Good Design VIII - Gherkin by Norman Foster

This building in London, designed by Lord Norman Foster is considered a modern architectural marvel. The design is eye-catching, unusual but what amazes me more is the execution of the design.

OMG!

Something reminded me of my first brush with homosexual content on the internet. I was 19, living in a big small town of Uttar Pradesh. Internet was a rare commodity at that time and there were dinky little cyber cafes that charged as much as 120 Rs. per hour. Thankfully, they also came with wooden cubicles - so once inside the cubicle, you were isolated from the world and there was nothing between you and your computer screen. I was a super confused kid. I did not have access to any literature pertaining to homosexuality.

So, one fine day, when I had managed to muster up enough courage, I entered a cyber cafe and claimed one of the cubicles. With sweaty hands I typed the word 'gay' in the search engine. That alone made my heart beat faster. The search result showed first ten of over hundred thousand pages and I was like "what?? So many pages?" My heart had started panting with anticipation. I clicked on the very first site - 'gay.com' and waited for the page to load. Nothing had prepared my heart for what I saw next. It was beating so hard that I couldn't hear anything else except it's thunderous beats. It wanted to leap out and that was not the only problem. I had an instant erection. The old gay.com banner had pictures of some young white guys in various stages of undress - that was the first time I had set my eyes upon such delicious men who looked like they were open to the idea of a quick romp in the sack. I sat there staring at the page.

A little later I wisened up and started searching for specific things. The second round of surprise came when I bumped into the GB classifieds and saw several thousand guys registered there.

Those were the days of innocence and I still smile at my naivette.

Indian Architects & Interior Designers

I have run out of things to write about. Actually, upon pondering about it for some time, I come to the conclusion that I have run out of the desire to write. If you want to write, you can write about anything. You don't need a burning issue to write about; not a excellent movie to review; no satires; no rejoinders. Of course these are the things good and successful blogs are made of, but when we talk about writing - it could be about a bad experience on the road while driving back home or about driving back home (without any thing extraordinary or remarkable to write home about). You can just ramble about something, like I am.

I tried writing about various things, but the gas ran out within the first few paragraphs. I have several saved drafts, waiting for their turn to be completed. I doubt it will happen any time soon if at all. I tried writing about personal life, but shelved the idea when I saw I was divulging more than I should. After all the fact that this blog is supposed to be shrouded in anonymity shouldn't be rendered useless by a post that talks too much and too openly about me and my life. I tried writing about non-topics, but failed miserably over there as well. Then I cam up with this idea.

I work closely with architects and interior designers. I have made several friends over the past few years that I have been in this industry. This is a profession that gives immense power to these individuals, almost Godly, as far as some companies are concerned. For most people they mean nothing. Most of us live our lives without ever coming in touch with an architect or an interior designer (professionally). Working so closely with them and seeing their power in play, I have come to understand their strength and I intend to bring forth the nature of their power in this post.

Architecture is one of the oldest professions in the world. All around us, the buildings, the townships, the bridges, the towers, the monuments - are the handywork of some architect. The Colosseum in Rome, Taj Mahal in Agra, The palace of Versailles in France, The Pyramids in Egypt, The Ajanta, Ellora & Elephanta Caves, Qutub Minar in Delhi, The Pantheon in Rome, The Temples of Olympian Gods in Greece, The Khajuraho temples and The Grand Moselum in Istanbul - all of these and more.

These are of course works of some very talented human beings who are no more between us. Today, the world has architects by the truck load. Every city has some or the other architectural institute. In Mumbai alone we have JJ, Raheja, Rizvi, Rachana Sansad and a few more, which keep spewing forth more and more architectural aspirants. The products of these schools go on to slave under some reknowned name for a couple of years and then break out and start their own practice. This is an aspect about which I intend to speak later, so will move on to other things.

There are very few names on international level which have transcended their national boundaries and have made their place in the annals of Architectural History.

Some of the most famous names include -

Le Corbusier (1887 - 1965) - More famous in India as Architect of modern Chandigarh.
Edwin Lutyen (1869 - 1944) - Most of the Govt. Buildings in Delhi, including the Rashtrapati Bhawan
Louis Kahn (1901 - 1974) - IIM Ahmedabad & The Bangladesh Parliament.
Norman Foster (1935) - Most celebrated living British Architect. Works wonders with his architecture. Some of the major landmarks in London can be credited to him.
Zaha Hadid (1950) - This Iraqi-British architect is a personal favorite. Her buildings are literally out of this world.
Phillippe Starck (1949) - This French Architect has made his name in product design as well. He is another personal favorite.

Now, lets talk about the power of an architect. As things stand today, an architect plans and designs a structure and decides the why, how, when and what of any project - be it the interiors of a small apartment or the construction of a 80 storey tower. I don't envy their position, because it is a very painfully long and detailed process. Imagine specifications involved in the interiors of a small apartment. We will list some of the items that need to be finalised -

1) Paint - Finish, colour etc. There are several multi-billion dollar corporations vying for their attention (Asian Paints, ITC, Berger, Nicholas Piramal etc).
2) Cement - ACC, Birla, JP etc.
3) Marble, Tiles (Floor, wall, textured tiles, plain tiles, imported (from China or Europe), or wooden flooring (real wood panels, or laminated panels) - Endless list of names - Tau, Graffitti, Roca, Grescasa, Refin, Bisazza, Pergo, Quick Step etc.
4) Wires and cables, lighting fixtures, switches etc - again several MNCs are fighting every day for their attention. We will not even mention the local players, cause putting them in the picture means the numbers go wild. Schneider, Clipsal, LeGrand, Anchor, Roma etc.
5) Door handles, hinges, door stoppers, door closers, locks etc - D Line, Dorma, Hafele, Hettich, Yale, Assa Abloy etc.
6) Sanitary ware, bathtubs, shower trays, shower cubicles, Taps & Faucets, Shower panels etc - Duravit, Hans Grohe, Grohe, Dorn & Bracht, Villeroy & Boch, American Standard, Kohler, Toto, Roca, Vitra, Hansa, Keramag etc.
7) Furniture - readymade or made to order, different veneers, laminated veneers or real wood veneers.
8) Kitchen Cabinets and automation systems - Poggen Pohl etc.
9) Fabrics for furnishings.
10) Air-conditioning.

Likewise there are N number of decisions to be made and N cube numbers of options available. The permutations & combinations are mind boggling and I have just listed a few basic items.

The second point which I tried to make here is that these architects hold the key to untold riches for these corporations. Imagine this - Sahara declares it's ambitious Sahara City project which involves making large townships in the B & C class cities across the country. Single such township will have close to 20,000 apartments. That's developement of almost 15 million squarefeet of built up area and to this add the shopping complexes, malls, hospitals, schools, and similar buildings. An architect just needs to specify the name of the product/brand in the project master plan. Most companies go to great lengths to secure those specifications.

For Mumbaites, Hiranandani Gardens is a very good example. Architect Hafeez Contractor and Hiranandani Builders together have built a superb township and turned a forsaken land into prime real estate. Hafeez Contractor is probably the most famous architect in India today. The Hiranandani Gardens, The ITC Grand Central at Parel, The Atria Mall at Worli, ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton, Hyatt Regency at Sahar Rd, IL & FS and Citibank buildings in BKC, Gateway Tower in Gurgaon, All DLF Projects, Nirmal Lifestyle in Mulund, All Infosys projects - just to name a few. I have not been able to make up my mind about him. I think all his buildings are very 'grand' and striking.

I am sure many of us have read Ayn Rand's epic Fountainhead. The Fountainhead examines the life of an idealistic young architect, Howard Roark, who prefers to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision by pandering to the prevailing taste in building design.

Most architects today do interior-designing and are fully capable of doing so. But all interior-designers may or may not be architects. Today there are many institutions which are offering interior-designing courses ranging from summer courses to 2 year long diplomas. Interior designing for these individuals is limited to re-furbishing an apartment or so. I have seen the difference in works of an architect and hobby driven interior designer. The architect can work wonders even with limited spaces and resources; I can't say this safely for interior-designers (exclusive interior-designer). One blazing example is Mrs. Twinkle Khanna-Bhatia, who also owns a life-style & interiors showroom called the White Window. They will help you chose your sofas and beds, your curtains and sheets, your paintings and other artefacts; they might suggest this light fixture from this company and that wash basin from that company. They might show you the picture of a pretty living room from the Home & Garden's latest issue and then they might copy that ditto for you in your suburban apartment. The truth of the matter is, I myself hope to do the same thing some day.

I guess I have rambled more than enough and feel much better about my blog now. Will end this post here. All the best!

How to hire an Escort

A friend of mine forwarded this to me in a mail. It is a nice read. I have edited out some really graphic parts of the article and have made changes to some other areas. Read on, it is nice.

THE CLIENT CHRONICLES – How to hire an escort?

Hiring an escort is similar to choosing a boyfriend, purchasing a new
car, and interviewing a job applicant all at the same time. It is a
complex and somewhat stressful matter and one of the best reasons to

develop and carefully maintain a stable of regulars. While novelty
can be exciting, unless you're prepared to settle for on a s&m
experience, the chances are you're going to be disappointed. Oh, s&m
means stand and model, not sadomasochism. Kind of like the crowd at
many Bombay bars & malls.

So I've decided to call upon my vast font of experience to provide you
with my own personal set of hiring rules, the rules I mostly follow
when in pursuit of novelty. But be warned, even I make mistakes and
miscalculations. However, over the years my failure rate has
significantly dropped. Years ago, only one in ten guys who "showed
up" would be keepers. Today, thanks to the application of precise
scientific principles, consumer savvy and finely honed instincts, my
success rate is up to, well, it's still one in ten. Don't
misunderstand, my success rate could be nine in ten, but when you're
enslaved to hormones and fantasy, you deceive yourself into thinking
that even though "this one" is typical of the kind of guy you should
NOT hire, you're going to get lucky and he's going to be hot. I am
weak and frequently break my own rules.

Nonetheless, if you're smarter than me, you will follow these rules
and, as a result, you will definitely increase your chances of success
and satisfaction. So, CONSUMER REPORTS, step aside, here's how to shop
wisely for an escort.

1) First and foremost, its almost a certainty that if he is
breathtakingly beautiful, he's going to bad in bed. For those of you
looking for living porn photos, this rule can be ignored. For
those of you looking for some good sex, this rule is critical.
Trouble (or lack of it) is even more likely to be the case if he asks
for a fee that is way above standard simply because he is so much more
beautiful than average. Also be wary if he's charging by the pound,
the more muscle the higher the fee. He's full of himself and assumes
that he can just stand there and admire him. The likelihood of seeing
an erection (his, not yours) is slim to none. So look for hot but
flawed. Some of you may enjoy unresponsive and cold; my advice is to
watch porn rather than waste your money on a muscle bound, Men's
Fitness cover ice queen.

2) He says he's straight. Jesus, guys, when will you learn?
However, if you're into fucking "straight" guys and he's willing to
put his ass up in the air and spread it open for you, then fine. But
if you still think you're fucking a straight man....well. ...your gift
for self-deception is even more fine-tuned than my own; and mine is
really good. But if he's really straight and you hire him, keep in
mind that he's likely to have some rules of his own: you can touch me
but don't expect me to touch you, keep your hands off my nipples,
don't come near my face and please keep your tongue in your mouth. Oh,
and my all time favourite: it's extra if you want me to remove my
underwear.

3) If he won't show a photo of his face, move on. Too many escorts
lie about their pictures and headless bodies likely tell you nothing.
And by the time you discover that he's not the body in the photo,
you're both naked and it's hard to stop. Popular excuses for this act
of deception include: I hurt my back two years ago and haven't been
able to get back to the gym...I haven't had a chance to take a new
photo since I moved to Bombay about 10 years ago and that's my
roommate's body...I can't use mine because I have a career. If he
won't show you a photo because he needs to be "discrete", "discrete"
usually means chubby, emaciated, bad skin, 39 rather than 29, or just
downright ugly. The reality is unless you're some kind of hideous
troll yourself, you shouldn't be paying for someone who should be
paying you. (Amendment: if he refuses to send a photo but very
courteously offers to leave immediately at no charge should you be
disappointed at the door, this is a good sign...but no guarantee.)
Like all of these rules, there are exceptions to this and good reasons
for not providing a photo, but it is a gamble and a gamble that will
significantly diminish your chances of success.

4) All he sends is a photo of his dick. Move on, unless you're a
serious size queen and it's huge and that's all you care about.

5) If he asks you if you're "a picture collector" hang up or block his
IMs. Let's face it, if you have access to the Internet, you have
access to more photos of hot guys than you'll ever live long enough to
view. (I know. I've been trying but the clock is ticking faster than
I can follow links.) The last thing you need is to waste your time
engaging some asshole in conversation just to score his stupid
photograph. You want to see his photograph and his face and eyes to
see if he's your type; and also for security reasons. And, once you
see the photo, if he's not your type and he flips out over your
hesitation, you've made the right decision in rejecting him. Decent
men understand.

6) Drugs and Drink. You've seen the photo, you've exchanged emails,
you've even done some instant messaging. Talk on the phone. Get a
sense of how he presents himself. If you're paying attention, you can
easily determine that he's wasted, hung over, wired, strung
out...whatever you want to call it...and unless that's what you're
into, move on quickly.

7) Talk on the phone. Explore the person a little bit before you
hire him; it's stupid, even though it seems hot, to hire someone who
is rude and indifferent. I know, I know. That can be very hot, but in
an escort it can be very dangerous and very disappointing. If you ask
a guy for rudeness and indifference and he's willing and able to do that,
great, but if he's rude and indifferent before you've clued him into
your fetishes and desires, that's not great.

8) During the phone conversation, show respect. You're talking to a
human being, not a piece of meat. Show some interest in his limits,
his desires. Try a little humour. Take the lead in this and see how he
responds. If he remains very businesslike and unresponsive to you as
a person, proceed with great caution, if at all.

9) Tell him what you want, but politely and with some initial
discretion. Do not engage in phone sex, unless he takes you there.
But you do want to be as clear as possible about what you want and
need. You can very much increase your chances of a successful and
satisfying encounter if you find yourself dealing with an escort who
shows interest in your specific desires. You can tell if he's engaged
in what you're saying. Is he asking questions? Is he "listening"? Or
are you getting a curt series of "yes", "sure", "uh-huh" and the
ultimate "whatever"?

10) If he asks for the money upfront, he's likely to be out of there
in under 15 minutes, assuming he stays at all. Demanding money
upfront usually means he's either very bitter, very angry, straight
and almost certainly a hustler and not an escort. Aha! Some of you
are wondering what the difference is between a hustler and an escort
but that's a different tale. For now, suffice it to say that you're
very unlikely to have a good time with a hustler unless you're into
mental abuse and really lousy sex, if sex happens at all. (A small
amendment to this rule: if you're seeing an escort for the first
time, it is, in my view, the decent and gentlemanly thing to leave his
money out and in a place where he can immediately see it. If he
doesn't take it until you offer it to him, that's a very good sign
that you've got a keeper on your hands.)

11) Don't hire "no shows". Being stood up by friends is barely
tolerable; in a business arrangement it is completely unacceptable.
If you hire an escort who has stood you up or arrived more than 15
minutes late, don't be surprised when he does it again, especially if
he hasn't called to say he's running late. If an escort has a
legitimate reason for standing you up, chances are he will offer to
compensate you in some way, either in terms of time or money.

12) And the most important rule of all: think with your brain, not
with your hormones. Your brain will take care of you, your hormones
will take care of themselves.

There are always going to be exceptions to every one of these rules,
and it is because of that that I keep making bad decision, thinking
that according to the law of averages, "this" one will the exception.
The truth is, according to the law of averages, "this" one will be
another disaster. So the most important rule of all is no. 12, if you
can remember. Unfortunately, amnesia is hormonal.

And a final word, The world is full of great guys who are escorting
for badly needed extra cash or because it really turns them on. But
the world is also full of hustlers, drug addicts, thieves and
assholes. These rules will hopefully help you weed them out so that
you can spend your time and your money on the good guys.