Rock out

By Dhiren | Published: January 28, 2011

OK, I promise this blog isn’t turning into a collection of crap YouTube clips. Really, I do promise; however, the clip above is quite immense.

Normal text-based service will resume soon.

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Kafka on animals

By Dhiren | Published: January 26, 2011

Just started reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.

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Driving? Fuckin’ flying, man!

By Dhiren | Published: January 26, 2011

I wasn’t originally impressed with Blind Faith, Chase and Status’s latest track. “Nineties throwback,” I thought. Later, I realised it was supposed to be exactly that.

The video has immaculate attention to detail. The cars, wardrobe and props are  really well researched, and I’m near-certain that Gavin Watson’s Raving ’89 influenced the entire production.

I felt slightly nostalgic when I saw a convoy of XR2 Fiestas en route to a warehouse rave. When I was nineteen, I had a VW hatch-coupe with an Alpine sound system, a fade haircut, Reebok Classics and Nike Air Max 180s. I’m not embarrassed.

Pic via Urban Nerds.

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Meat Is Murder

By Dhiren | Published: January 23, 2011

I’ve been paying more attention to food recently. If truth be told, I’ve been “fussy” about food, in various respects, since I was sixteen. I was raised a Vegetarian, tried eating meat for three years, during my early twenties, and then settled for Pescatarianism.

I kept fish in my diet for practicality: lunch with clients, dinner with friends and generally eating out. However, as I’ve grown older my politics have evolved, I’ve studied what we consume and become more competent in the Kitchen.

Eating at the amazing Bonnington Square Cafe, the vast array of new Mexican restaurants in London, cooking from Plenty and traditional Gujarati dishes are redirecting me back to a life of pure Vegetarianism.

I’m down with Morrissey. He made some good points.

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Dot Kom

By Dhiren | Published: January 16, 2011

I read a good article in the Guardian Review this morning. Laura Miller, a literary journalist, documents how mainstream novelists are finally acknowledging the internet, as a life changing utility, instead of continuously trying to write timeless masterpieces, rooted in historic settings.

Miller elaborates on how this behaviour, from old school types, is not new, as TV was literature’s enemy long before social networks, email and wikipedia. However, over the last few years, a new band of writers have started to buck the trend.

In addition to Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen, which was always on my wish list, I’m going to pick up A visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Eagan, which is due for realise this summer. Judging by Miller’s review it has an Orwellian tone and I’m hoping for an up-to-date version of 1984.

By the by, I went searching for some classics yesterday—only to be disappointed by Waterstone’s. If you’re competing with Amazon why do you not stock the classics and popular new releases? Madness.

pic from openlines

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Staccato

By Dhiren | Published: January 12, 2011

I like James Elroy—even though he’s a slight racist. Why? Well, shortly after putting down LA Confidential, I read about his roller coster life in an issue of Esquire.

He’s definitely from the school of hard-knocks, but he got through it by committing to his writing. Sure, he’s bonkers and has a weird, sexual infatuation with his dead mother, but above all that he’s adept at stringing a story together with short, staccato sentences.

Pic by Digital Slander

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Lack of knowledge can be a strength

By Dhiren | Published: January 8, 2011

“My lack of knowledge in the beginning really helped, and really just made me refine what little I knew to make it work.”

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Rebel

By Dhiren | Published: January 8, 2011

Rich folks do not want me around

Cos it might pop off, and when it pop off

Somebody gon’ get laid the f*** out

They call me new money, say I have no class

I’m from the bottom, I came up too fast

The hell if I care, I’m just here to get my cash.

50 Cent, 2004.

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Thinking: Big Mouth

By Dhiren | Published: January 5, 2011

A HR Manager once told me, “Dhiren, shout about what you do. It’s important that your Line Manager knows all about the good work that you’re doing.” Really? I was baffled to be honest. I’ve never been one to rave about my work – good or bad – because I’m just not that egotistical. Besides, with so many smart and really experienced people around me, who was I to go around shouting about what I did.

Was it not my Line Manager’s duty to recognise my work? Why was the agency advocating narcissistic behaviour? The conversation recently came flooding back to me, whilst I was reading a really good blog.

The writer of the blog isn’t a shouter; he doesn’t parade himself on Twitter and name drop all the time. What he does do is write very, very original content. Other bloggers in the same field are definitely shouty, but their content is, well, mediocre at best.

My tip for 2011? Shut up! That’s right keep it canned until you’re really, really good at something and then, once you’ve reached that pinnacle, let your work speak for itself.

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Hello Stranger

By Dhiren | Published: December 29, 2010

I haven’t read/looked at the Sartorialist in ages, yet reading it today reminded me why it’s one of the best fashion blogs on the web. All the pictures are shot using a high quality camera, probably a Canon Mk 1D or an instrument of similar caliber, and he’s just excellent at framing people.

As for the content? Well, you don’t need me to you tell that she’s beautiful.

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