20090217

Symbiotic City

This is a view from my apartment of NYC at night with the half moon in all its glory.


Currently I am reading a book called Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino :
There is a chapter Cities and Memories. Paraphrasing from that - It describes what a city really is :
"I could tell you how many steps make up the streets rising like stairways, and the degree of the arcades' curves, and what kind of zinc scales cover the roofs: but I already know this would be the same as telling you nothing. The city does not consist of this but of relationships between the measurements of its space and the events of its past : the height of a lamppost and the distance from the ground of a hanged usurpers swaying feet: the line strung from the lamppost to the railing opposite and the festoons that decorate the course of the queen's nuptial procession; the height of the railing and the leap of the adulterer who climbed over it at dawn...."


Like in any great city or town, its identity is not only its physical structure but the very people residing there, their dreams, aspirations and fears which ultimately dictate the outcome of how they perceive their home to be.


I write this because in the past few weeks, there have been lots of blogs that mentioned about why many people did not like Slumdog Millionaire - as it is based on marketing of the poverty of Bombay or India per se. But that is the most visually tangible aspect of our country where inspite of these great economic divide - each of us is allowed to dream to make it big in our own little way - it is the celebration of this co-existence and freedom that shapes the very spirit of the city of Bombay that is brilliantly captured in the movie.


I understand that many people feel that the West markets the poor -
there are two reasons -
one they have plenty here in terms of material wealth but there is a dearth of communal feeling here - its each for his own
and secondly they are unbiased and this allows them to be bold and show it as IS rather than put a glossy make up or shy away from reality.


Another book the dwells into this subject brilliantly is -
Shantaram - by Gregory David Roberts - it elucidates the experience of coexistence and how the city makes a person and in turn these collective groups of persons define the very nature of its existence. I
It is a symbiotic realm of mutual give and take.


Another picture Midtown Manhattan taken from a park on the cliff in West New York, New Jersey. Sitting in this park its fascinating to see the accomplisment of this urban jungle.

20090213

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Today is Friday the 13th and people who are scared of that day because of weird connotations have a phobia and that phobia is the title of this post. Luckily I do not suffer from this and am glad.


Here is an interesting list of some Phobias I found online.
(there are many more)

Am glad that I don't suffer from many of them or else life will be miserable.

Telephonophobia - Fear of telephones.
(I am not scared, I just hate cell phones, don't know if that counts.)

Thaasophobia - Fear of sitting.
(Haha....these people will surely never be couch potatoes)

Nomatophobia - Fear of names.
(I fear forgetting names. So I will call it Amnesinomatophobia)
Nephophobia - Fear of clouds
(He should move to sunny Florida - but this person is doomed I guess)

Dendrophobia - Fear of trees.
(Al Gore should collect all these people and put them in a Desert.)
Cacophobia - Fear of ugliness.
(This can be deemed as discrimination)

Barophobia - Fear of gravity.
(Imagine this person goes for Sky Diving - oops)
Sophophobia - Fear of learning.
(Aren't these people under the category of Dumb and Dumber?)

Scelerophibia - Fear of bad men
(The world will be a disaster if Superheroes get this phobia)

Pogonophobia - Fear of beards.
(He needs to stay away from Taliban Country for sure)
Leukophobia - Fear of the color white.
(Thats why criminals are put in grey cells - now you get it.)

Lachanophobia - Fear of vegetables
(Crossing my fingers that I dont have this or else)
Euphobia - Fear of hearing good news.
(If you were husband to the octuplet mom - you will surely have Euphobia)

Clinophobia - Fear of going to bed.
(Zombies!)

Arrhenphobia - Fear of men.
(Potential Lesbians!)
Arithmophobia - Fear of numbers.
(For generations I am sure no one in my family had this - am a gujju)

Verbophobia - Fear of words.
(President of Anti Blogging Foundation)

Ablutophobia - Fear of washing/bathing
(Stinky pants)

Alektorophobia - Fear of chickens.
(If there is a town full these - there is no point opening a KFC there, is it?)

Bibliophobia - Fear of books.
(Lucky bastard - can avoid all the freaking homework and schoolwork)

Monophobia - Fear of solitude
(I am Monophilic :))

Nostophobia - Fear of returning home.
(All Immigrants kinda suffer from this but do not admit it)

Heliophobia - Fear of the sun.
(Nightcrawler - and we feel scared of ghosts - duh - they are just patients)

Hydrophobophobia - Fear of rabies.
(Try saying that 10 times as fast as you can!)

Koinoniphobia - Fear of rooms.
(Potential clients for whom I can design Studio Apartments w/open toilet)
Megalophobia - Fear of large things.
(Does this include breasts?)

Mageirocophobia - Fear of cooking.
(This person will save a lot of money on WeightWatchers)
Carnophobia - Fear of eating meat
(Honestly no guy will prolly have a fear of this - except if he is gay - cause guys love one animal - the pussy)
Pantophobia - Fear of everything
(Sadly this person cannot even die as he might be afraid of it too!)

Do you have Phobias?

Check this website - you might have one for sure - Phobialist