Makgadikgadi Salt Pan - Botswana

What you need to know before you read this write up: The Makgadikgadi Pan is a large salt pan in the middle of the dry savanna of north-eastern Botswana, it is one of the largest salt flats in the world

“Packed my bags and off to Botswana,” read the tweet of Juan Jean-Marc. I knew he was quite excited about this project. The entire team of “Globetrotters” the popular TV series on ABC networks flew down to the Makgadikgadi pan for a photo shoot and to film their next episode on flamingos.

I too was supposed to be on to that entourage but I was busy giving final touch to the voice over for my character Woomee in this 3D flick by Wattenberg. Now that I am done, I quickly plan to catch up with my script and trip to Botswana. I loaded my bags with my painting kit and got along my Mac to brief up on the quite an usual place to shoot – Makgadikgadi Pan .

0400 hrs and off goes the hooter, and slowly moves the lens cap of my eyes. I am out on my tent and what I see is this painting lying fresh and out on display - the dawn. The pale white salt, the orange yellow sky, some snow in the sky and the Makgadikgadi flamingos pass by. Poetry in a cinemagraph.

On my way to the pans, I heard awful lot of stories about how the pan pans it beauty, and how nature is always out on her duty. I was told the pan has unfriendly conditions to support human living, although I had a different rational to this unfriendliness. God has his own ways of retaining some places virgin to himself to enjoy HIS work and the rest open to mankind to take pride in their dirt.

I met Juan and he introduced me to Cheryl Shepard our audio technician. I was amazed to know how Cheryl tapped the sound of the early mornings in Makgadikgadi pan. My instant feedback was, Cheryl this will make a good album. After a day's work and chat with fellow artists, we packed up for the day.

I couldn't wait to return to my tent, get my canvas and colors to paint the scenic beauty of the pan on to it. But the lurking gloomy clouds soon soaked the sun, put up the pale moon and came down slowly with rains as a result I had to defer my attempt of photocopying the picturesque pan on to my canvas.

November rain now and again gets me that pain and I don't know whom to blame. I guess some painting doesn’t need to be redone, or re-mastered, and I left that thought there and moved on.

I am not good with diaries, for dairies have pages, and the option to turn them and hurt you again or rarely make you smile. I have this wall of memories where I hang every cherished memory in to a still frame. I managed to get this picture from Martin Holmes, whom I befriended with on the shoot. the picture of flamingos against the backdrop of the mesmerizing Makgaikgadi pan. The caption of the picture went like this “I don't need to die to go to heaven so better come up with interesting options.”

A Short Love Story in Stop Motion

A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

The Legend of Scarecrow

The Legend of the Scarecrow from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

Seth Godin: Quieting the Lizard Brain

Computer games could improve workplace fire safety

Picture this: You've got to give a final touch on the Econometrics and Time Series Analysis for your Scandinavian client. You've just got some minute changes to be done in the Monte Carlo simulation and then its a wrap up. 

You sleep on it. After miles away into another matrix, you hear a telephone ring at 02:55 hrs, you get a call from your boss that the entire 28th, 29th and 30th floor is on fire, little could you get your dreamy eyes all lightened up at the word 30th floor and Boom! 

They say life is valuable, but times like these work takes an upper edge. What do you, when all that you worked for is on flames?

Ziacom the pioneer in the state-of-the-art security services has launched a computer game − the Blackbox.  If you thought playing with fire is not a game, then think again. 

Blackbox is a one stone two bird solution in fire safety service. Like the XBox, Blackbox  comes with a game CD, Blackboxfiera, the fire safety game. BB is a carapace shaped on-the-wall security unit that can be mounted on the wall. I for one look at Blackboxfiera as a game with a plan, and a plan with a game.

Blackboxfiera fire safety game is customized to your work place settings, the building, the furniture, and the surrounding is mapped out, all this goes into designing and programming the simulators. Gerald Holmes, the vice-president of Grasshopper Technologies one of the first few customers of Blackfiera says, "If you are not playing this game, then you surely are playing with fire ." Eric Schmidt, COO at Ziacom says, "Blackboxfiera with Blackbox is a game with a backup."

The  Blackbox kit comes with a user friendly manual, demonstration video clip, and a simulation program that takes you through drills, and the do's and don'ts of fire safety. A small iphone shaped touch screen remote that syncs the BB with the server and makes  functionalities do able on touch. BB is fire and water resistant. It runs on solar power. The censors embedded in the Blackbox are highly sensitive to the slightest change in the temperature or illuminance. It identifies and detects the origin of the spark/flames and sends an alarm to the nearest fire station and hospitals. Its auto activate key shuts down the power supply. To learn more on the kit, visit  www.ziacom.com/product/blackbox.php. 

Wired and Businessweek magazines have marked BB as the next for-home-for-office  must have security unit. The critics call it the first aid in fire safety; the makers call it the dad who is always there.

Pennies Heart

Pennies HEART from phos pictures on Vimeo.

Monsoon Magic

Monsoon is here and no one that I know of has escaped this misty and moist mushy feeling of the season. We are busy giving final touch to the next issue of MEG July-Aug'10. I find this period very happening – some students are awaiting their results, some have already entered the second week of schooling and colleging; and on the other hand – FIFA. Just the other day, there was this kind of heavy shower, and the next thing you know is that the trains running late, people hassled up and stranded, while some kids near my office were playing football. This season has a lot of melodrama and I love to catch the glimpse of life pass by my virtual camera.

It is monsoon all over; my Slovakian friend asked me, how’s monsoon at my end? And I went on raining words on the feeling of this season. The first thing I did after replying her was getting the MEG theme the monsoon feel. I was not yet out of the ecstatic feeling of Argentinean's Gonzalo Higuain's hat-rick and the next thing I get is a call from my editor that the beta version of the newspaper is out and that was did the topping of a cherry moment, I find myself working on the MEG issue. At MEG, we are all charged up with this issue, the rains ain't the adrenaline alone but the proud feeling of beginning of 3rd season of MEG.

It is always a pleasure to read emails sent by readers of MEG that goes to show that how they have accepted the newspaper and how they want their MEG, their way. Pressed for sponsors, makes it a bit challenging to live up to the expectations of our readers, but then performance under pressurizing situations is the mark of a man. Undoubtedly, the MEG teams is always working towards making MEG better and reach wider audience and cater to the suggestions and recommendations of our current readers.

I hope you like this issue. By the way, the open secret is that we are going to open this season in style. Yes our cover story for this issue is fashion.

Noel Gomes
Creative Head

The L Board Bulletin

I wrote this write up when I was asked to come up with a name for a bulletin for our client Higher Education Forum. I came up with the name L Board to which I was told to elaborate and here it is.

Just another day at work and I had this 5ft 5 something, a man in early 50s, white whiskers, and a forehead that reached the medulla oblongata to be my next appointment. We got talking and it was about the distribution of my newspaper MyEducationalGuide. They say listening is one of the best skills and what did I get? Allow a man of experience and age to talk, and he will leave you enlightened. I like to share an excerpt of this conversation with you.

He said, “Sir, there was a time when I had my own taxi service. I have all those years of being on road turned in to being my veins.” You could sense this man belongs to one of the quote I use from my quote dispenser, “Some people talk because they have to say something, while some because they have something to say”. This man obviously belong to the later category.

He continued, “You know one thing, I drove the taxi for 19 years and I still have the L board on, for I believe I am yet learning.” He said this and I could sense the ghost of Socrates next to me saying, “All I know is I know nothing.”

Learning is about humbling and it is a process that never ends. I believe we are all learning and we need to be humble enough to have the L board on. I am going to get my L Board soon and I hope you get yourself one.

Thank you

The Can

The Can from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

First shower to hit Mumbai, June2, 2010 – Monsoon has Signed In.

I was on my way home after an ordinary day at work. On my way I need to take this road that gives you a feel of a walk on the moon with the gravity similar to that on the earth. And as the road waves to the right it turns into a lane; the lane begins with a temple of Lord Krishna where on any given weekday there is always this regular hubbub of worshippers around that place. Few steps ahead under the moonlight sky, no street lights and the prominent drumstick tree was camouflaged a van which read IRIS paints. My tired steps passed two men dressed in dungarees next to the van; I could see one of them with his index finger drawing a semi arch shape in the air and was saying that this is the apt place to fill it with seven colors. You could tell they were some painters. At the end of the lane is my building.

I believe in life there are not accidents. Just few nights before, like one of those dreams where I dream what I read and I read what I dream, I dreamt that the Greek goddess of rainbow – IRIS telling the Mexican God of rain – Talaloc that she has already deployed her people to paint the sky.

I got home freshened up, had dinner, played John Coltrane, caught up with my reading, slipped between the sheets and just then I could hear the first shower of the monsoon and I slipped into another world.

Descendants

Descendants from Goro Fujita on Vimeo.

So what...

Sunday is the festival day of the week, says who? Says, Noel.

On Sundays I wear the hat of a part time English teacher. Last Sunday, I boarded the 9:58 train destined to Churchgate, I was standing on the foot board of the last first class compartment just then a bunch of people got into the compartment, and the train took off. Once into the compartment they quickly made sure that the whole group was in. The patriarchal figure did the head count, before he would count the last head he realized that they were in a we-have-a-situation kind of a situation.

Lets look a at this episode in a  video clip : a group of naive masonry workers, new to the city, gets in to the compartment closest to the stairways all in a hurry and then... realization knocks hard and catches you unaware. Traveling first class with second class ticket ! What do we do if we are caught ? I saw all this happening but there was hardly any time to throw a caution at them; including the woman and the baby, they were 10 of them in all getting into train that was about to depart, anything said or done would be like flashing torch lights of panic on them.

While realization hovered over three men and woman in the group, the rest were unbothered. When the old man with an oops tonality said, "this is a special compartment," to which one of the boys from the group said, "So..."

Seriously, when there is so much of life happening to us, that noise, that fear, that loss, that pain and all that failing and falling... So What?

I read this post by one of my students, "In life, go straight and TURN right," I realized after turning right there was nothing *left*.

Many times how much ever you play by the rules, you still don't get there. So get rid of that rule book, and play by your gut, seriously, wtf.

I was sure that the masonary folks woudnt meet the ticket checker while moving to the next compartment.

I believe, So what? and why not? Are the two questions that have given us revolutionary leaders and outliers.

"Be yourself" attitude is not applicable for all, you either know it or you don't. At times, just shut up and listen, all the answers lie within, what you are looking out for is to get confused.

Good Vibration

Good Vibrations from Helene Emain on Vimeo.

How to feed the World?

How to feed the world ? from Denis van Waerebeke on Vimeo.

An Open Love Letter

The day that love happened to me has an interesting story I am guessing; on that day, I guess that somewhere in this world, my twin face or same name carrier cracked up a fortune cookie and found this:  "You will find the love of your life today". I am quiet sure he may not have met the same fortune that I did. Like most of us, I too never found one of those, what's-your-next-move? clue/chit; very much like the ones in the Amazing Race. I believe, take life as it comes - one step at a time.

This is it! After a couple of online chat talk, exchanging phone numbers, we decided that we meet up. Now this meet up idea was the result of a fine chemistry that we hit right from the start, not that she saw my pic and I saw hers neither of this happened, so what? A blind date ? Yes it was. I had no expectations though, none that I was aware of. Venue: McDonalds, Andheri Station, 16:00 hrs. I made sure, I was at my best, for little that I got to know of her, she was a simple soul and nothing more. Well, to answer who is she? Read further: I remember she replied to "n/a/l ?(name/age/location),": Dimple/21/Mumbai.  

Picking up from where I left, you got to believe me if I tell you that at 16:00 hrs of 23rd July 2008 this happened to me. The whole world of god and humans disappeared right before my eyes, and I could feel myself walk on this frozen road of clouds. Just before I could sense it all, with each step towards Dimple I kept falling and falling and falling in LOVE with Dimple. All I could only see was my Dimple. She had me from "eye hello" and took it further from hi, hello. Ever since "Loves" has been my last name and her first name when I read Yousuf Loves Dimple. 

Yes If you've read the subtext of my previous sentence, our whole love story is summed up in those three words, Yousuf loves Dimple. Different faiths and community is the wide chasm between our love, to which I tell her, darling hold the chasm up-side down we do meet at the end, and I know after this end there is a beginning to our love for ever and ever. Hindu girl and Muslim boy, a story of any stereo-type  bollywood masala but believe me, we are living this. The thing that makes our love beautiful is our understanding of "love today" will live forever, so at least love today, who know what tomorrow holds, in other words kal ho na ho (tomorrow may or may not be).

Today, we have not spent as many days as the number of pages of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace; I guess, our love story is going through the Peace part and the War part of course will follow. Whatever our love may hold, one thing is for sure the next strong thing to gravity is - our Love. My Mash mellow Dimpy, always wanted me to profess my love to her in front of the whole world. You see I would never fall for some one less than Cleopatra of heart, and my Cleo is the queen of my world. 

So her it is: Dimple, no word comes close to say what you mean to me; all that you are, and all that you do for me fills my world with happiness, and I am sure without you there will be a heart but no heart beat, there will be this body but no breathe , and there will these eyes through which I see you and live, but no sight. My love, my world - I LOVE YOU.

Connotation of A Cup of Coffee.

Someone asked me what comes to mind when you hear the word COFFEE?

In the bubble above my head, I flickered the book of my life and ran through it, scanning for the word COFFEE, and here it is:

grandmother's stories about the grounds left in the cup,
grandfather's WWII souvenir gifted to him by his friend in the military,
a something 17 oz. can of Mehmet Efendi Turkish Coffee placed on his study table.
My high school days, during exams, when my mom made me cups of coffee to keep me up,
hmmm...the coffee shop next to my college,
Beverly's coffee colored eyes,
Joanne's coffee colored hair,
Andy's coffee colored lipstick,
my school ice hockey team jersey,
the logo of my first vacation job too was coffee color,

whoa whoa whoa on a second thought had I not being asked what the word coffee brings to mind, I wouldn't have known that my life in a flicker was a sepia colored film.

Seriously, Coffee: the aroma, the dates over a cup of coffee, the nights I've stayed up working on my first book, "Hold my hand", the times when I was tummy sick mom made those strong black non sugar filter coffee.

My first break up was over coffee, Cassandra always loved her latte with the so femine latte art, I remember the first date she asked for her latte with a heart shape art, I know it is so cliche, but then you need to cream your heart(then,Cassandra). To me, it is like having a tattoo on your coffee, I was glad she couldn't see the bubble above my head. OK people, you may have noticed the soap of my thought has so much froth to bubble about. So now, you may be wondering what happened to Cassandra well like all good things come to an end, on our last date, she ordered a latte with an art of broken heart on it.

Today, when I look around, I am amazed to know that lot and what happens over a cup of coffee. Many relationships build over coffee the most popular one is that of the lovers.

The amazing thing is the statistics of cups of coffee in a relationship. The number of coffee cups reflects the life of a relationship. The ones with frequent over-the-coffee meet ups were like easy to understand that it wasn't them who needed the stimulant but their relationship, and an easy prediction - a broken heart latte art coffee.

While there were couples who made their coffee and had it too, they were the ones who put every bit of love within to their coffee(pun intended) of their life.

How I wish I could tell people the coffee you choose to have reflects who and what you are. I like my coffee hot,strong, fresh and pure.

I have rephrased one of my own quotes, Coffee will take you this far, Interest that far and Passion very far. Originally, the word Motivation was used in place of Coffee. If you've been reading carefully, you may notice - It all begins over a cup of Coffee.

The Two G’s I can’t do without.

I had to write an article that would respond to a google search for hand bags, replica hand bags and Gucci hand bags. Had to get a title for the same


SIX STAR REPLICAS
= designer hand bags, replica hand bags, Gucci hand bags

Wolfed down two whole wheat grumpy grandpa toasts, gulped a glass of skimmed milk, grabbed my Gucci hand bag, and zoomed into the Prius with a line “hello Pierre”. Pierre - my high school love and after a twelve year old marriage a husband for life – had to pick up his friend who was flying down all the way from Malta, so I thought the best thing to do is get Pierre drop me on the 5th Avenue Broadway and from there I’d get Gwyneth to make it to the gallery.

Gwyneth, my friend and my gallery assistant has this eye for bags and could call a spade a spade even if you’d get her unconscious. The last time I lost my designer hand bag, I called Gwyneth and asked her to help me get a new designer hand bag for me and there she was; we bumped into this Gucci outlet and she helped me pick a fine Italian leather piece of art sitting on the teakwood shelf looking at me and waiting to get picked by me.

While we made our way through the slow spaced streets of New York, Gwyneth updated me on the events for the day. Today on display we have the work of a Portuguese artist Vivian Georama to be on display. We were expecting big names as the event was sponsored by Gucci, the cream de la crème of fashion world, and the artists from all over Europe were the invitees. Quite a day Girl!

Whatever be the event, whoever be scheduled for the day, Gwyneth never missed on to making a note of the designer hand bags, clutches or purses maneuvering around. She would make it a point to tap people carrying a replica of designer hand bags and pass I-know-what-you-got comment. Even before I could ask her do you have a nose of a dog, she would say. “Yes – and I know that was coming. Samantha to me replica hand bags or fakes is as clear as weeds and unwanted seeds.” I could recall Malcolm Gladwell’s, “Blink” in which he professes that all it takes is a blink to tell right from wrong and I could see Gwyneth as my “blinker girl”.

Ever since I lost my last designer hand bag, I remember the whole tiresome process of getting another one or in Gwyneth words fishing a real designer hand bag from the replica designer hand bag, so I make sure I carry my Gucci along.

After all what’s in your bag and what’s your bag is all about YOU.