July 2005

Got my WACOM

July 17, 2005 Design

I have entered the elite gang of people who have owned the WACOM Intuos 3 Tablet (tabby as I lovingly call it). It cost me a lot of money but I decided to go for it because I wanted to try my hand at art & illustration. I have always yearned to free whatever creativity that I possess in my mind.

The tabby is neat and I got used to it within no time. I also did, what they call a speed paint which is basically a quick rendering of thoughts in Corel Painter. You can see it in this thread. It’s entitled – Village Tree. I am hoping to do a lot more fine art with my tabby now :-)

Leave Him Alone

July 16, 2005 Happenings

Salman Khan It all started with the Black Bucks. Then he ran his car on the pavement and killed some folks. The he beat up some journalists outside a courtroom. Later he got involved with Aishwarya ‘Ash’ Rai and now this. He allegedly threatened her on the phone some 4 years ago and named some gangsters in that conversation. The entire transcript was published in the first edition of Hindustan Times when it got launched in Mumbai. One more round of allegations against Salam ‘Sallu’ Khan and this time it looks to be serious. His ‘Bad Boy of Bollywood’ image is here to stay.

Continue reading…

The Designer Is Dead

July 14, 2005 Design

This is my definition for Design – It is a process & not the end in itself. The designer is a creative problem solver no matter which art institute he passed out from, he has a role to play in the everyday functioning of the organization. Unfortunately for some reputed institutes the designer is just another academic slave who should be subjected to that cruel system & judged by that single ingredient called ‘Marks’.

Continue reading…

India at the UN Security Council

July 13, 2005 Happenings

United Nations OrganizationIndia’s chances look really bleak in an attempt to procure a permanent seat in the Security Council at the UN. If you remember, India is a part of the G4 countries (Germany, Japan, Brazil & India) which are lobbying for the seats and each one of them is facing stiff opposition from their neighbours. Pakistan, of course is opposing this move.

But I strongly support India’s candidature, not simply because I am an Indian but India has played an active role in the UN eversince it was born (India was one of the founding fathers) or be it the various peacekeeping missions that she undertook for the organisation. Also it’s logical to make the world’s second most populated and the fastest growing economy to be in the global state of affairs.

It surprised me to no limit today when I read that US has rubbished the G4 nominations. The confusion prevails as Africa now wants a bigger share in the pie. Whats the basis of being elected as a permamanent member? Let’s get that right first. And if India does get the seat then it should be with the veto powers and not just the seat itself. No arguments about that.

The Heat Is On

July 12, 2005 General

It’s swelteringly hot and HUMID in Mumbai and the rain is sort of teasing us here. It falls for sometime then its sunny the other. I am sick of this hide-n-seek game that the weather gods have been playing with me @#$% It gets so stuffy in the train sometimes that you can’t help but watch the other person drip on your Arrow or Louis Phillipe :-)

The average Indian likes to SIT wherever he goes. My friend Randhir has a very good theory about this which predates to our ancestors. India faced famines for centuries and thus her people needed to conserve energy in whatever way they could and hence the sitting posture carried forward from generations after generations. Hmm…interesting. But if you ever travel by the local trains, it is painful to stand for one hour and looking around, you find people nicely dozing off, sometimes salivating as they dream.

Hence..(back to the original topic)….I hope it rains so I forget whatever happens around me. Amen! :-)