The World I Know...

I'm moving...

2007-04-10T06:57:00.001+10:00

... to wordpress, that is. I've been with blogger and at The World I Know for about 2 years now. I just feel its time to move on to a better platform now. Thanks for coming along with me on this transition. Please update your bookmarks. Cheers!

You can now find my weblog at:

www.morph8.com

Digital Storage - Never Enough!

2007-04-10T06:54:00.001+10:00

Was getting really annoyed with that pop-up thingy that kept telling me I was running out of space everywhere... C, D, E and F drives. Now, what can I do? There's just way too many good movies, music and apps to go wanting... And so I went out and got my self one of these, a 500 GB Western Digital My Book EE. I was very keen on the Premium one with the cool capacity gauge, but it wasn't available at the store I was at... And I wasn't gonna be bothered hunting for one that did!

Another year...

2007-04-09T22:57:00.001+10:00

..., 28 in all, so far. Brought in my 28th birthday on the 5th of April thanking God for his providence & mercies. The day has long since lost its excitement for me. But as, what should now be, usual; Meenal sprung a well planned surprise that evening. Thanks to all the dear friends who found time to show up... :)

This is gonna be so good!

2007-03-31T03:05:00.001+10:00

The official 300 trailer. Can't wait April 5th. Meanwhile here are a couple of "official" wallpapers. Click to enlarge. Enjoy!

Imagecredits: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Last one...

2007-03-31T01:57:00.001+10:00

... I promise. Just received updates that the "official" photos of the evening were uploaded at the photographers' website. Thought, I'd have a look...

Receiving my degree from Mr. Robert Hodges.

I promise no more graduation pics. I'm sick of it too!

Piyush... through hob's eyes

2007-03-28T07:05:00.001+10:00

Its actually more through his beard... hehehe! Piyush in a rare somber mood. Photo was part of a set of a lovely evening that brought in Hobby's 20th birthday.

Nikhil, Tan & Hobs. Boy, that Quattro Gusti was deadly!

Meenal, Piyush & Me.

Life after the world cup for Team India

2007-03-27T23:05:00.001+10:00

Let's look at the positives. We won against Bermuda, didn't we? Why not build on this win. Let's try Outer Mongolia (trust they have a cricket team) next, and thus, strike a winning streak. I don't see the great idea in India playing the same teams - Sri Lanka, Australia, Pakistan etc. - year after year. If Indian cricket has to survive (for the benefit of sponsors and live telecast right-holders) we need to look at fresh pastures beyond our sub-continent.

Or forget all that, c'mon team India lets get on with alternate professions. Eh? What say?

Better to get on with something you can do seriously than wasting everyone's time and money. Man, I'm so bugged this time around...

Image credits: Benniechayan

Introducing Vedanti Pande

2007-03-26T21:34:00.001+10:00

Had on opportunity to catch up with Aunty (Nehal's mom), Nehal & Shashank over the weekend. Its always a joy to meet the young adult, Mr Vishrut and the absolutely tiny infant, Ms Vedanti... Here are a couple of her first pictures on the blog. This was an especially cute moment, as she curled her way on dad's tummy to get as comfy as she could, while in slumber heaven. A kodak / mobile-cam moment!

Show me who you are

2007-03-25T08:54:00.001+10:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

A very neat and fairly accurate personality analyzer. Simply answer a few questions with the images that you feel best suit it; and the software then analyzes your personality to prepare a neat report & the above seen widget. Give it a go guys...

Imagini VisualDNA [Thanks Amit}

Finally...

2007-03-22T07:39:00.001+11:00

... officially graduated from the Swinburne University of Technology with my Master of Design degree on the 20th of March, 2007. Here are some pictures from the evening. I shall update the write-ups pretty soon.

Backside whooped!

2007-03-18T15:57:00.001+11:00

"Ever since Kapil's Devils won the World Cup in 1983, the excitement surrounding one-day cricket's premier tournament has grown exponentially with each successive edition. That win was, in many ways, the best thing that happened to Indian cricket, but in some ways is also the worst thing teams that followed have to deal with. Irrespective of the actual strength of the Indian team, their chances of success in certain conditions or a tournament of a specific format, the expectations have been sky high. This edition was no different. For once, though, there was just the sense that it was not unreasonable to hope for some degree of success. No one believed that India walked into the tournament being favorites to win it, yet few would seriously entertain the thought that they were incapable of reaching the semifinals. All the pre-tournament talk hinged on how important the Super 8s phase was. It was just a given that India would stroll into the Super 8s, and then the real tournament would begin." Anand Vasu, Asst. Editor CRICINFO

Didn't want to waste my breath on an oft repeated story...

SketchUp sketcher

2007-03-18T14:35:00.001+11:00

I've just initiated a work colleague to Google SketchUp recently. And he's hooked. It is addictive. By me, its the most fabulous thing to happen to architectural and interior design visualization. Bringing back the joy of sketching virtually a 3D geometry, further clarifying the construction, finish and joinery details for the project.

A recent render using the Swinburne PA building; its a composite using 3 different render modes. First, a wireframe, then a hidden line and finally a shaded with textures. Click on the thumbnails for larger image.

And finally brought together in Photoshop and masked sequentially to deliver this final output. I guess, showing a concept from ideas to implementation.

Another inconspicuous week...

2007-03-18T10:51:00.001+11:00

... has passed. The workload has been pretty full on, but I guess its my colleagues who've made it seem like its a walk in the park. I've now realized that there is definitely a better way of doing things, in the built environment realm, than the normally stressed out route. But, I guess, its the bigger bucks that get you that nicer, smoother & elegant bang. Since the past five weeks at DPA, its been all about learning the commercial, corporate and retail design sector and its practices. Invaluable experience and made all the more exciting because of the prestigious projects. I'd like to blog one day, in not the very distant future, about key differences in the design industry here and in India, and a strategy to overcome the initial hurdles and adapt faster to the workstyle and practice here.

On another note, every time that I step out onto the DPA balcony for some much needed sun and air, its interesting to spot the array of cars that as a kid, and even now, I'd have 'ooh'ed and 'ah'ed about. But I'd somehow got used to the cars my employer brought in... that is, until recently.

Oh! Its a beauty... And while on the materialistic trail, Meenal gifted me a graduation gift on the eve of the ceremony. A lovely, chunky, classy watch...

BTW, the graduation ceremony is on the 20th of March and I shall try to upload a couple of pics in my crowned and gowned glory.

And lastly, for all the people who've known me from Ahmedabad and VVnagar would be interested to know that my dear friend Atap has hopped aboard the blogger web-wagon... You can catch him rambling about life, technology, investment banking and so on and so forth at http://atapojha.blogspot.com/ Do drop by and say hello. You all have a fabulous weekend!

Comment, People!

2007-03-16T07:25:00.001+11:00

I've just been looking at the stats for the site. About 150 visitors every week, 70 unique visitors from all over the world. This online journal was intended for family and friends. So if you are dropping down from wherever (Orkut, Google etc), do let me know you were here. I'd love to catch up with you... Cheers!

Wallpapers and then some

2007-03-12T09:03:00.001+11:00

I've had these wallpapers sitting on my desktop for quite a while now. Never really got around to shoving them where they needed to be except till the long weekend now. As always, all credits due to the creators of the wonderful screens. Enjoy!

PS: Mr Manchanda have a look here...

With Deep Condolences

2007-03-03T21:03:00.001+11:00

We declare peace over the Kaithamangalam family at the loss of the first born of the Late Chacko & our Appachan, on Friday the 2nd of March, 2007. We will miss him on earth, but will meet him in heaven.

Image and condolence credits: James Chacko (Benniechayan)

Crickets' around the corner

2007-03-03T00:59:00.001+11:00

Click on the image to download match schedule for the ICC cricket World Cup 2007. Note: MS Excel file.

Meeting Joshua

2007-02-21T06:52:00.001+11:00

We went to visit our cousin and his family at their gorgeous Wonga Park home on Saturday. Seeing Joshua was a delight! I'm just slowly realizing the magic that the little bundles of joy bring to your life. And test your every nerve while the become a bigger bundle! Aww, but they are still magic! It was a relaxed, lazy day... One where, both Meenal and me felt we were home. A cuddle and a kiss and you feel your worries and tensions just ebb away. Meeting Ammachi and giving my now rusty Malayalam a go. Having some unforgettable fish curry, moor and carrot pickle. Chechi was her usual angelic self. Listening to our ramblings and giving us the insights that only she can.

Spent quite some time getting to know the new arrival. And he me... with his occasional pukes and very occasional bawls.

Ammachi showed Meenal around the vegetable farm that she set up all on her own. Its got almost every veggie we use. By the evening, had an opportunity to tell the kids a bedtime story and tuck them in.

It was a perfect Saturday in quite a long time.

Another week...

2007-02-17T10:40:00.001+11:00

... has gone by at DPA. It seems like a blur now, but also so very enlightening when I see the varying scales of accomplishment, that I feel, between my previous and current employment. Here are some pictures of the studio; (click to enlarge)

New Job, New beginnings

2007-02-11T10:20:00.001+11:00

I've managed to get a new and exciting job with a company that I am really impressed with and a team that I really like.

My responsibilities at DesignPhase Australia include the design development & contract documentation for Macmillan Publishers, at the moment. I've joined since Thursday, and although I do miss the familiar faces at Ian's, the team at DPA has been immensely helpful and friendly. Shall keep you posted on the developments.

Recently completed project:

Toyota HQ, Port Melbourne $50m... Read more

Photoshopping...

2007-02-05T11:29:00.001+11:00

... over the weekend, was a result of sheer boredom. I was working on an Indian restaurant website over the weekend, and one silly thing led to another and I started playing around with these pshop tutes. Completely mucked up the site completion schedules for yesterday. Cho Chorry, Tan. Shall wind it up tonight... Well anyway, here are the playtime results.

This one's called Text Photo Montaging and the resulting image is composed of completely the text of your choice.

Oh, and this is a cool photo-popping effect. It makes the subject seem to stand out, literally, of a 2D photograph. That's my new Orkut profile pic and the dude on the chair is Piyush. He's working hard!

Catching up...

2007-02-04T14:21:00.001+11:00

... with Atap and Tanvi was wonderful. The first time, really, to get to know Tanvi. And honestly, Tanvi, we haven't stopped talking about how lucky Atap is to have you! Did the normal touristy things around Melbourne the first day. Went around Fed Square, Docklands, Bourke Mall and to ACMI for an exhibition of moving images.

The Sydneysiders were also keen to get to know the Melbourne trams a little better.

And here's the both of us trying to conceal the unconcealable... our fabulous spare tyres. Although mine pales in comparison to Ataps'. We're at Flinders' Station here.

Hmm... we had a blast, Hopefully they had a nice time too. It felt nice reminiscing about good old times and hearing that belly boom laugh once again. Just felt we ran out of time though.

Our Second Wedding Anniversary

2007-01-29T17:48:00.000+11:00

Its been a busy, busy weekend. Absolutely loved having Atap and Tanvi over from Sydney with us. Dear friends Shashank and Nehal were blessed with a baby girl. And we brought in our 2nd wedding anniversary quietly on the same day too.

The land of contrasts & contradictions

2007-01-24T15:21:00.001+11:00

This post is a continuum of the last one.

That is an aspect of India that fascinates the world. The best articulation that I've recently read is by Sophie Cunningham, an Australian non-fiction writer. I would like to share a poignant passage from her writings and I strongly encourage you to read it in its entirety;

I left realizing that the world was a much more complex place than I had previously understood. I saw the depth of my ignorance and in that was a joy (having seen it I could begin to undo it, though I now see that any process of learning is just a gradual revelation of how deep that ignorance really is). To give up to not knowing, to be uncertain of the name of things, is a revelation. That space is the place where possibility lives. This is another thing India has taught me. Perhaps it is the most important thing.

Shilpa Shetty, Monty Panesar, Racism & Ignoramusitis

2007-01-24T15:09:00.001+11:00

Ever since coming to Australia, I've struggled with situations which frustrated, angered and confused me. I shall remember the first of those being at University where a classmate asked me, in all sincerity, whether there were computers in India and if I'd seen one before coming down under. I was not bothered by the query regarding my computer literacy, but more because she thought there weren't any in India. Someone else who asked me whether Meenal was a Muslim, when he saw her in a salwaar-kameez. A construction worker I came across at work who, again genuinely, asked me whether there were multi-storey buildings in India. These are mundane things which irk me, but I don't consider them to be anything more than sheer ignorance. And that is not an isolated problem.

Similarly, whatever I've seen and heard of the Shilpa Shetty issue seems to be a case of Ignoramusitis, than anything else. Out of sheer curiosity, I looked up racism as defined by Princeton;

"the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races"

Shilpa would/should have obviously known better. You put a bunch of these characters together and sooner or later the name-calling is bound to begin. And apart from her extremely non-modest remarks, she handling the situation beautifully. But the one PIO, I think, who underwent that down under was Monty Panesar, during his recent Ashes tour last year.

Revitalize, rejuvenate, resurge

2007-01-24T10:23:00.001+11:00

We do tend to get get anxious of impending change, assuming that it will be bad. Our focus on the negatives contribute to unnecessary fears of change, even when there is really not much, if anything, to fear. Sometimes that fear can be inflamed by self doubt; doubts of our own ability to deal with a new situation that is about to befall us. Nobody can be forever happy, forever in a state of perfection; the world changes causing your little world to change. Those who fare the best are those who feed off the changes rather than run from them, or confront them in wasteful defiance; the tide of change will not stop because of you. In keeping with this reality of life, we need to imbibe this characteristic of change within us. We need to evolve... We need to morph8!

Come with me on this journey of change. That's right, come revitalize, rejuvenate and resurge with...

www.morph8.com

PS: Currently the URL redirects back to my blog... But then again, watch out for the morphosis! :-)

George... whatever!

2007-01-19T16:32:00.001+11:00

I'm not going to make any political statements here. Just an observation of what I came across on YouTube recently.

Another very interesting observation is this. Go to Google's homepage. Type in "failure" without the quotes. And hit the I'm feeling lucky button. Voila! Thanks to a particular Mr Vinay Manchanda for bringing that to my attention.

Gandhigiri... huh?!

2007-01-18T19:28:00.001+11:00

YouTube has undoubtedly been a godsend for many aspiring comedians, musicians, dancers, film-makers, singers and so many more. Who can forget Russell Peters and his phenomenal rise rise to the top of his game. He came recently to Australia and his shows were instant hits. 10,000 tickets sold in two days without any advertising.! He himself credits this amazing fan following to someone posting his 2003 Comedy Now show on the internet. There has been no looking back since.

But then, Gautham Prasad, doesn't even compare to Russell Peters... to me at least. His 'comedy' has never appealed to me; and after seeing (careful) him with a diaper and a pole, I've got no intentions of ever wanting to either!

After the popular Bollywood hit, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, one would hope that the Gandhigiri would still be fresh on people's minds... But going by the amusing reactions of the Indian government and the comments (to lynch, to burn, to hurt his family, queries about his female relatives) on YouTube one wonders, sadly, whatever happened to Gandhigiri?

Miranda IM - Whats the deal?

2007-01-17T17:45:00.001+11:00

I've been using Miranda IM for a couple of weeks now. Its the lightest, most flexible / customizable, easiest piece of IM software you can get your hands on. Hmm... well not the lightest, because nothing beats Gtalk! But then again, Gtalk doesn't support ICQ, AIM, IRC and MSN protocols. Miranda does... and tops it off by having Jabber support too!

With almost all the current popular' breed of IM applications clogging your system with ads, left right and center, Miranda has no such thing. Again, it also doesn't feature VOIP or video calls offered by its big-brand counterparts. Again, I feel, it does what it promises to do best, instant messaging! I'm really tired of the waiting with my Yahoo or Live MSN messenger, bloated with ads delaying it.

Miranda is seriously fast. Its very easy to setup and configure and the present documentation suffices. There is a vast range of add-ons available for people who need it. But I personally love it stripped bare and minimal. Give it a spin folks.

Related applications: Trillian, Gaim

Then again, take a closer look at the iPhone. Really!

2007-01-15T15:44:00.001+11:00

Drool, drool, drool, drool till 2008! Whew! Drool...

iPhone... Really?!

2007-01-14T15:00:00.001+11:00

Blog Update

2007-01-13T08:05:00.001+11:00

I remember being taught about a test conducted by a designer for the design of his work desk. He has a problem of extreme clutter on his work space. So he decides to make some more desk space to accommodate his stuff scattered around. But to his astonishment, he discovers in a few days that his clutter and "stuff" has actually proportionately increased to reclaim his desk.

In much the same way, when I started with the blog redesign with the KISS template by Oinam, I loved the white space this template offered me. But now it seems, I've managed to slowly encroach upon every possible region of the blog with additional "stuff". Oh well, here they are;

The items are:

1. Gaping Void: A neat cartoon widget

2. Categories: I've finally managed to manually get the categories listed in the side bar. The new blogger has a layout element that handles the same.

3. Affiliates: Added the ONE campaign to my affiliate bar along with the text link ads banner.

4. Profile Pic & Time: Also inserted a static picture pile for my profile and a time bar displaying local, home and London time.

At a loss for words

2007-01-13T01:40:00.001+11:00

Academic Presentations

2007-01-13T01:35:00.001+11:00

I really feel that I've come a long way in my presentations since Swinburne. I was looking for a way to document my slides online. I've hunted far and wide for a nice online (free) hosting service to post my PowerPoint files to, but in vain. The one's I've liked like Slideshare and Zoho have a major drawback; they don't support animations. And I have a million animations in my presentations to squeeze in maximum information within the slide limitations. And so, I've gone the whole nine yards to get it just right! I first exported the presentation using Camtasia Studio as an windows media file. And then uploaded it my Photobucket account which conveniently converts the file to FLV format with a neat player too! So without further ado, here are the presentations.

1. Branding Swinburne

This project is a response to two key design issues; one the intangible notion of arrival at the School of Design campus and the other deals with a more tangible aspect of branding of a space so as to effectively exhibit specific values and ideologies.

My approach, towards addressing these issues have been to… elaborate on the aspect of arrival as a planning tool, which is essential to clearly define an entry and to enable a transition further through the space. The other vital aspect is of identity, which is a very locale specific response. The project endeavors to fuse the two to deliver a distinctive brand to the foyer space.

2. Healing Spaces

Let’s face it hospitals are stressful places; and increased levels of stress due to the kind of environment that you’re in, would surely not help you recover any faster. I believe that the transitory space of the reception lobby has to be sensitively dealt with to bring back the sense of control that a person loses when he’s sick.

I would like to bring to your attention that this is the first phase of a systematic refurbishment of the Prahran Surgical & Ambulatory Care Center. The patient information area, the central lobby space & the commercial areas. These then house the following functions. The floor space consists of 150 and 200 sq. mts. Thus, bringing the total floor space to roughly about 400 sq. mts.

3. Immersive Game Console

An attempt to develop a unique immersive gaming interface that moves us closer to the ultimate illusion of life, epitomized in the quote of Lewis Wolpert in the ‘Skeptical Inquirer’: “It is important that we recognize the difference between science & technology, between understanding and making things. Reliable scientific knowledge has no ethical content; it is the way the world is.”

This used to be my childhood

2007-01-11T03:54:00.001+11:00

"A sweet lilac breeze on the rain soaked wind
Memories of childhood potions made from sticks and flowers, rocks and water
Spewing forth from the rain spout of my house
A magical fountain of youth in a suburban wonderland
Endless hours of play with my best friend and soul mate...

We were the saviors of our youth
Making memories that would last a lifetime
When it rains that soft summer rain,
I long for the play times of yesterday,
For the friend who made fairy tale dreams possible and every adventure twice what it would have ever been without him...

Older now?
Wiser now?
Or are we?
What I wouldn't give to play in the rain again"

Tiffany Garrison-full

"Comman Sanjee"

2007-01-10T14:39:00.001+11:00

Lets improve your malayali GK!

Name the wonly part of the werld where Malayalis don't werk hard?
Kerala
Why is industrial productivity so low in Kerala?
Because 86% of the shift time is spent on lifting,folding and re-tying the lungi.
Why did the Malayali buy an air-ticket?
To go to Thoobai, to meet his ungle in the Gelff.
Why do Malayali's go to the Gelff?
To yearn menney.
What did the Malayali do when the plane caught fire?
He zimbly jembd out of the vindow.
What is a Malayali management graduate called?
Yem Bee Yay.
Why did his wife divorce him?
Because he was louwing another yuman (woman).
Who found out that?
His andy.
What does a Malayali do when he goes to America ?
He changes his name from Karunakaran to Kevin Curren.
What does a Malayali use to commute to office everyday?
An Oto.

War Art

2007-01-10T13:00:00.001+11:00

I might not agree entirely with what's being propagated; but I truly love the way they've gone about it!

Incredible Illustrations

2007-01-09T15:21:00.001+11:00

Look at this picture;

Believe it, this is an entirely computer generated image! If I didn't know it already, I could have never even remotely thought that this could be an digital illustration. This remarkable piece of art was created by an Algerian artist, Halim Ghodbano. Here is the gradient mesh;

Artwork generated using Adobe Illustrator.

Are you ready for Vista?

2007-01-08T22:33:00.001+11:00

New Year Desktop

2007-01-08T12:21:00.001+11:00

Planning to KISS this year... Following along the same lines is the blog redesign & the desktop visual style.

Here is a clean screenie;

& a cluttered one...

Two years on...

2007-01-08T00:30:00.001+11:00

... since I got married now. It was the 29th of January. A whole kaleidoscope of emotions go through my mind when I remember those days. I am still in awe at how God works his miracles in our lives. I remember a verse that gave me strength during those days, that sits on my PC till date...

I still remember it being only 15 days later, that we landed in Melbourne. I remember telling our family and friends that it'd be a lovely honeymoon for us down under. And about a month down the line, I came out of Ringwood station and told Meenal, "Honey, there's the moon..."! At that time, it was the closest we ever came to anything remotely romantic. But then again looking back was it all that bad... naah!

We've grown so much together, since these past two years. Held our own in amazing bouts with problems that life threw our way. Graduated with flying colors in the midst of personal crisis. Made and cherished some wonderful friends. Every day, these last two years, I thank God for a wonderful companion, a friend, a wife, I have in Meenal...

Holiday Experiments

2007-01-04T20:42:00.001+11:00

A few lovely tools I took for granted for quite a while now. The holidays have given me a chance to rediscover these apps. The Windows Photo Story and Movie Maker applications were almost always on my computer since I can remember, but never ever utilized till recently. I've been cataloguing an awesome number of pictures and movies for a while now with my Nokia 6280. Here is a quick video I made using Photo Story of our trip to the Docklands.

New Year's Post

2007-01-01T12:54:00.001+11:00

A most wonderful, intriguing, spectacularly detailed photograph. First up, We wish you all a great and fabulous start into the year 2007, whether you're with your family, or missing them as I am, whether on a beach or beached on your own, buzzing around with new year frenzy or down with a buzz. Have a grand new year!

Image credit: ~eugenes at DeviantART

Christmas at Carinya ~ II

2007-01-01T01:30:00.001+11:00

Dinner photos appended. As always, owe it to the Spaniards amazing photographic skills here for all the ghosting of the images. I couldn't do it even if I tried!

BTW, unofficially the first post of the new year. Officially, I have something else planned. So unofficially, a very very Happy New Year!

Compliments of the holiday season!

2006-12-29T00:28:00.001+11:00

To all our family, friends and their families from the both of us, Meenal & Benson. We wish you all a merry Christmas, happy holidays and a year which will be an abundant trove of health, happiness & prosperity!

Christmas at Carinya

2006-12-28T15:04:00.000+11:00

Residents (former & present) gathered on the 27th, this Wednesday, at Carinya once again for a year end gathering and dinner. We had among the former inmates, Ralf, Jai, Rishabh and Prateek; and among the present Sanjeev and Inoka, Vinay and Kanu, Neha, Hobby, Piyush and Nikhil. We also had the spaniard, Satyen Kothari, with us too!

Microsoft Photosynth

2006-12-25T23:59:00.001+11:00

Something I'd heard of quite some time back, but never thought I'd post about. Until today that I came across it on YouTube. I'm quite excited about when we could actually see it in live and not simulated action. Enjoy,

Things should, hopefully, improve...

2006-12-25T19:05:00.001+11:00

... in the coming year. I discovered that I'd get embedded a statcounter code in the blog, when I'd started it, a really long time back. I had it functional till some time back this year. I remembered it when I visited a random blog today. The things, discovered put a lot of things in a whole new perspective. For instance, I've had about 500 odd visitors to my blog last year. As compared with the measly, 50 or so I've had this year. That could also be due to the fact that I've never posted as many posts this year.

Another interesting stat, was the distribution of these 50 readers around the world. I guess, its my & Meenal's folks and friends back home, who are driving the numbers in India. Buddies from Swinburne & Carinya for the Australian numbers. And cousins & random blog hoppers probably logging on from the states. Chintan dropping in once in a while, I hope, from UK. And no idea about the rest! :-)

Christmas Eve at the Docklands

2006-12-25T00:37:00.001+11:00

I finally got around to exploring Victoria's "newest waterfront". Having heard so much about the how well-designed the integration of public open spaces were with the architectural and urban spaces; it just shed a whole new light on the academic critiques. The missus and me & Hobby spent some time, although rushed, but still quality time taking in the views, unique urban art, new marinas and wharves. Spotted some real stylish bars, cafes and restaurants too. But I guess that'll be another blog post.

This excursion also enabled me to right the wrong about Meenal's cribbing that the blog was all about me! Here are a sampling of the photos by the boatloads.

And while on the way back, CBD Melbourne was all decked up like Christmas tree! BTW, sorry for the shabby panorama montage. Merry Christmas everyone! Have a fabulous one.

A day with Vishrut

2006-12-23T13:36:00.001+11:00

We had the joy of having Vishrut for a day with us today. The experience was quite an enlightening one for us. Enabling us to foresee our life with an additional member(s) in the family. And its quite wonderful how you look at almost everything with a different perspective with a child around. Vishrut was his usual calmly exuberant self; you've got to meet him to realize what I mean.

The day then graduated to an evening with the Pande family to Crown Casino. Melbourne's feeble, but gallant effort to reach out towards Vegas' opulence. We were treated to an lovely spectacle of Christmas festivities. A wonderful choir singing the most wonderful carols & a terrific light & sound show in the same atrium space.

A good opportunity to catch up with Shashank and Nehal after quite a while. With my studies, our work and our assortment of hospital procedures out of the way. So too with a long break from Shashank's hectic schedule and with Nehal expecting another miracle of life, just around the corner, it was wonderful that we went along for the ride.

Bringing in the Christmas cheer!

2006-12-21T22:33:00.001+11:00

One of the many beautiful trees scattered around Box Hill Centro. Feeling damn homesick this time around. It's something about this time of the year I guess...

Current Project ~ DDU (Branding)

2006-12-20T14:01:00.001+11:00

An ambitious venture. The website currently under construction; slowly reaching a consensus on the branding for the site. Shall update you shortly on the specifics soon.

An evening with the Pande's

2006-12-18T04:14:00.000+11:00

It always warms my heart to see Vishrut. He has all the mannerisms of an adult, but is still a lovely child at heart. We spent another wonderful evening with them this past Saturday. It was a pleasure again since we couldn't catch up for quite a while now. The one member of the family missing in the picture is the delightful Mrs. Nehal Pande.

"I'm at Stanford, in Vidyanagar..."

2006-12-18T02:57:00.001+11:00

Came across this article in the Financial Express the other day. Its nice to see this move by this group of ministers, even though its a draft proposal for a legislation. This draft proposes to allow foreign educational institutions to open their campuses in India. Thus, bringing in global degrees, locally. Hmm... interesting, but to what end. Their statistics show that over 1.3 lakh students spend about $4 billion annually to study abroad. The intention is to get the students to save on those billions and still avail world-class education at home. Somehow, I just don't think that would work. The main motive for Indian students to head to foreign institutions in the first place is to secure a foothold in that foreign land. A foreign degree helps towards that end. So as to assimilate in that workforce and latter settle there. It is also a frustrating experience coming back to India with the same qualifications and realizing its futility back home. Its a tried, tested, exploited and exploitative route. In countries like the US, UK and Australia, the education sector with overseas students is a well-oiled, efficiently running industry running in conjunction with the national immigration and human resources departments. I am highly skeptical about the number of students and teachers of Indian origin moving back post implementation of this legislation.

Wanderer

2006-12-17T11:21:00.001+11:00

Sometimes it just feels so apt...

Image credits: NegativeFeedback on DeviantART

It ain't over till the fat man farts... or ho's!

2006-12-16T14:25:00.001+11:00

Ho ho ho!

As a matter of fact...

2006-12-15T09:45:00.001+11:00

... I usually never, ever bother checking a "chain" email. It was the subject line that got me interested though, "More GK packed inside than a mini encyclopedia". Hmm, well lets have a quick peek... It just might be interesting to ponder it over the weekend. So here it goes,

There are more telephones than people in Washington, D.C.
A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
A duck's quack doesn't echo. No one knows why.
40 percent of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.
315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelt.
On an average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.
Chocolate kills dogs! True, chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system. A few ounces is enough to kill a small sized dog.
Most lipstick contains fish scales.
Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as a medicine.
Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.
Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.
There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.
Leonardo da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.
Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to slow a film down so you could see his moves. That's the opposite of the norm.
The original name for the butterfly was "flutterby"!
By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand.
Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.
Dentists recommend that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.
The first owner of the Marlboro company died of lung cancer.
Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.
Marilyn Monroe had six toes on one foot.
Adolf Hitler's mother seriously considered having an abortion but was talked out of it by her doctor.
The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
"Stewardesses" is the longest word that can be typed with only the left hand.
To escape the grip of a crocodile's jaws, prick your fingers into its eyeballs. It will let you go instantly.
A mathematical wonder: 111,111,111 multiplied by 111,111,111 gives the result 12, 345, 678, 987, 654, 321.
The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
The "pound" (#) key on your keyboard is called an octothorp.
The only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible is the cat.
Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
"Dreamt" is the only word in the English language that ends in "mt".
It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
In Chinese, the KFC slogan "finger lickin' good" comes out as "eat your fingers off".
A cockroach can live for 10 days without a head.
We shed 40 pounds of skin a lifetime.
Yo-Yos were once used as weapons in the Philippines.
Coca-Cola can be used as car oil.
Mexico City sinks abut 10 inches a year.
Brains are more active sleeping than watching TV.
Blue is the favorite color of 80 percent of Americans.
When a person shakes their head from side to side, he is saying "yes" in Sri Lanka.
There are mo re chickens than people in the world.
It's against the law in Iceland to have a dog.
The thumbnail grows the slowest, and the middle nail grows the fastest.
The only word in the English Language with all vowels in reverse order is "subcontinental".
Look at your zipper. See the initials YKK? It stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushibibaisha, the world's largest zipper manufacturer.

Lyrical bonding

2006-12-14T19:39:00.001+11:00

There is this new band doing the rounds here. Its called Josh. They play a whole load of the old desi/hip-hop/fusion mujik. The best part of this band and their music is the collaborative effort of Lenny Kravitz look-alike Pakistani singer and Surd Indian from Canada. I guess they are pretty popular back home in India; but its just catching on here. Here one of their almost bearable tracks... Mahi ve.

Aah! Memories...

2006-12-14T01:09:00.001+11:00

The Classic Indie Thumper...

I have so many wonderful memories of my varied experiences with my Royal Enfield Machismo A350. The one where traffic cops would stop me... have a look at my registration GJ-1-1100, the bike and me and wave me through after matters which should have losened any 'other' bikers' wallets. The rides, with mates, with Meenal. The long, long drives to Baroda, Vallabh Vidyanagar... Oh and the crashes... Hmm! Sweet, sweet memories.

General Gluteus Maximus

2006-12-14T00:05:00.001+11:00

For people in the know, I met Satyen Kothari today. Boy, you've got to see him! Its been quite a while now. On first sight, the bugger looked like a Spaniard to me. I was wondering who Satyen was rooming with before the silly Spaniard starts sputtering,

taane hamna time madde che ava mate! Yaar, phone nathi upadto...

Well anyways, for your viewing pleasure, Satyen.

So I forgot...

2006-12-12T13:22:00.001+11:00

... to publish this post. I took this test a couple of weeks back, when I was laid up post the appendicitis op. Give it a go guys. Try beating this score... :p

Walking down the Yarra

2006-12-12T11:38:00.001+11:00

View from Southbank towards Flinders St Station

The Melbourne skyline from the promenade

The pedestrian brigde across the Yarra

Happy Families are all alike...

2006-12-11T20:33:00.001+11:00

Made a recent visit to my cousins, Jossychayan & Jennychechi, at their new Wonga Park residence. Spectacular lifestyle property with rolling hills and a barn with chooks and rabbits and foxes roaming the land. The house has a cozy fireplace & a beautiful pool. Oh, its just great. But then again, as Churchill put it, in a completely different context; "We shape our buildings". Its ultimately the people that make the home.

L to R: Jacob, Ammachi (aunt), Jemimah, Meenal & Jasmine

Its just a joy to meet my nephew (now nephews, with the addition of Joshua) and neices. Little Jasmine is just an angel.

Jasmine with a mouthful of chocolate

Jacob upto his usual antics... & Jemimah

Boy, I enjoyed helping Jasmine with her dinner that day. That is her having some puris.

Quickly serving QUICKSERVE

2006-12-11T18:17:00.001+11:00

Developed a logo for my dear friend Tanveer's convenience store here at Camberwell. They already had a logo that Tan had come up with himself, but I thought I could do better... ;) Anyway's, knocked up a few conceptual designs prior to finalizing on one. I wouldn't want to elaborate on the designs, but they started with a theme for "magic carpet" service & convenience. And, thus the initial idea for a "magic flying carpet". But on later discussions, we felt that it didn't reflect the nature and scale of services offered. Here are the proposals;

Here are the designs implemented;

Results are here

2006-12-09T11:15:00.001+11:00

Whew! Finally results were posted. Two D's and one P. Hmm... not what I expected but then again, I'm really grateful for what I got.

Performancing For Firefox Test

2006-12-09T04:25:00.001+11:00

Ok people, bear with me here. Just taking the PFF add-on out for a walk. Cause if this delivers it bye bye Live writer.

Picture post test 01 / December Screen-shot clean

Picture post test 02 / December Screen-shot cluttered

Firefox Rox!

2006-12-09T03:35:00.001+11:00

Apart from those weird named nightly builds they come up with, the real "stable" versions of Firefox are cool. The only thing I used to crib about was the RSS feed reader feature and the way that it was laid out on the IE as compared to a then lame Firefox window. But I'm not complaining now... And especially with all those cool extensions that can go along with Firefox, Mozilla has definitely whooped Microsoft rear here.

Banner Dilemma

2006-12-09T03:04:00.001+11:00

In a bit of a pickle here. I've made this cool looking banner here, with no co-relation to the colors of this blogspace. And over and above it I can't seem to have it placed just right...

But I love it anyway. Umm... well, lets see.

Hyper Tension Maker Language

2006-12-08T19:50:00.001+11:00

The more you blog, the more you slog in vain. But then again I guess thats the perpetual peril of HTML coding. I've managed to get together a wonderful template for my blog from Gecko&Fly. But then I realize that it renders differently on various browsers. I seem to have got it working decently well on Opera and Firefox, and now I just don't care how it shows up on IE... Another problem is that I could previously post from Windows Live Writer (Beta). But now, even after the latest updates, I just cannot get it to work with the blog. I suspect its got something to do with my blogs migration to blogger(beta). I'll have a look at it later tonight.

On another note, weekends here. A much needed break.

Unreal Gameplay!

2006-12-08T19:33:00.001+11:00

A stupid kid getting angry while waiting for Unreal Tournament to load and play, it's in German but it has English subs. This dude deserves some unreal whack on his head... With that keyboard he smashed!

Stickmen!

2006-12-08T01:46:00.000+11:00

Its like a full-time past-time here these days at Carinya's pool tables. But its comparitively less crowded as when we had these Delhi pool sharks around. Aah, we're hooked! You should hear some of the comments that come from blokes who've never even held a stick a couple of months back. One of my personal favorites was this expert advice given by a Canadian dude sometime back. BTW, Grant that's not you I'm talking about! Even though, I know you'd have loved to tell me same, wouldn't you?! He'd keep telling me to

play the shots, cover your angles & wait for the big break! Would you like to charge your cue stick on the energiser...

What the ..... ?!

By the way, that's Abhi, watching and learning... ;)

Umm... Workstation?!

2006-12-07T18:58:00.000+11:00

Buses stop at a bus-station. Trains at a train-station. So I guess you know what stops at a work-station! Well, here's mine... Not too great, but a whole 34" of desk real estate. I've been a multi-monitor junkie for quite a qhile now. R & D'ing for a complete overhaul. Its been through hell and back these past couple of years.

Blog refurbishment in progress

2006-12-07T16:57:00.000+11:00

Have recently found a renewed interest in my blog. Somehow have an inkling its just the 4 days of chandni prior to a long andheeri raat. I guess its the precedents giving me the forewarning... But still, for now, I'm pulling all stops towards a blog-o-vation, mate!

Update 1: Changed the title header / banner image

That, I guess, is every bloggers burning desire. But its the most spectacularly annoying procedure you can think of.

Update 2: You now know what I played yesterday

Its a cool "scrobbling" thingy that lets you socialize musically. Basically what it uploads the music I play on any media player on my pc to it website and then streams the list to your blog. If you visit their blog they make "neighbourhoods" depending on similar music choices. Check it out at www.last.fm

Update 3: Finally got around to editing my profile!

Nothing much there. A simple ctrl + c & ctrl + v from my orkut profile. Cause its enough now. I've gotta go sleep! :p

Maxwell Renders

2006-12-06T16:22:00.000+11:00

OMG! I'm in love... straight out of sketchup to Maxwell renderer. This is the heights of simplicity in workflow. Awesome!

Imagecredits: kehaola These are not my images. And I'm sorry for the grainy image quality.

Folio Updated

2006-12-06T16:02:00.000+11:00

Made some productive use of the time at hand. Made a few additions to the portfolio. The medium density housing project with Val was something I needed in there. I have this feeling that I keep showing my technical drafting and detailing prowess without elaborating on the design development aspect. Thus, the inclusion of the PSACC ESD diagramming in sheet 2. Also, I have recently upgraded my rendering abilities with the Maxwell Renderer. Its friggin awesome! But, I like the feel of a photoshopped sketchup render too... And thus, the inclusion of sheet 4. The project was the Rebranding Swinburne.

So without further ado...

Masters over! Lets celebrate... in Box Hill Hospital

2006-12-06T15:46:00.000+11:00

Was quite eventful this last semester. Had an exhibition, hosted family and friends for some memorable dinners & barbies, designed and developed a website for a popular Indian restaurant, started brainstorming the next big eBiz venture, made some wonderful friends, had some even incredulous arguments, had a good presentation for one subject, had a gut-wrenching experience for another, partied like I've never partied before and somewhere in between I managed to royally mess up my appendix. And so had my first ever medical procedure / going under a qualified knife down under!

I finally have a few millimeters reduced of my spare tyre... :) As if that matters over the kilometers already there! All in all, am supposed to laid up in bed for 2 weeks. ARGGHH!!

Exhibition over...

2006-08-19T18:09:00.000+10:00

Me, Sharath, Diego, Zudi, Karuna & Diena

Much needed R&R after the design in context exhibition. For the curious cats among you, it was a subject requirement for Design in Context. The exhibit was supposed to be an interactive feature showcasing pre-decided public spaces. We headed out to an interesting thai joint, and I burnt my tongue on some no. 52 dish (lack of thai pronunciation skills). Still had a great time with the entire batch...

Drool... Drool

2006-08-02T17:46:00.000+10:00

Uni's started :-( ... New iMacs! :-)

Breaks over... II

2006-08-02T16:58:00.000+10:00

Now is when its really sinking in… Time seems to warp, days blending into a crazy loop. I can’t seem to realize when the week begins and ends. Workloads building up at university, and some pretty interesting subjects too this time. We have entreprenuership studio with Daniel, Dion and Mark and this is something I’ve missed all through 3 semesters at Swinburne. Daniel seems to be a wonderful faculty... I'm happy to be getting some real-world perspective here. His firms’ called Insite. I like the projects he’s done, and his experimental streak. Another subject we have is called Design in Context. Thats with Mathew. A whole lot of something I know is important, but somehow cant seem to be put my finger on the pulse. I seem to be develop a understanding for his methods now. He’s bringing about some change to the ID curriculum at Swinburne and we do need to give due credit to him for that. At least the next batches of students here will surely have something to look forward too. I would have surely discouraged anyone to join this faculty prior to my talk to him this afternoon. Anyways, nothing lost here. I seem to have gained my share of the practical know-how and experience from my time at Ians’.

Missed out on this opportunity to get my driving test for my license. The dates passed and so need to re-apply. Might do that after November now. Have to get going with my portfolio work tonight to hand-over to Bruce at Bloomfield. Still have some time to kill tonight till I leave for home from uni. Might as well clear up the entrepreunership hand-in tasks…

Breaks over... I

2006-08-02T16:56:00.000+10:00

I begin my final semester next Tuesday. And with that, another break that could’ve been something else, gently, subtly passes away. We put behind some really scary moments of our life in Australia behind too. Some moments humbling, very scary as the information and their implications rush through me through as a gush of emotions. Grateful to a handful of good samaritans, friends and relatives who were there during our tough times. And truly thankful to our God who knows the extents of our ability to bear these tests he brought our way. It was also quite enlightening to know some people for who they “really” are… In the words of a wise man; “Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss.”

On introspection, the events of the last two months, have made me realize with deadly certainty the consequences of both our procrastinating ways. Our complete lack of respect for our health, our values and our commitments. I hope we, like the good learner, learn our lessons here to hold us in good stead for the long haul. I have, mostly, been this passive, fence-sitter since I can remember. But lately, I’ve been having these urges to break-out from this mould and stand-up/out and get counted.

Getting better! :-)

2006-06-09T13:34:00.000+10:00

Meenal's feeling much better now. We await results from her operation tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers & thank God for His Deeds!

Rough Times

2006-06-02T01:23:00.000+10:00

Meenal is unwell... keep us in your prayers.

This is a test post from the spanking new MS Word 2007 (Beta)

2006-05-26T01:26:00.000+10:00

Testing 1,2,3… Testing 1,2,3

Anyone remotely interested could head to the Office System 2007 Beta download page. I have a feeling you'll love it! :P

Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)

2006-05-17T15:48:00.000+10:00

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in
silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain." And my personal favorite: "It's Monday." .She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because we cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect! We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit." When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?
Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.
Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the
music before the song is over.
[Source: Carpe Diem]

Seeing is Believing

2006-04-18T16:58:00.000+10:00

This shouldn't surpise me at all... But this video sure shows Indian driving in a whole new perspective!

Happy Birthday to me!

2006-04-06T08:04:00.000+10:00

Hmm... Meenal sprung a well planned surprise on me. More pics on the Flickr gallery.

International Motor Show

2006-02-21T19:05:00.000+11:00

Ogle, drool, drool, ogle... whew! ogle, drool, drool, ogle some more! :D The motor show pics as promised. Head over to flickr for the complete set... Enjoy!

Been too lazy to blog...

2006-02-11T17:53:00.000+11:00

This is so ridiculous! It's been about a year now since I have set up this blog and I have these phases, when no matter what, I just can't seem to get myself to sit my butt down to pen anything... I guess all I can say in my defense is that I have been making subtle, but really important changes to my lifestyle. I have joined a gym recently (a week to be precise), planning & WORKING-ON a very important milestone for our lives (I'll tell you when I'm there, for sure), socializing more and been working full-time! But that still does leave a lot of other things being left for another day (which unfortunately never seems to arrive); one of which is the weekly blog. I guess another reason for my blogging less frequently is my indecision to decide where do I want to head with this blog, contents, articles, random ramblings, etc. I should be able to think about some direction where I wanna take this blog soon... Another event thats coming up shortly is the International Motor Show at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Should be there the coming weekend and have many cool pics to show! Ok guys, time to go. The Home Minister has just beckoned the common man to get his bum of the chair and help in sorting the mess I've called my room. :) Have a great weekend guys... and more after a (very) short break. Cheers!

"shizzle mah tambizzle"

2006-01-10T20:26:00.000+11:00

Something Vinay forwarded a while back... Oh man! I crack up every time I see this.

Missing you... this new year!

2006-01-03T14:28:00.000+11:00

I usually pride myself on the number of years I've spent at boarding and hostels. I've been precisely away since class VII... three years at Rajkumar College, Rajkot, back for my SSCE and stayed home till my HSCE. Left again for 5 years at Vallabh Vidyanagar. Its not that I haven't met my family or friends during this interval, but those breaks have been really treasured. More so now that I have come to realize the importance of being at home (again so contextual... this could be another blog in itself) with my family and friends more and more. Friends who've known me for long would know that I'm usually not one for nostalgia... But I had this weird feeling last week as I was preparing a list of places Monik and Sapna should visit during their trip to India this time. Oh man... Kashi's chai, Rambhai's bun omlet with that freaky pink tomato ketchup, Bobby's full maska bun, Ambica's dalwada... and the list goes on! Most of all... my mum's mind-blowing biryani, fried fish et all :-). I'm in one of the world's most livable and lovable cities but I'd give anything to relive those moments at home... I'm homesick. Maybe its also got something to what I'm hearing today... Jal, its a Paki band and their album aadat, well, its homesickening! (Naah... its great guys.)

Wassup?! Umm, nuthin!

2005-12-29T14:09:00.000+11:00

Came across this today... Hmm, How apt!

Introspective Spaces: What's missing in medium density housing?

2005-12-29T01:17:00.000+11:00

"The design project focuses on a Medium Density Housing module, with a special emphasis on introspective spaces. These spaces are based upon the experiential qualities of the following typologies, each distinctly unique and culture specific, the Australia Shed and the Indian Terraces / Balconies. The construct and the materiality of the Greenhouses are also taken into consideration for design resolution here.

I am particularly interested in the material fabric of the English green-house & the Australian shed as a formula missing from contemporary living space; shed space has fallen victim to notions of lifestyle design about appearance, not living. Contemporary medium density or apartment planning has edited out activities such as tinkering or potting and results in a loss / absence of spaces such as the shed in MDH schemes. The back yard shed used to store gardening and woodwork tools and even dreams; and the modern terrace balcony is witness to many a dead pot plant.

The phenomenological meaning of the shed seems to have been lost. My intention is to retrieve this idea.

"Rather, nostalgia is a form of understanding that life is those attachments, feelings and patterns. And by the realization that nostalgia can only destroy us, since history moves on regardless."

Quote from Williams on Deleuze.

I have also drawn cultural inferences from Indian terraces, and have located the site for this proposed new space, on the roof of terrace housing as a typical unitised typology to demonstrate how the Shed can be retrieved and re-adapted to the future, as a strategy of bringing forward what is of value into the future."

So saith my abstract...

Back to the basics

2005-12-28T13:22:00.000+11:00

Reverted back this week to the original minimal theme for blogger. I've always felt that I could never stay long enough with the last theme... Hopefully, this changes all of that.

Its been a pretty quite week during my Christmas holidays. Spent the last two days watching this cool event that takes place down under.. The boxing day test matches. Its amazing to see a nation so spirited about sports as Australia. During winters its all about the bone-crunching footy and summers are all about cricket. We've got the South Africans visiting this time around and 5 days of just pure cricket. We might be going over to watch the last day of the test at the spruced up Melbourne Cricket Ground. Its very improbable that we would be able to see it next time around in march 2006 for the opening and closing ceremonies for the Commonwealth games. Just praying the finance / home minister agrees to the outing ;).

Another pleasant surprise last week was the inclusion of my work in our university graduate publication called "Plan B". It really wasn't an outstanding panel last semester, but it feels good to be included for a teeny-weeny spread. I might post a few panels and renders for that project at a later date.

Holiday Wishes!

2005-12-27T14:16:00.000+11:00

Random Ramblings...

2005-12-15T22:38:00.000+11:00

Hahaha! I promise better posts soon... Till then, lemme "ramble"... My Thoughts...Your Comments...Weigh In & Let's Get It On!

Here's a humorous although thought provoking definition of Globalization.

I am sure you'll be left with few words by the end of it.

Question: What is the truest definition of Globalization? Answer: Princess Diana's death. Question: How come?
Answer: An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel,
driving a German car with a Dutch engine,
driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whisky, (check the bottle before you change the spelling)
followed closely by Italian Paparazzi,
on Japanese motorcycles;
treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines.

This is posted by an Indian, using Bill Gate's technology (an American), and you're probably reading this on your computer,
that use Taiwanese chips,
and a Korean monitor, assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Indian lorry-drivers,
hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen,
and trucked to you by Mexican illegals.....

That, my friends, is Globalization...

What the...!

2005-11-27T12:16:00.000+11:00

"Rinse and pat the chicken dry with paper towel. Cut the onions into wedges, separate the wedges into single or double layers and stuff the wedges up the chicken's bottom. Any leftover onion can go in the bottom of the roasting pan.
sliding your fingers between the skin and meat of the breast, loosen the skin from the flesh. Slice pats from the butter and slip the slices between the skin and the breast. Use more butter if you've got a cheaper chook -depending on the quality and size of the bird, I sometimes use up to a cup of butter!
Rub the dry spice all over the chook's skin. Top and bottom.
Skewer the chicken's bottom closed (ouch) and truss up its wee leggies."

Text credits: Lex Culinaria

A day at the beach

2005-11-20T10:17:00.000+11:00

The Kilda pier. A beautiful, beautiful day man!

The Centre of Melbourne

2005-11-20T10:03:00.000+11:00

Fed Square gearing up for christmas. The few parts of Melbourne where you actually get to see the history and (relatively short) heritage of Australia. For those interested in knowing more about this lovely place... Fed Square.

The Day that was

2005-11-20T09:55:00.000+11:00

Assorted pics of the day. Morning through evening and from Luna Park to Federation Square to Kilda beach to the round-the-corner Nando's! Hmm... it sure was a fun-day...

Cool Shades... eh?!

2005-11-20T09:46:00.000+11:00

The babe's and baba's day out! Over with another semester and through with my grad-dip... ~sigh~ We headed out to the St Kilda beach this weekend on a thankfully bright and sunny day with dear friends Monik & Sapna. Will be posting more pics of the day later. Cheers!