ponderous ways of the empty world

Some 8 months ago, three friends started out on a journey. One fell by the way side and the other two somehow managed to stay above the waters. The above graph says it all aloud. We are somehow as big or thereabouts with so many of the media companies that we fight with. They are well funded and are stable while we smile and work our way around prima donnas, clients who care less, skeptics and such.

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the great harry potter con game

a few weeks ago there was harry potter mania all around. people were standing in all night queues and fighting over the right to be able to buy the book first. People were supposed to have fought over things like who dies in the last edition and so on.

Here in Mumbai wife paid 750 bucks in advance five months ago to book a copy. She wanted to go out and pick up the book at 6 in the morning - gave up the idea thinking that she would have to wait for hours. Later that day at 6 pm she was surprised to find out that there were no queues, no fights, nothing. The books were not sold out and copies were available easily. To add to the insult the advance booked copies were dished out by disinterested salesmen in pathetic plastic bags. She could have walked in the day the sixth book was released and got the copy just like that. What an anti climax?!!!

It seems some 50000 copies were booked in advance in Mumbai. Thats 37.5 lakh rupees that the bookstores got in advance for 5 months interest free. Wow!

The same will get repeated using the media and advertising for iphone and for the next book thats deemed a world best seller.

Its a great con game and am a part of it.

boxed in thinking

sometimes one cannot think straight. it comes from having looked at a situation with the same eyes a thousand times. it becomes impossible to see the contours, the landscape with objectivity. the mind plays games. i call it being boxed in. here is what i do to solve the problem - take a deep breath and get up and go for a walk around the office block. read comics, mumbai mirror, anything else to help forget the problem. look at people, their faces, at couples making faces at each other, at strays sniffing at leaves, at centipedes trying to get under the grass or stones. It helps.

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mindgames,
with myself,
forgetting,
a pawn i become,
as the game goes on!

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Worli Seaface

(image courtesy Prax)

Dirty waters of a dirty sea,
unburdened emotion
of a million lives.

Collided with me last evening
Am recovering, one rain drop at a time.

Cadell Junction Thoughts

Once in a while I walk around the Shivaji Park. Past mayoral bungalow, past veer savarkar smarak, past penkar's gym right upto the petrol pump and crossword and then turn left into the tree lined avenue and walk around the historical ground made famous by sundry politicians.

Could not resist the urge for a murky coffee and indulged for a full 45 minutes - alone on a corner table with the Outlook for company. Bliss.

Took off when I realised that 45 minutes of bliss means nothing unless there is something to look forward to. Maybe it is time to find something to look forward to other than work and a few stray passions.

The Cadell Cafe junction is inviting, Mahim bay at one end with it burdened waters and Dadar at the other side. Try standing there at the signal waiting for an enternity for the red to turn to green. Fortunes go on four wheels. Some the size of my bed room!

pics speak more than words

my alterego!!



What do these eyes say?

barista musings

There used to be a time when one could sit at a Barista coffee shop and think. Nowadays the people around do the thinking for you. Gone are the days when the coffee shop was inviting and one could sit down with a laptop and write presentations. Now couples verbally make out there, others sit watching, more others it down and gulp muck.