Friday Ideas

Another Friday bringing with it a another set of Ideas :) This Friday I'm going to talk about the session we had today and the ones I missed posting about.

Today: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
We had Scott McCloud talk about understanding comics and how they figure and adapt to new technologies when they depart from the print medium. His presentation was almost entirely visual (which is a really good thing). However, among other things, during his presentation, he spoke about 4 simple rules which I believe is applicable just about everwhere. They are
1. Listen to everybody 2. Follow nobody 3. Look for patterns 4. Work like hell
These infact are the simple truths of life too. Don't you think?

Last week:
How great design makes ideas new by Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser is a renowned Graphic Designer, whose best known and most iconic work is the "I *heart* NY" design. The legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser dives deep into a new painting inspired by Piero della Francesca. From here, he muses on what makes a convincing poster, by breaking down an idea and making it new.

Why design by Philippe Starck
Philippe Starck is legend in modern design and has made perhaps his most permanent mark on design through his bold reworkings of everyday objects. In reimagining and rethinking the quotidian, he has produced some of the iconic shapes of the 20th century, including his leggy chrome juice squeezer , the reimagined Emeco aluminum chairs, and the witty Louis Ghost polycarbonate fauteuil.
This 17 min lecture by Philippe is spent on understanding why we design and its roots. More than anything, I loved this talk because of the way Philippe dramatically tell his story. It has moments that has you in splits and those that are thought provoking
Ps.: You'll have listen carefully because his accent is a little hard to understand.

(via: Ted Talks)

The Park Bench

Glamour.com decided to experiment and see what would happen when they left 2 disposable cameras in a park bench in New York City. :) Find out what they got when the rolls were developed on their blog
I wanna do an experiment like this here too. I love the idea!!

Speaking of the Park Bench, I got reminded of Mia Micheals' piece on Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance which incidentally is also one of my favourite shows :) Season 3 jus got over here in India, with Sabra voted as "America's Favourite Dancer". She super as were everybody else, although Sara was my favourite. Anyway, Mia's piece, which was nominated for an Emmy, also revolves around a lovestory at a Park Bench. Feast your eyes on this piece - The Park Bench (Season 2, SYTYCD)

Ecclectic

I *heart* Yann. He's a photographer who has not only taken amazing photographs but taken made them available freely for personal use as wallpaper - 2027 to be precise. His work is includes pictures of horses, farms and even the world (from an eagle eye perspective) :) You can find his work here: YannArthusBertrand

I'm also loving this lovely visualisation of an apparel store - Distilled :) It takes the form of a video, where this (cute) male model wears the collection while the background changes approriately for the outfit. Very Good stuff. They even have an online store for you to shop in :) Check it out at Distilled Clothing

Other than that, Google is now on Twitter!! Guess who's already following them :D

Friday Ideas

Another Friday and another set of ideas :)

[ps: sorry I couldn't actually post it on Friday..needless to say I suppose that work called :D]

Jan Chipchase: Our Cellphones, Ourselves

Jan Chipchase is the principal researcher of Nokia and in this lecture at TED Talks, investigates the way we interact with technology. He has travelled the world and the sides of our pockets in an attempt to find behavioral patterns that will inform the design of phones and products of the coming generations.

I wasn't able to get the video to upload. I'll do that later. But for now, feel free to see the video on TED Talks by simply following this link: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jan_chipchase_on_our_mobile_phones.html

 Happy watching :)

Pro Valentine

Dear Secret Valentine Benefactor,

Thank you a thousand times over for giving me such a lovely gift. You cant imagine the joy is brings me every time I open my Flickr (now) Pro account. Thank You so Much!! Happy Valentine's day to you too

Love Always,

Me

14th Feb came and with it a lot of protests and moral policing. But it was one of the best days ever for me! I got gifted a Flickr Pro account!! For anyone who knows me, they'd know I'm crazy about photography. Infact I was dubbed the official photographer for several of my classmates at college. The only problem with it was that my normal account could hold about 200 photos, which meant that I had to keep deleting pictures to make way for new ones. Now my secret valentine benefactor, told me at half-past 11 (on the 13th) that my gift was waiting for me in my inbox :) Imagine my surprise! (After all I thought it was some silly card or something) It may not be the most romantic gift but it most certainly is the most meaningful gift I've got in a million years. I couldn't stop the tears :) I cant wait to upload photos now :) I'm soooo excited. In the mean time, take the time to check out my Flickr Account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/38997886@N00/

Fast-forward Pilgrim Part 2

Ok I took a break before posting the next part of the trip because I got so tired jus' thinking and writing about it. Here comes the next bit

Day 2: Sunday 8th Feb 2009

We were up at 4am. Our next stop in the temple schedule was the Suryanarayanar Kovil for the 6am puja. This temple has been built as a tribute to the Chief God of the Navagrahas (9 planets of Hindu Mythology) - The Sun. Originally constructed by the Chola kings, this temple is located in the temple town of Thirumangalakkudi (between Kumbakkonam and Mayiladudurai). It is the only Navagraha temple that also houses the other Navagraha gods and unlike the usual placement of these gods, all face the presiding deity. The temple infact faces the Southward direction and the deity is seen on a chariot-like vehicle.

We finished here around 7.30-8 and proceeded to the Prananada Kovil, which was around the block from the Suryanar Kovil. This temple's presiding deity is Prananathar (another form of Lord Shiva). I've forgotten what the legend of the temple is so I can really give you the details. I only remember how his name came to be. In Tamil, they say "Pranatthai kuduta Prananada" which literally means Prananada, the One who gave His life to save (for what or who I'm not sure)

After this temple we went to Kanchanur. This hamlet is the home of the Agneeswara Swamy Temple and mostly known for being the navagraha sthalam of Sukra Bhagavan (Venus' Temple). After finishing paying our respects to Him, we went back to our hotel, broke for lunch.

After our post lunch nap, We readied ourselves for Thingaloor. Thingaloor is the Chandra Sthalam - the place of the Moon God (in the Navagrahas). One peculiar thing about this God is that he carries a club in one hand and a lotus in the other. Why? Because like the lotus, He "blooms" in the night. As with the previous two temples, I'm not sure what legend surrounds this God. (maybe I'll write about it later).

Our last stop for the day was the Darasuram Temple. This temple is home to Airavateeswara Swamy (lord Shiva). Legend has it that Airavata (the Mythical White Elephant and vehicle to Lord Indra) prayed to Lord Shiva here. As did Lord Yama (the God of Death) when he was cursed by a sage to have a burning sensation all over his body. This temple is now a part of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The temple which was started by the by the Chola Kings was later completed by the Pandya Kings. The architecture and the stone carvings that adorn this temple are worth a dekho. Amazing details have been craved into black-stone sculptures ranging from 1/2 an inch to 2 inches. Below is a picture of one such carving (although you can't see too much detail in this image) 

The pillars have also been used for story telling purposes. So one pillar would essentially contain a complete mythical story of the presiding deity. Below is a detail of one such pillar. It is about Parvati's penance for Lord Shiva. So on the top portion you see Parvati, the Lingam (that she is praying to) and a line of devotees. On the lower portion, you will find a carving of Parvati in meditation in water and around the main figure are other forms of Her worship.

 This temple also houses vegetable-dye paintings similar to those found in the Ajanta and Ellora caves, Maharashtra. 

 It amazing how these have survived the passage of time, especially, in open outdoor conditions. Simply Superb! However the sad thing is the way Indians have defaced these works of art by inscribing their names on them :( Really sad how they have no idea what they're doing when they damage works of their cultural heritage.

The Darasuram temple is also said to be the birthplace of the legend of Lord Sarabeswara. It is said that after Vishnu has taken the terrible form of Narasimha (half man and half lion) to kill the evil demon Hiranyakashipu, his rage was so great that the 3 worlds trembled. The wise sages went to Shiva and begged him to pacify Narahimsa. So inturn, Shiva took the form of Saraba (which part lion, part bird and part human). When Sarabeswara placed him on his lap and touched Narahimsa's chest (heart), his anger was immediately quelled.

The temple is also famous for its singing steps. There is a set of 7 steps, made in stone, which when stepped on or tapped make tinkling sounds of the Sapta-swaras (of Indian classical music) - Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni. However, this has been closed off from public view thanks to the village idiots and un-thinking Indian tourists who've broken one of the steps, rendering a note silent. Anyway for more information about this temple, you can look it up on Wikipedia along this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darasuram.

After the long trek back to the hotel, we were treated to an instrumental performance (by the hotel for its visitors).WOW! We also happened to see ex-Karnataka Chief Minister and Governor, Mr. S. M. Krishna with his family at our hotel. He'd come to do the same rounds as us :D 

Day 3: 8th February 2009

This was the final day of the trip. Like the previous day, we were up by 4. Were going to visit the Kethu Sthalam in the village called Keezh Perumpallam. Kethu is one of the demons who turned immortal by drinking the amritham obtained from the churning of the milk ocean. It is for this reason that He is also considered one of the nine planets. It is said that before the temple had achieved the little fame that it enjoys now, pilgrims would have to get past numerous obstacles, a major being snakes and the thick forest, in order to get His darshan/ blessings. Legend has it that due to a wish granted to a devotee, none of the villagers have EVER died of a snake-bite!! Also it is said that Kethu has the power to veto his contemporaries in the Navagraha community ;) So if you appease Him, he'll make sure that there will be no trouble from the others. To do this, all you have to do is visit him once in your lifetime and all will be well :)

Having finished this one also, we were well and truly on our way home. Oh I forgot, we also managed to make a stop at the Chidambaram Natraja temple.

The End

Fast-forward Pilgrim

The weekend that jus' went by was a truly hectic one. I went on a fast-forward pilgrimage - 8 temples in two days!! Now thats A LOT especially considering the time you spend travelling between these places. But it was a good trip nevertheless, because I got to visit temples I've never seen before and revisit those I've already been to :)

Being a shivite, our places of pilgrimage (in the South) are usually confined to those in the Tanjore-Kumbakkonam belt. This family trip was undertaken to ward off the evil eye that has befallen us and to placate Gods who've been causing a ruckus in our otherwise pleasant lives. :) Ok so here goes

Day 1: Saturday 7th Feb, 2009

I got to the city around 5am. At 7am, we piled into our trusty old Scorpio for a journey that was to take atleast 8 hours (without too much traffic and too many stops). Our final destination was to be SwamiMalai. On our way, we stopped to lunch at Chidambaram. For those of you who do not know Chidambaram, it is one of the places of foremost importance to dancers. The town is most famous for its Nataraja Temple. (more details in a bit). The temple too had closed for lunch. So we ate and after a bit of arguing and dilly-dallying we went on our way. Unfortunately Nature's call had to be answered and being women, we cant just get out onto the road and "mark" our territory :D Around this time, my parents realised that we were close to the Vaitheeswaran Kovil and that it was important enough to warrant a visit.

Vaitheeswaran Kovil: Vaitheeswaran in Tamil means Doctor. This temple is literally a tribute to the Doctor God of Hindu Mythology. The resident God is Lord Shiva. Legend has it that Angaraka (Mars) suffered from leprosy and on praying to Lord Vaitheeswara, was cured of his disease. The Lord's consort in this temple is Thaiyal Nayaki Ambal. She holds medicinal oil to aid her husband and also grants the wishes of those girls who are at a marriageable age. You could find out more about this place on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaitheeswaran_Kovil

Having finished a series of archanas (pujas/ offerings) to these Gods, we were well and truly on our way to our destination, which we reached at around 9pm. Our hotel/ resort, Anandham/ Sterling Resorts SwamiMalai, was a lovely respite from the city life and its hustle. One that I immediately fell in love with. It is based on the the typical brahmin agrahara with the lovely patios, the garden, the thinnai and the works :) Amazing. Infact the place is the only Indian hotel that has apparently won the Global Eco Tourism Hotel Awards. Every evening has a cultural activity of sorts such as singing, dancing. Despite having the original house structures and architecture, modern facilities have been melded in such a way that it doesn't seem out of place. I'd give this place two-thumbs up :) The tired family had quick light supper and crashed out immediately