Steve Martini

OK for this one, I need to thank Preeti Zinta in Dil Chahta Hai – no, actually the quizzing scene (yes, that’s another topic coming soon) – for introducing Steve Martini.

I am a late laggard in practically every area but especially in the case of arts. I usually watch a movie only once the buzz gets out loud and then, maybe I get around to watch it (now on DVDs).  But I never watched Dil Chahta Hai when it was in the cinemas, not even when it was a huge hit.  Finally someone gave me the file for this – he’d seen it a 1000 times on DVD.

Anyways I distinctly remember someone asking a question on what book is Priety Zinta reading in some song from Dil Chahta Hai.  So when I finally saw the movie on mylaptop I froze that scene to see which book was she reading and who the author was.

And yes, as a late laggard I had not been reading Steve Martini either.

But the next time I was a book store I picked up a copy of Steve Martini, and it was hard not to fall in love with his writing.

Krishnaa - the musical by Sobhana

Can you collapse the infinite into two hours?  Well actor-danseuse Sobhana tries hard to do just that in her musical Krishnaa.

                              

The result is this hi-octane, mostly chaotic ensemble performance that seems to move at the speed of light; and even before you absorb a scene, a dialogue or enjoy the thrill of a dance, its already over and the stage has shifted to the next story on Lord Krishna.

Err… why is this then making to my favourites?   Well, let me first complete the reality bites part about the show.

Seema Goswami's recommendations of books to read

Sharing things that bring you joy is such a simple and fundamental delight – it’s not celebrated enough.  This is not gifting, but telling people you know (and others) that you discovered something new or unknown, exciting and loved it, and now are recommending others to try them.

Marketers dub it 'word of mouth' and try influencer marketing to get opinion-leaders to push their wares (nowadays through SEO).  This gets so overboard that it’s hard to find the real expert advice from say a paid testimonial.  Further, it is hard to get a recco that sooo much meets your requirements and matches your tastes that you simply have to go and get the recommended product – and, of course recommend this to more people – just like I am doing right now.

Meditation

This is a humble note of gratitude to a bunch of white folk who visited my primary school for a few days and taught each class by class, each student at a time, the magic of meditation.  It has meant a world of a difference to me.

Airline Travel

OK here goes, and I am hanging myself out to dry this time - I loooovvve airline travel, I love airline food (ok, mostly) and love airports too (most of 'em anyway).