Conceptual Aura

Doodle jump in an auto

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:58:00 +0000

For anyone who owns an Android phone and likes casual gaming, the Doodle Jump game is a must.

You play a little guy who must jump from platform to platform, while avoiding monsters and what not..

Addictive lil bastard of a game. Joshua was the one who introduced me to it, and just earlier today I beat his personal best highscore! Woot!

So anywho, I like challenging myself at these games, so I choose weird environments to play a round in.

I set my highest ever score while waiting for Nandita to get her hair done at a Lakme salon, so it was only apt that I hoped the playing stakes.

So I'm on my way to meet her for the movie, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (my views on that are reserved, will share after a viewing). And yes sadly I'm in an auto today. My new balance shoes are facing the brunt of the Mumbai monsoon, and I'm none too pleased about it.

So I decided since anyway I have nothing positive to rejoice about this back-replacement surgery inducing ride, I might as well make the most of it.

And voila what better way than to play doodle jump!

So while holding on to my bouncing phone as my autowallah drove valiantly over the most cavernous potholes he could find, and moments, saving my phone from becoming a victim of Mumbai's fabled road works, I managed to set a respectable score of 53,606...small compared to my high score of 69,704...but a feat in itself nonetheless.

Also I just realized typing out a blogpost on the phone while in an auto was much easier than playing doodle jump....Hrmmm something to think about no?

Once upon a time there was a little boy...

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:55:00 +0000

Once upon a time,

there was a little boy,

who beleived that every dream could come true.

who looked at the world through rose tinted glasses,

and saw clouds made of cotton candy and gumdrops.

For whom there was no evil in the world,

for whom it all was a very simple place.

Who knew no struggle,

who knew no pain,

who only felt joy and the tingling of rain.

Who danced and pranced about with every paycheck,

forgetting that in life, there's always a debt.

Add the debt of joyful times,

the debt of carefree moments,

the debt of procrastination,

the debt that must be paid.

Paid in kind? Has life ever heard such a word?

For every high, there must come a fall.

And a fall my dear friends, when early on is fairly less painful,

than one in which, you scale the peak and tumble on down.

There is no Jack, there is no Jill,

there is oft just a sleeping pill,

to put you torrid mind at rest,

to take you away from the horrid place.

Life, they say, is a rat's race...

and dear friend, the rat you finally have become.

Dimitri offers me advice on tackling the GMAT

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:50:00 +0000

Found out about this earlier today on : Know Your Meme

So here's my contribution :P

Needs more practice

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:04:00 +0000

So its T minus 5 days until my GMAT exam. State of affairs: weak.

Algebra and number systems are quite confusing. Been trying to cram my formulae for areas and perimeters of squares, rectangles, circles, triangles. Not to mention, volume, which is quite a herculean task in itself.

While I loathe in the aura of slothery and non-chalance, on another hand, I'm quite worked up about little things. Things that I completely forgot about in the past.

Like collecting my BMM degree from university! It's been 2 years since I graduated and I haven't been able to make time to collect it yet. I need to submit it for my ISB diploma, so will get to locating it urgently.

In other news, Harry Potter, Deathly Hallows 2 released today. Will go watch it tomorrow. Do not expect a rosy review. I have despised the seriesince the time the first book came out.

The plan almost got canned, because Nandita got an insane amount of workload tomorrow, but luckily, the wheels of the plan are back in motion & we'll be watching the flick at cinemax tomorrow.

Wish me luck. On a final note...here's a picture of my doggie Spice...sleeping...as usual...and people ask me why I sleep so much!

Of quotients, remainders and square root signs

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 20:04:00 +0000

Need I say more. This is math. This is gmat.

A New Year, A New Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:21:00 +0000

Sure it's the middle of the year, but truly it is a new start for me on this blog. I last wrote here back in 2009. Life was very different back then, and is extremely different right now.

And for the first time, it's different in a great way. In a way that I dont really know how to put in words, but in a way that is more meaningful.

I'm going to keep this post short, as in running short of time to prepare for my GMAT examination. Yes, I'm finally giving my GMAT and heading on to do an MBA hopefully at ISB if I get in.

And the girl who made me change my mind? Nandita Mahadevia :) The love of my life, and the jewel of my eye.

More on her and life soon. Mostly post the 20th. :)

Also, in other news, Google has launched Google+ and is going to kick Facebook's ass.

Also...I've been off all forms of social media for the last month and a half. Half a month more to go. More on that later.

See you laters. Good to be back.

Back where I love...

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:18:00 +0000

I'm back at my favourite place. I'm writing again. The same aromas, the same people. Familiar faces, so many stories.

Some are studying, some reading, others gazing dreamily into eyes. There's so much happening here and yet so much is unsaid.

I order my usual, a rich coffee shake and a chicken tikka sandwich. Its summertime, so i cant get my mandatory drink, the extra hot, lavazza cappucino. Heaven.

I watch this couple sitting across the room. They've been coming here for the last 2 years. They used to work in the same company. Now theyre married. Many stories happen here.

There's these two gals sitting ahead, they're talking about copywriting, and advertising fundamentals, and exams et all...wow...i just gave my bmm exams, and I miss it already. BMM...i would come here during the exams, my finals, and study for around 8-9 hours... Just me, my books and this place.

I dont come here often with people...people I know that is...intrusion of space...not like I dont bump into people I know here tho :P that keeps happening...here and on the walkway of colaba.

I've heard deals being sealed, i've seen hearts broken, i've seen people share drinks with a straw for two.

I've been harassed by a drunk, threatened even, kept my calm, and told him to buzz off.

Some people look at me quizzically. My friends wonder how I come here always. Sitting by the window, or amidst people. I sit and observe. It's funny perhaps, creepy to some maybe, but I couldn't care less.

I remember this one time, i almost convinced myself to come work here. As a barista...serving coffee...an excuse to spend as much time as I wanted in this place! :D

Welcome to my favourite place in the world Barista colaba.

The Book Rack

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:44:00 +0000

This post is about the book rack, but yes I will tackle the issues of the day as well. But that's a tad trivial at present. The books REALLY MATTER!

So while it poured cats and dogs outside, and my mum warned me against getting wet, lest i catch a dreadful cold, I braved the elements (it's been raining quite heavily all of a sudden in bombay!), and made my way, towards a quaint yellow bookstore, under the flyover, in the southern part of the city of dreams, to immerse myself, in the aroma of pages, the hubbub of voices, and the joy of an open book, which rightly is the best way to travel.

"There's nothing better, on a rainy day, to get a cup of coffee, pick up a book, and immerse yourself in that world, the world of the pages, of paragraphs, and lines, that take you to far off lands, or show you the same world in a myriad of colours, much like the essence of the first drops of rain, and the aroma of earth thereafter."

So in i went, picked up a black basket, with the word CROSSWORD, printed on its sides, and strolled every nook and cranny of the store. From management and media, to fiction and design. From the pages of the Japanese manga novels to the Indian snake charmer's tales. It's easy to get lost in this world, and the hours whiz by, the rain patters on outside, but you trudge along oblivious to your surroundings, occasionally looking at a fellow explorer, and muttering a word or two.

So is it that you know why you go this world of books. Are you quite certain that you know what it is you wish to buy? Or is it just that, it's about the journey and not the destination. You may be enticed by some never heard before author, or perhaps the covers thrill you. Whatever it is, you would always find something of interest in a book store.

Perhaps you would just sit in one corner, and watch the others around you. The young readers, squatting on the floor, reading some comic books and giggling to themselves, while a serious business reader, looking for a book on managing people, smirks at the supposed nuisance irritably, while another gypsy looking reader, browses through the travel section, probably looking for a new destination, at the same while, a man who has been observing above lady with much interests, pretends to try pens at a booth nearby, so that he may keep an eye on her, his teenage son, sneaks a peek into the mature manga novels and fantasizes about the characters, and the girl in green sitting opposite you spots the boy and smirks, and then notices you, and gives you a coy smile, and resumes reading.

Day turns to dusk, and dusk to night. The rain pours on relentlessly. They basket seems to overflow, with the books that seem to have caught your fancy, and you bid the girl goodbye, and make your way to the counter, so that you may purchase the books. But can truly the experience be purchased. The experience of the bookstore, cannot be coined in rupees or dollars, but is an eternal, ever giving experience, that pleases the senses. So while the paper money is exchanged and the transaction billed, as you leave the world, there is a tad bit of sadness, but like most books a flicker of hope, for you will return there again some other day, when your mind is craving, for that wordgasm.

And off into the rain i went, to hail a cab, and most wouldn't relent, after all the roads, were quite crowded, and the journey was short. So while my temper rose, and I wanted to say a word or two to them, that would not suit a gentleman's tone, one lone cabbie, offered me a ride, and I was headed on my way home.

*****************************************************************
The books I picked up:

1. The Best of Roald Dahl - Roald Dahl - Rs. 295
A collection of mature themed stories, that are macabre, morbid, and aimed at giving you sleepless nights. A must read for the horror and mystery story lover. Not for the faint hearted.

2. Buzz Marketing - Mark Hughes - Rs. 500
Its about understanding how buzz marketing works, and at the end of the day being to apply it in your organization.

3. To Room Nineteen - Doris Lessing - Rs. 395
Collection of stories from the 50's till the 90's of passion and confusion in human relations. Nobel Prize Winner 2007.

4. Bombay Rains, Bombay Girls - Anirban Bose - Rs.195
The journey of a boy from Delhi to Bombay, and adjusting to the life here.

5. Wonderboys - Michael Chabon - Rs. 395
The story of an aging novelist, and his attempt and finishing his masterpiece 2000 page novel.

6. Sloppy Firsts - Megan McCafferty - Rs. 600
A teen story, about growing up. Light read. Recommended for people who're absolutely swamped with a lot of stuff, and get very little time to read. It's fun. Helps you revisit your teen years.

******************************************************************

The book I'm starting with today :

The Best of Roald Dahl

So until next time.

Cheerio.

THE STEP OUT!

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:23:00 +0000

*******************************************************************
UPDATE : 25th JULY, 8:10PM

I had sent my pictures to Pitpass.com and Formula1.com and i check my email today...
lo and behold, there's an email from Chris Balfe the Editor of Pitpass saying :

-------------------------------------------------
Dear Uditvanu,

Many thanks for that, much appreciated.

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=35512

Chris Balfe
-------------------------------------------------

THEY ACTUALLY USED MY PICTURESSS!!!! AAAAHHH!!!

IT FEELS LIKE A WON AN OSCAR!
(my moment of shock, and tears of joy!)
*******************************************************************
So finally after a 2 week long house arrest i got to step out of the house today.

For those who didnt know, I had the dreaded tropical disease DENGUE, and that led to my illness, and subsequent house arrest.

I realized that many things had changed:

1. The Santacruz flyover was ready (didnt mean that the traffic was sorted)

2. Rains always throw a monkey wrench into Mumbai's gears! (no matter what the BMC says)

3. It takes 2 hours to get from Walkeshwar to Powai! (and the car time makes for interesting observations of hoardings, and bus shelters)

I was craving social interaction, and viola, I got social and a lot more.

Before you jump to conclusions... the lot more was :

1. Aching back
2. Crushed toes
3. An autograph, many would kill for!

So I was at the Vodafone Meet Lewis Hamilton Event, at Hiranandani Gardens in Powai, Mumbai. He was going to drive some laps of the circuit there, and we would get a chance to meet our HERO! (my champion is practicing in Jerez and burning his ass off.. yes I am talking about the Kimi Raikonnen.)

So anyhoo, I dragged my friend Purab along, and he being an avid Lewis fan, kept yelling into my ears from the time he spotted Lewis!

I carried my SLR with me.
Yes it's the Canon Rebel XTi 10mp. IT WAS A DREAM TO USE!

So it was only necessitated that the following figures be prevalent.

600 pictures

1/4000th of a second

1.2 GB

5 MB per picture

I have coverage of the event, which I could probably sell to magazines, and make pots of money...
but I shant... it's a hobby!
(HONESTY SELLS!)

So why did i get the crushed toes? Well because I wanted Lewis' autograph. After all though I am a Ferrari fan, and am rooting for Kimi Raikonnen to beat Lewis' ass this year as well, F1 is universal, and any F1 superstar coming to India, is a big deal!

*****************And now on to the professional photos!******************

THE MP4 22 at the event

Me and the MP4-22 in the backdrop.

The rains hit mumbai... again.

Lewis gives a thumbs up to the crowd.

Purab Mehta, eagerly awaiting Lewis' arrival. (he arrived at 2pm)

Mr All Smiles at the event.

Lewis storms the track at Hakone. (9secs)

Lewis in the Vodafone cart.

The Autograph that got me crushed toes! Muhahahhah!

So after the event, we decided to head back to town (oh heavenly town), and my dear friend, Purab Mehta, feels hungry. So he dials JustDial (28888888).

Now while I endorse Google, as the answer to all of life's problems, thus is not the case with JustDial.

Our dear friend, wanted healthy fresh food, and thus a SUBWAY sandwich was apt. But little was he to know about the wild goose chase he was about to enter.

Such that when we reached the place of the "supposed SUBWAY", it was no where to be seen...

to which obviously my pat reply was:

"THEY MADE YOU A MAMU"
(Eng Trans : They fooled you!)

So Vodafone may have the most dropped calls and the worst network coverage there is..
but when it comes to F1, they surely know how to make a fan's day!

Thus trust not what you hear, but what you see, and on this note ends this rainy, exciting post.

Till next time.

The Hospital - Season 1

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:04:00 +0000

Cast :
Uditvanu Das - His Father - His Mother - Purab Mehta - Reema Bhagchandani - Malvika Jethwani - Harshita Chatterjee - Namrata Shah - Relatives - Ram Driver

Synopsis :

THIS SUMMER, A FALL TO END ALL FALLS, A KILLER MOSQUITO, LIFE THREATENING DOCTORS, SCHEMING NURSES, WORRIED FAMILIES, LOVING FRIENDS, ROMANCE, DRAMA, HOPE, DECEIT, AND THE JOURNEY HOME.

After a sudden fall in the bathroom, Uditvanu, is rushed to the hospital. As is life is flashing before his eyes, the doctors race against the clock to find him a room. A troubled family is by his side all along, but Uditvanu is very weak.

His friends unaware of his condition are going on about their lives, when suddenly they receive the terrible news. They are alarmed, and inundate the parents phone's with calls. They arrive in the hospital, post the news, and are shaken to see Uditvanu in his state.

Uditvanu on the other hand, is trying to regain his strength, his stay in the hospital tests him physically, as well as mentally.

The nurses, at times responsive tend to him, while at other, ignore him.
The phone is his only companion, as the laptop, is of no use. And yet, there is yet another tragedy.

The doctor, is taking care of Uditvanu, but making him weaker. He sticks needles in him at regular intervals. And at the end of it, demands that his cellphone be confiscated.
What will Uditvanu do? Will he survive the season? And who is the mysterious cell phone voice.

Find out in a bone chilling, mosquito killing season of 'The Hospital'

Episode List

1. The Fall
2. The Stretcher
3. The Weaker Patients Ward
4. The Drip
5. The medicines
6. The Voice Speaks
7. The Vegetarian Nightmare
8. The Voice Appears
9. The Bathroom Joke
10. The Girl Next Door
11. Girl from the past
12. Flowers and more
13. Discharge
14. The Deceit
15. The Confiscation
16. The Revelation
17. The Fear
18. A New Hope
19. Salvation
20 The Road Home

Production Photos:

***CLICK THUMBNAIL TO ENLARGE***

TRIVIA ABOUT THE SEASON :

1. They will take your blood even if you're sleeping.
An excerpt from a conversation between me and blood taker!
BloodBoy : (pokes me on my shoulder)
ME: (groggy) huh..
BloodBoy : Aapka naam kya hai (What is your name?)
ME: uhh..Udit..Uditvanu Das.
BloodBoy : Hum aapka khoon lene aaye hain (We're here for your blood!)
ME: (shock astonishment) WHAATT??? KYAA??? Abhi... mein so raha hoon!(Now.. im trying to sleep!)
BloodBoy: Nahi abhi blood dena padega (No you have to give blood now!)

2. Some hospital nurses look hot, but dont expect anything out of a hollywood movie. (Damn you adult video!)

3. No matter how much Axe Shock (plug! :P) you spray, you still will end up smelling like the hospital in two days time, and you will stink like a pig, and people will want to stay away from you.

4. People who you havent met in ages, will either call you up more often or come visit you in the hospital. (You know who you are!)

5. The duration of the bell ring, is directly proportional to the time taken for the nurse to appear in the room. ( Ask my mom, she put this theory to the test more than once!)

6. For all those borderline obese people, and thin crazy girls out there, a 2 day trip to the hospital is enough to lose those tires and more! For thin people, if you come out of there visible, you win an award!

7. Your internet connection on your laptop which works fine otherwise, will cease to work properly and you will be left stranded, with a laptop on your lap, which overheats, and a Reliance Connection, which does not work!

8. When you have nothing to do, you will look out your window, and notice girls wearing mini shorts in houses across the hospital.

9. You will watch hindi music channels which you would never watch otherwise, and you will listen to songs which you loathe otherwise.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Chinese Oddssey Continues... Neverending.

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 11:42:00 +0000

nee how (hello),

When i decided to come to China... I was super kicked....
a land of mystery, history, culture... an emerging super power...
from what i have gained from this trip till now...
welll it couldnt be any worse.. (actually.... maybe it could)...

In Guilin (amazing landscape and jazz) today..thankfully leaving for Shanghai( New York, New York!) tomorrow!

The trip till now:
Beijing : Ming Tombs (other than sacred path, not amazing), Tienanmen's Square (too much of Beijing 2008 logos abound), Forbidden City (should have remained forbidden), Summer Palace (all summer and water, very little palace), Great Wall of China(the only saving grace in a dead city), Legend of Kung Fu(A fantastic show at the Red Theatre... 5 Stars!)

Xi'an: Terracotta Warriors(fantastic, highlight of the the tour), Tang Dynasty Show(Amazing Dance Show), Big Wild Goose Pagoda (not all the pagoda i thought it to be)

Guilin: Nothing great in picturesque ness, Li River Cruise(rip-off, waste of 5 good hours!), Fubo Hill(illogical.)

Shanghai : Coming soon....

Have clicked around 400 pictures and will upload them once i am back in bombay.

Cheers, and zee gee an (goodbye) from Guilin.

BIG SORRY!

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:24:00 +0000

A BIG SORRY TO ALL MY READERS FOR NOT UPDATING THE BLOG

HAS BEEN A CRAZY WEEK AND A HALF:

I had my exams the whole of last week.
[Blog About Papers and Preparation en-route!]
I went partying last night with Malvika,Reema,Neha,Priya and Co...
[Blog and Pics Coming up!!!]
Kimi Raikonnen won the Formula One Driver's World Championship in a fantastic season finale at the Brazilian Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paolo, this Sunday. What a race!
[Will Blog about this turbulent season!]
Happy Dussehra to all my readers, and Shubho Bijoyo to all the bengalis out there!

[Blog Updates are on their way as I type! :) Thanks for sticking around! Hugs!]

The Pre-Exam Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:06:00 +0000

8th October - Mom makes plan to go to pune. Time : 8pm
8th October - I call up Malvika and Reema, say : A V to the A party tomoro! What say! Time: 8:05pm
8th October - Malvika & Reema: Ya ! BABY YA!!!! Time: 8:05pm and 30 secs!

That's how long it took to plan the pre-exam bash on the 9th of October.

Why party when exams are just around the bend?

To study with a renewed vigour.
To get a break from the din of books.
Just for fun. (No reason really)

I watched a Simpsons episode once:

When truth is obscured, and there is no black or white, but finer shades of grey, they is just one thing to do, HOUSE PARTY!!!!!

With us it wasnt the truth at stake, but our studies.. which by the way, are still to be completed.

First I will create a Freudian snip of what yesterday was:
wait,late,confused,secrecy,violent,insane,chemical,fluid,loud,laughter,spills,thrills,candid,smiles,dancing.

Now the explanation:
The party which was to begin at 11, began at 2.
Malvika: LATE (well fashionably dahling)
Reema: LATE (sleepyhead, internet addict)
Priya: LATE (quite a commonplace now!)

Surprise entrees (who added even more life to the party):
Tanima: works (office work!) at parties
Neha: refused to overdose on the tobasco!

What we did:

Well loads of V to the A!
Monopoly with modified rules!
A random game, whose name Priya knows.. she is officially, the GameMaster!
Danced like insane idiots (yes I did my usual ass shake, and crazy dancing, need to locate the videos and will put them up!)

Now the creme de la creme!
Malvika and Yours Truly, the bumfight of the century.
Weapons: Hands and Feet
Rules: None! (yes kicks and blows landing in every possible place! :P)

Highlights: I became a horsie, my hand got tangled in malvika's hair, snake dance to appease the evil one!
Consequences:

Sprained neck (almost)
Bruises on my arm which look like i got raped by wolves
Malvika bruised and maimed by a wooden horse.
Neha's foot crushed by Malvika.
Reema leg scratched.
Priya kicked on head by Reeema (hilarious!)
Broken glass

In a sense a total barbaric laugh riot! Definitely fun, and totally random and crazy, that's just how we are!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and the video!

Looking forward to the next party on the 20th or 21st of this month! woozaaa!!!!

cheers

The Answer

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 20:36:00 +0000

I asked her,
do you really
love me?

She looked down at her hands,
those ,
delicate ,
graceful ,
fingers.

Lifting them up,
like the sunflower,
turns to face the sun,
she placed it on my hand.

Held my fingers,
played with them,
like a baby plays with the father’s.

I looked up at her face,
those,
deep,
sensitive,
eyes,
spoke
of care,
of a deep intense feeling.

Her beautiful lips,
quivered,
like the petals of a rose,
as they parted into a smile.

Her eyelids fluttered like
free butterflies,
in the morning sun.

She looked up at me,
I got my answer.

-------------------------------
I found it after ages here. Wrote this long back, when I was in this constant platonic stupor of a crazy love, where there was no age, and there was no protocol.
-------------------------------

Death the Ultimate Mystery

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 18:29:00 +0000

"A moment there my buoyant heart hung slack,
And then the glad, barbaric blood came back
Singing a livelier tune; and in my pulse
Beat the great wave that surges and exults. . . .
Why I was there and whither I must go
I did not care. Enough for me to know
The same unresting struggle and the glowing
Beauty of spendthrift hours, bravely showing
Life, an adventure perilous and gay;
And Death, a long and vivid holiday."

~ extract from The Swimmers, Louis Untermeyer

According to some people, life is full of struggle and worries. Not a day passes when one has no cares about oneself, family and others. People say that in life one has to achieve much for self-actualization, or to prove to oneself that one can survive in the battlefield called ‘Life’.
It has been perceived by poets that death is an ‘everlasting holiday’, where man lives without a care or worry in the world.

If one observes, during life one always has the worry at the back of one’s mind as to what would be the consequences of one’s death on one’s environment i.e. family, friends etc. Therefore life which is full of worries becomes death, since one worries about one’s death and one’s life.

Now life need not really be like a battlefield, its how one perceives it that matters. Life is actually supposed to be a zone to improve and nurture oneself physically and mentally. Now also note that when we have a holiday, we tend to nurture our talents and skills. Since death has been defined as the ‘everlasting holiday’, then we have forever to improve on our skills and basically facilitate personality development. Therefore death becomes what life ideally should be.

Hence, life is equal to death and death is equal to life.

But

How do we really know what death really is like?
Can we truly rely on what people who have supposedly had near death experiences and gone into comas say?
These people may have been considered medically dead, but were they truly dead?

The ECG may depict a flat heartbeat graph, but only a visual graph cannot truly prove that a person is dead. A person can never truly be dead until his mind shuts down.

Now I know the debate here is that medical sciences have proved that the mind has shut down…but can we really prove that the mind is truly shut down, and what we see is not a defense mechanism of the mind. The mind could easily be portraying an image of inactivity but the mind could be very much active.

But who shuts down the mind? No it’s not the Supreme Creator, Jesus according to the bible any or other God. It’s us humans ourselves. When you close the door to your mind, you can be truly declared dead. But why do we do so? The reason is that, the fact that our physical body is useless is so shocking to us that we give up all hope and decide to switch off. But even if you don’t lose hope and come back to ‘conscious/physical’ living, your experience could not be termed as death.

Death is the ultimate, underrated mystery. We will probably never truly find out what death is, no matter how far science advances, because even if we were to map the brain and produce visual images in the future, we would only see what the mind has stereotyped death as, not death as itself. Also in death mind and body are both redundant.

But what we know, is the memories that death leaves us with, and time, the ultimate healer, at the end of the day what does it heal. A friend of mine, Janvi, sent me the following poem, and I think it speaks volume. The painful memories or the moments gone by, what is healed, I leave that to you, reader, to decide.

"Time does not bring relief; you all have lied
Who told me time would ease me of my pain!
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountainside,
And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year’s bitter loving must remain
Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide.
There are a hundred places where I fear
To go - so with his memory they brim.
And entering with relief some quiet place
Where never fell his foot or shone his face
I say, “There is no memory of him here”
And so stand stricken, so remembering him."

~Edna St Vincent Millay

Viral Videos- Get Infected!

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:59:00 +0000

Indian media, has not really been one that has been overtly open to using non-traditional forms of advertising.
They stick to the tried and tested mediums, be it television, radio or the grand daddy of them all, print.

But at the end of the day, in 2007, television costs are astronomical, and show no signs of abating, radio reaches out the masses,and is in a sense cost effective, but limited, as it's all about the sound, no visual.

And in this world of moving pictures, video iPods,Zune's and LCD's it's all about the visual baby!
Print, well it has the visual, powerful definitely, but it's static.

------------------
Image Courtesy: AdsOfTheWorld
-------------------
So how do you get a form of media, which is powerful,has good reach,and is visual... not to forget cost effective!

Here's where viral videos come in.

For */*FREE*/* hosting you have many providers:
YouTube
MetaCafe
Veoh
VideoEgg
et all.

Video Length : ranges from 10 mins... to well as long as you can tape it...

Reach: Every person, who logs in to the site. Which for major players like YouTube and Metacafe is in the millions...

For our advertising project recently we used a viral video to spread buzz about our product:

Indian media has been apprehensive about UGC
But today, I was pleasantly surprised...
I received this email in my inbox from agencyfaqs!
*******************
Hi,

How’s life? Hope all is cool. I was browsing through some random crap on Youtube when I found this message. I think it is the same guy who tried to hack into the TV station. Looks like they got him finally.

Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L59UicFVKDY
********************
so i did...
the video is called 'Hacker's Last Message'

So well.. it was an ad, for NeoSports online portal.
Neosports is a sports channel in India launched by Nimbus Communications Ltd in 2006. Basically it's a cricket only channel, for all the cricket lovers in India. But for low visibility reasons, very few people know about it.

Based on what you saw in the video, and the fact that there is a synergy between traditional and new media, could we say, that Indian advertising is finally opening up?

Dismantled iPod Mini

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:39:00 +0000

While you may have seen many videos on metacafe, about iPod mini's getting wrecked and dismantled, this is maybe one of that lot.

But in this one, i pre-dismantled it and then highlight the parts of the iPod.

Dismantled IPod Mini - More amazing videos are a click away

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did... cheers! :P

Also make sure to be back here in a week's time, because my friend, Reema and me are going to pour lighter fluid over the iPod and ignite it. That should be quite a spectacle. We might keep some fireworks near it as well. So watch out for that!

Photowalk At Marine Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:20:00 +0000

Priya: Wanna go photowalking today?
Udit: Sure.
Priya: What place?
Udit:Dunno temme..
Priya: Marine Drive
Udit:Sound's great. 4:15 then.see you there.

That's all that was said, and I was on my way to my first official PHOTOWALK with Priya!

It was great fun...climbing down onto the breakers...tryin our hand at porfolios worthy of fashion magazines, and landscape shots, that might even find their way into the next travel magazine.

Marine Drive - a famous water front of Bombay(Mumbai)

Nariman Point - best place to watch the sunset, lover's spot(they're all over the place),point where the land meets the sea. Beautiful

4:30pm - and the photowalking started.. from random shadow shots, to actual shots incorporating the sea, the rocks and civilization. Lots of shots taken. A few of them are here.
check out this shot of priya.. i think it's uber(umber!:P) cool!

So that's that.

7pm -We grabbed some Thums Up, Coke, Dahi Vada @ Sahakari Bhandar.. i glugged mine in 10 secs i think... then took a cab and headed home.. updating ze blog...

Probably next week we go to Fort, which is sort of a historic district in Bombay.

Till then, cheers from the photowalkers!

Making a Zooomr Account

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:28:00 +0000

Usually when you make accounts on websites.. the sign in process is like sooo dull!

You just enter in your first name, last name and username,password etc.
Very one sided and dull!

Before i continue on about zooomr, let me introduce it.. basically it's a digital photo sharing website.. with unlimited hosting, and presently it's in beta stage... but anyone can sign in...

I just made my account on zooomr and this is what i saw..
really different and amusing i must say!

it actually challenged me to untick it and so i did..
and this was the response! :P

well so ya..that's my zooomr sign in procedure... quite fun...

the zooomr main page..called the ZipLine... reminds me of a twitter/pownce melange...and a wee bit of flickr!

if you wanna sign up for an account click here.

to check out my photos click here.

Michel Gondry - Eternal Dreamer

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:56:00 +0000

I first heard about Monsieur Michel Gondry, when I watched the HP -Computer is personal again, advertisement.
Found out that he was the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and I loved that movie. So decided to do some reading up on him, and checked out some of his work.

I was amazed, as well, I mean, the editing style, the effects were just awe-inspiring.

I'm a novice at editing, but I learn through what I watch, and this video was really creative. In all senses of the word.

Then today while going through my feed of /SlashFilm i came across the new commercial by him, for the new Moto RAZR 2.

It's called experience. It is really fluid, and sort of very Gondry style of concept and visuals. Very appealing, and abstract, with his trademark choice of music.

The next ad is one he created for Levis. It's a black and white one. I think the concept is nice, it was for the open pocket in Levis Jeans. And a good link with the start and end of the ad. A few shots I loved was the in car shots, and the train going by with the puff of steam.

These are just a few of the ads he created which I managed to locate on YouTube.

Hope you enjoyed them, if you know any other work of his on the www, leave a comment with the link. Cheers.

SnapShots

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 20:38:00 +0000

Just installed Snap Shots on this blog.

When you scroll over the little icon next to a link, it opens a preview window of the link.

Check it out.

If it's intrusive, click the options wheel in the preview window and choose disable.

Cheers.

Windows Vista DreamScene

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:57:00 +0000

UPDATE:
This is the DreamScene effect on my desktop.
Cool i must say. For a few moments after the video started, i was actually wondering if there was water in my desktop! :P

------------------------------------------------

First i would like to show you this video.

Well I have always had this huge debate between which is better Windows Vista or XP. Well Vista gets brownie points at many times, and I think DreamScene might be one more of the reasons it scores.

Sure it's eye-candy, but just think you have an animated, non static display in front of you...and with me, well to have a dynamic background on this monitor is totally droolalicious!!!!!!

Will update this post once I try it out for myself. For now enjoy the video.

OH I FORGOT TO MENTION.

this is available only for Windows Vista Ultimate Edition...yes yes...Microsoft discriminates! :P

The Bad and The Good

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:23:00 +0000

No this is not about a sequel to the good,the bad and the ugly. Though now is the time for sequels, considering RGV just made his Aag (remake of Sholay), and Pritish Nandy has said that he will be making the remake, the prequel, sequel and an animated version of Sholay. Overdose I tell you.

So anyhoo, I was just about to go for shower, and wanted the nail clippers, and dad was like, what must you cut your nails at night... i was like what? why? and he's like it's a bad omen. My reaction...right...and the moon is made of cheese. It's funny how even the most rational people, can still be god fearing and superstitious. I was surprised for sure.

Indian cultures, and not just Indian, but also other cultures, have many superstitions linked within. I dont understand why, probably it's just about the fact, that human's like to beleive in an other realm, in which, if certain things occur in our world, they somehow co-link the worlds and bad things happen.

Examples:

1.Dont walk under a ladder.. bad luck.
2. Black cat crosses your path... bad luck. (i've noticed, my chauffeur, actually takes the car in reverse and then drives forward if a black cat crosses his path.
3.Mirror breaking... seven years bad luck...phew! These and many more..
I would actually lose count if i started to list them.

Now lets drift from the bad, and move to the good.
First a video.

I shall not go into detail about Ganesh Chaturthi and shall leave it to Priya to explain.

Basically, I wanted to capture, sights and frenzies of the whole festival, and that's what the video is about.

And today, well there was a whole frenzy about the I cricketers returning from a successful ICC World Cricket T20 campaign, the videos of which will be put up here soon.

Also ALL MY PROJECTS ARE OVER! woohoo! Finally..

So I guess that's all..and till next time.

Cheers.

Mumbai Tiffin - The New Dabbawalas

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:42:00 +0000

Before you get worried, and wonder what the hell happened to the dabbawalas, well nothing really.
Dabbawalas was the topic for our Advertising Project and listed below are the things I designed for the same.

So basically, we said that the dabbawalas were bought over by a fictional company FoodCorp(a division of NewsCorp), which was a major player in the packaged retail food sector in India.
So basically, they take over the dabbawalas, and well, then, they rename is "Mumbai Tiffin".

Then they need an ad agency to inform the public about the change.
That's where we, Solvent Solutions, comes into the picture.

This is the logo we designed for them.

So we decided on a 360' Campaign:
1> Online Media
2>Outdoor Media
3>Radio
4>Print
5>Television

1> We posted a video on YouTube, which was supposed to be a viral, called "Fastest Lunch Packing" to build buzz about dabbas and dabbawalas

2> We launch the hoarding campaign shown below.

3> We then launch 3 radio jingles - 2 are teasers, and one is the final revealer

4> We then have our print campaign.

5> And last but not the least our TVC.
(text might be blurred, it's as follows:
1> double shot scene: German Engineering
2> Train shot: Japanese Technology
3> Dabba packing shot : Indian Precision
4> Last shot before logo: Features about product)

Would love to hear your feedback on the whole campaign. Positive or Negative whatever it is... get commenting!

Vodafone to Hutch - The Transition

noreply@blogger.com (Experimental Mania) — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:34:00 +0000

9pm on 20th September 2007.
Finally the transition begins.
The orange to pink, seems miniscule in comparison.
This is BIG.
This is MAMMOTH.

VODAFONE is in India,
and they must make their presence felt.

First the biggest takeover in Indian Business History,
many legal issues,
battles ensue,
and yet, one winner emerges.
And now the time has come, to say, How Are You?

Brief History
-------------------------------
Hutchison-Essar was taken over by international telecom major, Vodafone, earlier this year, and the day September 20th was chosen as the day of transition from the pink Hutch logo brand, to the globally recognized black,red and silver, speech symbol of VODAFONE. A mega 360' campaign is planned to initiate consumers of this name change!
The deal enables Vodafone to reach viewers across 13 channels in five languages of Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi and English. The 13 channels from the STAR bouquet include Star Plus, Star One, Star Gold, Star Movies, Star World, Channel [V], Star Utsav, Vijay, Star News, Star Ananda, Star Majha, National Geographic Channel and History Channel.
Maxus is the media agency and O&M is the advertising agency for the print campaign i think(need to confirm)
-----------------------------------------------
wow! that's quite a lot happening!

--------------------------------
Information via: exchange4media