sane......it's not sane

-anon

2007-03-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

"mundane"

my daily routine:
wake up in the morning shutting of the snooze
waking those lazy bums next door...getting ready earlier than they do and they making me wait for my breakfast and daily pilgrimage to the office
eating poha and sugar cane juice(tea has been sincerely omitted coz i had become addicted to it...so to de -addict i have now become a sugar cane juice adict!)]
walking to office...
i always walk on the white strip drawn bteween the tar and the dusty mud pavement

2007-02-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

"Farewell"

so we are finally geting officially kicked out of JJ.....

as i retch past the journey from goa...i sleepily hit mumbai..tired and not expecting much coz i m one of the clan...

most of the stuff we do is impromptu spontaneous stuff with unwavering enthusiasm and shoestring budgets..which always turns out to be a melee of sorts.

neverthless i do my duty of reaching "not on time"..with juniors calling me and telling me i am beyond the late margin and that the programme is starting..

so i breeze into the seminar hall whilst a performance is still on and most of my classmates are mersmerised by the juniors giving latkas and jhatkas on the stage...

had a few games and a lotta sentigiri..speeches about the name of jj being so great and we are supossed to take the legacy forward and all that cliched stuff..

well the main thing was after the "official programme".

its pretty much the same story everywhere..isn't it? some break ups ..some new relationships..people gushing on somebody 's new found good looks and others teasing a few over gained weight and frizzed out hair ..new crushes and new places..boss bitchin and office gossip...

we all try to take in the sudden ness of our college life being taken away from us and being thrown into a place where u are not all that sure of what u r doin..no juniors to pile up work on..no bunking ..tighter deadlines (abbe saale jaldi khattam kar dwg. client 's put my ass on fire..ur senior telllin u)..no bad language (which we totally take for granted in college) no more teas on katttas and design discussions in late night slumbers..designing lovers nooks instead of children's play spaces..no more teacher bitchin and throwin paper in a lecture hall...no more jazz!!!

professional field is an altogether different dimension....we ae all headed towrds are respective goals leading respective journeys with respective priorities .....some with partners some in search of them and some too wary....

feels melancholic to bid adieu to a place where u have spent the BEST days of your life and probably the worst( when u thought getting flunked by an ailing prof was the worst that could happen to mankind!)

there are more experiences to come in a different phase of life..i welcome u with nostalgia for the past and expectations and excitement for the future....

2007-01-23T04:41:00.000-08:00

"14th feb"

same story...different year.......lets find a permanent solution to these crappy celebrations...
lets make a "bachlaurette's day", what say?

2006-12-25T23:06:00.001-08:00

"Christmas in Goa"

We went for the midnight mass and came back even before the mass started. Howzz that for enthusiasm??
People had come in all sorts of blazers and dresses and we looked like a bunch of under dressed outcasts!
Well Gerard did warn us about that, so we tried our level best with our limited wardrobe options…however we reached quite late and didn’t get a place to sit and we were awfully tired. Since I had done a lot of ghareloo giri at my place and Shriya was cribbing about “trying not to work too hard on Christmas Eve!”
So we came back and slept off.
I wake up on the Christmas morning to find myself utterly bored…absolutely nothing to do and a lotta restlessness…had called shriya for the office keys so I could finish off that stenciling job.

but things were just too boring for me to actually do anything so eventually i ended up waiting around for these people,my friends at Dean's to get free so tht i can celebrate christmas.

after a while i could see that i was hoping too much..so i called my office colleagueMr. Anup...well hes the Mr. dependable and lotsa energy for work as well as fun

and a small detail MARRIED to his work so we ended up goin to this site which was supposed to be handed over to the clients by 27thh dec.

so with my pristine white dress and absolute blank mind (considerin i had never been to a live under const. site, before..voluntarily.....) we reach the site amidst warnings of my dress becomin brown by the end of the day....

went through a lotta stuff...small details which u never notice in reality undr normal circumstances...

anyways the climax of the "pretty sucessful" day was a dinner at 'sea pebble'

this place next to mandovi river with live guitars and mandolins playing konkani music on individual tables..under the sky...with the stars dancing on a dark blue canvas and the waves of the river compressing the noise from the chatterings of the people on other tables...i was so stunned by the quaintness of the place that food was hardly the criteria for judging the place...

and good company...its easier getting to know new friends (seniors!) than trying to make conversation with existing ones.......

followed was a walk on the cool sands of miramar beach with Mr. Anup , while waiting for my rowdy friends...

2006-12-19T22:53:00.000-08:00

" the house of flying daggers"

Had a chance to watch this awesome movie, directed by Zhyang Yimou
oriental as it is, a beautiful love story handled sensitively, heightened by the brilliant background score.
The scenes in the beginning , pass by in a flurry of silk, with brilliant over head shots..
Fight sequences- perfect .
Direction and cinematography couldn't be better
The bamboo forest sequences left me breathless and wanting for more.
A must see. An enthralling experience.

next on the list is "Hero" by the same director.

2006-12-18T04:21:00.000-08:00

" The secret life of "I" "

Hmmmm...."Where there is a will ,there is a way"..This statement is soooo true...

So i have been willing for a week to visit some typical goan house , to understand certain aspects of the goan culture, to see the physical manifestations of the data researched in gerard da cunha's houses of goa mueseum (again..an excellent building!)

So shriya takes me to Moira , after a lot of hiding and diguise, so that her employer doesn't raise objections. We reach this place in moira where we were searching for the house for an hour before we found it, considering shriya's excellent sense of direction...any house we passed brought responses like " i think we passed this the last time.."

somehow we found the place without dean finding out, that we couldn't find it!

Light quality inside the house was very poor...at the same time it was cool and shady

the "balcao", a typical goan feature, overlookled some shell windows...which ,by the way, i have become a fan of,these shell windows offer this beautiful , ethereal light quality. the walls were all thrice the thickness of normal walls!!which left us slightly stunned..but apparently all these old, load bearing houses have varying wall thicknesses and angles...

another really cool feature was the "well" which forms part of an anteroom, from where water was drawn in earlier times....

A small dog house was part of the front yard. Also the yard was dotted with chickoos and red guava trees..which harish very enthusiastically plucked for us..

lunch was disastorus considering there was hardly any eateries around...so we had to go to bicholim to get food..also because we were in the goan "siesta" timing, in which people sleep..

so after we finish a very Goan lunch we complete the measured drawings and head back home..tired and eating freshly plucked chikoos.....

evenings are slightly more ritualistic.....weekends are "beach darshan" , must!

2006-12-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

" Food "

So me and shriya decide over a system of cooking ...where we share the expenses of vegetables on alternate days, and i shell out for the curds..(which by the way has become staple food..when we r both to tired to cook anything other than rice!)

i am more experimental with my cooking whereas shriya 's more on the rudimentary level, considering she's still getting the hang of it. (any rule in the rule book doesnt apply to her cooking .....:-))

in a way its like living like a married couple..(except that we dont make love ;-))

of course our share of bickerings are yet to happen..but neverthless..as long as the peace lasts..

so i experimented with bharva masala bhindi fry....which came out well with less salt and more onion, making it taste slightly on the sweeter side.

but after the meal..as usual , since it gets late, someone has to drop me to my accom. however everyone was busy and some, got locked out due to some misplacement of the keys..and i decided..what the heck lets just walk.

and as i stepped out on the street. the street lights went off as the current went kaput (always my luck!!)

so i tread cautiously scared , thoda ,holding a colleague's tiffin in the other hand (for self defence....talk about innovation of weapons!)

And then i looked up at the sky.

It was a sight waiting to be sought...

I just stood there in the middle of the dark lane , looking at the million stars..and it was soooo quite...i wanted to let eternity wash over me and just lie down on the street.

as i moved humming "khoya khoya chand" i reminisced those hostel days when , me and sonal used to sit on the terrace, late in the night, seeking for something we didnt know..for all those stars invisible due to the bright marine drive lights...

any ways, as i reached my lane, content with the night ,over awed by the beauty,this biker dude4 swooshed past me on wet ground, spraying muddy water all over my clothes and jerking me out of my reverie, and back to reality!

Jeez what an anticlimax.....

Anyways hoping for many more "beautiful", "lonely" nights........

2006-12-11T02:40:00.000-08:00

" Bond with Nature"

okay....arrived in goa..without a clue about my accommodation or salary..
dont worry, thts how i function
so far things have been great

"i am broke but i am happy" - alanis morisette

sums up my lifestyle rite now..

o by the way Goa is a completely "bond with nature" place...dont get any utopian ideas..!!!

i killed a lizard yesterday under my bed and saw the insides of the evolved species of a dinosaur!

the other day while we were checking out Casa Britona , designed by Dean ,not to forget totally unaffordable for us lowly creatures.... with an astonishing 10 grand a day during season and 3 grand otherwise....

totally vernacular place ..lotsa wood and a very rusticly outdoorsy space.....

i saw this pedal piano and tried my hand at it and found out that there was some key which was playing by default..judging by the sound of it , i realised it was at the extreme corner of the piano..and guess what i see....... a snaaaake !!! and i just got up and ran ...and the hotel staff was the least perturbed!....

Anything that i leave on the table top gets eaten by the ants..!!!!they din't even leave my fuckin maggi..and i left it at their mercy ....hoping to find a place where these ants dont find my food...and insects..dont even get me started on that!

so far life's been good including the bonding with nature.....hope it turns out to be better in the future...

the collegues and other friends....AWESOME!.....very helpful and the sweetest lot i have met..some goans , some outta goa......mumbai, pune , nagpur, kolhapur..etc

ciao..will come up with more interesting stuff..soon...

2006-12-03T03:17:00.000-08:00

There are days when u feel like the ugliest person on this earth, lethargic and dead...
all coz theres something out there, you want ,but you cant really put your finger on it...that is when there's discontentment, irritation,etc..
Theres always this mentality that 'fun and work are different entities'
i guess that is where the problem starts
its been that way for quite sometime with me untill there was jut so much work that there was no option but to enjoy it....coz beyond that you dont see your life hapnin...no social ife , no family life, no partying, absolutely no personal relationships....
I MEAN WHEN DO U LIVE..?
a few weeks ago i had opened a new 'fake-id' on orkut...so that i could lose inhibitions which i cant in reality...it worked for a while..i had all the 'pg- rated' pervert fun.but after a while tht too started gettin to me...there's got to b more stufff than that!!
anyways each day i feel like i am dying each present day to live a better future..but how far can this go?
the smallest of happiness is welcome but there are moments when i feel ,bas daude ja rahe hain ,bheed mein,na jaane kahaan pahunchenge?
i m one of those nameless faceless people in a crowd with no identity whatsoever (sometimes the feeling of no ambition also)
there are times when i feel we take life just toooooo seriously and stop living and just exist....
nothing seems right......my time will come..i only live in hope

2006-11-24T11:08:00.000-08:00

Fear.....Hereditary?

Is fear herediatry?

For instance, many say that lizards are afraid of peacock feathers coz peacocks eat lizards...but what of a lizard born in the urban set up where even humans have never seen a peacock let alone lizards? what then?........any answers?

2006-11-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

The Underpaid Intern!!!!!

AAAA okay i have joined the 'overworked and underpaid' community....ppl welcome me with open arms and free kicks..

as usual i wake up, to see the clock give me a "reality" nightmare..coz i am late..

somehow i reach the office in a huff and realise tht theres no one and i have reached with the cleaners and the janitors

1st day and the airconditioner's worked its magic on me and i sneeze and cough at the end of the day

second day and i find the travelling becoming too expensive and lengthy with me having to commute by train and then bus\ 20 min waLK to the office....

somehow on the third day (still feelin ill) ,i find a share cab which lands me up to theposterior end of siddhivinayak temple (of the bomb scare fame)

so i plan to take the side lane , incongrously , and reach my destination....

or so i think

a battery of policemen stop me to check my bag and send it thru weird lookin x-ray machines even as i keep explainin , that i am not going to the temple...

paying no heed to what i was utterring , a lady policewoman checked me thoroughly and ushered me through two automatic doors and i land up inside the premises of the temple..

Intimidated i walk in and try ro search my way out on the other end coz tht road will eventually lead me to the office and i feel theres no feeling of peace as i generally feel when i enter a temple all the grills and the frills take away all the beauty of the place ..queues for pass holdrs and blah blah...it seemed like a mini prison shrine a la shirdi with flower and sweetmeat sellers try to pull u into each of their shops like its fashion street or chandni chowk...

so i make my way outta the famous temple with a certain kinda dejection..but neverthless reaching my destination..

2006-11-19T06:09:00.000-08:00

Where do u go?

How can one be content
with brinjals guavas and mint
I wonder and stare in space
as i slowly take in the pace
There aint no peace
aint no release
Which i had so expected
yes ,the emptiness so awaited
When will i attain nirvana , moksha
screams my heart in the noisy cafe mocha
Theres so much gibberish in the head
my future shows only red
Says ,"please stay in the present"
coz tommorrow you will only resent
That i dint live for today
and that time just flew by....

2006-09-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

NORAH JONES
"Cold Cold Heart"

I've tried so hard my dear to show
That you're my every dream
Yet you're afraid each thing I do
Is just some evil scheme
A memory from your lonesome past
Keeps us so far apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold cold heart

Another love before my time
Made your heart sad an' blue
And so my heart is paying now
For things I didn't do
In anger unkind words are said
That make the teardrops start

Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold cold heart

There was a time when I believed
That you belonged to me
But now I know your heart is shackled
To a memory
The more I learn to care for you
The more we drift apart

Why can't I free your doubtful mind
And melt your cold cold heart

wow..beautiful song..sounds depressin
but nah...very jazzy and lounge musica..
One of the most awesome cheerful songs...

2006-09-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

On Marriage-
"we'r just two lost souls
swimming in a fish bowl
year after year.............."
-Pink Floyd

2006-09-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

20th june,2006

I believe
That every thing happens for a reason
Love is momentary
People are inherently selfish
There’s an innate need for everyone to be with someone
That beauty is in the eye of the beholder
That you can rise if and only if you want it
That a saree is the most beautiful dress on an Indian woman
That saree is skin deep
Men always check women out
Even a woman in saree
But probably with a certain amount of reverence
That fear of anything is purely pscychological
That every situation can be dealt with
Only we never find the right deal
In que sara sara
In the good of the humanity
In fate
In lust more than love
That love is moe painful than physical pain
That you cant get over one person
If you haven’t found another
That whatever god has gifted us is meant to be put to use
That intelligence can be developed
That people change all the time
Nothing’s constant
The funniest things happen with
the people u precisely don’t want them to happen with
that everybody has an opinion
that everyone is biased
that generalizations don’t work
that nothing ever works out the way we plan
that one man’s food is another man’s poison
that time is a relative concept
that the 3rd dimension is fake
that our parameters of judging people suck
that the younger generations are smarter

2006-09-08T00:55:00.000-07:00

12:30pm,6th Aug,
En route Mahabaleshwar...

Trapped in a bubble
Released in an iceberg
A strain of slurrs
A stumble of steps
i feel something
in the pit of my stomach
i catch my breath
skin hugging green mounds
i take a virtual dip in its valleys and mounds
to find myself juxtapsed with the clouds
milky white duvets
i see the beauty through a foggy haze
i lift my face up
and i feel the water on my brow
i try to wipe it with my hand
but my body's already wet
I'm closer to the edge
i reach the peak
i'm coming..i'm coming
i feel elated
i feel spent
....
looks like i just lost it
looks like i just made love with nature...

2006-09-08T00:32:00.000-07:00

Cluelessness

1:30 am,20/08/06
in between elipses....

When a smile becomes a veil...
and what the unspoken
In between the lines.....
holds more meaning and truth
thn a million words...
When a look speaks volumes
than a million getsures.......
When the heart feels heavy
for no rhyme or reason.......
When everyday's a burden....
When your milleu sems
about to burst....
When u notice
barbed wire on the rose...
When time drags and
disappears at the same time....
When u feel life is
slipping away like the sand in your hand....
Then??????

2006-09-07T23:10:00.000-07:00

I will always remember these 'on the spur of the moment' decisions to go to places like mahabaleshwar....
So our unpredictable Mr.Mali announces royally, a nite before in a zhang party that we are all going to mahabaleshwar! And any party without mitkar bai is incomplete so we call her at 1 in the morning to come back from nashik ,the next day, so tht we can all enjoy each others company in J's jijjus scorpio...
We set out in the morning..ab pehle jay ne late kiya..fir Maine aur Andy ne..fir Apuva ne nashik se aane mein late kiya...anyways close to 11 30 am we finaly left mumbai.
Travelling with brilliant music is one of the perks i get,while with J, Andy..and the gang! i wished chempa n Yojan were there with us..
However Scorpio's back seats made us a bit cramped..with four of us sitting behind and Jiju and Shyam taking the front seats.Middle seats occupied by Hemant and the lot.
The weather was awesome with not much rain while going. as we neared mahabaleshwar,the weather got unexpectedly cool (well wot do ya expect of a hill station??!!). we all took our turns to stop enroute for brilliant waterfall views..and of course! ...ahem..conveniences..
The purpose of the trip was jiju's work..and us tagging along with him :-)
So he sorted his work and we stayed at this 2 BHK thingie with an open hearth in the middle of the room complete with burning coal et al. As the evening wore on it became foggier and cooler.Pleasant after the mumbai humidity and there was just so much mist that i couldn't see wat was 4 ft beyond me. Driving in this poor visibility was dangerous but neverthless held its own charm. I felt like i was floating away strait out of a dream and a Norah Jones jazz song. We also saw two 100 yr old houses, from the british era, but the lite was so poor that nothing could be captured on my cam.Later in the nite we ordered for dinner and drinks were on the house!(jiju being the house!)
We spent our evening playing cards, chitchatting and cleaning up J 's mess. Never seen him like this. Andy and Apurva claim to have eaten special warm tandoori rotis late ,in wee hours of the morning.
The next day we set out to see the beautiful countryside and hairpin bend ghats. We saw (well passed by!) Jay's native place and went to his relatives' place which felt like being transported straight to 'romantic old world charm' villages replete with temples and sea breeze.. wow sooo beautiful!
Enroute Jay discovered some 60's sunglasses which everyone tried on and made our bumpy journey hilarious...with dhokala as accompaniments..it ws just too good to be true..:-)and i was rechristened as "miss Palampur"..technically a cow , one of the latest Cadbury ad's. Everyone had a good laugh at my expense!
oo and i was fascinated by jijus pistol and revolver. Turns out our jiju is a local champ in shooting..[he can always become the local hitman if any1 tries to mess with him!!;-) {or us!}]..we had lunch at a local place..
As we returned jiju put on bad boys-2 on the DVD player, in the car ,but we sat discussing Architecture and some funny cartoons ,in a library book that jay was reading, in the darkness, with his cell torch lite..talk about the modern Abraham Lincoln!!while Andy and Appu dozed off to eternity (that is the best way to put it!)..

So we finish off the trip with lotsa rain ,back in mumbai ,trains had stopped for a while .So we were expecting a holiday the next day.Late at nite as we reached jays place we had some chinese outside and trudged off tired to sleep....
A thoroughly enjoyed trip!

2006-07-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Film: Children of heaven
Written and directed by: Majid Majidi
Story: about shoes
Performances : brilliant

okay..i am just too low to even give a critique of this film.....
Considering the constraints of the Iranian society..The much publicised "love" like in bollywood is very differently portrayed. The cinema reflects the beauty of relationships with the backdrop of the conservative Iranian society.
What keeps me wondering (and baffled!!) about these Iranian movies is that inspite of the roles played by numerous child artistes ,what makes them act so well and so natural...?
its a tad bit slow for you bollywood lovers..well, but if u r a hardcore bollywood lover you cant pssibly like this.
The story revolves around a poor family who r trying hard to make ends meet. Against this backdrop unfolds a beautiful story of a young brother and the love for his sister.As the story progresses you will be amazed by the paradoxical maturity and naivete of the characters.
The ending is slightly predictable..but the style of Mr. Majidi leaves us wanting for more..

2006-07-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hold me coz i am drifting away with inertia
running away in all directions
Life gives everything in cornucopia
what is it but a series of interjecions ?

The sill drips with the rain
and i feel the salt on my face
The chill of the pain
and the warmth it generates
The dent in my memories
and the nostalgia called life

When i reach there i look here
and when i am here i look for anothere there
Why o why this momentary bliss?
Where is this going?
Ponder upon the insanity...

2006-07-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Fingersmith

The movie is an adaptation of the novel "Fingersmith" with brilliant performances and excellent direction and crisp editing..leaving no loose ends.
Fingersmith is Sarah Waters' third novel and was nominated for the Booker Prize and the Orange Prize in 2002.
The entire aura of the film is portrayed with a forbiddingly brooding quality. with evidence of some fiddling wih the stock (the film ) .
Fingersmith, in case you are wondering, is the Victorian term for petty thief. Waters' main character Sue, grows up in a house full of 'fingersmiths' in a dark back alley in London.

As part of a complex plan to deceive a young heiress, Sue is sent to a forbidding old mansion in the country, to be maid to the heiress, Maud Lilly, who is kept isolated from the real world by her obsessive and eccentric uncle. The plan is that Sue will persuade the naive young Maud to marry Richard, a charming confidence trickster. Once married they would have her committed to a mental asylum and Richard and Sue would then share the fortune. A simple enough plot, but by the interval, the plot spins shockingly and the layers of deceit thicken, burgeoning romance builds and the tension compels the reader to the end.
So unexpected are the sudden deceptions and twists, that I was gawking at the screen wide eyed and open mouthed!
With the undertones of lesbian love in a victorian era, leaves me slightly scandalised considering that it still is a taboo..let alone being able to picture it in those times..
Neverthless ,tastefully done love scenes and an emotional ending.

2006-07-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

Bordi

Quaint fishing vilages..Tranquil locals...great fun and no tenshun!
Beautiful beaches..Miami in duisguise minus the bikini babes..for all those couples ..MTDC has great sea-view rooms out there.

2006-07-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

Getaway to Bordi

The remnants of the bordi trip can be still found in my faithful bag........
Orbit chewing gum
The saunf we managed to pack for future consumption from MTDC
An article on some foreign film i enjoyed reading in the newspaper in transit.

CAST:
Andy:the birthday boy..the 'king' of good times!
Shefali: aka chempa who is an integral part of the jay, andy ,deepalli...etc gang
Jay: needs no introduction a demigod unto himself...we were all together only because of him(nicknamed "yesu" on the trip due to his infamous locks!)
Yojan and apuva:my dear classmates
Deepli:jay's ex

Tribhuvan: aka tribbz whom we discovered on one of our treks

Biswarup: aka buntyda who was repenting over the fact that he gave his hostel friends the liberty to call him 'da' , in a weak moment,which reduces his prospects to find a girl!

Shreesh: aka 'pope '..the serene and less opinionated of us lot!!

Sonaraam suran:he's still a mystery man!!?

The rest of the cast arrives later on the scene and we shall meet them later..

Didnt know what to expect of this trip considering we were all relative strangers brought together by fate.

So we set out to our destination , which we had no idea (at least me ,yojan and apuva had noooo clue..or else we wouldnt have been so ill equipped!) , had a beach!

Andy's Tavera was a comfortable experience inspite of the guys in the back complainin bout too much luggage (if u consider a guitar..drinks..speakers..as luggage , that is)

We reach bordi amidst a lot of hullabaloo and enthusiastic singing, clicking pictures. listening to profanities which made my ears go sore, for the number of profanities uttered in a sentence would give emeniem an inferiority complex!..but hey... guys will be guys!

After freshning up we all run to the beach with a small 'supposed' tennis ball...and the three of us..i.e Yojan , Apuva and me decide to play baywatch in the distinct horizon, aeons away from the mainland. Neverthless we make our journey to eternity and soak ourselves in the freshness of salt (and if u think we looked anything like the liril babes...you have got it all wrong!).....as we pertly remove our wet dereirre's outta the sea..we realise we have no extra clothes (overwhelmed by the beauty of the place we conveniently forgot that little detail about US HAVING NO EXTRA CLOTHES!!!).....The guys decide to play safe and stay out. Chempa and Deeps hardly looked in the mood.

Anyways we somehow beg, borrow and make it thru...Meanwhile the other "couple" paltan arrives....abhi-pritam, sonal-ani,shweta-appa

and soon we have a full fledged 'daaru' party happenning..lotsa beer, vodka, fun ,music, cigarette butts, an easy camaraderie amongst us unknown variables...good non vegetarian food...

Apuva - as usual, the first 1 to get high and the most difficult one to handle...(we date back to daaru parties from pune,nashik, mumbai,hyderabaad..etc..n fortunately/unfortunately....i m pretty much the only 1 left closer home to sanity to take care of the bedlam)

However ,this is a first, for i get a 'ting'....which lasts precisely for half an hour..neverthless its kinda uncanny to lose control. So i return back to my usual observant self,'being a spectator' as Jay puts it ,and see the antics of a couple of drunkards and the ridiculously funny jokes they can generate...

And hence Andy being the gracious (so what ?if slightly abusive) host that he is..plays the role of a DJ and lets us have an even better time without getting too drunk himself..

As we teeter off to our respective beds , pritam and tribbz have a love talk....(juust kiddin!)

We wake up in the mornin to the news of some riots in the city , which dampens our "spirits" for the world cup football final, the very same evening...(talk about heights of anticlimax!)

We however let the consequences be damned and visit the dam nearby, where a lotta x-rated shooting of yesu and the gang took place!!

But we make it to the city without much incident (thank god!) and decided to watch the worldcup at some obscure "adarsh" bar???!!!as we reach tht place we realise we are late and tht zizou had already scored a goal. we quickly rush to the closest mall ,only to find out their exorbitant rates of 500 per person with the incentive of unlimited beer...somehow we bargained for a 200 per person thingie and had a wholesome time at the finals...(1 thing's for sure ,only half of us there really knew about football, the rest were in just for the spirit of the game and of course the 'spirit' itself!)

After Apuva gets lost and we send a search party ,Chempa almost puking on Andy's spic and span upholstery, no food at any of the usual places, we decide to head home..(at 3 AM)i.e Jay's place and decide to attend Mishra's lec at 8 in th morn! we were eventually sucessfull!!

but the fun hangover of the trip lasted for at least a week and the memoirs are still fresh and vivid in my mind........

2006-07-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

The printed rainbow

13th july,2006
Y.B.Chauhan, Nariman point
The printed rainbow, Critics Award at Cannes Film Festival
Director, producer, animated by: Gitanjali Rao
Language: English
Film type: 35mm

Ok so what do ya expect of a 15min animated movie which has won accolades and awards left, right and center?
Creativity .period.
The movie’s main protagonist, in reality, is old age...played supposedly by her mother and supporting cast being the cat.
The story revolves around old age and isolation in an urban context.
And how the old lady realizes her unlived fantasies via brightly colored match boxes.
The matchboxes being a deliberate medium to explore the folk art of India together with its vivid descriptions of various cities and scenes in its rawness as seen on different matchboxes all over the country.
The movie took an everlasting 2 yrs in the making. But worth the effort, for the animation techniques were worked out on a frame to frame basis, with most of the work on computer softwares with a charcoal on ground glass look. Not the usual smooth solid effect of maya or 3dmax. Had a very grainy and obscure feel to the film.
Different and refreshing.

2006-07-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

Failed interview..Sucessful purview
So......what happens when you rush from the construction studio for an appointment with a famous lawyer, only to find ,in the cab ,that your bag doesnt contain the ' borrowed' camera from your roomie!!!!!!!!?
Damn!!fuck! i scream to myself ,wondering and cursing at the same time, where my absent minded self had now misplaced it..so i spend another 20bucks to the college to search in all the possible places only to realise ,i might have left it at my hostel room and m releived 15 minutes and another 30 bucks later tht it was lying peacefully on my overcrowded computer table.
Panic soon set in when realisation dawned upon me that i might just tarnish my name and my insti's name if am unpunctual for the apptmnt. So i again rush, hailing a cab and 60 bloody bucks later when i finally reach 'kamthipura' (yup thts where she runs an NGO )
I feel like killing all the human beings on earth since she's called in sick for an indefinite period of time!!
Anyways i get over my anger as soon as i developed it, considering dinosaurs had resorted to 'wailing' ,in my stomach.....
Now how do i find a decent place to eat in kamathipura ,which isn't promiscuous nor too expensive on my pocket......tada...u ask a few watchman's around only to find that the rundown place at the corner of the road opp kamathipura is a decent place to eat in....so i take my chances and tread on unchartered territory with all the precaution in the world..with all the courage i could muster (heck!! i wanted to explore this taboo and stigma attached to this area within my own parameters)

As i enter the place which doesnt even have a board outside stating its name....i have a feeling of piercing eyes pricking my conscience on my 'mis'adventurous trip. But i look up to find normal men looking curiously at a woman who's apparently entered a wrong place, according to them.
i look at the menu,still standing on the reception counter, ready to sprint at the drop of a plate(hat!). Without rancour, i say," kheema fry and 2 tandoori roti pack kar deejeye" the uncle at the reception obvious to my discomfiture tried to comfort me by saying that i could wait in the corner seats if i wished to. So i was led to an anteroom, which turned out to be a better place with families and women sitting around. Releived at the spartan but jovial ambience i decide to make good of my meal in that very same place.
So i had the softest tandoori rotis i had ever eaten in my life for a measely 3 bucks each and excellent kheema for 15 bucks wonly!!!i congratulated my intuition for discovering a brilliant non veg food joint (where of course we cant deck up and come but ,expect excellent food worthy of our money when only non veg connoisseurs are involved..read 'guys')
Later walking down the street i also discovered these shops which sell shoe soles and belt and purse materials..at dirt cheap prices......for stuff like this we waste 100's of rupees....lets see where my next exploration takes me to....cheers to myself

2006-07-07T01:02:00.000-07:00

Juvenile love:

For its the juvenility that attracts a senior to a junior here
The innate need to protect somebody
and of course the need to be protected
Romanticising innocence
Forgetting the fact that she'll grow up
and you cant stop her
You are stunting her growth
Can't you see ?
she needs her time
Why bind her ?
she'll keep her promises
for she hasn't seen the world
wait till her first heartbreak
and see how she sees you
Like psychedelic floyd music
Like freudian theories
Like the weatherman's prediction
All subject to change

2006-07-07T00:53:00.000-07:00

Bangles:
these are the most sensual accessories indians could come up with...
their feel ...so feminine...
their sound...oh so melodious
like an unsung psalm
they can make you feel both empowered
and vulnerable at the same time
they can make you look chic
if you can carry them off
or make u look like BTM (behenji turned modern)
they can be pretty manipulative tools mind you
for they can mislead the other person
into beleiving that you r married
or plain hep

2006-07-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

"Her love"

She shares her love with me
a virtual stranger she is
for i fulfill her desires
paint her love on pulp
give words to her emotions
see life through her beautiful
rouge colored glasses
make empty promises for her
for they only ring true to her
eternal promises and
everlasting love
for people change
we grow up
or kill the child in us
for us to reach higher
and theres no room for
extra luggage up there
so we travel lite
and at the top
theres always something or someone
you wished was there
to witness the
breathtakingness of the view
but its too late now
coz we are tired
the journey far below is
easier
nonethless more treachereous

2006-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

its not about agressiveness
its not about me being heard
its about expression of views
its about criticism
its about generating discussion
-on blog yashmi

2006-07-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

How to con your ma into buying you a new pair of levis?

1. tell her how u adore your oldest wrangler and wont give it away and how lovingly you have stitched all those colorful patches and read the ' till death do us apart' vow for maximum effect, to let her know how much you need its daily hug (pun intended)
2. show some manifestation of feminity liike bangles, payal, etc to let her know that your next jean wont be mistreated like all your previous ones(yep! no more sitting and washing it a million times to get that right shade of blue when all your ma can talk about is inflation and "soap prices")
3. let her buy you a georgette lucknowi suit which gives her a false sense of security that you will finally turn into a beautifull swan from the ugly duckling always perceived due to lack of long hair, unclipped eyebrows, unwanted hair..et al

2006-07-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

It's easier to mend a broken heart than to caution a raging love
-Yashmi prasad