London sightings - 1 (ship in a bottle)

Of all the pictures I've taken in London for some reason I thought it best to begin posting with this. It is from Trafalgar Square, and is a very large ship in a bottle. For me, this somehow represents the quirkiness, the humor and historic legacy that this city contains so amazingly well.

Keep calm and blog on...

Old meme in new blogs alert! Its funny how these keep popping around in London. And there's a whole bunch of web-links providing background and more on it too. Very catchy!

Some of my variations on the same theme:
Keep Calm And Motor On (uhh...about that Mini)
Keep Calm and Pour The Scotch (refer earlier post!)
Keep Calm And Pay Your Bills
Keep Calm And Finish Your Veggies (refer Mum)
Keep Calm And Kill The Zombies! (refer Zombieland, an excellent movie with rules on how to survive  in a post-zombiecalypse scenario:  Zombie Kill of the Day)

Yours?

And here's a link too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_Calm_and_Carry_On

Bombay cafes redux

The spirit of Bombay cafes is alive, alas it is somewhat unwell. Oh well, at least its growing, just a bit. Went to Dishoom, a cafe set up Bombay-style in London - resplendent with appropriate decor, food, masala chai (not sure if they'll serve "cutting" chai i.e. one tea split in two halves, in two glasses so a couple of friends can share. That's the way they do it street-side in Bombay).
Unfortunately, along with the bentwood chairs (thankfully, quite clear of woodworms...old story about a friend who loved lounging in shorts...well, lets just say he suffered quite a bit), stained old mirrors and movie posters of yore, the servers hanging about were doing just that - hanging about and ignoring us for the most part. Part of the ambience, I guess! Pity, because the food wasn't too bad and the atmosphere was just right - nostalgic but not cloyingly so.

So the real Irani cafes of Mumbai have nothing to fear from this upstart on another continent. Cafe Mondegar and Leo's still live on (note: Leopold was founded in 1871....how's that for a double tap for the Johnny-come-lately - dishoom, dishoom!)

LEOPOLD CAFE since 1871

The spirit of camaraderie is alive and well...

...and it smells of Scotch!
To some people, this would represent the worst of corporate excess, but there's probably nothing on Main St. to compare with Wall St., right? Anyhow, these twelve excellent single malts were used responsibly to celebrate successful problem-solving through collaboration and camaraderie by a diverse set of people in a project team united only by one objective - to get stuff done. No payoffs or bonuses, just a bunch of people trying to figure things out together...and the job got done.

Why is this so fascinating? Because so many people in management or leadership positions still don't get it!!!

Writer's Block Deptt

Some days you remember something that just makes you want to write...!

Random childhood memory fragment...

Brought to the surface thanks to a friend's question about earliest memory of winter...


I'm standing at the bus stop at 6am in the morning as a kid waiting for the school bus (late!). Bitter cold, gray morning with fog so thick it even made the traffic quieter. Camaraderie fueled by a small crackling fire started by someone's enterprising dad. I hover towards the back of our little huddle, bundled with a backpack, feeling my nose turn damp under layers of prickly woolen monkey-cap and muffler, hands thrust deep into pockets as I make little involuntary hops to keep the blood moving. Numb fingers tracing the metallic edges of the house key mum pinned to the inside of my right trouser pocket so I wouldn't lose it. I have forgotten to put my gloves on (again!).

It is that time of the year, so much has happened since the last two Octobers, I almost don't know where to start. Once again winter faces me...and again, I have Rilke for company:

Herbst (Rilke)

Die Blätter fallen, fallen wie von weit,
als welkten in den Himmeln ferne Gärten;
sie fallen mit verneinender Gebärde.
Und in den Nächten fällt die schwere Erde
aus allen Sternen in die Einsamkeit.
Wir alle fallen. Diese Hand da fällt.
Und sieh dir andre an: es ist in allen.
Und doch ist Einer, welcher dieses Fallen
unendlich sanft in seinen Händen hält.

Autumn Day
Lord: it is time. The summer was immense.
Lay your long shadows on the sundials,
and on the meadows let the winds go free.

Command the last fruits to be full;
give them just two more southern days,
urge them on to completion and chase
the last sweetness into the heavy wine.

Who has no house now, will never build one.
Who is alone now, will long remain so,
will stay awake, read, write long letters
and will wander restlessly up and down
the tree-lines streets, when the leaves are drifting.

English: (C) Edward Snow 1991