On another note - thanks to Techbangalore I got to know about PicLens which is an new tool for viewing photos on the web. One click download and you enter into an amazing world of photography. Its a whole new experience.
"Blame not laziness for the lack of (blog) updates, blame instead time - or rather the lack of it" Who ever said this, must be really wise :) The last few weeks have been like a marathon race. Day after day, with no count of hours - not too sure where it is all heading. 'It' in this case, being life. So here's 'what was' and 'what is'... from the last few weeks:
Kenny G concert: Two musicians whom I consider Gods of music - Yanni and Kenny G. I would do (almost) anything see them perform live. When I heard that Kenny G was performing in Bangalore, my first reaction was woo-hoo! Only then did I see that the tickets were priced at 2K and 3K. It was really hard to convince any my friends to join me, considering the ticket price and also that the concert was on a Monday evening. After not too much thinking, I decided that I was going no matter what, just had to find some company. As a last resort I had to force my brother to come along... I even had to buy him a ticket :) Venue - UB City: For those of you who are not too familiar with the Bangalore skyline (If I can call it that) UB city is an office/shopping space which has one of its buildings shaped like the Empire State building. Google should be able to provide some images. Sponsor - Blackdog - I didn't know until recently that this was a brand of whiskey. Everyone at the concert was offered complimentary drinks. Whiskey with Mango juice/Apple juice were weird combos I thought. But when its free, it just doesn't matter... now does it? The music - The concert started with Kenny playing while he walked amongst the crowds. In Mumbai, I heard he walked right from the last row up to the stage, but the Bangalore venue was not equipped for this sort of free movement. The play list for the evening included many of the popular songs Havana, This moment, Songbird to name a few. He also played a few pieces from his new album Rhythm & Romance, an album with a Latino flavor, he said Kenny also gave a demo on how he plays really long notes. The technique he explained was to inhale and exhale simultaneously. That of course would take a lot of practice. He demonstarted this by placing the mike near his nose, where we could hear him take in short breaths while he continuously blew into his sax. Its was a lovely evening, enchanting music, amazing lighting and acoustic effects... totally worth it!
"Story time for children" was the project that I signed up for as a part of community work this year. Me being me, love any activity that involves children. Only after initial visit to the trust, did we realize that the 'children' here were between age groups 4 and 19. We broke up the children into 4 groups based on their age and planned out age-specific activities. Another group had already organised fun and cultural activities for these kids, so we thought we'd make it a day of learning. The topics ranged from stories/songs, environmental awareness, greatness of India... to resume writing/career counseling for the elder kids.
One of the charts that I prepared
I have interacted with children from various other trusts, but these children were a just a class apart. They were outgoing, not shy, good in English and their confidence factor was the highlight. The Ashwini Charitable Trust takes care of not only the monetary requirements of the kids but also provides the guidance required for the overall development of the kids until they get employed. The kids at the trust are first generation literates, with mothers work as house maids and their fathers are unskilled laborers. There were two or three girls who were doing their B.Com from St Joseph's College. The way the children are molded by the trust, they do not find it very difficult to mingle with other children and the best part is that one of these girls has consistently topped her class in college :)
Collage on pollution
Drawing competition
It was a great learning experience, spending the day with the children. Once a year doesn't make too much sense. Already on my life's to-do list... let's see what more can be done.
Surprise visitor: Stranger from a distant planet, Mars - so it may seem No time to meet during the day, T'was not a part of the scheme Zoom over for coffee, vrooom and call it a walk Glad, we got a chance to meet, Though not enough time to talk :)
The evening weather: The weather in the evenings has been fantastic over the last couple of days. After the scorching heat during the day, the evening showers considerably bring down the temperature. Considering the fact that one is locked up indoors the entire day, going out and enjoying the lovely evening breeze by way of a short walk (or a longer one, if time permits) or just some time spent on the terrace listening to music - I understand, can do wonders :)
On the work front: No comments except for @$%#&
Let me use a quote that I read recently and liked a lot, to end this post.
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go"
so... time to start thinking and deciding now. Happy Weekend!
Another late night at the office. Hoping for a smooth drive back home without much traffic? Surprise Surprise! Who would think of a possible of a traffic jam at a non-peak hour? Traffic jams are here to stay 24 X 7. Weekend mornings are not so bad you may say, but weekend evenings do make up any shortfall whatsoever.
The Bangalore Traffic Scene: ~ Traffic Signals - GREEN is all I see I've noticed that a Traffic signal + Policeman combination works in most cases but a traffic signal alone has no value. When at a road junction you stop for the Red signal don't be shocked by the blaring honks of vehicles behind you, some motorists even go to the extent of abusing you for their delay. If educated folks with their dog tags (I mean company ID cards) don't realise the significance of traffic signals, who will?
~ Road Blocks - Who cares? Place barriers at specific points in order avoid traffic jams and sure enough by the next morning, the barriers would have moved such that vehicles can trickle through. There again is it going to be Barriers + Policeman combination to the rescue? Why do motorists insist on following rules only when there is someone to monitor and control them? Is it really that difficult?
If it were just a matter of being delayed to work or getting back home we would be fine. What is scary is, when an ambulance is stuck in a traffic jam. This is something I see almost every other day. There is no place for anyone to move, the ambulance siren is wailing desperately. Think about the person who needs to reach the hospital on time. A delay here would cost the person their life. This may be 'some'one today and this could (God forbid) be 'you' tomorrow.
A little discipline would go a long way in sorting out these traffic woes. What we need to do is THINK - REALISE & CHANGE
Teletroscope - the concept
Venue - UB City: For those of you who are not too familiar with the Bangalore skyline (If I can call it that) UB city is an office/shopping space which has one of its buildings shaped like the Empire State building. Google should be able to provide some images.
Sponsor - Blackdog - I didn't know until recently that this was a brand of whiskey. Everyone at the concert was offered complimentary drinks. Whiskey with Mango juice/Apple juice were weird combos I thought. But when its free, it just doesn't matter... now does it?
One of the charts that I prepared
Collage on pollution
Drawing competition
