Must have Mac Software

Ever since the move to Mac about 3 years ago, its been a mixture of agony and pleasure. For starters, until Snow Leopard, using Mac in a "corporate" world was a joke. No integration to Exchange (yeah, call it evil or whatever - it is THE standard in corporate email), and no calendar integration of any sorts. It was like living without O2. But, there were so many good things about the Mac that the corporate citizen in me, figured out ways to work around the everyday challenges that a Mac posed. Solutions ranging from Entourage (yikes!) to Outlook Web Access to Parallels (really, if u have to run Windows in the background, whats the point?) to CrossOvers. You name it and everything was tried. None of it even ever came close to being the REAL thing, unsurprisingly!

And then came along a performance release of Leopard with a couple of features - go figure :) Snow Leopard has had its issues. My Mac never crashed before Snow Leopard, but now, its not as rare. Apps crashes a bit more, but Mail.app's out of the box integration to MS Exchange and also, seemless calendar integration was all anyone can ever ask for, in a single release. My question to Apple would be - what the heck took soooo long? I mean, its not like Apple has a competing product to Microsoft in the corporate email server/calendar server. So, why did it take so long? But, I guess, they did get it right. Both in the iPhone and on the desktop.

Anyways, for anyone new to the Mac or even pro users of Mac, a few must have apps:
- OmniFocus (in general, all Omnigroup apps are great) - this is the uber task manager you will ever find; If you have it, but dont use it, then, I recommend relearning the tool through a couple of 30min tutorials available through Omnigroup website. +1 for iPhone integration
- Evernote
- Asana
- Mail.app, iCal etc - this is brain dead, yes, but SmartFolders, multiple calendars etc makes life so much easier
- 1Password - Absolute life saver
- Alfred - yeah, turn that Apple Spotlight off and use Alfred
- Adium - well, the only IM client you need, period
- Colloquoy - IRC client, if u need one
- AppFresh - Keep all your apps up2date; really useful. Its still in Beta and it doesnt work with all apps, but atleast this is a good start
- AppCleaner - Works nicely; UI is a bit quirky; but once you figure it out, its useful
- Caffeine - Must have app; its a great little app to override the power saver/screen saver settings
- Gimp - Free online image editor; I have used it and again, its a bit quirky, but if you figure it out, its super useful
- NXClient - very useful tool - a la Remote Desktop for Linux systems
- TextMate - great Text Editor
- iTerm - great Terminal
- XMind - great tool to brainstorm

New York [Guggenheim & Met]

NYC is a fantastic city, especially when one could couch-it someplace in the city. NYC in December should've been and could've been very cold, but this particular week was fabulously warm and the weather enabled me to walk about in the city a bit. Would I want to live in this city? Maybe? Manhattan is definitely a place to visit and soak it all in. Now, living here might be something else. I didnt have the luxury of time to experience the local scene, but I get the distinct feeling that I would love to live in the west or east side of Upper Manhattan. I walked more than 50 blocks one day and 30 or more blocks on another instance and it was a pleasant experience.

Talking about NY experiences, this is my first trip without any major worries. In the years past, my association with the city has been nothing but theatrics, with quiet a bit of anxious moments spent, wondering about who is gonna mug you. Maybe I have gotten used to the place and the pace, or maybe I have grown to like the craziness. Nevertheless, this visit was very eye opening. Specifically, visits to the Guggenheim and Met were extraordinary.

Guggenheim: I have heard and read about the Gugg for its architecture. Thanks to a friend of mine, I was well acquainted to the works of Frank Lloyd Wright. But, what I experienced in the Guggenheim was completely astounding and mind bending - Kandinsky. Kandinsky was not known to me before, but that ignorance now is blissfully behind me. I have poured over his works and his life in the last few days and its fair to say that I'm enthralled and motivated by his oeuvre. Starting at an age of 30 is no mean task despite his wealthy background that enabled him to attempt what he truly loved. The afternoon I spent at Guggenheim was vastly inadequate. His work is the most prolific, ranging from watercolors/sketches to large paintings. It was fascinating to learn that the Guggenheim building by Wright was inspired by Kandinsky's work. I feel thankful to see this collection @ the Gugg. Now, I await my amazon delivery of the "Complete writings on Art by Kandinsky" that implores the "Spiritual of Art" and his study of lines & points and other observations on art. The museum book on Kandinsky was specatular and I'm still soaking in documented history of Kandinsky.

Met : Met can be intimidating to a casual museum goer. Its one of the biggest museums of the world. Its a shame to be able to spend only one afternoon here. But, anytime spent here is a worth a lifetime of learning. I spent all the time in one section of the museum - the Greek and Roman art of the 5thBC to 1st AD. It was a vast collection. The sculptures and art of that ancient period provides you with a perspective to deal with one's daily life/struggles and its irrelevance.

Its a very weird experience, to feel overwhelmed but also, inspired, conflict abounds, hopes and despair combining well to cause immense introspection. Both of these experiences called for a long walk, amidst NYC skyscrappers on a cold, windy evening.

Il Trittico & The Abduction from the Seraglio

Sept 2009 was the time for Operas. 2 operas in 2 days - a bit overwhelming? Not really. It was a welcome break from craziness elsewhere.

Abduction from Seraglio was visually stunning and the soprano had a wonderful tenor. The rendition was fabulous. The only opera that I didnt like this year was Il Travatore.

Il Trittico was very unique in that it combined 3 different parts into a single opera, each one of them could have been an entire opera on its own, but this Puccini trio didnt disappoint. Its been 3 months since I saw this opera, but I still vividly remember it. [Well, I remember Il Travatore as well - which was more comical for its rendition and my rating of that was way down - so, my memory of operas, I guess, doesnt say much about the quality of the opera. Notoriety is, afterall, a double-edged sword.] All the three acts were excellent; I didnt really understand why it was all combined into one story, but I guess there must be a good reason... Note to self - research that aspect of Il Trittico.

I do want to watch the Wagner's Die Walkure beginning of next year. Until then, I will have time to muse about the 3 operas I saw this year.

Review of the open air opera (Opera in the ballpark) - Tosca

coming soon as well... but this is not an all gaga one :)

Montreal...

Coming soon...

SF Intl Film Festival

Occasions like the SF Intl Film Festival 2009 is the main reason to move to the city. Even though I was very ambitious while buying tickets, reality was that it was hard to get out of work early and catch as many movies as I would have liked. I wasted a few tickets, but overall feel vindicated following this event with fervor.

Here are the movies I watched and absolutely enjoyed. I couldnt have picked a better mix of movies, each with its own twists and tales.

Sonbahar (Autumn) - 2008 - Turkish

Beautiful photography - Must see for any nature lover. Didnt know Turkey was such a beautiful country. Its definitely in my list of countries to visit now. Better catch it early, before it becomes a tourist hotbed.

The movie is about a political prisoner, released after 12 hard years, tortured and carrying more mental scars than physical - maybe I'm wrong - mental scars matching his physical. He spends most of his days in his small home town, up in the mountains, where everyone knows everyone. While physically there, he has a very hard time coming back to the present - lives a morbid life - choking from both fearful memories and a fading life. Though still very young, he lacks all interest in life, beaten and weighed down by his past.

Egged by a his childhood friend to rediscover life, he finally shows some emotion after a trip to a mountain lodge in the middle of winter. He screams his gut out, over a valley! Pushed hard, he finally falls in love (if you could call that) with a prostitute who is equally lost in her profession, forging a living away from her country Georgia, selling herself to support her daughter.

If you are looking for a happy ending, this movie is a poor choice. Just as the dude starts accepting his love for the woman, she decides to move and provides him an ultimatum to bring his passport and start a journey. He obliges and as luck would have it, he misses her ultimatum by a few minutes and thus loses her.

Depressing... Nah... The beauty in the movie is its lack of the 'so-called-happiness/happy ending' factor.

Heaven's heart - Swedish

This story is about 2 middle aged couple, going through a mid-life crisis. Both couples wondering if the stoic yet happy life, is all there is to a love life and contemplate infidelity. While one from each couple [one wife and one husband] is intrigued by it, the other pair is strongly taken back by the idea. But, strangely as it may be, the less-confident opposites from each pair find solace in each other and practice exactly the opposite of what they fear the most. While this leads to both the couples' short-term breakup, they also find the reason that they were looking for to start with, a reassurance in their chosen paths and marriage.

Some interesting tidbits about the movie - the setting was very scandinavian that Ikea could learn a few tips (no, not cheap, just very contemporary). The entire movie was shot in 5-6 spots - kitchen, dining table, living room, bedroom and lastly, the balcony of the house. Low budget? Hardly. But, very chic and tight. The opposite of the previous movie - vast in its outdoor experience.

Artemisia - Taiwanese

I was about to write my notes on this movie and found an excellent writeup.

This movie made me laugh, and also gave me enough to contemplate. What would you do if your kids challenge you on a daily basis? What would I do, if ever? But to freak out, is not an option, I suppose. Or is it?

Okuribito (Departures) - Japanese

This is a story about untabooing any taboo you might ever think of. Really. Talk about jobs that you wouldnt do. What classic extremes life has to offer! From a cellist with big dreams to a funeral undertaker. However random your job maybe, if you give it all your heart and soul, there is guaranteed transcending quality about your life - such is the story, so vividly knit. If this movie doesnt move you, ... Surreal. Elegantly told and every character in the movie has a purpose and all of the actors play a wonderful, real, and compact role. This movie is all that "Sunshine cleaning" ought to have been. And sunshine cleaning was not so bad :)

Travel Bug : Mission NZ

After a spell of staying put in SF, the fire in me to travel has rekindled and I'm out and about planning my next travel. Traveling is addictive - the more you go, the more you wanna go... Luckily, world travel is still quite primitive - otherwise, we will all be traveling around the world too quickly and will forget to smell the roses.

I have one too many friends who inspire me daily; I know a lucky friend of mine, working in Europe and traveling around there a bit, much too much to my agony :) (yes, I'm unabashedly jealous!) Another one, has traveled the world so many times, that his life must be boring, now that, he has set a fairly monotonous rhythm to his journeys - again, my envy gets the better and reduces his flight among the birds a trivial pursuit. Thinking about his life and journeys, would I ever be able to leave all my creature comforts behind, and pursue such a path of monotone? Maybe for a short while... ? How short 'short' really is? Ever since last November, these thoughts have become ever so strong - with the passing away of a very close friend of mine - letting his last gasp of air following his dream. Watching his memorial slideshow gallery and finding bits and pieces of my life intertwined with his, but still, missing a huge portion of destinations, leaves me yearning to follow his erstwhile sojourn. Was Juergen a forceful divine suggestion/intervention of sorts? - if one could call it that - maybe its my destiny perhaps, to elongate his footprint around the world, to provide continuity to his merrily quest. Such thoughts, often, bring to forth my worldly commitments, reminds me of the bills that are due, the responsibilities that weigh me down - or is this all just a facade of a coward, with no courage to pursue what could potentially be his only path for eden. For now, I procrastinate, in the vain hope of attaining this magical illusion of 'sustainability', that last deposit to come back to, planning a resting place for the weary feet.

A lovely song, Burden of thought, from one of my newly discovered bands (Epidemic), comes to forefront. Could I be suffering a serious bout of BoT? Sometimes I feel the time is just around the corner, to set my sails and spread my wings wide, and follow the unchartered territory with no obvious plans - no maps, no return tickets.

A seriously quiet weekend among the giant sequoias, a 10 minute solo walk, had me convinced of this - multiple travels due the rest of the year. And Juergen needs to be exercised, among other things... Let the planning begin, I said, loudly. A few up my sleeve for the rest of the year, capping with NZ? Why the heck not! A long trip is so overdue!

Just another day @ Rearden

Xmas party pictures