The power of three
I recently discovered that I am predisposed to categorize everything into three categories. I mean everything – people, attributes, things, ideas, tv shows, curries, leaders, asians, watches, jackets, restaurants, everything. Seriously. Its not so much that I need to do adopt this kind of stereotyping or assumption-making, its just that its far easier to traverse […]
A Primer on Politeness
[I originally wrote this as a helpful guide to a friend who was constantly getting stuck in unnecessary altercations] Politeness As A Way Of Life People often mistake politeness to be a manner of speaking. Politeness is actually a way of life that dictates everything from our acceptance in society to our quality of our […]
Guns r us
I like guns. I said it. I grew up adoring every gun slinger from the quick-draw cowboy to the chain-gunner soldier. I have fired a few guns too, from the standard Glocks at gun ranges to WW2 Mosin sniper rifles. I don’t own a gun and never intend to (unless the world somehow survives extinction […]
The Vishwaroopam Review
I usually don’t watch Tamil movies, but when I do I watch with the lead of the movie at its premiere. So I like to think. For some freak accident of nature (or good fortune of a friend being in the movie sound business) caused me to get vip passes to the premiere in LA, […]
The 2012 Travelogue – Tokyo – Part 3
Still in Ginza, from the Kabuki theater, we walked fifteen minutes towards the water until we reached Tsukiji fish market. It was basically a large industrial looking block of warehouses which smelled more fishy than any fish market I have been in. Typically, people wake up at 3am to get into the market and observe […]
The 2012 Travelogue – Tokyo – Part 2
Tokyo is notorious for its population density and hence its ultra expensive hotel rooms. Our hotel, Oak Hotel, a tiny building on a side alley, was a all-nipponese claustrophobic-ally fun establishment. We had two feet of air on only one side of the bed and glad that we gave up suitcases years ago. The one […]
The 2012 Travelogue – Tokyo – Part 1
Of all the countries I have had the good fortune to visit, Japan is probably the most unique countries both in terms of people and culture. It is unfortunate that I had a bare five days in this beautiful land for I could easily spend a month just in Tokyo and still experience just a […]
Politics and powerpoints
For the last two weeks, the only thing on the tube were the two political conventions. I caught a dozen or so speeches mostly by the main players. I had seen the conventions from the previous two elections too. Each time, the analysis and the buzz around the conventions increases tenfold. For every twenty minute […]
The 2011 Travelougue – Milan
My one day in Milan was more of a layover than a visit, but our first encounter with Italy was both eventful and memorable. Milan was our first Italian stop, a good six hour train ride from Spiez, Switzerland. The first class train carriage was almost empty and the ride was uneventful as we relaxed […]
The 2011 Travelogue – Paris – Part 1
When we think Paris, we think Eiffel Tower, cafes, romantics, stylish people, sophistication, and high-end art. But what we saw in Paris was a down-to-earth multicultural melting pot with a rich architecture, fun people and an open progressive society. This is a place I could easily live in, maybe its more expensive than New York […]