July 11, 2008

Another blog is born

For the last three years or so, this blog has been an outlet for all things Vishy: trivia, news and issues I find interesting and a way to keep people up to date on my life. Since I became an analyst and started writing full-time at my day job, I have fallen hugely behind in updating this blog. Other phenomena, such as my Twitter account, have also siphoned off the energy I'd put towards sharing my life on this blog.

One of the flaws of this blog, perhaps intentionally built in from the start, is that it lacks a clear focus beyond the fact that it's all about me. My loyal readership, such as one exists, consists of my friends and family. Blogging, however, is a key activity for this day and age. This blog had at least some role in getting my me current job, which I really like. It is now easier than any other time to blog your way to professional success. Indeed, blogging is going to be key to building my own online brand, which will lead me to professional success down the road.

I've been seeking a reboot of my online identity for some time now. This is the reason I have started One More Thing, a blog focused on technology, innovation and entrepreneurship--issues that matter to me professionally. This blog will live on with a much lower posting rate and will contain tidbits of my personal life that are too long for Twitter or other microblogging services.

I just wanted to give my readers a heads-up about this change. Feel free to subscribe to my other blog. And fear not, there will be some juicy stuff here from time to time as well!

Posted by Vishy at 05:58 PM | Comments (0)

November 13, 2007

Vishy's Indian English Dictionary: hoarding

hoarding./HOr·ding/. A billboard or large sign advertising a product, or rather often, a movie or a political message. Movie hoardings may be painted in garish, eye-catching colors but they often bear astonishing likenesses to the actual actors in the movie.

Making a hoarding related to movies or politics requires quite a bit of talent, especially around rendering the actor or politician. The former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa Jayaraman, used to be a popular subject of political hoardings, usually in the form of gigantic cutouts. Her cutouts, along with her positioning as Puratchi Thalaivi (Revolutionary Leader) practically gave her an iconic position not unlike Che Guevara.

On a more technical note, the word hoarding is derived from Old French hourd, which means fence or scaffolding. I am also reminded of a great verse I read from Ogden Nash recently:

I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree.
Perhaps, unless the billboards fall,
I'll never see a tree at all.

Posted by Vishy at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

October 23, 2007

Vishy's Indian English Dictionary: (hair) slide

slide./slyd/ or /slAYd/. A hairpin. Probably named for how it is worn by ladies: sticking the open end into your hair and then sliding it into place. As I grew up in Mumbai, I also heard it being pronounced as slAYd (rhymes with 'glade').

(Note: Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is making headlines because he was elected as the first non-white governor of the state in about 130 years. I read in his wikipedia bio that he helped his wife deliver their son by himself and named him Slade. That's what got me writing this blog entry.)

Posted by Vishy at 10:22 AM | Comments (0)