Living a somnolent haze

Yesterday came another poem in the Pining for S series :): living a somnolent haze. Posting an excerpt:
when you are not around
life becomes a faded facsimile
of a black and white
picture frayed at the edges
a lazy repose of still-lives
of poignant pauses
of yawning interludes
on the fringe
look at these cameos
from daily life
traffic becomes blur
people become shapes
television loses its sting

Discovered a real cool site, Zinio. It digitizes magazines in their traditional form and its UI is cool. Check out the latest issue of Business Week, for instance. Cheers…

i Shalimar the clown

Wrote a poem yesterday: i Shalimar the clown, a curious mix of
Rushdiesque imagery and my pining for Shelle. Here’s an excerpt:
Shalimar the irascible clown
not really a contradiction
but dialectics at work trapezes
through thin air and walks in between trees
for a midnight dalliance with his ladylove
like earth she opens her body
lets him enter and envelopes him
you are my Bhoomi the terrestrial
dancing a merry salsa with the ethereal
the tango queen the Gemini twin

Found an interesting new search engine, CloserLook, developed by Chennai-born Sumithra Jagannath. CloserLook searches the invisible web, also called deep web, and aggregates info from databases hidden in the deep recesses of the web. Take a look at it.
And if your passion is advertising (it used to be mine before I discovered the Internet), here’s a cool site, Adverblog. Check it out for the latest dope on the mad ad world.

Shalimar the Clown

Picked up Shalimar the Clown post lunch yesterday once again and this time I am determined to finish it. I am a great fan of Rushdie as he is a master wordsmith and a super storyteller. I love the fact that he is reinventing himself and is in sync with the times. There’s a certain edginess in his writings now, and that’s what makes him so special. However, reading Rushdie takes so much out of us. He is a demanding writer and never an easy read. Finished over 50 pages of Shalimar yesterday, but I must say I am finding it a bit dense as there is a lot of intermixing of political commentary with philosophical outpourings, and the story runs in the background, like a river not in a hurry to go anywhere. It’s a challenging book, and I think I am going to enjoy it. Shall keep you posted about how I feel as I traverse through its pages.

Meanwhile, posting a small map of Egpyt to give you an idea of Shelle’s Egyptian sojourn. This is the route she is taking: Cairo > Aswan > Abu Simbel (near the border of Sudan)> Edfu (65 miles north of Aswan) > Luxor > Alexandria > Cairo, with a Nile cruise thrown in between.
Abu Simbel

Take care, my friends.

Tin Fish

Yesterday, Shelle called from the train to Aswan and it triggered a flow of emotions. Out came a poem (after a long time), she called from the train to Aswan, and in a way, it’s not only about how much I miss her but also about our relationship, and my umbilical chord attachment with my better half. I know some of you would read it and may find it soppy, a bit maudlin perhaps, but what the heck, do lemme have your comments please.
An excerpt:
i think of her in Aswan
that ancient frontier town in South Egypt
aesthetically set on the Nile where dainty sailboats
etch the sky with their heady masts
twenty five years of our relationship
and it’s with her i share my inner callings

Finished reading Tin Fish. I picked up the book initially because it’s written by a classmate of mine in St. Stephen’s (Class of 1984), Sudeep Chakravarti. We used to call him “Chakki”, and he was a quiet and intense person, though sometimes reclusive, at college. Without much preamble, I must say I loved the book and its easy flowing style. It’s a coming of age book and takes us on a journey through our wonder years. The story may be set in Mayo College, but it’s a tale of most of the young boys staying in residential schools. Though I have not had a stint at a boarding school (stayed in residence, though, at St. Stephen’s), I could identify with the book. It’s a breeze of a book. Chakki, can’t wait to ask you to set your second book in the Stephania of 1981-84. I think you have found your calling, mate, and am glad you have shifted to sylvan Goa which is conducive to creative pursuits.
Also browsed through House Design, an interesting book that captures some of the most contemporary house designs in the world. Published in 2004, most of the designs are avant-garde and have sci-fi looks. Cool stuff from Daab, a German publication house.
Do check out the site of Good Night, And Good Luck, a Warner Bros. flick that I shall not miss.
If you enjoy Jazz, you are in for a treat. Take care…

Shelle goes to Egypt

This morning, Shelle left for Cairo on Gulf Air. I spoke to her when she was at Abu Dhabi IA. She sounded happy and am glad she is going to enjoy herself. She had been fascinated by the Egyptian civilization and now she is going to holiday there for the next 10 days.
Meanwhile, I am gonna have fun with Soven, doing everyday things, sharing time on the idiot box and the regular stuff. She is great to be with. Before I sign off, do check out the LA cultural rag, Defamer, good example of blog as news. Published by Gawker Media. Watch out for the Gawker explosion. Take care all ye folks…

Neha’s fantastic private jet ride

Last week, petite Neha flew with Richard Branson from Delhi to Mumbai in his private jet. She was thrilled (understandably!) and sent her friends some exclusive pictures. Am sharing four of them with you. Way to go, Neha!

Judy’s Book

So, we finally went to the Branson party and it was nice meeting Neha, my friend at VAA and our host, who looked lovely in the interesting footgear she was sporting.
Branson came in wearing a black kurta and went about shaking hands with almost all of his employees. He lays a premium on employee satisfaction, above all (and that includes the customer!), and isn’t it true that only happy employees make happy customers? Sound policy methinks. We generally chilled out…sipping white wine and savouring retro music.
This week has been great at office, what with a series of meetings with overseas visitors. The internet space in India is heating up and we are in for some exciting times. I am committed to deliver an outstanding BB portal early next year and it should be fun.
Do check out Judy’s Book. It’s a real cool site which recently received $8 million VC funding, and hopefully, shall make its mark in the interactive local listings space. I just love the out-of-the-box brand names in the new media industry. Another good one is Pajamas Media, a new portal designed to bring the best of blogosphere. Cool.

The Shakira Dialectic

Do check out this article in NYT on the sheer dialectics of being Shakira. She comes across as a true power woman, sensual and sharp, and aware of the overwhelming effect she has on people. I was intrigued by the title of the piece, and after going through it, agree that it fits the lady like a second skin. She is a perfect example of dialectics at work. Take this: "My hips tell me where and when I should move," she says in this brilliant piece. "And my hips don't lie - my hips tell me the truth." A cool juxtaposition of physical with the metaphysical. Maybe I should get Oral Fixation, Vol. 2.
Have you checked out Google Base? If you have, do share your thoughts. Looks like it may play an important role in bringing order to the undifferentiated landscape of search.
What else? Yesterday got the first designs for our house from the architect. Need a few iterations, I guess. Busy at work. Lotsa work but am having fun and at peace now. Have been invited to a party by VAA at Djinns tonight to mingle with Richard Branson. Am not too sure if we will go, but if we do, shall surely let you in on all the gossip.
Cheers…

Salaam Namaste

Saw Salaam Namaste at home. Quite a frothy film that raises a few pertinent questions about human relationships and commitment but degenerates into an awkward comedy towards the end. The first half was pretty enjoyable. Got a good dekho of one of the world’s most liveable cities, Melbourne, and am happy Sophie and family are settled there.
Read an interesting piece in NYT about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical, The Woman in White. Do check it out if you are a Webber fan like me.
And if you want your blog to be tracked and listed in the Indian blogosphere, do visit Blogstreet. Take care…

Lost and Found

Sri Lanka lost the series 6-1 and am glad India finally found a good (possibly great) team for the future. Credit must be given to the no-nonsense coach, Greg Chappell, who is totally in-charge and is doing very well by reinventing the team, sans stars but with some solid youngsters keen to give their best. My favourite: Dhoni with his flamboyant style, daring, cool attitude and rock-star looks.

Talking of Lost, hope you guys are checking out the multiple Emmy award winning series, Lost, on Star Movies. Don’t miss the lovely Evangeline Lilly as Kate in a recklessly charming role amplified by her irresistibly playful looks and natural talent. I believe she is earning quite a reputation as one of the most promising young actresses in Hollywood. Cheers…

Soven@Bebo

I have just discovered that my 12 and a half year old daughter, Soven, is a part of this real cool social networking site called Bebo. It is the next generation hangout where members can stay in touch with their school and college friends, connect with an extended circle, share photos, discover new interests and just play buddy-buddy. I loved the online music video on the member pages. I am so glad that Soven is a 'digital native' and is exploring the myriad charms of internet. This is a cool generation: the kids are smart and have a great attitude. I have bookmarked my daughter’s Bebo page and I do hope to connect with her as a part of her social network. Way to go, Soven.

Anita in e4m

Today the media, ad and marketing industry newshound, exchange4media, announced Anita’s appointment in Genpact. Here’s the story. Cheers!

It’s Genpact

Folks, you will be happy to know that my better half, Anita, has joined Genpact today as VP, Corporate Communications. Genpact, earlier called GECIS, is India’s largest BPO company and recently rated by Business Today as the third best company to work for in India. The first, of course, is Infosys. Am happy for Anita. She cleared a series of tough interviews and is an ideal fit for this job, considering her Andersen experience and her polished personality. So, this is the big news of the day.
Went to Dimple’s house on Sunday for her luncheon Birthday party. Pity India lost the 5th ODI, despite a century by Gambhir. There has been a scandal at office, but am not keen to dig the dirt here. Glad Natwar is ejected out of the Cabinet. In the murky world of politics, you can’t take anything at its face value.


Discovered a simple but beautifully made internet film about the state of new media in 2014. Robin Sloan, formerly of the Poynter Institute, is a cool guy. Do take a look at the film here. Lemme know what do you think. As far as I am concerned, EPIC is the way to go in the future. Everything will converge and the consumer will call the shots:
"The ‘Evolving Personalized Information Construct’ is the system by which our sprawling, chaotic mediascape is filtered, ordered and delivered. Everyone contributes now – from blog entries, to phone-cam images, to video reports, to full investigations. Many people get paid too – a tiny cut of Googlezon’s immense advertising revenue, proportional to the popularity of their contributions. EPIC produces a custom contents package for each user, using his choices, his consumption habits, his interests, his demographics, his social network – to shape the product."

Do take care all of you…