Talking about Branding

I consider myself to be pretty brand unconscious. I really enjoyed reading No Logo by Naomi Klein quite sometime back. Now due to some writing that I wish to do, I am doing a lot of academic reading (literature review) around branding. I just finished reading 'Brand Hijack' by Alex Wipperfurth. Before that I read 'Citizen Brands' by Marc Gobe.

The problem is my personal experience with branding keep coming in between my readings. I was once (and I have done it only once, I am in no hurry to repeat the experience) splurging money and among other things I wanted to buy a handbag. I narrowed it down to two, one was Hidesign (must be their most basic range) and other had no name on it. Both were same price. I can't find a good link to one of Hidesign's print ads (and I am not particular to provide a link here) but I find them so obnoxious that I bought the other no name bag.

We all know that advertisers often target a particular segment and 'type' of personality with the right kind of cash in the pocket. The problem is I may occasionally have the cash to spare but I have no 'aspirations' to lead the particular kind of lifestyle they are insinuating at. And I am sure they must be having a name for my kind of cattle err consumer.

And I am reading about branding! Initially I would just switch off when I read what I didn't like. Now it is a bit better. I can read on even though I may disagree with the idea.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Inkfruit T Shirt

Inkfruit T Shirt

Remember the Inkfruit website? I got the promised T Shirt and I must say I liked it. Thank you Inkfruit. And apologies for no taking a better picture, with the weather being what it is many of my folks are taking turns to fall sick! Let us see if I too join the queue.

Off Topic- Thai Airways Espnstar.com Wimbledon Contest

You know, sometimes I do things on a whim, without any rhyme or reason! I watch Tennis a lot, at least I try to catch up all the grand slams. No, no watching Tennis is not what I am calling doing things without a rhyme or reason.

I tried to predict the winners for Wimbledon 2008 at Thai Airways ESPNStar.com Contest. Now that clearly belongs to 'doing things without rhyme or reason.'

But it got curiouser from there. I am using Mozilla Firefox and I tried filling out the form. Jeez it would not let me pick 'female' as my gender. And I must say that is mighty irritating. I mean in this age and time? Could be a bug? That is a stupid bug if it is.

Could be a malware/virus on my computer. But then if you have sometime to spare and if you use firefox would you please try this and let me know if it is a virus or not?

PS. I picked Roger Federer and Svetlana Kuznetsova as my winners. I am bored with Federer winning Wimbledon so many times but then he has not won anything this year and I am sure he is going to try hard. Kuznetsova I picked up on a whim! She also seems to be in form.

PPS. I am mailing to the good folks at contest@espnstar.com too. Let us see if there is something in this or if it is just my computer.

Update 1- Asked a friend who was online to try this out for me. She says she too can't pick 'female' as her gender in Firefox but can do so in IE. Now I have no idea what percent of the market is with Firefox but it is a mighty decent browser. Were the ESPN Star guys rushing when they did the site?

Reflection on the River Thames!

Reflection of a Duck on the Thames River, Oxford

It was that time of the year in Oxford, UK (June 2008) when light used to be in abundance and it was easy to catch reflections on the river Thames. I love catching reflections in my photographs.

Also, in the British college curriculum (BBA) there is a heavy emphasis on reflection as a technique of self development. I mean, in one of the courses I teach my students get video recorded while giving mock interviews (among many other things) and they can see the tapes and reflect on what went right and what needs to be changed. Now I as a student never had any such opportunity and made all my mistakes live.

I remember I once appeared in an interview for sports journalism with the Indian Express Group. I was just about to finish my Ph.D. and on a whim I made a CV and sent it across. In the interview I was asked, "Why Sports Journalism now?" And like a fool I said, "Because I wish to take a break." Now when was anyone interested in sponsoring my break? Anyway, I learned my lesson.

At the moment, I do not have to teach and I have some great writing assignments lined up. Academic writing does not comes easily to me, it is lot of hard work, slogging but it is also something that I like a lot. However the resolve to see them through wavering at times! Which would be suicide.

It is time to pause, to reflect. And get things going.

Radcliffe Square- The Most Beautiful Place in Oxford

If you ask me, I consider the Radcliffe Square the most beautiful area in the entire Oxford (OK, whatever I have seen of it). It is right in the center of the town. Walk on the High street towards Magdalen Bridge and take a turn on your left near the St. Mary's Church and there you are!

Radcliffe Camera and the Colleges Surrounding it

It is a small square but walking around it is such a pleasure or just sit on the sidewalks and see others hurrying past!

St. Mary's Church

At one front of the square is the St. Mary's Church. The building is beautiful to watch from the outside but if you want a lot of peace and quiet all you have to do is to get inside (the entrance is free, they charge 3 pounds if you wish climb to the top of St. Mary's Church, which I did this time) climb the stairs and sit in the pew in a corner. Suddenly there is a lot of peace around you disturbed only occasionally by other tourists. I sat inside the church at least twice and it was cool and beautiful.

Gate to All Soul's College

Another very beautiful building in this square is the All Soul's College. Of course, the Christ Church is the most famous college in Oxford and it is very beautiful no doubt but All Soul's is equally stunning to look at!

View of Radcliffe Square from the top of St. Mary's Church

Then of course you can go to the top of St. Mary's Church and admire the uninterrupted view of the city. And then there is Brasenose College also but then I somehow have not clicked a decent picture of it.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Komik, Spiti

Komik, Spiti

Flying Jet Airways vs British Airways from IGI New Delhi to London Heathrow and Back

If you are planning to fly Jet Airways, please check out the log of the parents of Aditya Mohan, an infant who dies on a Brussels New Delhi Flight (added 13/08/2008).

London Heathrow from the Window of Flight 9W 121 from LHR to IGI New Delhi

This time when I went to UK in June 2008 our flight was with the Jet Airways. Last time I went to UK in October 2007 it was with British Airways. So, let me compare the flying experience from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi to London Heathrow with both Jet Airways and British Airways with India being my home country. The flight from Delhi to London takes 8 hours and all the flights that I took were more or less on time.

Time of Flight, Jet Airways vs BA (Delhi-London-Delhi)- Jet airways flights are more convenient if you are flying out of IGI New Delhi as it is around 2.15 pm in the afternoon vs. 1.00 am at night for British Airways. If you are like me and find it difficult to sleep on planes with Jet you reach London without missing a night's sleep as you reach London at 11.30 at night (summer, Indian time, 6.30 UK time). With BA as you fly out of IGI New Delhi at 1.00 am chances of enjoying either the in-flight entrainment or getting some sleep are low.

The return flight of Jet Airways is at 8.45 pm (British Time) from London Heathrow and arrives at 10.00 am (Indian Time) the next day, so you end up missing sleep and not enjoying in-flight entertainment with Jet. For BA one flight is at around 11.00 am (British Time) that arrives at IGI New Delhi smack in the middle of the night (India Time). Not sure which one is better for coming back.

I was lucky to get all the three seats to myself (so did my four colleagues) at the rear of the Jet Airways flight while coming back from London. So, I did get to lie down and thus attend office on Monday but I was dead tired.

Leg Space, Jet Airways vs BA (Delhi-London-Delhi)- I thought the leg space in the economy on Jet Airways was more rather than BA. But this is an impression (both mine and of my colleagues) and who knows by how much do actual measurements vary. Jet Airways planes are probably new and hence give the feeling of being better maintained than BA. But one has to wait and see how Jet fares as the planes become older.

In-flight Entertainment, Jet Airways vs BA (Delhi-London-Delhi)- Once again my vote goes to Jet Airways. It could be sheerly because I was awake in the afternoon during the IGI New Delhi and London Heathrow Leg and half asleep when I flew BA at night. I could explore Jet Airways entertainment and watched back to back movies, three in all, all Hindi. Managed to catch up with Arth (loosely translated- Essence), Jab (when) We Met and Teesri Manjil (Third Floor). I did watch movies on BA flight too but I was half asleep at that time. While coming back I tried watching Mugal-e-Azam (colored version) on Jet but could not resist the two empty seats next to me and tried to catch up on sleep. On BA return flight I had watched movies and completed two.

Food, Jet Airways vs BA (Delhi-London-Delhi)- Yes, once again I thought Jet Airways was better if you are looking for Indian food. Wine tasted similar on both the flights to my uncultured taste buds. Portions also seem to be same on both. But the flight attendant on BA was much more attentive than Jet Airways.

Check-in, Jet Airways vs BA (Delhi-London-Delhi)- I believe both were equally fast and polite but then I check in really early, when it is not crowded.

In-flight Service, Jet Airways vs BA (Delhi-London-Delhi)- I would say both have same training program! They train their crew to ignore passengers in the economy section. Jet Airways have trained them better than BA, to ignore that is, in my opinion.

I mean, I almost always ask for a second cup of coffee during a flight. And here is how it goes. The crew comes back to collect the empty cups. They will extend their hand to take the cup without giving you an eye contact (always happened on Jet, but not always on BA). The trick is to delay giving them the cup. Then they are forced to look up and I can ask for that second cup of coffee. I know they are rushed but I mean how much time does it take to give a glance to a passenger?

That way, I had a really attentive cabin crew on my London-New Delhi flight on BA. And that added to the experience. On BA they also routinely asked if you would like some more tea or coffee. Smart idea, doesn't cost much and people like me appreciate it a lot, particularly when you are tried and need that brew to open up your eyes properly. And we remember it too. I think BA has a better in-flight service.

Overall, if someone asks my opinion (both the time the tickets were booked by my employers/sponsors so I had no say in deciding the airlines) I would choose to fly Jet Airways because of the afternoon 2.15 flight out of New Delhi. That way, I am less tired when I arrive in a semi-familiar country with a long line at the immigration. But it would be really nice if Jet did not train their crew to ignore passengers in the economy. That brief split second eye contact helps.

India Travel Blog- Walks in India Series

Arun at India Travel Blog is hosting a very interesting walking series. Go check it out. It is a must for any person who loves to walk.

Them Doggies on Countryside Walks in UK

The Kings Arms, Sandford Lock

I stumbled upon two very pleasant countryside walks in Oxford. I love walking and these were the kind of walks that just keep going straight, there is very little chance of getting lost, my kind of walks. I will talk about them in detail soon. What I wish to write about today is them doggies. I know Sidhu is a huge fan of dogs and he will view this post very differently.

Imagine walking serenely on a path with the Thames on one side and open fields on the other. You will meet people strolling, cycling or running from time to time. There are flowers to be clicked and admired, in that order. The weather is mild (gave me a mild sunburn later as I was not using any lotion) and all is at peace in the world! Right? Wrong.

It is them doggies. In the countryside, people let their dogs off the leash. And that is a source of unmitigated terror to me! I am really truly afraid of dogs, even the tiny miny ones. So, on this walk when I faltered for the first time, predictably it was when I saw a huge dog let of the leash (Labrador, I deep down know they are harmless). I looked to my right and asked a young lad if it would be alright to walk ahead and if the path leads somewhere? He gave his go ahead. Then he asked me something from afar and cycled around for a while but finally vanished. The dog owner could probably sense my tension and told me they were going for a dip in the river. The dog of course was running towards water without even sparing me a glance and that is the best thing he could do.

Then there was another man throwing a Frisbee to his dog, thankfully in the opposite direction. And of course the dog was quite interested in the game. Again I hurried past. This was the last of the doggies on the Oxford-Sandford walk. Lucky me? Not so soon.

Kennington Bridge, Oxford to Sandford Walk

The day after I did the Oxford Sandford walk, my original plan was to do nothing. That means walking around aimlessly around the accommodation in my lexicon. After wandering for a while I remembered a wooden gate that I gave a miss during my previous visit to Oxford. Not to make the same mistake twice (maybe not really a mistake as in October 2007 the sunset was really early around 4.00 pm and in June really late around 9.00 pm) I walked through the gate. The walk seemed promising till I encountered my nemesis.

On the narrow path there were two ladies on two tall horses with their dog running ahead. Of course he was interested in me and I for sure was not. Not willing to offend anyone, I politely put my small shoulder bag in front of my legs and the intelligent dog understood my gesture. He went his way and I thanked my stars. Too soon, it turned out.

Countryside near Harcourt Hill, Oxford

Can you see the serenity above? I was walking without a care a few minutes later and then heard some footsteps running furiously. I turned back and my heart stopped. There was a dog taller than me (or so I thought) being chased by the dog who had gone away a while ago. I was silently telling my self, "You had it, who the hell asked you to walk alone?" A moment later I realized the tall thing was a deer outracing the dog with an effort that clearly bored him to no end. Did I turn back? No, because as one of my professors aptly remarked that I like to "walk with a vengeance."

Next were two really tiny miny dogs and as they bounded with glee towards me, I said in a croaking voice to their oblivious owners, "Please call them back, I am quite afraid of dogs." There faces contorted with surprise but they did call the dogs back. Was this the end? Did I turn back? Not quite.

I walked ahead for quite sometime and met no dogs. That gave me courage on my way back to venture into a forest like area to my left. I was desperately trying to remember the way full of mild turns. After a few turns I decided if I got lost my colleagues would have no sympathy for me. I turned back and there he was. It had a crooked front leg and a dirty color. The collar round the neck gave me some confidence, I resorted back to my shoulder bag trick but this one took offense and while running away started howling furiously from a safe distance. Heart thudding in mouth, I negotiated my way. He kept barking after my shadow and finally decided I am way too far away to do any more bag tricks.

The end of the country road was almost in sight. There were two ladies on their high horses (literally, no pun intended) again. But these lovely ones had no doggies with them. What sweet ladies. I considered this a good omen and made a dash to safety of my room.

Them doggies!

Purple Rhododendrons

Purple Rhododendrons

I saw these Rhododendrons in Leeds and I had to stand back and take notice. There were two reasons for this. One, I love Himalayan flowers and these Rhododendrons reminded me of the treks I have done. Two, I had never seen a purple one before! I have seen red Rhododendrons, even white and their variations but never purple.

When I shared the pictures with my colleagues, one of them came running to me and told me, "How did you manage to make the Rhododendrons purple? Aren't they red? I have never seen a purple one." Now that is something because he belongs to Uttrakhand and has lived for considerable time in the hills.

But then in Leeds these purple Rhododendrons were growing with glee!

Oh! and VJ shared his pictures of Oxford with me and take my words for it, they are brilliant.

Pictures from the Lahaul Region

Lahaul Region, Picture from Anil's Blog

Anil posts some lovely pictures from the Lahaul region. Have a look. The first one is really beautiful, I wonder how those lovely ladies agreed to pose :)

Lazy Sunday Photo- Thames Walk, Oxford to Sandford

The Path, Thames Walk, Oxford to Sandford

In Quest of Pictures at Oxford

Christ Church Meadows on A Rainy June (2008) Afternoon

On this trip to Oxford I would often venture out to walk around the city, Christ Church Meadows and the Thames Path with two cameras in my hand. Three days later I realized that all I was doing was looking at the places through the lens and constantly worrying about the quality of the pictures. After three days my frenzy to take pictures became a bit too much for myself to bear.

Later when I came back from Leeds, and started walking again in Oxford, I would keep the SLR in the small backpack that I carried around. With the point and shoot it was easy taking pictures and less distracting. And it was a pain to take out the SLR, I would make the effort only if something really caught up my fancy. This way I managed to see more.

Thinking that on my next trip, I would try to declare one day camera free! I know easier said than done, but I can hand over the camera to others and just enjoy the views.

Do You Have a Flair for Designing T Shirts?

If you have a flair for designing T Shirts you may find Inkfruit an interesting site. They have an ongoing contest where you can submit your T Shirt designs and vote for others too. Here is a FAQ about this T Shirt site and design competition.

Details of the prizes for the winning T Shirt designs can be found here.

I browsed through the T Shirts and actually my nephews liked many of the wacky designs.

Full Disclosure: I was contacted by the site asking if I would blog about them. What do I get in return? Well, a T Shirt of course. I picked this T Shirt design and my nephews immediately told me that they don't like it! They wanted something more wacky but I had to remind them this one for a change was for me!

View of Oxford City from St. Mary's Chruch- A Video

View of Oxford City from St. Mary's Chruch- A Video

Last time when I was in Oxford, I could not go up the St. Mary's Church. So, this time it was high on my agenda. The church is located right in the city center and the charge this summer for going up was 3 pounds. The timings were 9.00 to 5.00.

As I was traveling to Leeds later in the day, I had a small bag with me. The young lady at the ticket counter kindly offered to keep it for me till I came back. I asked, "But you might be gone when I come back?" She said she would be going by 11.00 and I had plenty of time. It was 10.35 at that time and I told her, "I plan to spend more time up there." She smile, "No worries, my colleague would be here and they would give the bag to you."

So I went up to the top to get those picture postcard snaps that I had seen all around in Oxford shops. No such luck, there was too much light and my wide angle lens was not good enough to capture Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College in one shot. I met another person with an SLR and asked him if he could get both properly in one shot, he also replied in negative. At least I was not alone.

Picture postcards or not, I still had a very good time at the top with wonderful views of the city. And of course I came down around 12.00 in the noon, but the other young lady at the counter gave me my bag and I proceeded to spend more time around Christ Church College and beyond to head later to Leeds.

Note to Self: Next time when you have the urge to tilt the camera remember the vertigo you got by watching this video!

I am Back from UK!

View of Oxford City from Saint Mary's Church

I came back yesterday and was dead tired even though I had all the three seats to myself on the Jet flight and lied down listening to Hindi old songs for a long time, even managed to sleep for a few hours. Today, I managed to upload some of the pictures of Oxford and Leeds.

And I decided to start with 10 dos and don'ts on the next trip to Oxford (if ever!). And to put the record straight my visits have got nothing to do with the University of Oxford-

10. If I ever go in summer again I would try my hand at punting.

09. One day I took a 9.27 bus back to accommodations when there was a bus later at 10.27. Never again, that is a crime. Taking the last bus or almost last bus back should be the motto!

08. Never fall asleep on a train or the bus. I managed to do so while going to Leeds and going back to Heathrow from Oxford and missed all the views. And there were so many flowers to see!

07. Fell asleep on the shoulders of the fellow passenger on the Oxford-Leeds journey. What an embarrassment when you wake up! So never fall asleep on the way.

06. Have colleagues who are expert at shopping. They found a store called Primark where I could afford to shop. Or else 80 rupees to a pound kills any desire to shop.

05. Do not eat pizza at Pizza Hut. A Pizza Hut is a Pizza Hut is a Pizza Hut in any country.

04. Don't gain all the weight (2 Kg) by eating the chocolates. I managed to loose 2 Kg by taking those long walks.

03. Learn to deal with dogs that are let off the leash in the countryside. Or better still get a colleague to accompany you who can deal with dogs effectively and also likes to walk. Tough combination!

02. Meet people when possible. I met Kullukid (from Indiamike) and his wife in Leeds and they showed me around the town. Many thanks to them. And host them when they are in India.

01. Walk more! Travel more. Seriously required.

Hi from Oxford

Right now I am in Oxford and the second time around the places are a bit more easy to find. It is raining cats and dgos and the days go in meetings but I managed to walk around a lot on day 2 and plan to do the same in the remaining of the stay. Will have a lot of pictures to share later. Hope it stops raining soon.