Month: October 2012

  • The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto

    Pico Iyer

    In the autumn of 1987, Pico Iyer begins his journey into Japan, one that would last a full cycle of seasons. Depending on the prism you choose to see it through, the book could be many things.

    It could be a travelogue, though quite different from any I have read yet, and yet one that not only dispels any ‘second-hand’ notions (eg. the Japanese’ take on Kurosawa was surprising) but also captures the nuances of a place unknown to me, in a very sensitive manner.

    It could be the journey and yearning of one human being to understand and experience a culture alien to him/her. Him, from the perspective of Pico in Japan, whose original wonder and positive bias changes into a more pragmatic view as time passes, and her, from the perspective of Sanchiko, a vivacious Japanese lady with a husband and two children, whose heartfelt desire it is to escape the confines and constraints of her culture and upbringing.

    It could be a glimpse into the world of Zen – its monasteries and about living in the moment, without the baggage of the past or the future.

    It could be a relationship between cultures – not just east and west, as shown between the author and Sanchiko or other nuances captured through various other characters, but also within Japan itself – the free spirited Sanchiko versus her friends and family who are against this freedom she desires and wants her to just make the best of her marriage and the duties it entails.

    Or it could be an elegant love story, with Japanese poetry and beautiful descriptions of nature, and in the way of Japanese, one with a poignant ending, just like the story which seems to be the inspiration for the title.

    A wonderful read, and an armchair journey that has given me much to think about.

  • bookStalk

    Everyone enjoys a good story, and booksTalk aims to get everyone to listen to them through audiobooks. In conversation with co-founder Jai Madhukar Zende

    [scribd id=110860116 key=key-24y64vi5vbju3b9r7veu mode=scroll]

  • Transmedia and popular culture

    Last week, I chanced upon Coldplay’s latest comic-video. It’s apparently a prequel to a six-part comic which can be pre-ordered at the Coldplay Store. There’s also a live concert happening soon. I thought there was real potential here for some transmedia work – they already have a music video, comics and live concerts – with Facebook, Twitter and other digital properties it could have been a great mix.

    But what I was really wondering about is how pop culture can be used by brands for building transmedia narratives. Comic books, music bands, television programming etc, and user generated content on social media can be a potent mix. When I have thought about transmedia (and written about it) it has always been with the brand as a driver. But what if the lead is taken by a pop culture phenomenon and the brand, understanding a commonality, tag on. In-movie promotions are probably a crude example I can think of.

    The typical way brands handle it is by trying to push their messaging, and in the process destroy the pop culture phenomenon’s attraction. But if they find partners who have a connection, spend some thought on it, and help in advancing the narrative without forcing it in a selfish direction, they might actually get a completely different audience to become interested. A step further is in taking the help of the audience themselves to forward the narrative.

    In many posts, I have mentioned that organisations need to find their purpose and then  nurture employees who can identify with it. Perhaps the above is an inorganic way of doing the same on the consumer side.

    until next time,  to be continued 😉

  • Travel Gems

    Paul Theroux’s “The Tao of Travel” was a goldmine of perspectives on the subject. While I did write a review on GoodReads, I really didn’t stuff it with quotes as I would have liked. 🙂 But since this is more of a chronicle, I can afford the liberty here.

    “You go away for a long time and return a different person – you never come all the way back.” Paul Theroux

    “Travel is flight and pursuit in equal parts.” Paul Theroux

    “I think I spend more time thinking about what I don’t want to take with me: assumptions, iPods, cameras, plans, friends, (in most cases) laptops…… expectations.” Pico Iyer

    “Unfortunately, the sort of individual who is programmed to ignore personal distress and keep pushing for the top is frequently programmed to disregard signs of grave and imminent danger as well. This forms the nub of a dilemma that every Everest climber eventually coms up against: in order to succeed you must be exceedingly driven, but if you’re too driven you’re likely to die.” Jon Krakauer

    “My own feeling is that city dwellers invent the cities they dwell in. The great cities are just too big to be comprehended as a whole, so they are invisible, or imaginary, existing mainly in the mind.” Paul Theroux

    “Travel is one of the saddest pleasures of life.” Madame de Staël

    “I tend to think that happiness is a particular time in a particular place..” Paul Theroux

    “It sometimes seems to me that if there is a fundamental quest in travel, it is the search for the unexpected.” Paul Theroux

    until next time, wanderlust

  • Zheng

    Despite being in the ‘right’ place – close to our regular haunts – we’ve always ignored Zheng, and I still haven’t figured out why. It’s been around for a couple of years at least, and is part of the BluPetal Hotel, (map) which also has Sultans of Spice on the first floor. I often recommend the latter because we’ve been there quite a few times and have never been disappointed. But Zheng, despite its promise of Mongolian, was always classified in my mind as a Chinese alternative and with options like China Pearl around, it always lost out. Until…

    I checked in on Foursquare and the tip shown to me was that I shouldn’t be disheartened at finding the restaurant empty. That’s exactly how it turned out to be and the situation only changed towards the end of our meal when another group walked in. I wonder if it’s because people don’t know about the place or they know something I don’t! There is something tranquil about the ambiance, and is reinforced by the music played. Red dominates, as it does in China and in restaurants which offer its cuisine.

    The menu is fairly elaborate and when it’s only two of us, choices are difficult to make. The Chicken Ginger Coconut Broth lost out to momos -the Chicken Pepper Suimai – and the Mongolian Lamb. The flower shaped momos were quite different in terms of flavour and fragrance from the ones we usually have and is definitely worth a shot. But the Mongolian Lamb easily won the battle of the starters – succulent shredded lamb in a spicy sauce. Highly recommended.

     

    The only time we’ve tried a Mongolian Barbecue was at HongKong Hustle, and that was a long time back. So we didn’t think twice before ignoring the Chinese dishes, though it was ironic that we had to ask the person who took our order to get us the Barbecue menu, since he only bought us the liquor and the main food menus. Maybe no one asks for it? I had a nagging feeling while we ordered a Thai Chilli pot and a Dragon’s Breath Bowl. As we watched the chef prepare it, I understood why! We usually only order one rice/noodles, and this time we had ordered two. And they were massive portions!

    The Dragon’s Breath Bowl, which I had ordered, with chicken and hakka noodles, came first. Mildly spicy dragon sauce with shiitake mushrooms, pak choi, peppers and green onions. By the time we had a few spoons each, the Thai Chilli pot arrived. D had asked for Udon noodles and chicken with the pak choi, green onions, pad thai sauce, bird’s eye chili etc. This was more subtle than the Dragon’s Breath, but we immensely enjoyed both. So much, that it also became the next day’s lunch. (thanks to the quantity!)

     

    We had no space for desserts, and neither the Juice Junction mango juice nor the Gelato ice creams could tempt us as we walked to pick up the Activa. The service was friendly and prompt, though they could’ve warned us about the quantity. All of the above, including service charges and taxes cost us just over Rs.1650. For the quantity and the quality, I thought it was just fine, and will definitely drop in again.

    Zheng, Jyoti Nivas College Rd, Koramangala Industrial Layout, Koramangala. Ph: 4343 1888