A Hypnotype's Blog!

Crazy Cabmate - True Story #10

2011-07-20T17:39:00.001+05:30

Goldfish

Cabmate: "I can't believe my goldfish survived 13 days without food :)"

(Me (thinking): "OMG! That's criminal!")

Crazy Cabmate - True Story #9

2011-07-20T17:35:00.003+05:30

Art of Living

Cabmate: "What do you think of Art of Living?"

Now these are the kind of questions that I absolutely hate being asked. I despise answering them too.

It's a little like "What do you think of Baba Ramdev?". What are you supposed to say? Your honest opinion is only going to lead to a debate.

I chose to give an irrelevant answer.

Me: "Art of Living? I think they are good marketers"

Cabmate: "You know, you should attend one of their workshops. It will make you a calmer person"

Me: "You know me. I barely talk. I'm as calm as someone can get"

Cabmate: "You know, many years ago, I attended one of their workshops in Delhi. And I stopped smoking. For a week"

Me (puzzled): "Aha?"

Cabmate: "I'm going again now for another Art of Living workshop. It's next to your house. Why don't you join me?"

Me: "No Thanks"

So, my cabmate arrives a week later - looking 'calmer'.

Our car gets stuck in peak hour bumper-to-bumper traffic, for a bit.

The driver and I are puzzled as we hear loud heaving sighs from the backseat.

We turn around to find my Cabmate performing some weird breathing exercise, with his eyes tight shut and left nostril closed with his right hand. He repeats this process, interchanging hands and nostrils, a few dozen times.

It's hard to not laugh. Or to not want to pull out your mobile phone and shoot a video of the situation. But I choose not to.

20 mins later we arrive at office. I step out of the car and walk to the elevator, only to realise that my cabmate hasn't walked out of the car yet.

I head back to check on him.

He's still annoyingly loud - snoring in his sleep though!

Crazy Cabmate - True Story #8

2011-07-15T09:19:00.003+05:30

Fishy

There are days when I choose to work from home or days when I choose not to take the office cab home.

On those days, my cabmate runs personal errands with the office cab.

Cabmate: "Hero, today, I feel like eating fish"

Driver: "So?"

Cabmate: "Can you take me to the Fish Market?"

Driver: "But that's not on our way. It's in fact, way out!"

Cabmate: "Its ok. You take me there"

Driver: "No Sir. I can't do that. I can drop you half way and then you can go"

My cabmate was apparently upset but chose to take up the half-way offer anyway.

Conversation next day:

Driver: "Sir, how much fish did you buy?"

Cabmate: "2"

Driver: "2 kilos?"

Cabmate: "No.Two fish" (sic)

Driver (dumbstruck): "How much was it there?

Cabmate: "50 INR each"

Driver: "How much was your 3-wheeler ride?"

Cabmate: "60 INR"

Driver: "How much does the same fish cost near your house?"

Cabmate: "60 INR each :)"

Do the math.

Crazy Cabmate - True Story #7

2011-07-07T15:48:00.004+05:30

Inconceivable

If you're an out-of-towner, finding a place to live in Mumbai can be extremely difficult (and expensive).

Most neighborhoods don't want bachelors, spinsters, young couples, etc. And to top it all off, there's the ruthless brokers who are out to rip you off.

As I tried to make sense of all this madness, my cabmate tried to reassure me with his insightful words:

Cabmate: "You know, actually, all this is not such a big deal"

Me: "Eh?"

Cabmate: "When I was newly married and new to Mumbai, I stayed at a 5-star hotel for 45 days"

Me: "WOW! On Company Expense?"

Cabmate: "Yes: :) :) :)" (Grinning ear to ear, extremely proud of his 'achievement')

Me: "What's your point?"

Cabmate: "Once we found a flat, we didn't really buy much stuff"

Me: "Well, you need the basic stuff, you know...."

Cabmate: "Ya. Some people were moving out of the city and we bought their second hand stuff. Fridge for 2,000 INR. Washing Machine for 2,000 INR. And we didn't buy beds. We only bought a mattress"

Me: "Eh?"

Cabmate: "We bought a bed only once we conceived our child :)"

Crazy Cabmate - True Story #6

2011-07-01T10:41:00.003+05:30

Three Free Nights

Cabmate: "What are you doing this vacation?"

Me: "I'm going to Goa"

Cabmate: "Oh nice. Where will you be staying?"

Me: "Some shack"

Cabmate: "Shack? What's that? I stay only at 5-star hotels"

Me: "5-star hotels? On company expense? :P"

Cabmate: "Ya. So, what is a shack?"

Me: "A shack is very basic accommodation but it's usually right on the beach. Since it's the season, shacks will be expensive too"

Cabmate: "Oh? How much?"

Me: "Off-season shacks that cost 1,000 INR a night cost 4,000 INR a night in the season. But, I've managed to find an awesome place for 1,500 INR a night. The only thing is, they expect one to book for at least 14 nights in a row. And we are staying for 11 nights. So, we decided to pay for 3 extra nights"

Cabmate: "Link me to their website later"

I do that dutifully.

Two days later, he walks up to me in office and says "I need to talk to you"

Me: "Sure"

Cabmate: "I'll take those 3 Free nights :)"

Me: "........"

Cabmate: "Ok? :)"

Me: "No. That's not possible"

Cabmate: "But don't say 'No' without even checking with the guys"

Crazy Cabmate - True Story #5

2011-06-22T19:06:00.001+05:30

Longest Train Adventure

Leave Travel Allowance (LTA) is among the standard perks that most Indian employees get from their employers.

The abbreviation stands for Leave Travel Allowance. What it means is that IF you travel on leave, it entitles you to a claim of the Flight/ Train/ Bus Ticket expense(s).

If you don't claim this money with original bills at the end of the financial year, the employer deducts tax from your LTA eligibility. This usually means you lose 30% of the amount.

Now, the truth is that most Indian employees don't really take much leave. So they fake bills.

But my cabmate's even better.

Six of us from the office are at lunch and the topic of "Where are you heading for your vacation?" comes up.

Teammate: "Kerala"

Cabmate: "How far is that from Mumbai?"

Teammate: "24 hours Train Journey"

Cabmate: "Oh? That's all?"

Teammate: "Eh?"

Cabmate: "You know, last year, I was searching for the longest train journey in the country...."

Now this is intriguing because we've never really imagined my cabmate to be a traveller. And we are all ears.

Cabmate: "So, friends, basically, I book tickets on the longest train journey in the country. Once I have a printed copy of the ticket in my hand, I just cancel the tickets online :)"

Crazy Cabmate - True Story #4

2011-06-10T12:20:00.003+05:30

Fresh Vegetables

Long before I had the misfortune of 'getting to know' my cabmate, there were a handful of colleagues who had survived the ordeal.

There were three of them (plus the cab driver) on a peak-hour journey that would take 1-2 hours to office or back.

On their way was a bustling market where the city's fresh produce for the day would arrive - vegetables, fruits, flowers, seafood etc.

One fine evening, when traffic was at its worst and tempers were rising, Cabmate decided to take matters into his own hands.

Cabmate: "Driver, stop the vehicle near the market. I want to buy some fresh veggies"

Colleagues: "Eh?"

Driver: "Okay?"

Cabmate: "Give me two minutes. I'll just come"

Colleagues and Driver, a little shocked, but still playing along: "Okay"

Traffic can be a mess in the city with undisciplined drivers and general lack of road sense. Typically, in such a situation, a 2-minute wait can get you 10-minutes late.

Twenty minutes later, once office cab's lost it's time advantage, Cabmate arrives - with four bags of fresh veggies in his hand and a satisfied grin.

Cabmate: "This market has the cheapest, fresh veggitaables :)"

Crazy Cabmate - True Story #3

2011-06-03T12:27:00.003+05:30

Thrifty

Cabmate: "Have you watched any movies recently?"

Me: "I'm not really into movies"

Cabmate: "You know, I got this really good deal from a movie renting portal"

Me: "Aha"

Cabmate: "As an introductory offer, for the first month, I get 30 Movies - a movie a day for a month - at 1 INR. They even send a guy to deliver and pick-up the DVDs :)"

Me: "Ah. So, you're going to take an annual subscription after that?"

Cabmate: "No. I'll watch those 30 movies for 1 INR and then cancel my subscription :)"

Crazy Cabmate - True Story #2

2011-05-27T13:30:00.003+05:30

Delhi Silly

Colleague: "Delhi is a very unsafe city for women"

Cabmate: "Ya. I'm from Delhi and I agree"

Colleague: "Yea?"

Cabmate: "Ya. You know, even average looking women can't walk peacefully on the streets there"

Colleague: "Ah..."

Cabmate: "Really. I mean, even my wife can't - she's just an average looking woman"

Crazy Cabmate - True Story #1

2011-05-20T14:55:00.002+05:30

Here's to the Crazy One.

Grapevine

It's 9:30 AM at Office.

My Cabmate and I are practically the first walk-ins of the day at the Office Cafe.

When it comes to breakfast at the Cafe, there's always something good to choose from: Fruits, Cereal or Indian Cuisine.

Fruits are either Australian Kiwis or Mexican Apples or Californian Grapes, on most days.

(You get the drift? Basically our employer doesn't shy away from spending on us.)

While I decide on what to eat, my cabmate walks up to the Cafe Attendant with a big bunch of luscious Californian grapes and says "Hero, store this away in the fridge. I'll take it home in the evening".

Ok now, honestly, I pretend not seeing or hearing any of that.

But within seconds, my cabmate realizes that I am witness to what just happened.

If he is embarrassed, he doesn't let it show. Instead, what he does say immediately in his defense, is worth a pat on his back.

Cabmate: "You know, I have a 2 year old daughter. She is learning ABCD. And today is G for Grapes :)"

Big Ban(ne)d Theory

2011-01-10T10:23:00.006+05:30

After years of annoying near and dear ones with experiments on my guitars, it's time I urged you to put on your headphones to check out these raw home-made mixdowns :)

Latest tracks by hypnotype

If you like what you hear, shout out :)

Please vote, if you like the presentation :)

2010-11-11T15:24:00.002+05:30

View more presentations from Abhishek V.

Lost my hair to keep my job!

2010-02-05T13:56:00.004+05:30

Digital Marketing Success ain't Unobtanium: Lessons from Avatar, the movie

2010-01-15T22:51:00.002+05:30

View more documents from Abhishek V.

iCannes

2009-08-27T10:46:00.006+05:30

Attended the Cannes 09 Show Reel screening at ITC Grand Central, Parel, last evening.

Terry Savage, Chairman, Cannes Adfest, had a few interesting insights on how India has turned into an emerging creative powerhouse over the last 5 years.

From 4 Jury Members in 2004 to 11 Jury Members in 2009, India has come a long way.

Terry pointed out the direct correlation between the appointment of Jury members and the performance of their country at the awards in the recent years. "To be nominated as a Jury member at Cannes, his/ her agency should have won at least one award in the last three years in the respective category. Alternately, if the Jury member's Agency has entered work in a particular category for the last three years, he/ she becomes eligble for a nomination", he said.

[Not surprisingly, India stands at #4 in the number of entries made this year (read 4000 nos).]

The recent awards tally clearly reflects the enthusiasm that the Jury members are breathing into their agencies now. From 4 Lions in 2004 to 23 Lions in 2009, India is clearly on a roll. (However, Terry pointed out that India is cleary invisible in the Digital space at the awards.)

Moving on, he opined "The increase in number of Clients and Media Agencies attending Cannes is further proof that there is tremendous enthusiasm around creating groundbreaking creative work"

Introducing Spikes Asia 09, Terry informed the audience that Times of India will be felicitated as the Advertiser of the Year at the festival. He credited TOI for setting new standards of creative excellence. While doing so, Terry also drew similarities between TOI's Lead India initiative (2008 Grand Prix Direct Winner) and the Obama Campaign (2009 Titanium and Integrated winner), pointing out how both campiagns mobilised a nation to adopt change (for good).

Of course, the much awaited Cannes 09 Show Reel followed.

Here's a hyperlinked list of all the films that caught my eye: Miller High Life '1 second Ad' | Adidas 'Break-up Service' | Citroen C3 | Washington's Lottery 'Every bird should get to fly' | Boag's Draught 'From the pure waters of Tasmania' | Volkswagen SpaceFox 'DogFish' | British Army 'You're an accident waiting to happen' | MTV 'Choose or Lose' | Adidas 'Basketball is a Brotherhood' | Nokia N96 'Bruce Lee Ping Pong' | Nokia N96 'Bruce Lee Lighting Matches' | Thuis 'Changed Opening Credits' | TOI ' Chennai Times - Naaka Mukka' | Philips 'Carousel' |

Puli Kali

2009-05-22T15:42:00.006+05:30

I worked on an Indian biscuit brand a couple of years ago in Sri Lanka.

The brand in discussion here was formulating a strategy to enter the Sri Lankan market.

A qualitative research agency was contracted by them to gauge consumer reactions to campaigns that were successful in the Indian market in the past.

Since testing the Hindi-led campagins wouldn't get the desired reactions, the Client instructed it's Ad Agency to get in touch with their Colombo office arrange for Sinhala translations.

In the following days, a number of print ads and TVCs made their way to my desk from India. Working overtime and encouraging the copywriters to do the same, the Agency was practically drowning in a sea of cookies and biscuits.

Time was our biggest enemy with the Research Agency and the Indian office of the Ad Agency constantly on our case. We concentrated all our efforts on delivering quality despite the constraints.

At the end of the 2 weeks, after working on a multitude of translations, the 'cracker' arrived.

The Account Manager based in the Indian office of the Ad Agency frantically called me up and said "One last request. There's one more brand you need to work on! URGENTLY!"

Curious to know more, I prodded him to share the details.

AM: "I will mail you all that, yaar!"

Me: "That's fine. At least tell me which sub-brand this one is!"

AM: "Tiger"

Me: "What?!?!? Are you kidding? You can't bring that sub-brand to Sri Lanka!"

AM: "We will definitely bring the sub-brand to SL. Who are you to stop us?"

Over the next 10 minutes, I tried all I could to convince the AM that his idea would 'bomb' for sure, in vain!

Relentless in his pursuit to 'impress' his Client/ Superiors, he mailed me the 'details' later in the day instructing us to 'immediately arrange translations for Tiger Biscuits' communication'.

With no life/medical insurance against my name and a practically non-existent bank balance, I feared the consequences I would have to face if a Sri Lankan colleague came across the communication that needed to be translated.

Since the AM was obviously ignorant of 'current affairs' and 'general knowledge', I knew there was nothing left to discuss with him. I then took the liberty of mailing the Branch Head of his office with an explanation as to why 'Tiger Biscuits' should be kept away from Sri Lanka.

If you haven't guessed by now (or if you are uninitiated), the tagline of the sub-brand in question read "X khao, Tiger ban jao!" or "Eat X and Become a Tiger!".

Handing Over

2009-05-18T16:50:00.004+05:30

A few million frail hands outstretched skyward.

While some folded hands symbolize a prayer for an end to their ilk's misery,
the others send warning signals to their near and dear ones, to help them live this wretched life just a little longer.

"If we could tide over this for 26 years, we can definitely survive a few days more", say the mothers.

Ducking artillery and maneuvering mines, the innocent clasp each others' hands tightly and defy the cruel fate before them.

Pain and suffering are eerily omnipresent; but the near of it all is imminent.

Uncertainty looms its head large over the optimists, and the pessimists begin to see the light.

Hands that snatched babies away from cradles and conscripted them to a world of agony,
are now six feet under or charred beyond recognition.

Aged mothers, scarred inside and bruised outside,
stop beating their chests in despair and tend the survivors' wounds.

Erased forever from their minds are thoughts of ethnicity, native tongue and color of skin.

Reaching out for help, they tap the shoulders of the ever-smiling lion-hearted soldiers.

Triumphant troops, with hands that once stayed folded in the quest for peace but had to reluctantly shower bullets, now, lay down their ammunition and join hands with the mothers.

Hand in hand, they stand, make a smiling pact and take a vow to protect their motherland.

Best of Goafest

2009-04-17T12:04:00.011+05:30

At Goafest, I was hoping to beam a number of live updates from the 'Knowledge and Learning' sessions.

And well, I did do the needful. But, I made the mistake of relying on SMS updates to Twitter. (GPRS costs being prohibitive and all that, I felt it was cheaper to do it that way.)

Airtel charged me a bomb for those SMSes. All in vain though, because, when I did get online at the end of the fest, there was no activity reflecting on my Twitter page! (Fortunately the tweets were intact in my phone's 'sent items' folder.)

I know this is 2 weeks too late. But hey, better now than never, right?

This post has a combination of my tweets and notes (with hyperlinks) from the sessions. Enjoy!

Jean Marie Dru, TBWA | "Big ideas win, good ads don't" - Lee Clow | Pedigree "Dogs Rule" | In an Absolut World | Apple "Think Different" | Adidas "Impossible is Nothing" | Pepsi "Refresh Everything" | "Today, brands are not judged by their products and services alone. It's about the initiatives they take" | T-Mobile Liverpool Street Station | "TBWA Amsterdam has two teams - Anticipation and Reaction. Anticipation recommends and creates pro-active campaigns while Reaction works solely on Client Briefs" |

Neeraj Nayar, Contagious | "Radical Transparency" | Patagonia Footprint Chronicles | "Create Time. Don't buy it" | Doritos snackstrongproductions | Sprint/ Suave In the Motherhood | "Branded Utilities" | ING Android (ATM Locator) | "Brands are a network of the unacquainted" | P&G Tremor (Word of Mouth Marketing) | O2 Blueroom | comparethemeerkat.com | Vaseline Clinical Therapy 'Prescribe The Nation' | Cadbury's JiveBrow | IKEA 3D Cover | Twitchhiker | Guinness Rugby RFID | Topps 3D Live Baseball Cards | EA responds to 'Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 - Jesus Shot' |

"Agencies can invent products" - Sir John Hegarty | BBH Labs | Mentos Kiss Cam |

Mahesh Narayanan, Google India | "12 hours is the average amount of time spent online by 15-24 y.o Indians" | "35% Internet users in India come from <500,000> | Rural Meets Digtial - Indian Taxi Driver | Google Ad Planner | Blendtec "Will it blend?" | Into thin Air - John Krakauer / Touching The Void - Joe Simpson |

Dan Wieden, W+K | "The more technology connects us, the more we drift away" | KAWS | W+K Twelve | "Activate Influencers . Create Mass Intrigue. Ensure Broad Awareness. Measure Success" | "Good Brand Advertising comes from a good understanding of ethos, sensibilities and core values" | "Nike's 'Just do it' was inspired by serial killer Gary Gilmore's last words: "Let's do it" |

The End is Near

2009-04-09T10:55:00.010+05:30

I survived the land of 'sun, sand, sea and scams!'. (Did I leave out 'scorching heat'? Darn! Too fried to remember adding that.)

I've attended The Chillies (Sri Lanka's Annual Advertising Awards) twice in the past. And I was part of the organizing team of the first edition of International Advertising Association's 'Creative Mantra'. So, I'm anything but an 'awards show virgin'. But a Goafest virgin? Yes I was! And here's my account of 'losing it'.

For starters, I must be thankful to my employer for sending me (along with the team) to the event. It was a gutsy move when a number of competitors preferred not to send delegates, in view of the current state of the economy and reduced marketing spends by Clients. There were, however, from these agencies, a number of junior executives who shelled out the dough themselves to attend Goafest 09 (and I wonder how they feel about the experience).

On the outset, Goafest 09 seemed to be a collective excuse for the industry to get together and just have a good time (in many cases, at the employers' expense). The arrangements were great and indeed tempting for the ones who were there for a 'paid holiday'. The food was fabulous, the booze was in abundance, the shuttle service was a boon for many and there was non-stop action on the dance floor.

But there was more to the event and I'm not talking about the Awards yet.

The chief highlight of the event was the 'Knowledge and Learning' sessions that drew names like Jean Marie Dru (of TBWA fame), Sir John Hegarty and Dan Wieden. To be an audience to Advertising Greats such as them, should be looked upon as a privilege. But, the dominant mood among the revellers was of apathy towards the sessions. There were agencies and individuals that had their own agendas instead of being an audience to the legends. While some agencies decided to discus their 'annual plan' at alternate venues during these sessions, a number of individuals were more kicked about getting 'illegally high' (sic).

What can I even say about the award show entries? 4500 entries this year and a majority of them SCAM without doubt! (Read Sreekant Khandekar's article on afaqs about scams at Goafest 2008. It really sums up what most of us feel about the issue.)

I've despised scam from the day I was initiated into the industry, three years ago.

In past jobs, I've been in situations where I was forced by the Management to be a part of scam shoots. From donning the role of a photographer to playing a 'model' , I've even had to tweak copy for scam ads. And fortunately (in my defence), the half-hearted effort from my end showed through and none of those entries won and deservingly didn't!

How do you explain something like this coming from an Agency Head 2 weeks before the deadline for entries: "Take this ad for brand X that the client didn't buy. Now that we have Brand Y, let's tweak the earlier ad and enter it".?

These are the same guys who shun scam in interviews and encourage the 'necessary evil' (industry parlance) in their respective agencies. These are the same guys who ignore the non-advertising departments through the year and then run to them in December to request assistance in executing an Ambient/ Activation/ Media idea.

I am fine with scam as long as the name of the event itself is SCAM FEST. And I don't think any "published work" should be entered here by any agency. And no, they don't have to come up with the idea first and then find the Client. Instead, the Organizers can invite one sponsor to field a brief for each of the categories. For e.g.: XYZ Bank for Financial Services, ABC Motors for Automotive etc. All participating agencies can be given 3 months to work on the briefs and they can be judged on the merit of the idea alone, with complete disregard to the size of the agency or their previous year's ranking.

I'm sure a lot of people will agree with me that a better way to reward fresh thinking in our industry is by making Effies THE Awards show to shine at. The Industry leaders should just ensure that 'effective ideas' are given prominence over 'effectiveness', i.e. 'idea + results' > results. And probably 'factor in' consumer response in some way? If consumers are willing to spend money on voting for singers they don't know personally or to send smses to vote for the movie stars of the year, why can't we get them excited about choosing their favorite ads?

Well before I joined the industry, I voraciously devoured all that the Ad Men of yore had to say of their experience in the business. And somehow all the work showcased in those books always had an underlying promise of 'effective creativity'.

I love the Effies because it reassures me that the Ad Legends were right. I'm a believer. I've always championed and toiled for good work. It's my dream to help an Agency win an Effie and a Cannes Lion for the same campaign some day.

I agree that times have changed and that Clients are difficult to please/ partner with these days. For every creative who wants to up the bar, there is a Client who is hell bent upon doing formulaic (read effective but no refreshingly creative) communication. But, that does not give the industry leaders and the "creatives" the right to make a mockery out of this business. What kind of a precedent is the industry setting for the juniors/ freshers in the business?

I've always wanted to be a part of the Advertising/ Marketing communication industry. I've switched career tracks to chase what I'm passionate about. I'm in this business by choice and I've been trying to give it my best shot. But with each passing day, I'm becoming increasingly disenchanted with what was once a 'magical world of limitless possibilities' to me.

18++

2009-01-07T23:08:00.012+05:30

I did a little 'research' in order to make this post more interesting.

Research Finding #1 (Source: TechFuels) :

It's quite obvious that India is obsessed with adult content. Even if you're not addicted to it, you just can't seem to stop yourself from clicking on that suggestive, naughty-looking link and getting an eyeful. Although sites like YouPorn are on and off the top 100 list, voyeurism, it seems, is the order of the day. No one wants firangi porn any more, that's just boring ... Indians would rather look for scandals, and play 'peeping tom' with other Indians. Whether the poor state of sex education, our repressive laws, the so called moral-police, or even the media are responsible for causing this craving for titillation, the fact remains that it is true, because remember, statistics don't lie.

Research Finding #2:

With statistics like "produces 395 babies every five minutes" to India's credit, one might safely assume that India is the horniest nation around.

Surprise! Turns out, Vietnam is hornier than India, at least if one's to believe Google Trends.

Wish broadband penetration in India was as good as Bermuda's. There would be more men searching for sex online than performing it on ground!

(Or maybe not! Read the next finding.)

Research Finding #3:

Delhi is one helluva sex crazy city. ((As if we didn't know that already!)

The most number of searches in the world for the keyword "sex" come from India's capital.

Well, when young cricketers in Delhi turn from scoring on the field to forcibly scoring (!) off the field, you know there's a lot going wrong in the capital.

Research Finding #4:

NDTV and Indian Railways draw less traffic to their websites than debonairblog (NSFW) does!!!

Research Finding #5:

Adultfriendfinder (NSFW) is #74 on India's Top 100 websites.

Zapak (#91), which is believed to have made 'online gaming' India's favorite new pastime, fares poorly in comparison.

Apparently, Indians believe they are better off playing other games instead!

So, Tata Sky decides to poke a little fun at them!

Superb!

If you did manage to take a look at Adultdost.com and were disappointed/ pleasantly surprised/ annoyed, you have to look into what went into that viral campaign.

Scores of pot-bellied uncles and under-confident youngsters log on to the net and frantically search for the oh-so-available Ms. Katrina Kaif everyday. (On the Google Zeitgeist 2008 page , click on India if you don't want to take my word!)

When Katrina won't do, they opt for Namitha. And when she doesn't satisfy them either, they log on to the deboniarblogs and the adultfriendfinders of the world looking for some excitement.

Zillions of hours are spent on this national pastime which is all about going after what they'll never really get! (So why not, buy a few minutes of their time with a well crafted viral?)

Not surprising then that Indian brands are now titillating consumers with a simple but sound strategic insight: WYSIWYWG ( What You See Is What You WON'T Get!).

18+

2009-01-06T23:29:00.003+05:30

Afaqs carried an article on AdultDost today.

Impressed, I sent the link to a bunch of friends.

Reaction #1 (uncontrollable curiosity) : "What kind of links are you sending me at office, da? I'll see it from home tonight!"

Reaction #2 (plain shocked) : "Dude, what's wrong with you? I'm at work, man. You sent me some adult site n all. Are you ok?"

Check the link out. I'll post more on what I think about it, tomorrow.

Curtain Raiser

2009-01-05T21:36:00.012+05:30

It's been a while....

I was keen on compiling an 'Adios 2008' on the lines of the magical 'Adios 2007' one. But, taking sis out on NY's Eve meant a lot more than a random blog post.

Part of the reason (besides sheer laziness) why I stayed from blogging for the second half of 2008 should be attributed to how my priorities changed during the course of the year.

A number of 'uncalled for' events showed me why Relationships (Family/ Friends/ Katty) needed more of my time/ attention than anything else.

2008 was a year with more downs than ups.

Not just for me but for this blog too. From 'a blog post a day' to 'no posts for months together', this blog slipped into an unexpected coma.

And so did I, if you go by the non-medical definition of the word.

I've always despised negative energy. And unfortunately I was full of it for a major part of the year. The last thing I would've wanted is a blog emanating negative energy. So I stayed away.

This post is an attempt to bring back this blog to life, albeit without an agenda. (Reminds me of: "If your campaign doesn't have a strategy, any campaign can get you there!". I'm confident I'll have an agenda soon :) )

2008 did a world of good for me.

I rediscovered the power of my abilities, my conviction and my voice in 2008. And I'm glad I did it in time.

I realized that there's only so much suffering I can watch someone (I love) endure.

I decided that I won't be a mute spectator ever again if it concerns the ones I love.

I convinced myself that 'to sit on the fence and watch the show', is the worst thing one can do.

I swore 'I will always stand up for the right thing even if it means I'll have to risk losing everything I have!'

I chose to be vociferous in my protests, even disrespecting one's age/ status/designation when I saw they were wrong/irrational.

I found out (unceremoniously) how I should watch my back all the time.

I bade goodbye to one of the best bosses I've ever had and still wish I didn't have to!

I crossed over to the Mediterranean briefly (after surviving a 'suspect terrorist' scare in Istanbul) just to be around the woman I am crazily in love with.

I ranted and raved about everything and found fabulous friends in a 'football crazy metalhead copywriter' and a 'soon-to-be married livewire comedian and event manager par excellence'.

I saw how the women in my life (Mum, Sis and Katty) so wonderfully and unwittingly personify 'beauty comes from within'. You are awesome :)

With y'all around, I'm confident 2009 will be fabulous.

My G3

2008-06-28T23:07:00.003+05:30

Stanley Jordan on the Electric Guitar:

Andy Mckee on the Acoustic Guitar:

Akin Unver on the Chapman Stick:

Hats off to these guys for making fingerstyle look so damn easy!

Heartbreak

2008-06-21T15:19:00.008+05:30

Post-Match Analysis:

Olić had some great shots on goal but he really should've been substituted a lot earlier than in extra time. He was a spent force by then.

Bringing Klasnić on earlier might have been a good move to avoid the extra time.

Though Croatia had more possession of the ball, Turkey passed the ball around a lot better whenever they got to it.

Nihat (undoubtedly the most inspirational captain in this edition of the Euro) seemed troubled last night and was definitely not at his best. The injury later on just made it worse.

After scoring in the 119th minute, the least the Croats could've done is keep possession of the ball instead of attempting another goal.

With Şentürk scoring off a blinder in the very last minute with Rüştü 's assist, Rüştü made up for his folly of leaving his fortress earlier and letting Modrić and Klasnić pull off a clearly avoidable goal.

The Shootout was a lottery indeed. The Turks were upbeat after surprising themselves with the stoppage time goal. Winning/ Losing was irrelevant to them now. The Croats however had already lost the match in spirit the moment Şentürk's drove the ball into the back of Croatia's net. Broken, nervous and spent, Modrić and Rakitić shot wide of the target! :(

Moving On:

The Turks have proved to be the Most Resilient bunch. Their comebacks against the Swiss, the Czech and the Croats have anything but flukes. Here's wishing them luck and fewer yellow cards (13 so far in this tournament!) in the future :)

The Croats have been phenomenal in the campaign. The Boys have been brilliant under 37-yr old Niko Kovač's captaincy. Good luck to him as he moves on!

Modrić's approach of calm, composed, clean football has earned him tons of fans around the world.

Srna's brilliance with the dead ball is commendable and he is a talent to look out for.

Klasnić's successful comeback to International football (after his kidney problems) should be inspirational for a multitude of struggling footballers out there.

Last but not the least, Bilić has earned himself the reputation of being a Rockstar Coach, quite literally! His enthusiasm on the sidelines makes you wonder if he secretly yearns to be one of the boys on the pitch!

Bilić (after last night's defeat) said: "Tomorrow is a new day, the sun will still rise. We'll probably cry for a few days but such is life. Things like this have happened before but these are extreme situations. My players have a strong character and will be back even stronger."

Roger that!

In 7 weeks from today, the Croats will face Kazakhstan in the World Cup 2010 qualifiers. For the team that dashed England's hopes of making it to the Euro this year, glory at the next World Cup is imminent!

Ajmo Hrvatska! :)

Yours 'Bass'ically

2008-06-14T17:53:00.004+05:30

When I signed up for my ill-fated bass lessons years ago, the first thing my tutor told me was: "Doesn't matter if you can't hear the basslines. What matters is that 'listeners should feel the basslines'. The ground beneath their feet should shake when the bass amp comes on!"

You get his drift?

No?

Turn up your speakers and check out this video then:

Bauchklang is incredible! Beats me that a bunch of beatboxers can nail such brilliant basslines/ tracks!