India hosts TED!!!!!

Whoa! its news to me..i just read on the TED website..

TED will have a SPECIAL INDIA EDITION on nov 4-7 2009 at Infosys Campus Mysore!!!

Whats more? Its open to members & non-members both! The registration fee is a whopping $2400 (including accomodation, meals & airport transfer from Bangalore), but for those who can afford it...

WHAT THE HELL!! JUST DO IT!

This is one of the rare events where global creative thinkers come together to display their research / projects / ideas. Please visit http://conferences.ted.com/TEDIndia/ for further details. & for those who haven't looked at TED, www.ted.com

what a night!

i went along with my own kidnapping (not kid, but oldie now...) they took me to rajwadu (traditional gujju food), fed me till i was on the verge of blasting! & then they took me on top a flyover....

what a perfect way: bakra halal karne ka!

& lo it was 12... a few gave hugs, rest handshakes.. but all applauded!

& yet... how can one not have a rebel in the group..it was sandy.. not me, the other one...

so he greeted me with an egg on my head just as i was to cut the cake... well i took two down with me...spoiling the dresses of the two ladies!! thanks to sandy...

well. whats more to say...they painted me brown, white & yellow (ughh the yolk).. & yet it was one of the most memorable nights ever!

thank you all for coming together, however randomly, and making my night a dream!!

best wishes to all & eggs to sandy ! ;) :P

An encounter with a thinker

It is not everyday that one gets to meet a prominent thinker. I got a chance to meet one such personality when I was asked to interview him for a magazine. I was obviously excited, as I wanted to know what he thought, & more importantly HOW he thought.

The person in question is one of the leading architect-planners of the country, having received awards from national & international spheres. The interview was for a landscape journal, which wanted a planner's viewpoint on the fast-spreading fad of township development & instant city creation.

It was comforting to know that the person being interviewed was a lateral thinker too. I was hardly a party to the discussion, owing to my lack of experience at conducting interviews or any discussion at higher level for that matter. So, I was listening to him while he reflected on a set of questions given to direct the session.

Instead of answering those directly, he laid down the history of the planning profession, and the country in general. He also outlined the history of urbanization. Only after he had created such ground, did he proceed to answer the questions presented to him. In that light, the discussion reached a different level, and holistic solutions were discussed.

i have been doing a lot of lateral studies, trying to obtain answers for my field of work by reading politics, sociology, technology & other such things. I was quickly fascinated by the discussion. I also had a chance to transcribe the recording of the interview, allowing me to absorb more of the subject.

While I am hardly discussing the subject, it is immaterial. The very fact that lateral thinking does lead to holistic and better solutions is a conclusion, although premature for me, that I wish to adhere to.

Keep walking.....

With gr8 pride i write that last nite i ws able 2walk 9.05 km @6km/hr.. I guess i hav beaten my trekking record with this feat, although that was in hills. I also managed 2climb 9 floors after the walk. It still didn't leave me tired, which means my stamina has increased. But these walks take up 2 hours which is a problem. Hence, i'm thinking of introducing jogging in my regime. On an average, a 20min jog @ 8-9km/hr burns as much calories as an hour's walk. So, i stand 2gain time. But jogging in the evening is hard, as pollution leaves me out of breath. I hope i can start from tomorow evening. I also find myself dehydrated, so i'll carry some water too.. Hope for the best, need your encouragement people! Somu, competition has arrived! Lets talk about that marathon now!

Sandy's trips

Dear all,
I declare with great pride the inauguration of my new blog sanventure. I have a few small trips & 2 grand trips planned. So, instead of creating a jumble on this page, i thought its better to categorize my stuff. I shall also go on to categorize my regular reviews into another blog. So also watch out for that one...

Sandy

Power Walking

Iv been power walking very irregularly since few months. I can walk comfortably 4km every alternate day & 6km every 3rd day. Both to be completed within the hour, and ending by climbing 9 floors upto my house. The last part is most heart-wrenching (literally). Although I end up dead tired, the feeling is actually that of freshness and almost as if I’m high!!! I know exercise can do wonders, and what I’m describing is nothing new, but done at the end of the day, it gives a good night’s sleep and enough vigour next morning (inspite of aching feet and thighs) to lead an energetic day. Iv also increasingly found that since on most days I have a desk job, the days when im in office all day & don’t walk in the evenings, I, infact feel tired and almost depressed. After the walk I’m ready to do 10 more things, while the days when I don’t, I just want to fall asleep. What a difference. I’v had a more or less healthy physical exercise most of my life: be it cricket or cycling 20 km to & fro for school, or jogging a couple kilometres everyday during college. Also, trekking is the thing I look most forward to, though I get very few chances. Iv found myself ready to walk kilometres when travelling in any new area. It really invigorates me from daily work pressure & activities. So, all in all, to anybody who cares to catch some inspiration for daily exercise, I completely support you! Go ahead and get that daily dose! What’s more, its completely free and also keeps your waist under control!!!!

An ode to a power walker

A stray dog in the dark alley looks at me ferociously, waiting
For some stranger like me, not to bite
But scare and assert its right over territory, & yet
I walk on…

A car honks behind me
Almost scraping past me, furious that
Someone actually wants to walk
When one can just ride an automobile, and yet
I walk on…

Few chattering loafers sneer at me, commenting that
Why waste time walking, when
One can just burn it on a game of cricket, and yet
I walk on…

Little girls look at me in amusement, thinking that
One actually goes for walks in the night, sweating it out all the way
For some unknown reason, and yet
I walk on…

A neighbour lesiuring away his time on a streetside bench looks at me, so that
He may start a conversation to pass his time,
And is surprised that I hardly stop while returning his greeting, and yet
I walk on…

Some PYTs pass by and taunt me, feeling that
How uncool it is to walk alone on the street when
One can do it with some interesting company in a gym, and yet
I walk on…

For all those who feel walking outside is no fun…
With all due respect, have you ever:

Felt the sun on your face…
Been ahead in a dog-chase…

Seen the leaves closing for the night…
And birds on their returning flight…

An occasional owl in a dark corner…
A labourer’s family having their supper…

Leisure to observe passing people…
Quietude to hear the water ripple...

When you discover these smaller joys…
I will not have to explain the whys…
That your mind asks of me.

sunday blues

today was my first sunday in coupla years...
metaphorically speaking..
so what i did?
well i definitely dint have a bath
& i definitely slept most of the day...
& i very much spent the evening chitter-chattering with friends...

so much i longed for such a day...

Mobloggin'

Im tryin 2 moblog here.xplanz d language. If i get intrstd,may jst b willng 2 moblog my upcmg drive thru rajasthan.wil b drivng most of d tim,so duno when il blog..but lets hope fr d best.. Since iv pland quite a few trips in upcmg months, moblog should b intrstg.. Watsay? I only wish orkut would show blogs on homepg.
So if der r ne suggestns reg wat u lik 2c here..kp em cmg.. Wont hav many fotos tho.. Gprs costs a fortune.. Wid cal prices cmg dn, i guz dis is a potent source of revenue.. Hope dese opratrs intro data plans soon..il b d 1st 2 get it..

ola!!!
sandylief online in few days