zindagi ko bhi sila kehte hain kehne waale
jeene waale to gunaahon ki saza kehte hain

- Sudarshan Faakir/Jagjit Singh (Beyond Time)

Getting Some California Love....

Lovin' the weather. Livin' it up in SFO!

In other news, I think I've grown accustomed enough to the NY/NJ crowd to classify. Not judging, but there are a few generalizations in the species.

Manhattan Desis: Work in the Financial District/Midtown or creative artists, Live on the UWS or Chelsea, Mostly ABCDs, Grocery Shop at Gristedes, Party around Bowery, Constantly on the prowl for new brunch spots on Sunday mornings, Don't believe there is a need to leave the island for any reason, Don't own a car, Rent a minimalistic apartment ('cuz its cheaper, but pass it off as artistic), Experts at working the subway system, Walk at the speed of light, even when there's no reason to, Can expertly pair Ferragamo separates with Brooks Brothers accessories, Shop exclusively at premium outlets and occasionally, on Fifth Avenue, Mentally divide hangout places into After Work, Late Night, Must-go and Too Desi 4 Me, Actively facebook with a wide NYC network of friends. Constantly living abhorrently over their means, Don't feel that a savings account is their style, or that a word called retirement will ever affect them.

Only reason they venture out into Jersey: Ikea
Only reason they venture out into Queens: Desi food crave day - Jackson Diner

New York City Pride: Immense!

Wardrobe color: Black, black and more black.

Conversation Points: Party spots, Who's-sleeping-with-whom, Random hookups, or other random stuff that starts with the line .. "ok last night I was so wasted....."

Ask a ManhattanDesi where to go, and they'll say: Take the Z down to 17th, switch to the Q and its 3 stops.

Jersey Desis: Work in the Financial District/Midtown, Began life in Jersey by measuring their distance from NYC as justifiable, but slowly blended into suburbia, Grocery Shop at at all those places which have the word 'Shop' in them, Party at home, Constantly on the prowl for Costco deals, Own a home with more bedrooms than people - and center their life on its maintenance, Experts at maneuvring the turnpike, Shop at designer-second warehouses and Macys (only on sale), Occasionally 'trek' to NYC, Own 2 cars, lease another 4, Have a constant-repeat, limited circle of friends, have block and potluck parties with said friends. Constantly living abhorrently within their means, Have a savings account and plan for retirement.

Only reason they venture out into NYC: To party like New Yorkers, and wrap it up by 1 AM 'cuz they have the gardeners coming the next morning.

Wardrobe Color: Exotic, and almost hawaiian at times.

Jersey Pride: What's Jersey Pride? Is it a new home improvement store?

Conversation points: Bollywood, Immigration, Gas prices, Rising rates of homeowners insurance/tax, The latest killer discount deal at Costco and Traffic.

Ask a JerseyDesi where to go and they'll say: Take 195 to the 452, go 4 miles to I-55, exit 66.

Unusual for WSJ

I've never seen the Wall Street Journal cartoons make references to socio-political no-nos like caste, religion, etc. Then this cartoon popped up, and made me think that people out here still have a very limited world-view.

No, this joke isn't funny. I'm not dissing the fact that its an India-referenced joke - I'm the first one to laugh at brown jokes. In fact, I make a lot of them as well. I completely understand the reference, and I even understand the thought process of the writer - but I don't think I understand what kind of a point he's trying to make, or even what the humor angle of the joke is. In addition, and most importantly, I feel the cartoon highlights a very limited understanding of social India - and almost reminds me of something a a couple of bully-type kids would snigger about, when a nerd walks by - picking on an attribute that they don't completely perceive at all.

Deriving humor out of non-comprehension is not something I expected from institutions of the repute of WSJ/NYT, etc.

In other news, fun weekend coming up. Hitting up the Sonu/Asha/Kunal/Kailash makes it all the more enticing. concert at the Trump Taj in Atlantic City. Been a while since I hit up the desi event scene - I've tried to stay away as much as possible over the last year. But this concert sounds inviting - especially Sonu's performance, which is always legendary. And of course, trekking up to big bad Atlantic City. Don't miss me too much - shall be back in the spin of the roulette wheel.

Song of the Week-end

Aakhri Alvida - Strings (OST - Shootout at Lokhandwala) - pleasantly mellow and rising.

Its so Coldplay. Its just so Coldplay.

And to add to it, Anwar Maqsood's words are truly heart-rendered. Best I've heard in a while. Here's a sample:

Sab yaad hai, jo bandhe the bandhan
Kaajal bhi diya haathon mein kangan,
Mehki rehti thi mehndi,
Gaata rehta tha saawan,
In yaadon ko saapno mein rehne do,
yeh Aakhri Alvida na ho…

Is dard ko dil mein, dil mein rehne do,
Jo khauf hai ankho mein, ankhon se kehne do,
Dukh ki nadi, chup chap behne do,
Jo kehna hai tum dheere se kehdo,
Yeh Aakhri Alvida na ho

Beautifully penned.

Cultural Self-Enhancement...

... this weekend, at MoMA. Loved the Andy Warhol exhibits.

followed by 230 Fifth - one of the most spectacular rooftop lounges in the city! Check out the view (for even more awesome views, check out the updated Top of the Rock posting)

Let's Get It Done!

In case you're wondering about my temporary hiatus from regular blogdom, this is what I've been up to. Its been such a gargantuan task for the last few months, that we've needed to haul up all our marketing/strategy resources (especially since a large part of them got chucked during the C-Armageddon). But now that its through and launched, and a good, strong Saketini is the order of the weekend.

FYI - The order of last weekend was dodging Abhiwarya mourning. Crap! Say it ain't so :-(

Speak easy!

Top of the Rock!

By far, the world's most spectacular skyline. What a city! Tourists can now beat the 2 hour wait in lines at the Empire State, by checking out this beaut - 69th floor of the Rockefeller Center (affectionately called The Rock).


*UPDATED* Went back again a few days later ... check out the morning views.

Spellbound ... again!

Remember this? Guess they figured out their folly, and changed it. Spotted on the E train: