Spotted... finally!

.... since last year i made a big hue and cry on my blog about missing 'someone' just by a few minutes at the Ganesh Utsav festival in Denver ... its only right that I update you guys about my first close encounter with Mrs Dixit- Nene and family after two long years of living in the same city at the Ganesh Utsav festival....

yes ! yes! it was really close.... there is not much ' zoom' used in the pics :)

and i think she may just have eaten hamare haath ka khana... since we volunteered to prepare flower-batata bhaji... and I saw it making rounds when she was eating... mommy dear was taking care of the kids just like any other mom... a caring husband making sure the wife and kids eating before he did... and sitting cross legged on the floor clapping at numerous kids performing....

just some updates

... the democratic national convention as you all know was in Denver a week ago... the city was transformed... alive, active, absolutely exciting... crowds all over 16th street right from the Civic Center to the Union Station - celebrity spotting, road side stalls, parades, protests, campaigns, freebies ranged from everything in between ' free hugs' and 'free nutribars' .... for once felt like a really 'city' There were cops on horses, cops in cars, cops on bikes, cops on bicycles, cops on golf carts, cops in vans, cops on foot!
I enjoyed the city for those 5 days and set out with my camera daily to the office. Our office location did perfect justice to that... right in the heart of activity got to capture some wonderful sights - will put up pictures soon.
My big moment - when I was siting by Union Station watching a speech at the big screen -Obama's fleet of cars passed by.. there were crowds, roars and excitement! Thought didn't get to see him through the dark tinted glass it was exciting.

... the weather pretty much told us to bid good bye to summer over night. Last Friday when I left the city for the long Labor Day weekend.... its was a 100F... coming back on Tuesday morning was welcomed by a cold 49F. It is that time of the year where 50F feels cold... just a sign to show that soon it will be that time of the year where 50F signifies a nice day... ah! For the nth time on my blog... but I shall say it... I like fall... but not winter so much.

... we saw Rock On this week... I loved the movie! after a long time there has been a movie which is again 'of its age' - though there are some glimpses or Dil Chahta Hain - this is a completely different movie... beautiful on a different level ... loved Farhan Akhtar - while I do think he cannot be a super star and carry a film completely on his shoulders- but he has acted well... looks good... is perfect for the part and more so LOVED his voice... the song Tum Ho To which he has sung at the end is SO GOOD... am a big fan of this guy -who can act, sing and make good movies!
A simple yet powerful story brings together four individuals from completely different walks of life... who have just one thing in common that makes them tick. Its so true that no life is complete for you or yours loved ones no matter how perfect it seems if you are running away from yourself and your passion.
It was great to see Purab Kohli in shape and lost so much weight -He was adorable in the part of KD. The two girls are perfect for the part- unlike the glam dolls of Bollywood these days. There is so much depth in the movie that goes well beyond the surface making one think, relate, inspire at different levels. If you are a Mumbaite... you will love the movie all the more
Oh - and the music is wonderful... its my latest favorite on Dhingana.

... my blog is getting a little bit of step child treatment because another website is taking up my time... and rightfully so . You will see the results soon!!!

more later,

Komal

i was thinking...

One thing that architects and politicians have in common…as young individuals they each start out their respective paths in their professions with a single desire...

...to make the world a better place…

another thing common…

Over time, over place, over vested interests- money, fame, power, over failure, over life… that desire often is a fuzzy memory… there are only a few out of thousands keep that at the top of their agenda as they move ahead…

… that’s why its very hard to point out to one successful built environment among hundreds and one likable politician among hundreds!!!

.. .to me the ones that succeed in realizing this ‘desire’ probably never really let it go out of sight!

and one thing they don't have in common at all....

architects never make money :) well... that makes our acts and want to change the world with our work more philanthropic!!! ha ha ha

language

we may learn many lessons in communication... and be considered great at it... but its so tiring and frustrating to communicate when someone doesnt speak the same language as you do...

the pink bug

I am on a cup cake hunt... not muffins-not tarts - not pies- just cup cakes...
... contrary to all my efforts at trying to lose weight I find myself suddenly obsessed with exploring- rather hunting down all the cup cakes stores in the vicinity... that doesn't even have to be just in Denver... but even if I visit a new place
Somehow I am so 'enamored' by those pretty looking delicious little treats that I am judging every store for the taste, flavors, appearance of cupcakes, packaging, store ambiance....
... I am beginning to notice an interesting trend... there is a unique story behind every store... of course they have a clear cut 'girlie' audience they all target... but from naming to packaging to decoration each is different than the other... yet with the same motive!!!
You may google some of these stores I have recently had cup cakes from: Happy Cakes, Yum Yums, The Shoppe, Sugar Baby.

Infact I am truly excited about watching my favorite show at The Shoppe... they have a showing of Project Runway every week of the show... with free popcorn...and ofcourse CUP CAKES...that you 'will' buy... what better marketing tool... than combining fashion and cup cakes to woo a female customer.

FYI: the concept at The Shoppe: Cereal + Cupcakes + Design Goods
( do you see TARGETING THE FEMALE MARKET WRITTEN THERE ANYWHERE ?)
http://www.theshoppedenver.com/2008/07/project-runway-night-reminder.html

freedom

happy 61st...

patterning today

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hope we never forget...

.. the beauty of handwritten notes...

in the past few months I received maybe a 10,000 emails and 3 handwritten notes... I cant even distinguish 10 emails from the 10,000 at the top of my head now... but I clearly remember the 3 appreciation/ thank you hand written notes... one from a mentor I respect the most at work, one from a student I interviewed at U of M and a very unexpected one from my hair stylist... the pleasure of receiving hand written letters in the mail (postal) is rare and thoroughly enjoyable!

calling Bollywood fans!!!

we are organizing a 'bollywood movie night' at work... to help people understand a few things/ catch a glimpse of Indian contemporary culture... so that we can work better in that context!

I have to pick three movies... now that I have a chance to showcase the 'wonderfulness' ( i am not sarcastic at all- i am a BIG fan) I am so confused - how can I pick just three movies that are the best of bollywood (and movies that convey the contemporary culture) ... I can think of a thousand but don't know which one is better than the other.

I am looking to you ... all bollywood fans - or not... any suggestions?

food got me thinking today...

...conservativeness can be interpreted differently in different cultures but I think...

'conservative' people in any culture or part of the world... have one thing in common...

... they don't like food or even don't like to try different cuisines that's are out of their comfort 'cultural' zone...

you think ?

representation

representation , originally uploaded by K'space.

La Piazza Dell' Arte is a street art festival in Denver that has found its place on my blog more than once now... Having visited the festival second year in a row... I felt like the bar had been raised... in terms of the art work!

here is a photograph that I took ... the book and especially the stone paper weight and the darkness about the chalk art itself... all I thought made a good composition!!!

p.s : the flickr is uploaded... you know the drill!!

more random thoughts...

We complain about an energy crisis... and freeze ourselves to death in mechanically ventilated spaces all summer... you dress for the outside and keep freezing all day long in the thousand times more than needed, with hardly any personal thermal control capacity air-conditioned spaces...

.. .I am not a big fan of Stand -Up comedy... but Russell Peters is in town this week - so went for his show last night... All of his fans were thrilled because he didn't repeat any jokes and apparently they all walked out with their stomachs hurting due to the continuous laughter. I had fun - but on a scale of 1 to 10 - it was 6.5 /10 ( I am not very generous with points)

... Don't we always judge people... you are lying to a person's face if you say ' I never judge'... be it in the most subtle ways... one is always judging... dress, talk, actions, emotions, work, accents... anything and everything!!!

say 'manual' and it freaks me out!!!

... i don't like 'user manuals' including 'assembly information packets' for any products... I wish they make products that are not only user friendly in terms of 'using' them but also putting them together.... If I were to product design ' not making the user go through a volume of text' would be something on my priority list...

Be it usability or assembly... guess the loss is mine though... I usually just start using the product and figure out all its features slowly- or maybe never... probably not using some products to their full designed capacity...

... or I end up assembling things a couple of times because the first time is always without reading the reference manual:)

random thoughts...

---How often in a day do you look at yourself while walking by a glass partition or reflective store front window? Its ok to confess... I think I do it all the time I walk by one!

---Its no more about 'promise what you can deliver' its promise what you 'want' to deliver... because it seems like we are in a world where there aren't many ' cant dos'

---Every time I see little kids visiting their parents' offices... it takes me back to childhood... there are very few things as inspiring for a child than visiting a parents' workplace... be it humble - be it extravagant... its the perfect place in the eyes of the child!

Quote of the day

On my way back home I saw a hummer sporting a sticker that says :

' My hummer can crush your Prius'

The first thought that came to my mind... Hey Buddy, your hummer can sure crush a Prius.... only if it has gas in it... Good Luck with that! .. and in that case... guess who is crushing whom!

its birthday time for little princess...

.... far far away... close to the Great Barrier Reef... Tia celebrates her second birthday... happy birthday TIA

kahani mein twist...

... Sarkar takes a different route from God Father... or lets say AB's baby is not Al Pacino in Ram Gopal Verma's eyes after all... well I don't want to give the movie away for those who haven't watched it ... but one thing's for sure...

yes its all in the Bachchan family ... but the next Big B is not Abhishek... any guesses who is the torch bearer? or does Big B even give anyone a chance... not even his son?

enough of riddles... now for this last one... I liked Abhishek the most in the movie...but I dont think the movie does justice to him... the movie celebrates him but he is not the hero... go watch the movie to see who is!!!

p.s : the movie is not as gripping as its end is! over all... all right... Sarkar Raj is worth a watch!

p.s2: some people said they aren't ready for the next sequel... but I can't wait to see what happens next! :)

Cool Stuff

I think I have developed a pattern for posting different kinds of world maps on my blog... this one is particularly interesting because India tops the Greendex !!!!
check it out here :

http://event.nationalgeographic.com/greendex/

the blue umbrella...

... is wonderfully simple and simply wonderful at the same time!

I had missed this movie last year... and am glad I watched it last night....

When it comes to adaptation and 'one word message' stories Vishal Bhardwaj does full justice to the story... adapted from a novella by Ruskin Bond, The Blue Umbrella is another wonderful movie that conveys a beautiful message just in the simplest way... a small hamlet in Northern India, a simple village, the corner store guy, a little girl and AN UMBRELLA come together in this pure and unadulterated film... surely worth a watch...

... and a DVD worth buying for keeps!

I should not forget to mention... the cinematography of the movie is visual poetry... reminds you how wonderful small simple things in life can be... and Pankaj Kapoor as always is impeccable.


Ofcourse its not main stream...its film- festival material!

stubborn is...

...if its not my way there is no other way!

I was wondering..

... one would be such a coffee snob if they owned their own 'small' private 'fancy' coffee company...

... one would be such a beer snob if they owned their own 'fancy' brewery...

... one would be such a wine snob if they owned their own 'winery'

... I was also wondering... inspite of not owning any of the above you will find atleast 5 out of 10 people who are either ' coffee snobs' ; 'beer snobs' or 'wine snobs'... a means to increase their coolness coefficient sometimes... sometimes just good taste... yours truly is guilty of the same too... but 'I' would say in my case its 'good taste' : 0 )

and now you may be wondering... I am crazy !

the May kids!

leaders

Often times we tend to 'make believe' aggressive, extrovert, street smart and even loud people make good leaders but have you ever realized, that in a gathering, a presentation, a speech, an organization, in day to day life... the people who leave the most lasting impression... the people who lead are the ones that clearly ' inherently' exhibit humbleness,dedication, a great sense of humor(especially the ability to laugh on oneself), absolute trust in the people that work for and with them.

the key element though that binds the two 'sets' described above is Passion... Passion for your cause gives you the strength to go all the way... Passion brings out the aggression and extroversion in an individual when its most valid and needed ... irritating is that aggression and extroversion which exists all the time... oh and ofcourse... none of this holds good without 'ambition' right? there is no leader that's not ambitious... be it a silent ambition or a 'in your face' one...

p.s: on a side note, specific to business... I just remembered something a Mentor once said... for the greater good of your business always hire someone who is smarter than you to work for you... my two cents to this... when in front of an audience... always consider your audience to be way smarter than you!

whats your word?

Play with the tab on the bottom left... and if you are Indian you can atleast proudly say ' I am beautiful'

http://www.theworldasflatland.net/

mard ban... be a man...

... because it cool again...

yes... the 'metro sexual' man is finding his exit. I was listening to a radio show the other day and also read in a magazine.... it is the return of the 'macho man' ... the protector - a symbol of strength of the family and loved ones... men now are again looking for their 'manliness' to save themselves from a world where 'chairperson' is the popular word and not 'chairman'

to precisely quote the radio show - ' its cooler to be Russell Crowe than Tom Hanks.'

to fortify...a sign from our very own bollywood.... Mr. Shahrukh sporting his six-packs... because his ' emotional' sensuality.. .and the crying his heart out is no more the complete win -win situation... and hence the little bit of walk towards becoming the 'macho man'?

Paris je t'aime

Paris je t'aime, originally uploaded by K'space.

Check the Paris set for some pictures from the Paris trip

Back from Home

birds, originally uploaded by K'space.

check the Mumbai set on my Flickr - has a few pictures that I clicked when back home

'its' always redifining the maximum...

... by just reading the title of this post -can you guess what I am referring to?

rags and riches not only exist hand in hand but compete to reach the pinnacle - of their own realm... every passing year the 'intensity' of the city takes me by surprise... intensity of its success and its failures...

... the balance is tipped... the scale is rising in favor the rich... and dropping day by day for the poor... yes it is a competitive world - and of course the fittest shall survive... if only the balance could just be leveled... and we can all start over...

p.s: when we love someone we love them for everything they are and only wish well for them - that is what Bombay is to yours truly!

i love these little somethings....

birthday wishes, originally uploaded by K'space.

time to celebrate color

color, originally uploaded by K'space.

the story of this image goes : a bunch of kids were celebrating Holi downstairs in their building -( havent we all done that each year of our childhood) and they got it right - the colors all splashed over :)

happy holi

p.s: there is no photoshopping in the picture

the world of chat

if OMG and BTW and TTYL have become 'words' that kids these days use while talking and not just chatting too - then does that translate the other way round in a person's behavior too?

for instance if Mr.. X is very giggly when he is drunk then will he also be giggly on chat - like type 'heheheh' - 'hahaha' when he has had a few drinks?
if miss. Y is very talkative when she is drunk will she also be 'chattative' ? ( maybe with 'ujmbled' up words huh?)
or If Mr.. Z gets really quiet when he is drunk then will he be very quiet and not do much internet chatting too ?

was chatting with someone and she opened the conversation by typing ' hehehe' for no reason - and kept doing that through the course of our chat...so was wondering - is she drunk? or in love ? or high on life? and hence such a random mid-day post. :) for my blog thats not getting any attention from me these days!

is it just me?

its so easy to imagine someone young or a kid as a grown - up... one can almost predict how a little child will grow up to be - to look at and even as a person

its so hard to imagine someone old in their youth or childhood - i always have to spend sometime pondering to visualize someone old in their prime or as kids.... and am hardly successful

its IN

there is just one BuZZ word I hear everywhere these days....

... B U S Y....

or sometimes two BUzz words....

... C R A Z Y B U S Y ....



p.s: flickr's updated

one was stronger than the other

dinner tonight wanted to be an easy task- no cooking or microwaving or frozen food... so one decided to
have orange marmalade and Brie spread on ultra thin bread slices... with a side of baby carrots

for the record marmalade and Brie both individually are part of my all time favorite food list...

.... a lesson was learnt....

marmalade completely over powered the Brie (considering its not really strong I put a lot of it but didnt work) ... I enjoyed my meal a lot though... because after about 3 bites I took out the Cheese and hogged on the two separately till my stomach's content!

healthy vs tasty

on the 'Biggest Loser' they just mentioned 3 tips to reduce 500 calories from your meal at a restaurant:

1. refuse the bread basket at the beginning of the meal ( not possible: either cos most of the restaurants that serve the basket have delicious bread or cos of the Olive oil or cos one is extremely hungry)
2. ask your meal to be cooked without oil or butter ( hmmm..don't know how much the cooks will hate me - and there might be a chef attack instead on my food? or also how the food will taste without it)
3. ask for dressing on the salad to be the side ( I think I can do this one)

the point being : I cannot reduce 500 calories in my meal in the above defined ways :)

the UPSET

... the hare ran and ran... leading all along... but just when it mattered the tortoise peaked...

... at the end its all in the moment.

p.s: :(

the status quo

...there is none that can be accepted really!

Accepting one
or
Working towards reaching one as the ultimate goal are two roads to disaster...

... the point being : 'keep going' is the only motto that can be accepted.

the turtleneck

women wearing turtlenecks : cool
men wearing turtlenecks: super UNCOOL

do you think so too?

I love coffee but sometimes...especially early morning...

...the smell of fresh brewed coffee is more alluring than the taste of the actual coffee?


on a side note that brings us to how wonderful is the power of smell...
... makes wonderful memories...
... strong associations... to a person, to a place...
... rings in familiarity from the past...
... and sometimes even a means of associating identity with the unknown...

detach

... so I disappeared...

... there were no invitations sent out to special readers- I think that's a personal preference and I 'personally' don't believe in having my blog open only to a few people ( considering not many visit anyway)

... I disappeared because I wanted to take a break - from being 'over-attached' to anything - even if that means its a small thing as my blog...

... I just wanted it to be an exercise for myself... to realize- everything in life is replaceable... except LIFE AND LOVE...

... hence the last week was spent in 'detaching' ... from everything that I was unnecessarily attached to... ( and I do not mean 'people' - so please don't read in between lines)

PS1 : thank you to my dear blog readers who sent me emails or scraps asking what was up- I just hope I haven't lost most of you and that you haven't forgotten to visit this place

PS2: as a continuing theme to 'detach' the posts from now on shall be targeted more towards an 'objective view'

some please taking this f***king winter away.... I cant stand it from the bottom of my heart!

K's home-made gourmet...

K's vegetarian delight: Pan fried Portabella red pepper and almond spaghetti in garlic sauce with stir fried Polenta cakes topped with flavored melted goat cheese pine nuts carrots and sprinkled with thyme...

Cooking makes me the happiest after a long busy day... I particularly enjoyed this self-created recipe... so this post is dedicated to hours of watching food network and Top Chef...

...what better way to enjoy the meal while watching Ratatouille ....

p.s: since I am on a mission for a while to keep the posts short the recipe shall not be typed out here- maybe if you are very interested I can cheat and write it in the comments :)

also if you think the dish doesn't look good blame my picture taking skills and NOT my culinary skills...

Bom or Mum ?

Question: Where are you from

My answer: Mumbai

Question: so why do you call it Bombay - its Mumbai right?

or

Comment : its Mumbai- not Bombay remember....

My answer: Well... I grew up calling it Bombay.. so....


80 percent of the times when I am talking to a non-Indian for the first time I am asked this question.
Somehow if am not talking in Marathi I still tend to think of it as good old Bombay. I like both names and don't prefer one over the other

- the way I look at it - if you are passionate about something and love it so much don't you have more than one name for it :)

I try so hard...

...to NOT be absent - minded... each forgetful act is noted and a promise made to myself...
' work on it K ... work on it. '

and every attempt fails... each passing day I have a new tale to tell about my absentmindedness...

... In the end I convince myself saying ' its runs in the blood' :)

of the material

the online dictionary defines :

philanthropist

as

someone who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being

so I recently came across a couple of 'young' philanthropists... somewhere in their mid thirties...
making donations from inherited fortunes...

and then also recently I came across an older version of the type defined above... somewhere in the sixties... making donations.... and I almost assumed.. the riches were ones that he earned on his own... somehow that made it a little more purposeful...and my heart went out to him..

I concluded the whole thought process in my mind saying - so those young guys never had to start from scratch huh!

I gave the benefit of doubt to the older lot... but what if he too was just still passing on inherited riches..

Don't get me wrong I completely believe that both are great human beings... anyone who can let go off their riches for the wellbeing of a lesser privileged lot is very well respected in my mind... and in that sense if the younger lot is doing that is probably more commendable.

the point I want to make here is somewhere in my heart - subconsciously I tend to respect the 'self-made' person more... which I confess is the wrong attitude...


p.s: so as I go back to read this - sounds like such a random post...

of waking up

everyone is allowed one 'cribby' post in winter- and I think today is my turn...

... well this is not so much about winter but more about waking up in the morning... lets say its about that part of the day when the mind is still asleep and the body just wants to go back to bed...

... so the point of this post being I have vivid memories of how difficult it has ALWAYS been for me to wake up happy in the morning... and when I saw always this dates back to two-pig tail days in primary school..or may be as long ago as I can remember...

...of crying in the morning to not wake up - almost being pulled out of the bed to wake up in time for school... saying '5min 5min' for a whole hour... requesting(crying to) Chari almost every morning to head to the shower first and wake me up only after she is ready...

... the ones above are pleasant memories...

... but some recent ones are not so pleasant...

... after having moved to the US... the time between just waking up and finally the brain beginning to process the tasks that needed to be done in that day has been the toughest part of the day...

... its that part of the day when I miss home the MOST... I miss the the warmth and comfort of waking up at a place that you share with your loved ones!

leaf

leaf, originally uploaded by K'space.

the Flickr has new pictures!

there is a way to be good again

Very rarely do you walk out pleased from a cinema hall after watching a movie that's based on one of your favorite books. Kite Runner - the movie was a similar experience.

The story incomplete, the intensity not as strong, the image very different from what the book creates, the essence, not completely conveyed....


A friend of mine who hadn't read the book says after the movie, 'its about how Amir gets over his shame...' Am glad the movie could convey that to him. As someone who loved the book it was very hard for me to look beyond whats missed out and still capture the essence of the movie from what was shown.

Kabul of the 70s, the bustling streets, the excitement of the Kite Flying tournament is created just as I had imagined after reading the book. The image of Amir's house was much more modern than what the picture in my mind. The characters of Amir's father and Hassan have been completely brought to life. However, war struck Afghanistan, the terror and devastation, Asef's terrifying character, the torture and torment, are much stronger in the book.

Yes, the movie is just 'based' on the book and doesnt have to be exactly the same, but the movie leaves out half the book.... May be its ok to do that... but not at the cost of losing the Strength of the Story...

The movie though truly belonged to the kid who plays Hassan - He is just like what I imagined and SO much MORE....

Don't you think movies based on books are successful only when they have the capacity to take the fiction one step further, distract the viewer from the book a little... and still convey the essence in its entirety? Maybe, a certain level of abstraction can succeed in doing that but not simply omitting or changing parts of the story from the book. (one such example the was a great book and then an incredible movie in the recent past : the Namesake)

cheers!!!

wish you all a happy 2008!!!