The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Widely acclaimed book, with a rather strange history. Stieg Larsson wrote the Millenium trilogy and died soon after. This one, the first went on to become a bestseller.

The book is a page turner for certain, without being beautiful for its writing. The themes are violent and disturbing at times. At the end of it, I don't know if I'm any better off for having read it, although I could not put it down for the most part. I guess it would, by that definition classify as a successful thriller.

Maybe the violence just put me off.

so you have a baby coming

who will be loved more than any other

who will awake every day to your presence

and live in your arms

was i ever meant to be there

was i ever meant to share

was it ever meant to be

for if it wasn't, then was it me then

or a ghost of a better past.

Nameless

dreaded the unknown, bereft of instinct

which spoke neither too loudly nor kept silent

with childlike timidity, look

as the clock ticks on

for the light that reveals the one door,

this darkness where emotion has no voice

and the days come either too rapidly

or never at all

'tis true despite what they say

a child, shall wait

for the light to appear

defeating this darkness

which leaves him staring

lost in timid belief

for children know no better

and no worse

than the air in a sealed den.

Since I don't have too many original things to say, at least not too many blogworthy things at the moment, let me point kind readers here to 2 pretty amazing individuals.

This is Drew Reyniewicz, a daughter of a simple family from a small town (really small town) in the US. With the usual stimuli (Justin Bieber, etc), I cannot imagine how this girl has managed to in some sense rewrite popular songs to suit the quality of her voice. Not only does she have the intelligence and talent to give these efforts a quality that is quite sublime and sophisticated, but she also has the bravado to follow her instincts. The question in any viewers mind is - where does she get the confidence from, even if she has all the latent talent, which seems to come out of nowhere given her fairly non-musical regular family. Touchingly, her father in a different episode says "She is so much more courageous than her mother or me".

In her first audition where she covered a Bieber song, there is a point just before she walks out when she's filled with a slowly approaching panic and anxiety. Look for it if you watch the video. Beautifully real and human.

Oh, yes and she's only 14.

And this is Rachel Crow. Adopted when only 6 months old by a white couple who were themselves not wealthy, this embodiment of likeability has an engine of dreams that seems to run on fuel that is not of this world. Like Drew, she seems so much older than her years. Now again, I'm amazed at how confident she is - it is a well documented fact that the cultures of the United States and some European nations breeds a viewpoint that amplifies strengths instead of mitigating weaknesses (like eastern cultures do) and this must have something to do with these talents believing that tomorrow will bring something that will change their lives.

And she's 13.

Once in your life you find someone
Who will turn your world around
Bring you up when you're feeling down

..... Bryan Adams (Heaven)

God may not have given most Indians much, but he has certainly give a lot of them a horn on their vehicles.

Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
'Cos we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright

 - Billy Joel, Pianoman


Pleasant surprise when a CD recorded a while ago plays a tune that resonates with the weather.

RIP Steve.... my allusion in my previous post to his receding from the helm could not have been timed worse.

I first came across Jobs in a case study during the orientation week at the ISB where the Apple case study was used to illustrate the culture that Steve epoused within the Mac team at Apple, leading to his run-ins with John Sculley, whom he had famously hired and then his subsequent departure. Steve was painted as someone keener to leave a legacy, than make the right business decisions, and this could not be better defined than by the fact that Jobs and his Macintosh team  signed their names (engraved electronically, of course) on the inside of each monitor of the Macintosh that was sold at that time. This was seen as a final example of his narcissism and lack of business skill, even arrogance.

This was the year 2003, and Jobs had returned to Apple 1998. He had focused on setting things right but the company was yet to go anywhere. The English Professor had not yet formed an opinion on what he thought might happen or whether he was inclined to be optimistic. The iPod had just debuted, of course and it was a mp3 player with a small difference. The next 8 years, as they say, became history.

Following the ISB year I actually read Sculley's book, From Pepsi To Apple, to get his side of the story, and it wasn't exactly flattering to Jobs.

Over the years, I watched with amazement as the iPod, then the MacBook, then the iPhone and the iPad simply turned into category killers.

Finally, there is a lot of truth in Jobs' Stanford commencement speech, which I listened to at least twice.

There is a dark side to Jobs', but that simple outlines him as a human with very human frailties.

For the genius in him, it is so wonderful to see that he will be remembered as the winner that he was born to be, and not as the centerpiece of a case study that I read in 2002. Many geniuses have not had their due, and its wonderful when one comes along who does.








 

Smartphone buying guide


Read this if you're considering a smartphone purchase .... as with most things that I end up spending time on, without really intending to, I end up doing a lot of research.

Smart phones can be compared on a cornucopia of parameters. I'm not kidding here... its a ridiculously large set of 50 or more attributes that can make your head spin. It gets worse if your budget really isn't a constraint, although it should always be - if only for the reason that you don't want to be dropping money on gadgets that are going to be outmoded in six months or less.

So here goes


1. Use - ask yourself what you really need it for. If you are buying it to be connected to the internet, then some things become more important. If you really just want a touch interface that must be Android so you don't want to be left behind as the world moves ahead then you'd choose differently. If you want to read, and are a high information consumer (text), then screen size really matters. Choose a screen that's 4 inches or more in such cases.

2. Make - The market for Android devices is quite amazing... While there's a lot of noise, there's also a lot of company strategy at display here. While Sony Ericsson, seems to have decided that people are mostly going to buy them for multimedia and build quality, HTC, Samsung and LG seem to have placed interesting bets on the low and mid range phones suiting a variety of uses, including Internet consumption. If your need is a sensible phone that looks good, look for Samsung of HTC. If you need something thats just functional and you don't really care for brand snobbery, look for the LG Optimus. If you're all about flashing it out the moment someones phone goes off, loosen your wallet and test your need for attention.

3. Camera Vs  Screen size - In the sensible bracket, HTC and Samsung seem to have traded these parameters off against each other. While Samsung will offer you slightly larger screens, HTC will offer you a camera with a flash but with smaller screen displays. For some bizzare reason, Samsung chooses to leave out a flash even in their Galaxy S1.

4. Processor speed - Choose something thats at least 600MHz or more, even if your needs are minimal. You don't want to be smarter than your phone

5. Andriod version - Choose v2.2 (Froyo) at a minimum. You can always upgrade to v2.3 (Gingerbread), but if you're looking at something that is running 2.1 (Eclair), you're probably looking at an internal spec- RAM, ROM, Display drivers that aren't built for 2011.

6. Cost - Finally, the elephant in the room. ... need to rush out for a bit... will finish in due course.
Do leave me a comment if you need an opinion on anything else - like the iPhone, for instance.

Cont'd after a few hours sitting in Vaayu .... I don't think I've gone out and sat in a lounge too many times in my life and while the scenery is still quite good, I do think I'm too much of a 'thayir sadam' guy to make anything of all that.

Anyway, here's the harsh reality on costs.

The model where an open source operating system is married to public hardware which is subject to Moore's Law in a competitive market has simple implications. Hardware becomes the differentiator for the OEM given that the software is common. The implication - in order to skim the market, which is to gather the highest value available, the only option for an OEM is to churn out the latest, greatest handset at the best possible price (with a healthy markup) and hope people in the replacement and greenfield markets simply lap it up. The fallout is simple - even capable hardware which is half an iteration old is now commodity and is competing with the plethora of OEM devices on the market which are now experiencing the same fate. Now given that the distributor/reseller can return unsold handsets in a trice to the OEM, the OEM has no option but to discount as early and as aggressively as possible. Finally the only thing this means to you is the following. If you don't need the most powerful handset... and chances are unless youre a stock market trader on the move (not an investor), you don't, you should simply take advantage of discounting which is almost as high as 30% in 8 months.


Ok and one last thing.

iPhone has the better hardware for now, with their devices being more evolved. However, there's no way a single company should be able to take on the combined focus on the daily bread of a handful of competitive  Korean, Taiwanese and Japanese companies who're literally running like hell to drop prices and provide more hardware per dollar.

In the longer term, Andriod should be the winner, with the iPhone ecosystem, or the lack of it, looking more and more like the world of the iMac. However one can't write off Steve Jobs, but thats precisely the problem now. He's one man, and he's on his way out ... the iPhone shall follow slowly, and it won't be a happy day.

The best thing about a smartphone is finally the ability to not waste time. So good to catch up on the Economist, BBC, and other super sources while youre walking to someplace or while youre staring at empty thoughts in an otherwise non-productive meeting.

Great stuff. 

The Lord of the Seven Hills

Met the Lord of the Seven Hills over the last couple of days. A surreal feeling overcame me when I looked upon the  face that is inescapable for as long as I have lived. It is a face that is everywhere, on every wall, every bus, most desktops, every puja room.

Made it through all the pushing and shoving that is India and Indians, and felt somehow satisfied and calmed by the final darshan. There is a different energy in Tirumala when compared to that at Arunachala. One is more subtle, the other vibrates with more amplitude perhaps, but both seem to calm the soul.

gosh they're pretty and they sing like angels!!! I now know where all the awesome Tam women are... they're in Washington DC!

My good friend sent me this - a snippet of his conversation with his boss who happens to be an irreverent American corporate guy

Me : I have a meeting with President , APJ on SEA market penetration. I do have a question on pricing strategy

Our man: No, don’t ask that question. Remember you are talking to president, APJ

Me: huh ,,, mmmm

Our man: it is like staring at sunlight directly. Request VP ,through his secretary, to ask that question

Me: what if they don’t understand and ask the wrong question

Our man: right guy asking the wrong question is better than wrong guy asking the right question ….

There's a reason she gets 272,098 hits in a day after the video is posted!!!

For as long as I can possibly remember in my life.... the following have been true of me. I kid you not, I've felt this way as far back as I can remember... maybe as far back as when I began thinking.

I hate noise

I hate boorish behaviour

I absolutely hate crowds

I cannot understand why people honk

I cannot understand why people think its ok to talk/sneeze/cough in your face

I absolutely hate lawlessness

I cannot live with neighbours who feel they owe no explanations or need take no responsibility

I love silence

I love space

I love order

I love it when I can hear the breeze

So why was I born in a place which is seemingly so inimical with my true nature? And why have the fates conspired so well to pin me down here?

Karma? I think not. But in the absence of any theories that may supplant karma, here I am, endorsing it.

Butter Masala Dosa at Sarvana Bhavan in Sunnyvale ....

verdict - the chutneys rock almost as much as they do at the Sarvana Bhavan in Asoknagar Madras. The dosa is mostly butter but very agreeable.

The cooks are all Mexicans and so are the waiters. Go Mexico! I wouldn't be too surprised if they told me they prepared the batter as well.

Saw a picture of a girl on a plane who looked like she did in my memory - some people don't age.

Talked for hours with N about nothing and felt totally entertained as always.

Spoke with S about something and felt like my sanity is in place, as always.

Spent 90 minutes walking on the sands at HMB, left before the sunset
Sat there wondering about the scenes, as they unfold.

Spoke to some guy from Shanghai about strategy in India.

Spoke with mom, who teaches hope and the fact that God cares.

Watched a TedTalk by Amiee Mullins and applauded silently.

Still feeling uncertain nevertheless, more so these days than previously

Meditation is always the key, and so is liberation - one is rumored to follow the other.

Pretty funny ... Danny McBride & Aziz Ansari deliver superb performances.

Shakespeare, Logic and Escape

From time to time, I take breaks by delving into literature. The world that i live in can be exactingly dreary and depressing. Literature and music often provide the most convenient escapes. So today, while I battle a terrible cold and flu unable to ignore that sleep is around the corner while I am seated at my desk and trying to get my mind to focus on work, trying to structure logical lines that will help make sense for other people .... which is what most jobs pay you for today ..... to think logically, I find myself smiling despite the congestions in my chest and sinuses when I read a few quotable quotes from As You Like It ..... the fourth quotation is nearer the mark than most others today

As You Like It

"All the world 's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts" - (Act II, Scene VII).

"Can one desire too much of a good thing?". - (Act IV, Scene I).

"I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it" - (Act II, Scene IV).

"How bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes!" - (Act V, Scene II).

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind! Thou art not so unkind as man's ingratitude".(Act II, Scene VII).

"True is it that we have seen better days". - (Act II, Scene VII).

"For ever and a day". - (Act IV, Scene I).

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool". - (Act V, Scene I).

Some photos here

https://www.facebook.com/TouchingDistance

Landmark chooses Touching Distance for its selection of "Indian Writing"

clueless about what to say tomorrow at the launch !

Book Launch

The long overdue book launch is here.

Date and Time: 630PM on Friday, Aug 5, 2011
Venue: Crossword, Residency Road, Bangalore
Chief Guest: Vikram Shah, VP and GM, NetApp India

Meet the author

Rangashankara, July 23, 11AM

Thanks to Soumya HS for putting this together.

you know how the time flies
only yesterday was the time of our lives
we were born and raised in a summer haze
bound by the surprise of our glory days

- Adele

My definition of identification of compatibility in a stranger.

The ability to communicate emotions back and forth without having to use words and still be interested in hearing what the other has to say.

S is the nicest friend ever

can't help but post S's comments on When September Ends for posterity.... youre the nicest!!!!


I liked the way youv've changed it around a little bit - where you break off, what you emphasise.. the song sounds perfect for your voice and perhaps im a lttle biased on this, since I know you- but it just feels like something you'd have written. I think pple like it because it sounds so wonderfully intimate and it sounds like you arent just singing any odd lines. It sounds heartfelt..and I think when a singer can draw the audience into a song to an extent where the listener becomes a participant- its always an amazing experience all around.

When September Ends (Green Day cover) | Upload Music

For Posterity - I make it to a bestsellers list in a cerebral newspaper ! Why I'm in the non-fiction section I have no idea!!!

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/article2159734.ece

pure magic! everytime! the world does not seem capable of such brilliance in song writing anymore

The case for spirituality

As funny as it may sound there is a case for spirituality even when we're dealing with mundane things in the business world. When a complex set of functions or mechanisms seemingly operate on their own, juxtaposed and geared in a complex mechanism, it can seem difficult to understand how things will turn out, and invariably cause us to lose confidence in what we're meant to do. It is in these scenarios that some spiritual inclination, training or knowledge can be a great support, because thats how life in general works. By itself.

When dealing with real world troubles, it helps to recognize that we're not in control of things the way we believed we were. We're harnessed... we're floating kites at the end of a string, given all the evidence in the world, yet we try and break free, we try and rip the thread without the use of our hands, by simply gaping at it in frustration. We do not see reality for what it is, despite the most obvious truths that stare us in the face.

Ironically, I've observed that spirituality, like most things is a calling. You can not cultivate an interest in it, at least not one sufficiently strong to be impacted by the knowledge contained therein.

I often think that most of our real problems simply become mitigated in intensity if we have some element of spirituality in ourselves. If nothing else, it helps us deal with ourselves a lot better than if we were constantly trying to dodge the bullets we cannot see. India's contribution to the world is really invaluable.

such a beautiful song ... and so well sung.

Of SanFranciscan Conversations, Chinese Soccer in the park, and Pakistani Naans.

Nothing particularly special about what turned out to be a wonderful day... just the little things. Packed with work, but not the deadline terrible kind where you're wondering if you're doing it right.

Nice conversations with a stranger on an interoffice shuttle. Then a good productive meeting. Then more nice conversations with the bus driver and a San Franciscan (these San Franciscan's are often the friendliest folks I've met).

Then comes the treat.

Back in my hotel room, I change into my gym outfit and head for the elevator. A couple of Chinese guys walk up, one of them wearing soccer shoes. I'm usually quite talkative here these days so I say

"Soccer! Are you guys going to play somewhere?"

The two guys enthusiastically mumble something in English which is beyond my comprehension, given their accents are very strong, but on the elevator ride down, I gather they are going to play at a park nearby. I'm carrying my gloves for the gym (OCD is hard to beat) and am on the fence here. They say they're just going to kick it around and get some exercise.

I'm sold. I ask if I can join them. They're super excited to have one more guy to play with. I follow their car and we arrive at the ground. They open the boot of their car and get the ball out. They then hand me a water bottle (what exquisite manners). We then spend almost 90 minutes just kicking it around, in a bright sun, on a perfect green rolling lawn.

I thank them and leave. They insist I should join them on Tuesday and Thu for their noon games and in the evenings.

I promise them I'd try. The 90 minutes I spent running around the turf in the setting sun are probably some of the best so far on this trip.

Soccer really unites!!!! Thank you China!!!!

To end the day I decide to go to Madras Cafe, a restaurant I visited on one of my previous visits here but haven't been to this time. A Tamil reference on anything is going to get me every time. So far the veg fare at Chipotles, Mediterranean restaurants and the Panda Express having been serving me just fine. I reach the Madras Cafe to find it closed. Bummer!

On my trip back I spot something called the Shalimar - Indian and Pakistani cuisine. I'm in a venturesome kind of mood - conversations, football and all so I venture. I order the palak paneer and a naan. The naan is delicious. I get another one. These naans are just so much better than any naan I've ever had.

Intrigued, while paying, I ask the nice young man who seems either Indian or Pakistani if the restaurant is indeed Pakistani. He pauses, drops his head a little, smiles and says quietly "Yessss" with the "sss" meant as a brace indicating his own uncertainty at the question and what I might say next. I reassure him that the only reason I asked him the question was because the naans here were so much better than at any Indian restaurant. He looks relieved and says that several people have said as much. I thank him. He thanks me for saying nice things. I promise to return to try the staple paneer butter masala. I ask him if he has a black dal. He doesn't. He apologizes. I urge him to add it to the menu. He suggests a bunch of other veg dishes on a photo catalog. I smile. The photos aren't great. I walk out, drive back home and turn on Adele on youtube - she thinks we could've had it all. I ruminate, then nod gravely. I blog. You read. I stop blogging and go to sleep. You get on with your life. We all feel better. Thanks for reading. Thank you Pakistan for the Naans!!!! You guys were almost as nice as the Chinese to me today :) but soccer rules over food, however strange that may sound.

Everytime I visit the US I discover a song or artist. This time it's Adele. Not the greatest songwriter or lyricist ever, but a voice that stands our like a church bell.

Spent the day at Santa Cruz beach. A glorious day, and a beach full of people at their relaxed best. Life really is wonderful if you live here. The streets have all been decorated with Residential Parking only signs which is a huge plus for people who live here. Without it, they'd be overrun by tourists. The day was spectacular and I walked around the beach back and forth feeling a little stupid in my clothes which included jeans and a T-shirt, while everyone else was in beach trunks and bikinis. As a stupid Indian I have to stand out wherever I go, I guess. Have to live up to stereotypes, haven't we? Shouldve bought my beach clothes ... oh wait. I live in Bangalore and the only water we get is when the streets are flooded after a torrential rain.

I gazed at the waves like I always do. They are hypnotic, completely transcending the focus of reality. Time has slipped by, and so quickly. How can the past be lassoed?

Haven't really worked on my writing in the last 4 weeks. It is a pity. I thought I'd have time during this trip, but its been anything but characterized by equanimity - too much work, too many emotions, too little rest and sparkling bursts of surprises here and there.

Have been trying to resume my workouts here. Been hitting the treadmill for 3o minute, 2.5 mile jogs. Resumed weight training which really is something I feel I should have never stopped, if only for its ability to improve will power and focus. Just hope I can continue.

Finished reading The Mountain Path (a Ramanashramam publication) and almost done reading Advaitic Sadhana by the same press. Both excellent reads. Haven't got to reading B.K.S. Iyengar's Light on Pranayama yet. Very technical book, from the looks of it.

Miss the food, miss the time to breathe during weekdays. Miss my friends and miss my family. Miss the years between 2005 and 2008 as always. Surely, the best and the worst years of my life.

Life's like that :)

Talking to an old friend who said ..

"you know back then, I thought you'd be very successful"

Me: "I never thought about being successful, but I never thought I'd fail so badly at everything"

Thanks for all the comment inquiring about my absence and well being. Amazing how those 2 are almost always presumed to be inversely correlated.

Been very very busy at work over the last couple of weeks and would be busy for more days to come.

Arrived in California on Saturday afternoon, went out to dinner and to a long 2hour walk by the ocean on the sands of Half Moon Bay the following morning, probably my favourite place in the world. It was a beautiful day, slightly cold and windy, but very desirable.

Noticed that beauty does not strike us with the force that it does at first. Maybe there is an element of immunity involved.

Caught up with a couple of very old friends who seemed to talk in the distance as my jet lag took over during dinner on Sunday night. I was finally awoken when the car stopped and I was asked to wake up and go back to my room - yes, I'd fallen asleep sitting up in the back :).

On the plus side, one of my friends compared the first chapter and style of the book to that of Aravind Adiga ... THANK YOU!!

Being down with a really bad case of stomach upsets of the food poisoning variety over Thu, Fri and recovering on Saturday and Sunday, allows you to catch up on a lot of sleep. I woke up really early this Monday morning, albeit thanks more to several stresses at play. Began my day with a chapter from a book printed by the press at Ramanashramam, and then decided I have to allow music to play. I can only think of this on such a still morning.

Early JKR interview... she's just amazing.

Watched this a few years ago and it never stops being funny ... in case you're not one of the 312M+ viewers who haven't seen this one

Pretty impressive!!!!

L'appuntamento

Italian

Ho sbagliato tante volte ormai
che lo do già
Che oggi quasi certamente
sto sbagliando su di te
Ma una volta in più
Che cosa può cambiare nella vita mia
Accettare questo strano appuntamento
E stata una pazzia

Amore fai presto
io non resisto
Se tu non arrive
non esisto
non esisto, non esisto

Sono triste tra la gente
che mi sta passando accanto
Ma la nostalgia di rivedere te
è forte più del pianto
Questo sole accende sul mio volto
Un segno di speranza
Sto aspettando quando a un tratto
Ti vedrò spuntare in lontananza

Preciso acabar logo com isso
Preciso lembrar que eu existo
Que eu existo
Que eu existo

Luci machine, vetrine, strade, tutto quanto si confonde nella mente
La mia ombra si è stancata di seguirmi
Il giorno muore lentamente
Non mi resta che tornare a casa mia
Alla mia triste vita
Questa vita che volevo dare a te
L'hai sbriciolata tra le dita

Na na na na na na na …

English translation:
The Appointment

I've been mistaken so many times by now that I already know
that today is almost a certainty
I've been wrong about you
but once more
that you can change my life
to accept this strange appointment
has been a madness!

Love, make it soon,
I don't resist
if you don't come,
I don't exist
I don't exist, I don't exist

I am sad among the people
that are passing nearby
but the nostalgia of seeing you again
it is stronger than weeping:
this sun shines on on my face
a sign of hope.
I am waiting when suddenly
You appear in a distance!

It is necessary to finish with this soon
Necessary to remember that I exist
That I exist
That I exist

Car lights, shop windows, streets,
everything seems so confusing
my shadow is tired of following me
the day dies slowly.
Don't leave me to return to my house
to my sad life
this life that I wanted to give to you

Completely in love with L'appuntamento ..... all over again.

Part 2 - inspiration

I guess I needed a dose of something... and here it is .... amazing stuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYDM3MIzEHo

On literature.

"...words (and the words of literature they make) are like water or like ants. Nothing can penetrate into the cracks, holes ad invisible gaps of life as fast or as thoroughly as words can.

It is in these cracks that the essence of things - the things that make us curious about life, about the world - can first be ascertained and it is good literature that first reveals them. "

- Orhan Pamukh

interviewers on cnbc india are probably measured by their ability to consume more air time than their interviewees ... why don't they ask a short question and shut up?

watched 20 minutes of an interview with the CEO of Vodafone India and i actually had to change the channel as I could no longer bear to see the pain on the CEOs face.

When will we ever grow up ... and why are Indian interviewers on TV so excited?

Chris Nolan never ceases to amaze me .... watched the scene of Batman Begins when Bruce Wayne in the Japanese monastery takes the hallucinogen and walks to the box containing the bats.

'Men fear what they cannot see'

'In order to defeat your fear, you have to embrace it'

The writing is brief and hits home

Camera Panning

Everytime the camera pans to the crowd in a game, and focuses on a girl or some kids enjoying the game, you can be rest assured that a fat jackass will push his face, mouth open, face sweaty and screaming into the camera and block everything beautiful out. Life's like that

The things people will do for a good pen!

Insomniacal again.

Not sure why this happens. I've run 5km on a treadmill this evening, and this is the second time this week. My muscles ache, and I'm mentally tired but I can't fall asleep. I'm thinking of something to read, but the last 170 pages of LOTR are too boring ... war war ... described somewhat inconsistently.

I consider reading "Talks with Sri Ramana Maharishi" but I don't think I'm in that kind of mood. So, then comes the TV... Jay Leno is on ... Diane Lane is on .... she looks like she's 30 ... how do these people do it? I've decided I've had enough of Jay's jokes. So now I'm looking at the GoodPens blog by Seth Godin. Strange hobbies have even stranger groups on the Internet, and I recently became a member of the Fountain Pen Network, with my second post commenting on the Quality and Prices of inks available in India last week.

And then I come here.... not much to say except I'm insomniacal. I hope you're asleep. I hope you're dreaming. I hope you're well. I hope the Gods watch over you. Bye.

More locations to buy on the net

IndiaPlaza

http://ww.thehindushopping.com/great-indian-mba-dream-shiva-prakash/books/9788191067330.htm

Crossword Online

http://www.crossword.in/books/great-indian-mba-dream-prakash-h-s-sh/p-books-9788191067330.html

Now at Crossword

Touching Distance is now available at Crossword in Bangalore. Should also be available at Crossword in other cities as well. Crossword seems to have cataloged it as The Great Indian MBA Dream (in case you need them to look it up on their computers).

Touching Distance - The Great Indian MBA Dream


Click here to buy it online on flipkart


Click here for the Author Page on Facebook

The advance copy from my publisher arrived on March 4, 2011. Holding this book in my hands, reading the words that were mine, left me somewhat shaken, stirred and delighted. Its a feeling that lasted 45 minutes or so. I had to say I ended up with a case of mild shock - the kind that I experienced when I was in love with a beautiful girl and she let it slip that she felt likewise.

I have to say that I did think I could write, but didn't really think I'd be published.

The book began as an attempt to rediscover a few laughs post graduation in 2003. More than half the chapters were penned back then. I was flippant to begin with, my only objective being to recreate a few situations and retell stories, sitting as I was in a dead end role post my MBA. To get my friends (especially those featuring in the book) to at least read my ruminations I gave my first set of stories a very serious title - 'The ISB Book' which helped generate mock gravitas. The individual episodes were called 'Chapters', and when my publisher first asked me what the title of my proposed book was, I simply said, quasi-ironically and completely facetiously, 'The Great Indian MBA Dream', feeling somewhat foolish that I didn't really have a title but also trying to be self-deprecatory about my own work.

After the customary rejections from a bunch of publishers there came one acceptance(verbal) from an excellent, experienced and decorated editor. The contract took two years to manifest, during which I'd simply given up, thinking of this as another of life's ropes which came loose as I tugged on it, while trying to stay afloat in the shark manifested waters of ennui. Following the contract, which served as a second wind in my sails, more writing followed, with deadlines and a finished manuscript. I still told myself this was all another dummy rope, my way of preparing for a damp squib. Then came the oceanic delays, and finally the publish run, culminating in a courier that I was so excited to receive.

The Title
My preference for the title was 'Touching Distance'. While walking back from a 5Km daily run, with my brain full of oxygenated blood, I observed that we all believe that we're within touching distance of our desired reality (given that our imagination tends to what we believe we can achieve and acquire). Touching Distance. It resonated very strongly with the theme of the book as well. I had a title!

My publishers insisted that we retain the longer title to ensure that we would be visible and buzzing on bookshelves. I hope they are proved right.

The Cover
I loved being involved in the design of the cover. The graphic artist showed me a few photos and abstract designs but I didn't agree with that line of thinking. Some of you know me for a dilettante painter, and given my interest areas, I suggested that we go with a night sky, then go with a colour theme that Van Gogh used in Cafe Terrace. I had to have yellow, my favourite colour on the cover, of course. The stars were changed. I'm pleased with the result. You can't really go wrong with the palette of a Master, can you?


In Stores
Shortly. My publisher was very pleased with the pre-order interest the book generated. The book is available on Flipkart with the customary online discount.

Facebook
Please help spread the word. Hit the 'Like' button. The FB page is
http://www.facebook.com/TouchingDistance

I also decided to go with my given name, considering that I was advised to use 2 of my names instead of three for brevity, and every other two word combination of my 16 letter loooooong name sounded less than optimal.


Endorsements
Please look for the on my Facebook page. The Dean of ISB, Ajit Rangnekar was super nice in providing an endorsement as was Sanjeev Bikhchandani. Others are forthcoming.

Your Reviews
I'm eager to hear what you think. Please leave a review on Flipkart or on the Facebook page, or hopefully both.

Typos
Finally, typos are inevitable, some having been introduced just prior to the print run (which I can't explain), and my publishers assures me that we'll clean it up as soon as we have a second print run (which means we have to sell the first set) :)

Launches
Very exciting, and are being planned. Should announce them here and on the Facebook page. I hope you'll come. The plan is to do three or more cities.

GLEE - "Forget You" Full Performance feat. Gwyneth Paltrow!

So I've never watched Glee but I'm a huge Gwyneth Paltrow fan. Saw her sing on stage during the Grammys and dug up this video on Youtube. I'm amazed at how talented she is ... if anything her dancing is even more awesome than her singing ... she's 38!!!

What can one do in Bangalore? thank God for Television. Or maybe until I turn it off I won't have a clue about what to do. My hyperactive reading phase tapered off in Oct/Nov. Though I renewed my library membership I found myself less and less inclined to read. It wasn't a loss of appetite, but merely the weight of several other things that weighed in to overwhelm that appetite and replace it with a kind of phlegmatic suspension.

Most people who I know know how much I love LOTR. I'm ploughing my way through pages 600-700 and these are the parts with loads of dialogue from Smeagol or Gollum. Just brilliantly written. No idea what I'd read afer that. Read most of Hamlet on 2 flights but it fatigued me after a while. I'm convinced it helped increase my IQ though ... reading those difficult passages and thinking about what the antiquated english means certainly can do wonders into firing a few more new neurons.

As far as music is concerned I gave Comfortably Numb a shot and it sounds so beautiful on my new guitar. Haven't yet found the inclination to record it though.

So how is the New Year treating everyone so far?

Happy Pongal & Sankaranthi everyone. Hope everyone ate lots and had a blast.

"Cos its a bittersweet symphony thats life

Try to make ends meet you're a slave to the money then you die

I'll take you down the only road you've never been down

You the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet yeah"

- Bittersweet Symphony, The Verve

Shakespeare on poets

Brutus: I'll know his humor, when he knows his time

What should the wars do with these jigging fools

- Julius Caesar

The years roll on, but the insomnia remains the same.