The Z-Quadrant

( ) OO o O o( )O

2011-06-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Over-exposed, literally ;)

2011-06-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

Unfinished Business - 2

2011-06-19T07:42:00.001-07:00

Unfinished Business - 1

2011-06-19T07:38:00.000-07:00

It's been over a year since I've posted here.

Over-exposed 2

2010-02-27T14:10:00.000-08:00

... and we're back!

2010-02-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

Undercover

2009-08-15T10:12:00.001-07:00

Got a light?

2009-02-16T20:01:00.001-08:00

The ideal 'match'. =)

Mmmmmuaaahhhh - 2 ;)

2008-12-25T12:36:00.000-08:00

B-o-r-i-n-g

2008-11-10T17:34:00.001-08:00

The Evil Twin

2008-09-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

This one's for someone I know. Muhahahaha. Hope that is hint enough! ;)

Out from the dark

2008-08-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

Huh???

2008-03-29T09:33:00.001-07:00

One side of the story

2008-02-16T09:39:00.001-08:00

Been experimenting with the female profile. And draped cloth. Here's a sample of the results.

Thanks to Mandhir for suggesting the title. Somewhat. And to the others for their inputs.

Also, this may be slightly off-topic, but I have to share an excerpt of a recent conversation with a grocery store clerk. (Name withheld to preserve anonymity. No trust me, its needed).

Clerk: So where you from?
Me: India.
Clerk: That's like near Egypt right?
Me: (Deep breath) Yeah. Right between Sudan and Ethiopia.
Clerk: Etho-what?
Me: (Deeper breath) E-thi-o-pia.
Clerk: Iddat even a country? I thought it was an imaginary place or somethin' like that.
Me: I think you're confusing it with Utopia. Ethiopia is very much real.
Clerk: Oh well. I learn somethin' new everyday.
Me: Good for you.

I'm not sure if this is humorous or pitiable. Maybe both.

Pensive

2008-02-02T09:32:00.001-08:00

Eye Contact - 2

2008-01-20T09:54:00.000-08:00

Another year gone by. As always, several things have changed. Some for the worse, most for the better. And some things, thankfully, have remained the same. :) Amen to that.

Belated greetings for the new year, everyone. Hope you have a great year ahead.

Eye Contact

2007-11-10T20:27:00.001-08:00

Looking up - 2

2007-10-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Under Cover

2007-09-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Been off the radar for a long time now. Hopefully this will turn out to be a 'come-back' of sorts. :)

Mmmmmuaaahhhh ;)

2007-06-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

Whaaaaat????

2007-05-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

;)

Over-exposed - 2

2007-04-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

Spotted

2007-04-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Over-exposed

2007-03-25T10:47:00.000-07:00

The Darker Half

2007-02-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

Green 'n Mean

2007-02-10T20:18:00.000-08:00

Fill in the blank

2007-02-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

Shady - 2

2007-02-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

Sequel to Shady. The fascination with 'ladies-in-dark-glasses' continues. Reliving some of my 'darker' fantasies here. ; )

The Better Half

2007-01-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

Cryptic

2007-01-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to the 'mystery' I am trying very hard to unravel. Haven't made much progress, I'm afraid.

Words of inspiration (note to self) :
I must stick to the fight,
When I'm hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst,
That I mustn't quit.

Travel and tedium are keeping me away from the art studio, people. Hope that changes soon.

Till then people, adios.

Mysterious

2007-01-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

Old habits die hard

2007-01-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

Well folks, the year is new. The habits, however, remain the same. ;)

Shy

2006-12-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

Bliss

2006-11-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

Coy - 3

2006-10-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

Third in the series after Coy and Coy - 2.

Keepin' it simple

2006-10-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

Lots of unfinished artwork lying scattered in my apartment. Finally hauling my lazy butt to finish some of these.

Looking up

2006-08-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's how things are right now. Looking up. A much-needed vacation is less than a couple of weeks away. Might squeeze in a post before then.

Been very inactive on f0t0n over the last couple of months. But I haven't been slacking off in that time. Been working hard at creating an art portfolio for a gallery in Dallas. Before you ooh and aah, I should add that the project is in status quo right now. More on that as and when it happens. Till then, watch this space for more action.

Coy - 2

2006-08-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

Alrite. I'll admit it. The last couple of posts were lame. Making up for the same here. The D50 is being put to use only for the pics on this blog. Been a while since I updated f0t0n. Well, things are in a state of flux right now. Trip to India is less than a month away. Will wait for the dust to settle down before I get back on the fotoblog. Till then, watch this space for more action.

Ciao people, be good.

Dimpled

2006-07-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

"Frame'd" too

2006-07-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

"Frame'd"

2006-07-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

Trying to make up for lost time here. Lots of unfinished artwork lying around in my apartment. Finally got around to reworking/finishing a few. Sample above.

Blinded

2006-07-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

NO. This blog is not dead. And nor am I. Been pursuing other interests lately. Travelling, biking and of course, the FIFA world cup. Made a short trip to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Got loaded on tequilas and chiquitas. Haven't decided which I liked more. Bot a new all-terrain bike a month back. Sidewalks are the only terrain I have explored so far. But a 'pedal in the right direction' at least.

Framed and donated some of my art-work. 'Donated' because nobody pays good money for art these days. Which, sadly, might kill this blog someday. Sigh.

(Accepting donations now.)

Coy

2006-06-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Waiting

2006-06-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

Sideways

2006-06-11T00:20:00.000-07:00

Shady

2006-06-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

People,

Been away from the charcoal and graphite for a while now. Posting some doodles as a keep-alive beacon for this blog.

Made a road-trip to Arkansas last weekend. Fishing and fotography happened. Fotography was, well, so-so. Lets not talk about the fishing experience. Nothing to take away from Arkansas though. Beautiful state. I highly recommend it.

Nicoteen

2006-05-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

Experimenting with color pencils and image-processing tools. Inspired by a pic I saw on Flickr some days ago.

Didn't post-process this as much as I did the others in the graphic-art series. Wanted to keep the pencil and charcoal strokes alive.

Good news on the D50 front. The 18-55mm lens is back from repair. Been taking the 55-200mm telephoto kit out quite a bit. F0t0n has a few samples. More action over the weekend.

All for now people. Be good.

Ciao.

What the .... ???

2006-04-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

Ya, I know. The blogsite has changed. With no prior notice. Apologies.

Also, the title of the blog has changed. Still love the "One King to Rule them All ... ", but things, as you know, have to change with time. A brain-wave at 3:00 am. Bammm. Change.

To the uninitiated, the title "One King to Rule them All ..." spun off from the very famous verse in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings -

One ring to rule them all,
One ring to find them,
One ring to bring them all,
And in the darkness, bind them.

Well, anyhow, that's history now. People, say Hello to Z-Quadrant.

Cutting Corners

2006-04-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

Several failed attempts and shots of Kahlua later, here we are. Last in the graphic-art series. Wanted to have a 'satisfiying end', hence the delay.

Junkie-2

2006-04-23T08:55:00.001-07:00

Had to remove some artifacts from the previous sketch. And also tweak some color balances. Hence the post. Ran back and forth between my 'Sin City' volumes for enlightenment.

Junkie

2006-04-21T20:58:00.000-07:00

Second in the line of graphic art sketches. Women who smoke have always fascinated me. ;-) Pardon me for reliving my fantasies here.

On the D50 front, bot a new SLIK 300DX tripod and will be investing in the 55-200mm lens this weekend. More action coming soon. Woo-hoooo.

If looks could kill ...

2006-04-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

Promised something new in my last post. And here it is. "The Doodling Experiment Revisited".

Inspired by graphic art. Particularly my protege, Frank Miller. Post processed for the grainy, high-contrast look - typical of comic books.

1/2

2006-04-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Back sooner than I expected. Decided that I can't sit pretty till the D50 is fixed. So got working on fixing some old sketches like this one. Pic courtesy of the PowerShot.

Been doing the female potrait thing for a while now. The time has now come to elevate the 'Doodling Experiment' a couple of notches. Have some ideas in mind and am in the process of execution. The medium will remain the same. The attitude however, will change. Hopefully for the better.

Also looking into lamination and framing. Some of the old charcoals are showing signs of smudging. Reading and movies are in status quo.

Planning to head off to Fredericksburg sometime over next weekend. Sleepy German town west of Austin. Famous for beer and bakeries. Lynyrd Skynyrd's coming to Dallas in July. Will be back from India by then. Will try to make it there. More when that happens. Till then, ciao and be good.

Big Bend and Beyond

2006-04-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

Well people,

Was far away from civilization and the blog last weekend. Made the Big Bend road trip. South of Texas. Bordering on Mexico. Dry desert county. Three days out in the wild. No radio. No TV. No cell phone. No internet. Trekking. Hiking. More trekking. Blisters. Bruises. Sunsets. Gorges. Canyons. Rock formations. Stunts. Near-death-experiences. Enlightenment. Wild-flowers. Vistas. Shock. Awe. Alcohol. Numbness. Nirvana. Inspiration.

Orgasmic. Ya, I know. Alrite, let's not get carried away. Awesome experience. Period.

Fotography happened. Sad part is that I damaged the D50. Sigh. :-( Yes, I wept. All pics taken with the PowerShot. Working on the D50. Hope I don't damage my wallet in the process.

There will be a state of suspension of activity on this blog till the D50 issue is resolved. Please bear with me.

Iris

2006-03-29T17:49:00.000-08:00

And I'd give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now.

Iris.
Goo Goo Dolls

Suspended Animation

2006-03-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry folks, had to revisit the 'Doodling Experiment'. Several areas left unexplored. The D50 is not gathering dust though. All pics are products thereof. Not the best use of the D50, but a start anyhow. Lame start, I agree. Used graphite, charcoal and kneaded rubber in the above. Post processed for the over-exposed look.

Inspired

2006-03-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

Million Dollar Smile ???

2006-03-09T21:47:00.000-08:00

Eyes Wide Shut

2006-03-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

Deviating from the norm here. Inspired from the Red-White-Black group in Flickr. This was an experiment. And from the result, looks like I should stick to black and white.

On a slightly different note - South by South West is kicking off this weekend. What is it? Well, in few words, "modern-day Woodstock". Really wanna make it there. Close to 300 green for a ticket. Damn. The best things in life come with a price tag. Sigh. Accepting donations now.

Two Faced

2006-03-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

Back again. Been doodling and drawing. Some samples above. The charcoal sticks still rest. Was at Dallas/Arlington last weekend. Coldplay happened. Stimulating audio-visual experience. Coldplay provided the audio. Women provided the visual. Got my money's worth. Maybe even more.

Will get into fotography mode starting this weekend.

Till then, people, be good.

Back to Formula

2006-02-22T21:43:00.000-08:00

Decided to go 'back to formula' today. By that, I mean back to good old lead pencils. Let the charcoal sticks be. For a while at least.

Got a whole new set of art supplies last weekend. The 'chiaroscuro' above has been made on hand-made sketch paper with Derwent leads (B, 2B, 4B).

Meanwhile, experiments with the D50 continue. (In fact, this pic was taken with the D50.) Still looking for inspiration.

Looking good, good-looking !!!

2006-02-17T21:10:00.000-08:00

Dazed and Confused.

2006-02-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

Laziness is the undoing of mankind. Yeah, sure is. But finally me got around to doing something about it.

Spun some charcoal and here's the result. Yep, 'Dazed and Confused' is what she turned out to be.

Not a sincere attempt, I agree. But something to keep this blog alive. Speaking of which, comments seem to have died down. I wonder why?

Well a bit of interesting news to report. Me bought the Nikon D50 last weekend. Been busy with that lately. Am in the research phase right now. Lots to be learnt before I can start doing something with it. From whatever experiments I did so far, it seems like I'd have to invest in some more lenses. In particular the AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G DX and the AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6 Zoom. More $$$. Sigh.

Looking for guidance. And money too.

Spin-off Notice

2006-02-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

My fotoblog is now shifting here.

This blog will still be kept alive. Words, wisecracks and weirdness will go on.

Look at the bright side

2006-02-06T21:28:00.000-08:00

Raj

2006-02-03T22:29:00.000-08:00

FINALLY THE RIGHT SIZE!!! PSHEW.

2006-02-03T08:42:00.000-08:00

E N L I G H T E N M E N T 2

2006-02-02T20:04:00.000-08:00

E N L I G H T E N M E N T 2
Originally uploaded by SpaceMonk3y.

Near, far and further beyond

2006-02-01T20:25:00.000-08:00

NEAR - ColdPlay's album cover "X&Y".

FAR - Box of altoids.

FURTHER BEYOND - Wall, window and wide open spaces.

Realization of the day - The kitchen counter and a halogen lamp maketh the poor man's studio.

Beginning of the end?

2006-02-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

Rang De Basanti.

2006-01-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

I'll keep this one short. Awesome. Period.

Jagged

2006-01-22T18:38:00.000-08:00

Ya I know, long time no post. Apologies. The reason is lack of inspiration. And lack of alcohol in the blood stream. Anyhow, lets hope that this phase is short-lived. Posting a pic I took couple of weeks back when my buddies were here in Austin for a reunion of sorts. That is the Capitol Building in downtown Austin. Captured at a seen-never-before angle. Ahem.

That was a good time. Reminiscing about the better times. Ah well. Snap back to reality. India trip is finally looking possible. June is when I make it there. Still haven't decided on the dates.

The ColdPlay gig date is getting closer. That'll mark my next trip to Dallas. Other than that, a trip to California is on the cards. Plan to squeeze it in sometime before the India trip.

That's it for now folks. More later.

Ciao.

PSYCHEDELIC

2006-01-14T09:50:00.000-08:00

E N L I G H T E N M E N T

2006-01-05T17:47:00.000-08:00

Flower Power

2006-01-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

Happy What Again?

2006-01-01T19:40:00.001-08:00

Yes people,

Been out of Austin for close to 10 days now. Had been to New Mexico for skiing on X'mas weekend. Perfected at least 3 different ways of falling flat on my face. Other than that, the beginner's training program was quite exciting. And even more so after seeing my buddies in the same pain as me. Jokes apart, it was great fun. At the end, we actually learned to maintain balance and gracefully come to a stop. Some people might beg to differ. That besides, the slopes are pretty neat. And so is the drive to and from NM and TX. All in all, good time, good fun. Some artful (?) fotography happened. Sample below.

Past week has been well, less exciting. Mostly hung around in Arlington. Watched movies. Drank. Putted at the mini-golf course. Drank. Watched TV. Drank. Caught the flu. Oops, no more drinking. Ya the past few days have been sad. Lets not talk about them. That includes the "New Year Bash". And at this point, I'd like to wish the readers (if any) a happy new year. Ya, rite.

Headed off to Austin tomorrow. Been off the sketch pad and reading. 'Steppenwolf' is taking a lot longer than I thought.

The Truth is Out There.

2005-12-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

Free your mind. Then follow it.

Words of wisdom for the day, people. Avid fans of 'The Matrix' will know that the search for the 'Truth' started with 'Follow the White Rabbit'. Been following mine for a while now.

And seems like winter's here. Finally. Hoping that the change of scenery will bring more inspiration into the fotography scene.

On the personal front - booked my tickets to the 'ColdPlay' concert. February 2006, Dallas. India trip getting delayed. April seems more like it.

Charcoal for Dummies.

2005-12-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

People,

Today I capture the 7 seemingly easy steps to spinning charcoal - *and* getting meaningful results. This post just documents my 'style' if you will; and is by no means an authoritative thesis on the art of charcoal sketching. There are much more refined methods, I am sure, but I certainly am known *not* to be a refined individual.

The images capture the general idea so I have not elaborated on the details involved in every step of the procedure.

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

That's it people. Lesson's over. Go ahead and practise.

Good luck.

NB: Your results may differ from those indicated above. The author does not assume any responsibility for any screw-ups caused due to your incompetence.

Back in Black, White and Shades of Gray

2005-12-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

Yes people,

Me's back. Yea yea, sooner than you'd expect. Have become more proactive on the blogging front. And this is how it should be. Anyhow, today's post is a lesson in amateur (read immature) fotography. As always it was difficult to find an 'art subject', so *art* itself became my *subject*. Ahem ahem.

Spun out a charcoal potrait and then started my experiment. I'd like to call this 'The Shutterbug Incident'. Well without further ado, here's the results.

No flash, large aperture value - to get more light into the lens.

Again no flash, smaller aperture value.

No flash, artificial ambient light. Autofocus on. No manual adjustment of aperture value or focal length.

Toying around with the flash intensity.

In case you haven't noticed, all the images above are clicked at an angle because a straight flat image looked extremely dull and uninteresting. The slant adds more perspective which I think makes things look a bit more 'real'.

Now here's what I found most interesting - The Macro Focus Mode. Grabs a lot of close range detail. The individual charcoal strokes are distinctly visible. You have to put the camera in a manual focus mode since the AiAf (Artificial Intelligence Auto Focus) does not lock on very well for close range subjects. Also you need to play around a lot with the aperture value and focal length.

And finally I seem to have got things right. Pshew. Note the clarity in the charcoal stick. The white shades on the sketch are highlighted well - though this only had to do with the angle at which the image was captured.

This post is not a means to promote my art in any manner whatsoever. If anything, it captures my learning curve or at least tries to. Such posts are meant to document my 'progress' if any and serve as a feedback point. In that spirit, criticism - constructive or otherwise - is much required and will be greatly appreciated.

NB: The sketch is just an art subject so I didn't spend much time on it. I found at least five major flaws in the sketch and I am sure there are many more. However, the point is to critique the fotography aspect and not the subject.

Lesson's over people. Class dismissed.

Wine, Women and Song

2005-12-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

People,

Been a while since I started my tryst with fotography. But no good has come off it. Or at least not yet.

Trust me, I've been working really hard at it. Been looking for inspiration almost everywhere I go. Been following Marooned's 'golden rules' quite religiously. BTW, you *have* to see his fotoblog. No seriously, he's good at it. In fact, he's the reason *I* am on it now. Not that I have done any justice to this inspiration, but it's an attempt nevertheless.

Anyhow, din't get much of inspiration from the outside world so me retreated back to my 'happy' place - my cubicle. (Sarcasm intended. Totally). And strangely, within the confines of my dull and otherwise uninteresting 'corporate cage', I realized something - Inspiration, like charity, begins at home. I asked myself - What is it that I need? What drives me? What *inspires* me?
And the answers were right in my cube.

First up - there's alcohol......

.....then there's women......

....and finally, good old 'rock n roll'!!

No gentlemen (and ladies if any), I agree there is no justice done to fotography but like I said, I gotta start someplace.

Incidentally, those sketches/doodles you see are figments of my imagination. Resemblance to anyone dead or alive is purely coincidental. Though of course, if you look like any of those ladies, let me have your number. ;)

On a parting note, weekend's here people. Lots to be done. Spun lots more charcoal. Just to lazy to post it up.

Keep the comments coming in people.

Home and back.

2005-11-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend at Arlington. Same people. Same place. Whole new ball game tho. Well quite literally. Went to the batting cage to try out some baseball swings. Sucked at it big time. Could hardly see the ball. Did much better at the mini golf course tho.

Also went to the Mavs game. Bastards lost to Memphis Grizzlies. "Memphis who?" you ask. Yeah. Memphis Grizzlies. Unheard-of team and beat us at our own game. And that too on our own turf. Sad. Anyhow, this was the first live game I saw. Quite an experience. The game sucked but the cheerleaders were what made up for it. I personally think the Mavs spend more money on the babes than on the boys. Not that I am complaining.

On the music front, 'Chemical Brothers' and 'Dead Can Dance' is what is playing. 'Coldplay' coming to Dallas sometime in Feb 06. Will be booking my tickets soon.

Spun some more charcoal lately. Will be posting the better ones soon. Keep watching this space for more.

Take care people.

"Charrie"-Anne Moss

2005-11-17T17:51:00.000-08:00

First of the series of charcoal potraits. Was watching 'The Matrix' the other day and somehow found Trinity very appealing. She has a hard jaw-line and sharp features; making her a very good potrait subject. The potrait is still unfinished. Well actually most of my works are. Which is why they never go 'public'. Ahem, ahem. For those who are interested, the potrait is in 4B and 6B charcoal on hand-made sketch paper. And btw, note the pun in the blog title. Thank you. (Bows graciously) :)

Anyhow, the tryst with photography has not been very fruitful. And photographing my 'art' (if I can call it that) has been a disgrace to both photography and my art. Anyway, this post is just to let you sample my skills and provide the much needed comments.

That apart, Thanksgiving weekend's coming up. Most likely will be travelling to Dallas and meet up with the gang. Meanwhile, might spin some more stuff over this weekend and post it up.

All for now people. As always, comments are welcome. Whether or not they will be appreciated is something I will decide.

Been there, done that.

2005-10-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

People,

The world is divided into two kinds of people - those who have been to a U2 concert, and those that should. Yes people, travelled to Dallas this weekend to attend the U2 'Vertigo' Concert. In a word it was 'simply awesome'. (Alright alright, thats two words. So shoot me.) No more words to describe the experience people. Go get your ticket and see it for yourself.

That apart, attended Mandhir and Pritpal's party. Both surds cleared their PhD pre-qualifiers. At first attempt that too. Good show guys. Anyhow the party was at the same place - Bentley's, and with the 'usual suspects'.

Before I close this post, the latest 'flight of fantasy' is going to be 'photoblogging' people. More on that as and when it happens.

Till then,
T.

Back again.

2005-10-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

Well people, been breathing easy for the last couple of weeks. In fact so easy and lazy that I haven't posted anything. After the product release this has been a welcome change though.

Lotsa movies, madness and malibu has happened since my last post. Read 'Angels & Demons' - prequel to the 'da Vinci Code'. Quite interesting. Also bought Frank Miller's 'That Yellow Bastard' - 4th episode of the Sin City graphic novels. As always, his animation is awesome and so is the story. Sketching continues. Have to scan some up and post them here. On the movie front, saw 'A History of Violence', 'Flight Plan'. Hmm. Ok. If you have nothing else to do with your time, passive entertainment is God's word. Which is exactly what these movies are.

Been exploring with my camera for a while now. Have to take it out and bring out the artist in me. That'll happen soon. As soon as this weekend maybe.

And how can I forget!!! Had been to Arlington a couple of weeks back. Got myself tattoo'ed at 360 Blues. :D. It's a marijuana leaf on my right shoulder. The 'grass' is always greener on the wild side. (Wicked grin).

Anyhow, gotta earn my paycheck now folks. Comments welcome as always.

T.

Quick Post

2005-09-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

People,

Things at work have been kinda tight and more importantly me had the writer's block (:-0) , hence the dormancy. Things worth mentioning since my last post are - boat cruise on lake Travis - awesome experience. Friends from work and beyond, alcohol and crisp lakeside air made the trip quite exciting. That apart, me's bought a digital camera (Canon Powershot A520). Finally. Very soon, the shutterbug in me will be unleashed. Amen to that.

Chicago will happen in a couple of weeks from now. This week is going to be grilling at work. But lets not get into details.

On the reading front, short stories by Edgar Allan Poe and the usual graphic novels. Movies - The Constant Gardener was good.

More later folks,
Till then,

T.

Passing by.

2005-08-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

Not a lot to write people, but enough reason for this post. Making a trip to Chicago end of September. Meeting up with my booze buddy Madhu a.k.a Jaidev a.k.a Morpheus a.k.a .... oh well never mind. Also plan to meet up with my ally-in-alcoholic-endeavours from Arlington -- Samar. So me's looking forward to that trip. Also next weekend, long weekend. Plans for a boat party coming up. Or so I heard in Friday's party. More about that as and when it happens.

Also people, the ground-breaking news is that 'Atlas Shrugged' is done. Finally. Pshew. Long book. Very long. Liked it a lot tho. 'Origin of Species' is next. Also looking into the realm of poetry and haiku. Yes artsy-fartsy, but I think it deserves a look.

Read another of Frank Miller's 'Sin City' episodes called 'That Yellow Bastard'. My respect for the guy grows continually. His art and stories seem to be getting better with each volume.

Rest's all's well and let's hope it stays that way.

Till further notice,
Take care people,

T.

Back in Black

2005-08-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

People,

Lotsa things happening these days. And there has been a whole lot of change between my last post and this one.

For starters, things at work got kinda tight which explains the lapse. But anyways, lets keep away from work and get back to the fun stuff. Had ordered my telescope but figured that the resolution was not all that high. So you can see these planets and galaxies and nebulae but further details such as relief features, craters, volcanos, life forms (???) are kinda obscured. So am waiting to get a higher power MEADE scope. Costs a bit, but that's the price you pay for keeping up with your hobbies. Not too much if you ask me.

Next, booked my tickets for the greatest concert on earth. Yes, U2's VERTIGO tour people. Dallas, October 29th. Time to rock 'n roll. Have heard that it's a bang. Time to see it for myself. The price I paid for the ticket was ridiculous but then again, as I said before, that's the price you pay.

September 04 - Long weekend. Nothing planned yet. Will be working my butt out till the middle of September. Some work deadlines. So that kinda shoots the weekend's plans in the butt. But you never know. Things might just happen.

Next, the latest and greatest I am into these days is graphic novels - a step ahead of comic books. Mostly been reading Frank Miller's 'Sin City' and 'The Return of the Dark Knight'. The stories are well, so-so; but the animation is quite unlike what I have seen so far. In a single word - awesome. Among my other favourite animators are Jim Lee, who mainly illustrates for the Batman series like Hush. So on a similar note, I have moved from still life and potrait sketching to action heroes (again, Batman mainly).

More on the reading front - bought Charles Darwin's 'Origin of Species' last week. Haven't started it yet but will do so soon. 'Atlas Shrugged' continues, slowly but surely. The story has taken an interesting turn and the philosophy has become deeper, which explains the slowness. :)

Other than that, cricket will resume this weekend. Thankfully. On the movie front, there's been a lot of stuff. Saw 'The March of the Penguins' which in fact is a National Geographic documentary. Good stuff. This inspired me to buy the 'Origin of Species' in the first place. On a slightly deviant note, I have noticed that Austin is kind of an 'artsy' place, if you will. Not just the live music and jazz and lakeside cafes and roadside diners, but things like the screening of documentaries, foreign films and then the european beer distilleries, bakeries give you a deeper sense of true multi-cultural roots. Anyways, back to movies. 'Four Brothers' was a good movie. Typical masala movie with a twisted ending. Man do I love those.

All for now people. More later.

Till then,
Be good.

T.

Note: Philosophy is in a state of suspension.

2005-07-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been well, quite uneventful. The reason for this post is to notify readers (if any) of a marked change in the blog. For certain reasons (quite foggy to me too) I have decided to pull down the post on Philosophy and suspend further writings in this genre. I have some serious thinking and rethinking to do. That however does not change whatever I had on the post.

Back to life here in Austin... well watched 'The Island' this weekend. Nice concept. OK'ish movie. Watchable. Also finished reading Rowling's latest HP book 'The Half-Blood Prince'. Nice book. Worth it's time and money, I should think. 'Atlas Shrugged' is still in a state of suspension. Also finished 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest'. Somehow, it wasn't as awesome as I expected it to be.
'The Alchemist' is the next on my to-do list.

A financial crunch has put the telescope project into suspension. Hopefully things will be sorted out in a couple of weeks.

Partied last nite at Shubha's place - pal of mine at UTA. Got back at 4:00 am. Most of today was in a state of stupor. But we had a nice time.

All for now people.
Later,
T.

Independence Day!!!!

2005-07-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

This post is about last weekend. Fourth of July. Independence Day. Another reason to booze and paaar-teh. Arlington style.

Me drove to Arlington on Friday evening. Partied that nite at Bennigan's. Crab cakes and Kalamari. And alcohol of course. Rest I don't remember well. :O

Watched 'War of the Worlds' the next day. Ok'ish. Nothing spectacular. Then watched 'The Incredibles' at home. Somehow I'll never outgrow my fascination for animation.

Next day was something the Gods had planned. The nite at least. The Mother-of-all-paar-teeees. Yes people, Bentley's on the school campus. 10-12 odd people. Usual suspects. And alcohol. Lethal combination. Literally. Somebody broke a glass. Somebody spilled a drink all over me and Manny. Alcohol was 'flowing' - literally speaking. Thanks to Naren for driving me back home. Anyways, nursed a hangover next day and drove back to Austin. The return trip always sucks.

Somehow we never manage to click snaps of our parties. I guess the alcohol might have something to do with it. Hmm. Another thing is that I somehow never write about work. Never mix business with pleasure or alcohol. Don't wanna ruin the 'fan-following' of the post, you see.

Speaking of fan-following, the philosophical posts are in a state of suspension people. But have patience. Good things come to those who wait.

Saw 'Fantastic Four' this weekend. Viewable.

Attended the 'Austin Astronomical Society' meeting. That place is filled with oldies. The good part is that it is a part of UT, Austin's astronomical program - so get to see some of UT that way. Have a star-gazing party next weekend. Will have a post about that hopefully if things go well. Might have some snaps too.

Bought Paulo Coelho's 'Alchemist'. Seems like a good book so far.

All for now folks. Keep watching this space for more.
T.

Momentary Lapse of Wisdom

2005-07-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

People,

Am back. Minus some wisdom teeth. But back nevertheless. Had to undergo a minor surgical procedure last week to extract my wisdom teeth. Not as painful as I had expected it to be. There was a point in the surgery when I gained conciousness and opened my eyes to see the dentist leaning into my mouth with a chisel (yes, its true) and his assistant in the background with something that looked like a drill gun. I passed out. Thankfully.

Anyways, that's all I remember of the ordeal. Things have been fine ever since. Have returned to my regular diet. Before I forget, thanks to my bud AJ who came down from Arlington to see me through the surgery. We saw 'Batman Begins' last week - hours after the surgery. Nice movie - go watch it. I was absolutely thrilled since I am a huge Batman fan. Seen the movie twice already.

Also am now a member of the Austin Astronomical Society. Next big thing is to buy a telescope. Should be doing that soon enough. Been doing a lot of reading on astronomy so I know what to look for once I get my scope.

Speaking of reading - read 'Catcher in the Rye' last weekend. Not very amazing literature, but readable. That apart, half-way through 'Atlas Shrugged'. Quite gripping so far. Also bought 'One flew over the Cuckoo's nest'. Seems like a good one.

Fourth of July weekend - Travelling to Arlington. Meet up with my buds!!! Me's off my antibiotics now, so alcohol is doable. All in good time. Paaar-teh time people !!!! :D

All for now people. Second take on Philosophy will come soon. Regardless of whether you like it or not.

Ciao folks,
T.

The Return of the King

2005-06-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

Yes people,

On popular demand, the man is back, in all his mayhem and madness. Lotsa things have happened since my last post. Most of them were not so good, so me went under the radar for some time. Anyways, now its time to resurface and be 'back in action', so to speak.

In a nutshell, the NY thingie didn't quite work out - lets not get into details. The good news is that me's found a better(??) job and that too in Austin, TX - yep, 'live music capital of the world'. Have been here for over a month now. Things have been good, so far. Touch wood and God bless. The best thing is that I am still close to Arlington and my hommies, my buds, my pals, my bros. The irony is quite striking - all the time I was there, I was wondering when I'd ever get out. And now that I am out, I have visited the place three times in less than a month. Well, weird are the ways of life.

Anyways, me's moved into a one bedroom apartment now. Living alone. I know, it sucks. Other thing is - bought a Toyota Camry. Preowned, loaned, green and mean.

Had been to San Antonio this weekend - usual crap - Sea World, San Marcos, didn't do the riverwalk thing this time tho. Snaps online at -> http://photos.yahoo.com/tanmayzargar

Been doing a lot of reading these days. 'To kill a mockingbird' is awesome. Go and read it. Now. 'Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance' is way too deep. 'Atlas shrugged' is what I am working on these days. 'Who is John Galt?'

That apart, life is good. There are times when I reflect on my existence and question its purpose. Somehow, Bacardi is the only answer I get. Kidding aside, I think a lot these days - when I am sober enough to, that is. More on that later. Gotta go now.

Take care ppl,
And keep the comments coming in.

T.

People, say hello to New York!!

2005-03-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

Yes people, today was the first day of work in the Big Apple. Took the PATH train to WTC this morning. Entered NY from under Ground Zero (ground-breaking entry so to speak!). In the next 15 minutes that I took to walk down to my office, I realized that NY is nowhere like the places I have been to so far. High rise buildings, road side eateries, yelling cabbies, mad rush of people. Seems like a whole new world so far.

The weather was cloudy, kinda cold. Reached office, checked in and the desk clerk showed me my desk. Window seat in a large room. Share the room with two other guys. Nice time at work today. Never been on the 19th floor of any building ever in my life. So this was a first timer. People seem to be fine. That's a good thing b'cause I am not a 'people' person. Paradoxically, only people who know me will understand. :D

Anyways, am headed off home now. Next post will take some time. So please be patient people. ;)

T.

New Jersey, the moment of truth has arrived!!!!

2005-03-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

People,

Reached NJ this morning. Been a screwed up start to the NY saga. Missed the connecting flight in Chicago last nite (Yes, thank you, I am indeed very capable - and no further questions please) - So anyways, I had to sleep on the terminal floor and catch the connecting flight early this morning. Blaaaah.

Rest of the trip till home was pretty uneventful thankfully.

I am sharing a two bedroom apartment with two other guys - Abhi and Amit, and things so far have been very comfortable. And for the record, my address is -
330 Sussex St., #2,
Harrison, NJ 07029.

Been a cold and wet day, so couldn't do much. Went to the mall to watch "Ring 2" with Amit. Movie was kinda okayish. It dint scare me so you can figure how scary (?) it must have been.

Anyways, now the man prepares himself for the big day tomorrow. The day of reckoning, the moment of truth, the day I step into the world of corporate America, blah blah blah. (YAAAWN)

Time to crash now. More later people.

T.

Leaving for NY!!!

2005-03-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

Fellow UTA'ites and other forms of life,

The man shall be moving out of Arlington (TX) to grace the city of New York this Saturday (March 19th). Will be staying at Harrison, NJ. And yes, I shall be "working" (or at least pretending to work) at Broadband Maritime, Inc. - in downtown Manhattan. Ahem. Cough-cough. 19th floor of a high-rise, if you please. Will have to watch out for passing planes tho. ;)

It's been a long time here in the sleepy town of Arlington. Have made many friends here. And an equal number of foes, I am sure. ;) In any case, I hate to leave this place and the people. This blog is a tribute to all those who've been with me on the much-talked-about road trips [and trips to other unmentionable places ;)], watching those horror movies (:O TCM still rocks people!!), cramming for exams, waiting in the (endless) queues for paying the semester fees, hogging at CiCi's (Kaushal, this one's for you!), having a couple of rounds in Bentley's (and still managing to walk back home), bowling and shooting pool at the Rec Center (Pritpal, Shailu - I still won the last game!!) and last but definitely not the least - those FREEDOM FRIDAY PARTIES!!!!! (Too bad the cops busted the last party guys. Damn.)

A special note of thanks to my roomies/my hommies/my brothers - Kaushal, Aj, Abhinay, Prazz. And then the GANG - Anil, Tilu, Gora baba, Manny, Pritpal (mera bhai), Shailu, Raaj (I can hear the women crying), Ranga, Tarang (Friend/Foe/Filosopher/Freak!!), VJ and the rest at Maple Square and Aquarius. Gonna miss you guys!!! Please keep the spirits (literally and otherwise) high people!!

Those of you who (still) wanna keep in touch (though I seriously wonder why), ping me at tanmay.zargar@gmail.com.

Thanks people, and may the force be with you.
~TZ.