topofmymind

Sunil Kumar sent you: Directions to Musée du Luxembourg 19 Rue de Vaugirard 75006 Paris, France via Google Maps

2010-12-09T13:23:00.001+01:00

1.	Head southeast on Rue de Grenelle toward Rue de Bellechasse	600 m
2.	Slight left to stay on Rue de Grenelle	400 m
3.	Turn right at Rue du Dragon	24 m
4.	Turn left at Rue du Vieux Colombier	250 m
5.	Turn right at Rue Bonaparte	110 m
6.	Turn left at Allée du Séminaire	180 m
7.	Turn left at Rue de Vaugirard	150 m
8.	Turn right	37 m
9.	Turn right Destination will be on the right	46 m

Musée du Luxembourg 19 Rue de Vaugirard 75006 Paris, France

Show on Google Maps

Sunil Kumar sent you: helsinki walk today via Google Maps

2010-12-01T11:17:00.001+01:00

Hi, I'd like to share a Google Maps link with you. Link: <http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=60.173965,24.924717&spn=0.046019,0.201015&z=13>

Coke Cannes

2010-10-04T12:11:00.002+02:00

Only place I make myself to drink coke is in Cannes at the Carlton.
Goes well with the beach and the general mediteranian atmo.

And drinking it I am convinced that I can't take this sugar syrup anywhere else. Things it does to your stomach and that aftertaste..unbearable.

precious saturday mornings

2010-10-02T08:43:00.002+02:00

The weekends I am in Paris I have a routine for Saturday mornings. Try to wake up early , walk the quiet streets in the neighbourhood ,buy a Herald tribune ,pick a café with no specific logic and install myself for next hour or so.

I am a morning person and I like it this way. Some of the other patrons in the café are people who had a nuit blanche.

Today next to my table sat two young ladies who seemed like had a night out partying and were making up for their previous night's intemperance with large cup of black coffee. I was mistaken. I heard the waiter chat them up. He wished them a good day when they were leaving. One of the girls said ," Wish us goodnight". It turned out they were ER nurses who had gone through another bad night. They live the nightmares that we dread in our sleeps.

I will think of them next time that ambulence screams through Boulevard Ornano at 1 am and wakes me up from deep cozy slumber.

My version of Stanley Kubrick

2010-09-14T10:28:00.001+02:00

Best south indian restaurant in Paris

2010-09-13T14:23:00.000+02:00

Finally authentic south Indian thaali and kaapi in Paris..right outside gare du nord on 170 rue faunourg st denis.

Good price and great service ( read free second servings of sambhar).

No irritating Hindustani classical music and fake Indian paintings and plastic sculptures.

Endangered species

2010-09-11T10:57:00.001+02:00

In days of visagists and coiffures a vintage barber shop in chiswick park London.

2010-09-09T06:15:00.000+02:00

Love predawn traveling . Listening to dil to bachcha hai ji.

Happy onam

2010-08-23T08:13:00.001+02:00

Me jumping at news of being invited for an onam sadyA.
Nice weekend at champs- élysées park and ysl exhibition at petit palais.
And ofcourse the sadya and drink with aude.

life before death

2010-08-13T16:33:00.003+02:00

Nelly died yesterday.

How old was she? Doesn't matter. She was young enough to enjoy life and she could have gone on like this for many many more years. But she couldn't. We don't have details yet but we speculate her cancer might have come back.

Two springs ago when I met her at her Palo Alto residence she drove me to Stanford shopping mall and bought a gift for viv from GAP. We posed in front of the upcoming louis vutton shop ; a picture for my French wife she said.

While driving me back to my hotel room in her really old mercedes I tuned her radio to NPR.

Last year she visited us in Paris and told me that radio station changed her life. She doesn't hate driving anymore.

A real bundle of energy she was at 75. May her soul rest in peace.

Solar power

2010-07-19T09:02:00.000+02:00

Sunny-side at Paris cafés can demand a premium.
There is always a demand supply issue.

Philosophy still gives me headache

2010-07-15T08:25:00.000+02:00

Tried reading Russell when I was 12 from my vallya uncle's collection.
Now reading again after 25 years.
Still gives me headache.

Will persist this time. B1/2 says it's matter of getting used to.

4 restaurants in a day

2010-07-15T08:22:00.000+02:00

When every other shop is a café and weather is great it js difficult not to indulge.
Breakfast and tribune at Francouer, mid morning chocolate chaud with viv and Claire in the rain at la cave
Beer with Claire and viv at la renaissance.
Pizza dinner at Tour de Pisa.

Making up for 2 months of being away from them.

Grey stubble

2010-07-13T15:57:00.001+02:00

Spotted my first grey beard while eating with bippu.
Had a great time.

Quarterly Ieper trip

2010-07-12T21:10:00.001+02:00

Almost missed train to Lille.
Was sad to see viv's anxious looks -- eagerness to join me but the helplessness of the need to be with mommy.
Reading about Rousseau by Russell.

Frenchie

2010-07-12T11:25:00.001+02:00

Waiting next to french naturalization office at this nice cafe..sitting outside reading ghoshal.
My number is 20.
The day I started French passport process.

Parc floral

2010-07-10T23:11:00.000+02:00

Letting go is tough

2010-07-04T11:05:00.001+02:00

A lady runs into our Ist class compartment a few seconds before the
train slammed it's doors. She makes frantic calls to her husband who
supposed to get on the train but was about miss it. She pleads with
the authorities to delay the train and wait for her husband. TGV waits
for nobody.

Train left without her husband. She places all her bags on one seat
and sank into the other. Passengers who couldn't find a seat in this
crowded train enquired if the seat was avaiable and she kept refusing
it through out the trip. She replaces her clumsy husband with this
duffle bag that silently sat on his seat. She didn't let go off the
seat and baggage remained for her as a reminder of her misfortune.

Aren't we like that with our relationships and tragedies in life?
symbollically replacing bygones with meaningless attachments. Life
would be easier if we just let go sometimes.

airport delay

2010-05-08T14:04:00.003+02:00

waiting in CDG for my flight to take off. Volcano in Iceland is active again.Missed the previous one. I am quite relaxed compared to other passengers who either have to get home or are planning to head back home in a week. Even if the flight makes through the today they fear things might get complicated for their return trip.

Reading Merde Happens ,stephen clarks book on american trip.

hobby: parallel reading

2010-04-21T11:35:00.003+02:00

Never been so voracious. Finished 3 books in 3 weeks. Traveling helps and going to bed with Viv also helps. Theoritically I am supposed to read him stories but end up piling a bunch of story books next to him and encourage him to read himself. He rebelled the first few days but now prefers it this way. He is sits up and bla bla blas sifting through the same books over and over again, and I lie down next to him reading my book. The sign that he is cranky ,tired and sleepy is when he starts to attack what I am reading. Then I switch off the lights ,sing to him and he is asleep in seconds.

Finished reading : Eat,Love,Pray/ The brief wonderous world of oscar wao/ An year in merde/ Starting over -- all in the last 4 weeks.
Next set of books in the pipeline : Huckleberry finn/ the call of the toad/ popular music

I am what I wear. Who am I today?

2010-03-29T15:30:00.004+02:00

Tribute to a similar but more charming essay by Amy Tan (The archives of my personality):

1.Watch - Fossil which I bought soon after I arrived in Silicon Valley in 2000. A ritual drive to Gilroy factory outlet in South San Jose. Clock started ticking on my US life with this purchase.

2.Navy blue cashmere pullover from Banana Republic: During the winter of 2008 I was in US for 3 months. On a weekend trip to Manhattan I was overcome by an impulse to buy something in BR in Soho. One of the best price/quality/comfort shopping outlets.

3.Sky blue shirt with cuff-links: Same shop same day. Coincidence?

4. Cuff-links from "Cotton Cafe" in La Defense. Early this year needed something formal for a meeting with a corporate UK client. This was part of an eleventh hour shopping to meet that need. Reminds me of wedding purchase.

5.Levis dark blue formal jeans: Would have never used the words formal and jeans in the same sentence until I moved to this new industry. 2009 June.Paris Summer sale. Walked into La Marais Levis store to profit of the sales but ended up buying this jeans which was from the new collection. Has served me well for so many meetings.

6.Socks : No brand and don't remember where I bought them. Look old enough to be from my US stint.There is always a sock shortage. Will keep them until they form holes.

7. Boxers:Green polka dotted boxers from Target. Feb 2009 trip to US. Did a bulk purchase of inexpensive Target stuff.

8. T-shirt : Don't remember when but a ready made garments store in Alleppey. Jockey white half t-shirts.

9. Black semi-formal ( semi-casual) shoes: Tommy Hilfiger on Rue St.Honore ;profiting of the last days of winter sale.Must have entered the shop to escape harsh cold. Very useful during travel. Felt comfortable taking a morning walk in Hyde Park recently.

10. Belt: Emergency purchase in New Orleans in March 2008 after I forgot to pick up my belt after security screening in Boston airport.

Ah, that was a nice exercise in recollection. They don't seem just physical possessions any longer.

fake concern

2010-03-17T06:10:00.001+01:00

Prospect who I asked a meeting with says :

[I wouldn't like to add an unuseful meeting to your tight schedule as I am afraid we don't have projects in production that could be interesting for you this time; But please be sure that I keep you in mind in case our production arm have a new project, Very best XXXXXXX ]

Am I supposed to feel better with this "you don't see you are in pain but I do; I am going to kill you for your own good." kind of response. I don't like such prospects. I would prefer people who just tell me in plain language that they don't have time.

Now how do I reply to this ? " You are right, what was I thinking? " or "I am totally free and I have neither useful nor unuseful meetings so I don't mind showing up just for a free coffee."

See how the prospect uses the word "unuseful" instead of "useless".

high school diplomacy

2010-03-10T13:09:00.002+01:00

One would imagine international diplomacy to be a science with sophisticated well documented protocols between countries.Not quite.New escalation on Falkland seems more high school rivalry and leg-pulling than mature individuals negotiating rationally. Hilary goes to Argentina and during a state dinner over succulent Argentinian beef and delicious wine she touched upon the sensitive topic of Malvinas' sovereignty . All of us remember that war in 1982 when Argentina was bullied and shamelessly defeated when they tried to take back the island from British. US state department spokesperson responds to British diplomatic protests by answering " Falkland or Malvina whatever you want to call them ;depending on how you see it." Tease.

British perhaps don't mind calling the island whatever as long as no one doubts that its sovereignty belongs to UK. They just discovered a gigantic oil reserve there.

Life in a metro

2010-01-29T06:33:00.001+01:00

Sipercrowded today.
French work late on Thursdays so that Friday they can scoot early.
Everyone was leaning on each other while typing on a blackberry or
iPhone holding onto nothing. Some even had their gloves tucked in
between lips.Good abs and hamstring work out trying to balance in a
metro.
This ambitious guy was working on a laptop. French work ethics going
to the dogs.

Enough of Jamie

2010-01-26T13:38:00.001+01:00

I used to be fan. But like food too much of any delicacy is bad.
He is going to be the Martha for men.

Need mallu massage

2010-01-21T21:21:00.001+01:00

Kerala tourism board has a good catch line - when in stress apply kerala.
Kerala is so far away from this eurostar terminal in Paris which smells cheese.
Need a massage, warm mallu food and lots of sleep in warm weather.
Hope to lay hands on desi food in London tomorrow.
Talking of massage isn't it strange my meeting is in a place called Leamington Spa?

lack of motivation

2010-01-20T08:55:00.001+01:00

Its been a month since the shortest day of the year but sun still rises only at 8am or so. Its fun jogging in the winter and in the floodlit stadium before the dawn but getting there has inertia.

Larry David says he would travel more if not for the packing involved. I would workout more if not for the set-up effort involved.

The pool,the gym and the stadium are just with 0.5 km radius and I am still complaining.

Time to dust off my Nike plus shoes again.

Eurostar

2010-01-18T21:42:00.001+01:00

Eurostar engine driver is proud to make an announcement when it reaches the maximum speed of 350km/hr.
That's really an ego trip. What should we as passengers do with that info? Like the pilot tells you when we hit the maximum altitude. So?

Alvida

2010-01-15T17:02:00.000+01:00

When people quit their companies why do they use a foreign language to
say goodbye ( english being our native language) ..like adieu , adios,
au revoir,sayonara etc..in the first place it's annoying to read good
bye mails.
How do you say "so long you suckers!" in french?

Jan 1st 2010 look

2010-01-01T21:35:00.000+01:00

Hindustani classical

2009-12-20T16:57:00.001+01:00

During quizzing days when the question comes to identifying female hindustani singer in the audio round,the answer was usually Kishore Amonkar. Most of the time we got it right.

Listening to Shubha Mudgal.I thought she was only into Indie-pop.I was wrong.

As usual the CD is called Best of ..

I am becoming a Yaman Kalyan junkie :-)

Golf and character

2009-12-07T16:24:00.000+01:00

They say some companies take their senior management candidates for a
game of golf to judge their character in a subtle manner.
After Tiger Woods incedent it is clear that golf is just another game.
It has been compared too often and too childishly to life itself.
One can measure some competitive traits but hardly anyones character
and kinks.

Twilight at noon

2009-11-09T13:08:00.000+01:00

Day remains dark and cloudy until noon,
Sun persists and,
Wins the battle soon.

Day at the museum

2009-11-08T20:45:00.000+01:00

Grand palais

Begging bowl branding

2009-10-27T09:10:00.000+01:00

Lots of beggars in Paris.
They are more prominent in winter.
You notice and feel for them more when you are walking into a warm
building and they are destined to be in cold.

Even with so many tourists in Paris the number of beggars to non-
beggars ratio is on the rise and is very competitve.
They have to differentiate.
Some have babies,some have a puppy and others amputated bodies.

Differentiation exists in begging bowls also.
McDonald's is the most used brand.
Starbucks is catching up too.

Trimurtis of humor writing

2009-10-26T22:21:00.000+01:00

My 3 gods of humor writing - Dave Barry and Douglas Adams and woody
Allen.

Blowing own trumpet

2009-10-23T07:40:00.002+02:00

Quelle audacity I think,when I read ads that say -- fastest imac ever or world's best blackberry.

Its like someone being a legend in his own mind. This is a niche by branding not by product category.

My company should claim " our software development capabilities are 10 times better than previous year".Period.Just leave it at that.

illegal immigrants

2009-10-21T15:07:00.001+02:00

I have a valid passport and a valid visa.I don't have to worry when I cross borders and travel international.I have an identity.
That doesn't mean I don't have an identity crisis.

Watching the "illegal immigrants" marching and demonstrating in our neighborhood,they don't call themselves that,they are known has people without papers. That's it. That's the only difference. They are humans too.They just don't have the papers. Most of them are africans who squeezed into the country couple of years ago.They have serious lives here.They are needed in Paris but they are not official.When you savor a nice dessert in the touristy neighborhood of Paris chances are it is made by an illegal immigrant. To get that dessert on your plate and make money that is below minimum daily wages he would have walked miles in the african dessert,paid in contraband to a truck that took him to north african into Morocco maybe ,sail dangerously through rough mediteranian sea ,a few months of halt in some italian or greek island and then by train or trucks into heart of paris. For africans Paris usually is the final destination. For immigrants from south asia they are eventually hoping to get to UK with Paris as a stopover.

Should they be all be made legitimate overnight ? Should they be asked to leave? Difficult questions to answer but whatever be the outcome your dessert prices will be affected.

Cross branding

2009-10-20T21:00:00.000+02:00

Indian government was very touchy about use of Indian national flag
for non-government use.

It was only a few years ago when it slightly liberalized it's use.

We are far away from getting to where Switzerland is with it's wine
bottle or UK with it's union jack underwear.

Oktoberfest Brussels day out

2009-10-16T13:41:00.000+02:00

Sushi,soup,hot chocolate,cookies,tiramisu,ice cream,espresso,cold
cuts,waffles and 1 litre of Bavarian beer..all on a splendid Flemish
afternoon

Nobel prize should learn from Academy awards

2009-10-10T09:52:00.000+02:00

Critics of Obama (includes me --watching too much Fox these days) say
he didn't deserve it and that he hasn't accomplished anything.
But who else?

Noble committee should make things more exciting by telling us who
the runnners up were.

Occupational hazards

2009-10-07T12:57:00.001+02:00

Eating 3 meals of the day (3rd of 5 ),having coffee and drinking at
networking parties with same office colleagues.

Watching real people have fun on Cannes beach while trying to connect
to a free wifi.

Listening to European clients explain their august vacation and plans
for goa and Kerala trip in december.

Boats,neon lights,pop music,Mediterranean and Cannes

2009-10-05T23:56:00.000+02:00

Shock proof

2009-10-02T13:36:00.000+02:00

How many people have to be dead in an earthqauke or killed in a bomb
attack these days for me to be shocked and empathize?
The figures in Indonesia are lower than the mental bar I have set.
Media overdose leads to shock proofing our brains.

Retirement reading

2009-10-01T11:43:00.000+02:00

Interesting current event topics but not worth spending time now:

What happened in the Balkans ?
Swiss healthcare system -what's the big deal?
What's clearstream scandal?
Why Russians hate Georgians ?
Afghan history and current war
English league --too late for this one

Zzz

2009-09-29T12:21:00.001+02:00

There is a book on any topic.
Either that or implement advise from friends.
Viv sleeping much better now.
Touchwood.

Change

2009-09-21T09:51:00.000+02:00

I think I am getting addicted to strong espresso.
This week I am going to exercise my will power by switching over tea.

What happened to patriotism?

2009-09-17T16:25:00.000+02:00

A London subway ad promoting Jack Daniels when across Atlantic they
are boycotting things UK.

What gets measured can be improved

2009-09-09T21:26:00.000+02:00

Monitor inside German ICE train coach.
Show off.

Milk strike in Europe

2009-09-08T09:47:00.000+02:00

Threat of milk strike in Europe.
Thankfully I switched over espresso,viv has his assured source and
B1/2 will move back to tea.
I hope only cows will be on strike.
I can't miss my chevre chaud.

Missed mahabali but..

2009-09-03T20:11:00.000+02:00

Not sadyaa..
If you are in Europe and cannot make it to kerala for onam you must
stop by
Ragam on cleevland street in central London..every year they present a
lovely sumputous mallu feast for onam.

And then it is too late

2009-09-02T18:24:00.000+02:00

Interesting how one finds out so much more about a person after his
death than ever in his lifetime.
Ted Kennedey will be missed.
Just found out after his death.

Mean looks

2009-09-01T19:43:00.000+02:00

Everyone in the subway is giving me mean looks today.
I promise I didn't do any wrong.
Atleast not today please --it's onam:-(

Topics that interest me but..

2009-09-01T11:31:00.000+02:00

..I have no time or use right now.
Why are Nixon and chiney considered worst american executives of all
times?

Long Sunday walks with viv

2009-08-31T21:15:00.000+02:00

Played in front of elysses palace.
Nice garden not very crowded.
Then we went over to La marais.
Back home by 2pm after a 5 hour trip sans mommy.
Trips viv enjoys a lot but will never remember.

music for work

2009-08-30T21:37:00.001+02:00

two songs i listen to often while working are -- Tere bin from Delhi Heights /Rabbi Shergill & In dinho from Life in a metro.
would love to play them on stage with guitar some day.
that will be when music becomes full time work and not just stay in the background.

Is man dog's best friend ?

2009-08-27T11:11:00.000+02:00

Viv and C are late risers.
That leaves me,an early riser,alone to do stuff I like to do on
weekend mornings -- walk through sleepy Paris , get breakfast served
by grumpy waiters ,read IHT,window shop and so on.
I have been seriously thinking of a getting a dog.
But can I take care of a dog with my meager salary and in thus
congested apartment?
Maybe I should start by dog sitting for someone who couldn't take
their dog fr vacation.
With french lifestyle it won't be difficult to find someone going on
vacation.

Wine tasting

2009-08-18T06:17:00.000+02:00

There are two kinds of wine tasting that I know of - Californian and
French.
Also categorized as paid and free.
In Napa valley you pay $5-$10,shake,gaze,smell,taste and spit :-(.
Gargle with a mouthful of water and proceed to the next bottle of wine
on display. I know many of us have deviated from this tradition
In France the tasting is free of charge AND it is ok to swallow.They
assume that you will buy atleast one bottle or else they tip off the
highway patrol as you drive away.
Serious(looking) wine tasters like me take notes while switching from
one bottle to another.
Always good to have fruits with white wine and cheese with red to
enhance the tasting experience.
Next project --comparing Australian and Argentenian wine tasting
tradition.

Gory details on a nice to know basis

2009-08-06T14:29:00.002+02:00

This is no Orwellian London.
Here information is not censored at all.
In Paris when trains get delayed they announce the reason to be a
technical problem very much like good old doordarshan.
In US they just tell you that your flight is delayed because the
incoming flight arrived late.Period.
Once flying from Oslo to Stockholm
the Scandinavian Airlines pilot told us there is a problem with the
inflight computer that controls the radar and apologised to the
freaked out passengers for the delay and promised to take off in 5
minutes after rebooting the system !
That is Nordic cold detached transparency for you.
Anglo Saxons are closer to their Viking friends.
Didn't feel like taking the Tube after reading this.

Downshifting again

2009-07-30T15:14:00.000+02:00

After downshifting from driving a car in US to commuting by subway in
Paris ,I thought that is the best I can do to reduce my carbon
footprint.
Changed that notion by cycling to work these days .
Early morning rides are enjoyable and a moderate work out but evenings
can be stressful with unkempt Parisian traffic and pollution.Sort of
cancels out the healthy side of biking.
Historically this "willonlybike" resolution sustains for 2-3 months
after Tour de France. Let's see how it goes this time.

Cruel but generous Starbucks

2009-07-08T08:42:00.001+02:00

I stepped into the Wardour Street Starbucks for a healthy lunch
between meetings.
Ordered chicken w/pasta/kidney beans salad and fruit salad and a glass
of water -- no creamy latté or chocolate chip cookies.
Just when I paid up and was about to walk away with my tray the
barista gently but swiftly placed three small cups which she called
sample portions but would qualify to be size of a serious dessert bowl
in France.
A piece of Brownie,a scoop of chocolate frapuccino and a chunk of
banana nut muffin!
"you guys won't let me stay healthy" I complained.
She let out a cruel mean hearty laugh.

Romance never retires ( thanks to Mills & Boon)

2009-07-03T16:21:00.006+02:00

On this Portsmouth bound train. An 80+ English lady next to me orders tea with extra sugar and milk.In her nice long liberty print dress she looks all set to enjoy this glorious sunny train ride through London suburbs leaving enough space for blokes like me to struggle with laptops and PDAs.
Digs into her tote bag and takes out a petite book. I am just a bit nosy to find what old people read these days -Philip Roth maybe or perhaps John Updike..no can't be. Too small an edition for those verbose boring novels.The book is the size of a typical Agatha Christie. Then suddenly I see a sentence "stripped of her uniform and naked in his bed, mousy Michelle blossoms before him".
The book,to my amusement, is called "The Tuscan Tycoon's Pregnant Housekeeper".
A quick search on the net shows that people who bought this also bought "Multimillionaire's virgin mistress", "Billionaire's wife of convenience" and 'Valentino's Love-Child",all published by Mills & Boon.

Daddyhood anniversary

2009-06-30T22:47:00.001+02:00

viv taking baby steps into a new year ahead.

Cacophony but free

2009-06-23T15:26:00.001+02:00

South Park:
Stan:let's do something fun that's free.
Cartman:Don't you know the first law of physics ? Anything that's fun
costs at least $8 dollars.
So true! There are so many free concerts --open air jazz,café
jazz,jazz by the river,jazz in the subway,jazz next to your office and
so on but I am not enjoying them a bit.
Trying to find a good concert among the clutter is a pain in itself.
Older I get I seem to prefer music with a remote control.

potential lawsuit

2009-06-22T16:56:00.001+02:00

The wifi app in this London cafe asks you for date of birth.

The drop down button for the birth year stops at 1930.

Either they are refusing access to 80 year olds or pushing them to lie.
From an American point of view that's a lucrative litigaion right
there --lifetime supply of coffee and unlimited browsing.

Quelle Liberté?

2009-06-18T17:03:00.001+02:00

2 days before the all night Fète de la Musique,an unauthorised subway
accordian player gets a fine.
Let this be a strong reminder to anyone who ever dreamed of performing
in the Paris metro.

Wonder what is the punishment for taking unauthorized pictures of cops
in action.

Love London parks

2009-06-16T09:22:00.001+02:00

I was in Orlando last year after being away from US for 3 years.
Checked with the receptionist on things I could do on a Sunday
afternoon before a hectic week ahead.
Do you like parks? She asked.
Ofcourse I do,I answered enthusiastically imagining a pond,swans,large
tropical trees.
That's great.We have Universal and Disney right here in Orlando.
Oh wow.End of conversation.

This is one aspect where London scores over Paris.
Even a small park like Tavistock square is a mini getaway from rest of
the bustling city.

Photo below of ponderous and a bit extra muscular Gandhiji meditating
in Tavistock square.
Taken on an early morning walk from St.Pancras to Soho.
A beautiful Purple Beech in the background enjoying springtime.

Fear of flying

2009-06-05T10:06:00.001+02:00

Sitting in Doha airport waiting to board my 6 hr long Paris flight.

I didn’t like the turbulence over Arabian Sea this morning a bit. I desperately wanted the pilot to turn around and take me back to Cochin. At that point I was prepared to take a train from Cochin to Delhi to Ludhiana to Lahore to Istanbul to Budapest to Vienna to Munich to Strasbourg to Paris. I have worked this out. Phobia and mania are twin sisters.

Until they find the black box from AF 447 lost in Atlantic and provide tenable scientific explanation of “extraordinary circumstances” under which the plane went down, nothing stops me from turning into a total aviatophobic.

In the meantime I am willing to be part of any teleporter wormhole experiments which should be much faster than my Orient express.

Tan is the new white

2009-05-10T16:12:00.001+02:00

Picked up lot of tan in the last 2 weekends of Paris and Stuttgart sun.
Kerala trip also reinforced some tan over and above what I already had
for the last 35 years.
Here Viv trying to get his share.
Photo:Jardin du Roi, Senlis

Germany and my stereotypical thoughts

2009-05-08T12:32:00.001+02:00

May 8th is Victory day in most of Europe.
Not here today. I am in Stuttgart.
Were Germans ashamed or relieved when Donitz officially surrendered 8 days after Hitler committed suicide?
Yesterday at Cafe Schlossblack I saw a group of old ladies, easily in their 80s, having a good tea time late afternoon.
They were gossiping obviously. About what I wonder? Definitely not about good old days.Or maybe they did have good old days.
An 85 year old would have been 20 when WW II ended. Since they are in Bavaria chances are they must have worked for Porsche, BMW or Mercedes. So they must have done quite well and raised a lovely family. Kids must be doing well in one of the above companies inspite of the automotive recession. What else to do than to gossip?

Whenever I am in Germany I always have this compelling urge to pull a chair next to an 85 year old and ask what it was like during the Third Reich.
Young Germans are open to discuss the dark period of their history but old, I am told, are not comfortable.
In fact they are more uncomfortable about West and East divide.
I need to satisfy my urge before that generation disappears and it is too late.

Sad that it is too late to get first hand account of WW I now.

90 is the new 50

2009-04-28T19:05:00.005+02:00

Highlight of kerala trip was ammoomma and Viv meeting and spending time together.
90 years and 9 months.Felt so happy to see them together.
Ammoomma is losing her memory quite rapidly these days and often getting her facts wrong.
For some reason she has it etched in her mind that the average human lifespan is 120 years.
With that logic she says she hopes to live atleast 30 more years.
No one wants to get this fact straight for her.
Long live ammoomma.

happy vishu

2009-04-14T02:25:00.001+02:00

happy vishu to all from kerala.

weather guardian angel is on job..showers have brought down temperatures.

Weather or not

2009-04-12T09:55:00.001+02:00

I believe in guardian angels.
Some people have a parking slot angel and some have a thrift shop angel.
B1/2 and I ,when we are together are blessed by a good weather
guardian angel.
What else explains this bizzarely pleasant weather in Kuwait these days.
Pic:me taking a pic of my niece.
Ofcourse this angel has territorial influence only outside Paris.

A'jabani haqqan

2009-04-09T10:24:00.000+02:00

Yes.
I really like it here.
Kuwait is not glamorous as Dubai but accessibly charming.
Surprised that weather is nice even in april.
Awesome food from Su keeps the vacation spirit up.
Took a walk to this quite beach near their flat.
Photo taken by mahmood,an egyptian who served nice tea with condensed
milk.

It cannes not rain

2009-03-30T08:39:00.001+02:00

In Cannes and it is raining.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Cannes doesn't have the right to get wet.Has to be sunny all the time.
It's like showing up in vegas and all casinos and strip clubs are
closed.

That short preview of spring this weekend

2009-03-26T18:53:00.001+01:00

What else was it?
Sunny,warm and springy for a day and now back to cold cloudy weather.
Need warmth.
Even if it means 35degrees and 90%humidity.

New view

2009-03-25T11:38:00.001+01:00

Used to proud of my workplace view.
River seine and forests of boulogne are going miss me staring at them.
I now look at my energy company's headquarters.
Now I am totally pissed off with recession.

Infant culture

2009-03-24T11:16:00.001+01:00

In 8 months viv has been to 6 museums (not counting the ones when he
was inside b1/2).
Art decoratif
Picasso
Petit palais
Jeu de pommes
Senate jardin du luxumbourg
And with mommy here at quay branly.
Maybe he can make more sense out of picasso than I can.
I had been to Trivandrum Ravi Verma' museum 10 times each year of
school vacation.

Springing back

2009-03-22T23:09:00.001+01:00

Super busy at work and this extended winter restrained me from getting
on blog or facebook.
A relaxing Sunday afternoon with viv,b1/2 and some friends at parc
monceau helps to cheer up.

Lavoute

2009-03-09T19:03:00.000+01:00

Back from a lovely 3 day trip to lavoute.
Hope they don't sell it but keep it.
Recession effect.

London

2009-02-18T14:15:00.001+01:00

Eating Chicken Tikka Baguette in Soho London.

How multinational can it get?

It happens sometimes –you walk into an empty restaurant; sit by the window; order and start having your meal and notice the restaurant getting slowly crowded.

Wonder if you started the chain reaction.

Feel like a temporary customer turned guardian angel.

Check box on the good deed for the day.

Berlin

2009-02-16T11:45:00.001+01:00

Berlin trip was great. Feb 12th and Feb 13th.
Lovely hotel (Circus Hotel).
The Wall was a dissappointment.Maybe it was good that way.Why glorify monuments that symbolize the days when liberty was rationed.Some british kids,obvisouly born after 1989,were excited to scribble graffitti on the wall.Wonder if they even thought about the wall and its past significance.
Food is the only dissappointment in Germany.Maybe I don't chose well.
Breakfast at the Circus was not bad.The coffee helped to take a morning walk to the wall.Gave up half way and took the train from Alexanderplatz.
The architecture in Berlin isn't beautiful.But the ugly is not always the opposite of beautiful.It is different.As if it is part of a strange dream.As if Pink Floyd and Dali collaborated to design the city.
Want to come back with B1/2 and check out the museums.
Saw 3 movies.The imax 3D,Fucking Different Tel Aviv and Eagle Hunter's Son.
Berlin Film Festival didn't look very glamourous.
Missed the bag.

35

2009-02-11T21:27:00.000+01:00

35 it is.
Nice sunny day in Paris.
3hr memorable lunch at Ledoyen with b1/2.
Rice and rasam for dinner..yuck it was.
And b1/2s super beautiful cadeaux.
Getting ready to leave for Berlin tomorrow morning.
Just don't feel like traveling anymore.

What's the big deal syndrome

2009-02-07T12:24:00.001+01:00

Everytime I am at a photo exhibition I think -what's the big deal.
I tell myself,I have gigabytes of such cool photos on my portable hard
disk;just need to spend time sorting,printing and framing them(the
most expensive slice of the hobby).
Saw Robert Franks collection of Paris and American pictures.
Good enough reason why I shouldn't drag my false notions and dreams
about my collection and its future.

One of the best exhibitions.

3:00pm Cafe Cuizine Musee Jeu de Paume,Tulleries.

Snow trouble

2009-02-02T12:50:00.001+01:00

Waking up upto snow fall feels nice.
Watching from your kitchen window with a hot cup of coffee feels even
nicer.
Fun stops there.Especially in a dense city like Paris which is not
geared up to receive these pretty little gifts from heaven.
One of those rare days when I thank god for subway trains.

Old is gold

2009-01-30T09:16:00.000+01:00

What is common to the company I work for,apartment I live in and the
jeans brand I wear?
They are all 135 years old.
Wonder which one of them will still be around in the next century.

City of lights

2009-01-27T12:23:00.000+01:00

And fountains..
Leaving office late has some advantages..like watching this fountain
play to classical music.
La Defense,Paris,6.30pm(that's late?)

Indian airline services

2009-01-26T11:30:00.001+01:00

As we all waited under Jet airways wings taking shelter from tropical
trivandrum blazing sun....
Only in India,no?

Sports and superstition

2009-01-24T09:24:00.001+01:00

Superstitions vary from culture to culture.
In a country where stray animals are rare,an orphan cat crossed my
jogging track today morning.

the loooong weekend

2009-01-23T16:15:00.001+01:00

Conversation in the subway goes like this.
"Bonne weekend".We are Thursday.I try to think if this is a long weekend.
It is not.
Reply from his colleague who is getting off at the station ," See you next Tuesday".

Now this is not very uncommon in France.And if you are thinking ..ok they will work from home - France is the country where they sold least number of Blackberries and iphone BECAUSE you can check mails anywhere anytime.

Marketing folks at smartphone companies have to rethink their positioning strategy.

Here work culture are two different non-associative words.

Bush years weren't so bad (for me)

2009-01-20T18:16:00.000+01:00

That's true.
Went to US,met B1/2,did good business,witnessed and survived the dotcom bust,traveled around,moved to Paris,made atleast a dozen lifetime friends,got married,bought an apartment,changed job roles,Su got married,lovely niece arrived and Viv was born.
So much changed for good in last 8 years.
3 of my dearest uncles passed away in this period which is really sad followed by Vallya Acchan and Vallya Amma.
I will be 43 when Obama makes way for the next president.

What will life like be then,I wonder?
Hope all near and dear ones stay healthy.Hope world will be a nicer place for Viv and his buddies.

Dead cold

2009-01-15T19:34:00.000+01:00

This year it has been really cold.
That and last years frequent Scandinavian trips have taken the charm
out of snow.
But this picture of a 15eme arrindissement cemetery is beautiful.
Winter is an equalizer.

Entrepreneurship a Le mumbai

2009-01-13T16:43:00.000+01:00

Mumbai must be the indian city with least number of beggars.
Very few knock on car's window without trying to hustle something.
Every man(and child) earns his living and every square inch is a
business center.You watch mumbaites go about their daily business you
surely will stop complaining about your own job satisfaction or the
lack of it.

When in Rome

2009-01-12T22:12:00.000+01:00

I love wine and I love European beers but in India I go for old monk
with Thumsup served with schezwan sauce and chakli and dim lights.
Pic:RP,Andheri west,Mumbai

Delicious

2009-01-01T09:30:00.001+01:00

Wishing everyone a delicious new year like the pinolata di pesche al
cioccolato I made for new year eve.
(wonder if delicious is better than "salubrious" wish I received from
a colleague)

Stranger and fiction

2008-12-19T11:23:00.001+01:00

Watching someone else read a book you have enjoyed is a pleasure in
itself.One instantly develops a third degree of separation with this
stranger.
The man sitting across me in the metro is reading Travels with Charlie
by Steinbeck.
It is one of those books that stays with long after you have finished
it with plenty of quotable anecdotes and observations.
I try to imagine the chapter this man is reading and join him in his
journey with steinbeck who is with Charlie.

This experience is slightly different from the smirk that evolves when
you see someone reading a Agatha Christie or Dan Brown.

Globalization

2008-12-13T14:47:00.001+01:00

French design,American commerce.
A store in palo alto.

Compatibility

2008-12-12T19:29:00.000+01:00

US seems to be divided into things that are compatible with iPhone and
things that are not.
Thankfully for me I could jog listening to mallu music on this
itreadmill.

Tropically speaking

2008-12-11T20:02:00.001+01:00

Take away the lungi,people who wear them,add hole-free highways,kerala
turns into Florida.

Pilots missing their own flight

2008-12-09T04:39:00.000+01:00

Pilot and first officer got stuck in the traffic due to snow storm.

Passengers and rest of the crew waited 45 minutes for the plane to
take off watching snow fall.