After the events of the first week, the next few were certainly more relaxed. This is when we explored our temporary home of Kathmandu. We learnt how to catch the bus to and from Thamel. Now this may seem very rudimentary (and it is) but since this was Nepal, it required the skill of an army black-ops personel at times.
For one thing, you had to find the right bus. You’d think this was fairly obvious. It wasn’t. There’s a guy who jumps out of the bus at all stops and announces where it’s going. The Nepalese way of “announcing” is to mutter so fast, that you sound like a rapper on speed. The place where we stayed was called Ja-wa-la-khel. A mouthful, but hey you’re in a foreign country. If you kept your ears open for that, you’d never find the bus. Due to the speed of muttering, what you hear is this: “Lakhel, La-khel, La-khel…” The only reason we put up with such confusion was the fact that each leg of the journey cost about 15cents.
It was also during this time that we experienced many culinary delights. Being in Nepal, we decided to eat…pizza. And pastries. And meat pie. And Japanese. We lived near the ex-pat part of town and hence there were many restaurants that catered to “ethnic” (from the Nepali point of view) cuisine. Due to the prices, you never saw the average Nepali even attempting to set foot in such places- they could have 10 meals for the same price. We thought it was cheap: about $5 for a decent, filling meal. Ah the exchange rate!
Eventually, we felt adventurous and decided to explore more “traditional” places. Like charcoal chicken (or in this case, the equivalent – Tandoori Chicken). It became a regular meal stop. It was cheap and filling and we, after all, were poor uni students. Our trips there continued, til the day that Jimbo found a fried maggot in his rice. We started to explore other venues then.
It was also during this time that we became friends with the meddie from America, Bonji and Bong, whom I’ve mentioned before, Jimbo’s high school friend from Melbourne, who independently organized the EXACT same trip as us. Many games of 500 were played. And cheat. No black-out or freezing weather could stop us! It was a time for great bonding. Too much bonding in fact…
This was because on the 3rd week, we decided to have a mini-party: just the people at the guesthouse + Bonji (who lived elsewhere). We ordered the food from a place nearby and ate contently while playing card games and chatting…just like the good ol’ days of 2 weeks ago. The next day, we were all sick. Like I said: too much bonding. The strange thing was, we all had different illnesses. I had a fever/cold/felt like shit. Bong had a fever, slept for 24 hrs was then fine. Lexy had something mild. Jimbo on the other hand, had more than his share of shit. Literally- he had food poisoning.
Due to this, our outings paled considerably in contrast to our first weeks. We basically stayed close to home and explored Thamel, the city centre. It is around this time that OR2K became our much beloved hangout. I swear I was mildly high due to the sheer amount of marijuana that was being smoked there! The coolest thing was, at one stage, they saw me enough (or were high enough) to let me put my own playlist together. So all of us sat there with a respective book each, inhaling the fumes and… reading. It was quite a sight.
Our ill-health continued for a while: 2 weeks nearly. In that time, we became quite touristy. We just took the bus/walked to nearby temples and shrines (and there are a lot by the way!) and ate at restaurants that were of better hygiene. On the note of temples, I’m surprised Buddha is portayed as a fat man. If he had been alive and visited all the temples dedicate to him, he’d look anorexic! I say this because it seems when planning a temple, the Nepali people say to themselves “hmm, what’s the highest and steepest we can find nearby? Oh that one! Let’s build a temple on top of it!” Or maybe it was their subtle way of telling Buddha “we like you and all, but we DON’T like heart disease, so while we’ll follow you, we’ll just burn calories too!”
Hey even they consider Buddha enlightened, not fit. Well they might, but that’s beside the point!
Tis getting to be a long post, so I'll stop here! For now...
maybe a professional
Now how do you define someone as a professional?
It's a trivial thing, but I suppose I choose to define someone as a professional when they start being paid for whatever it is that they do.
For example, you can have a bumming arts student who does drama. The moment they start getting paid for doing it (however little) I'd consider them a professional. Sure they're not making their livelihood out of it, but someone is willing to pay them to do whatever it is that they do.
The reason this has popped up in my mind is this: I'm doing the photo shoot for a party tonight. I've done a few of these and they're quite fun. However, I was just told that I was going to be paid for this. Not much, like $50 + drinks, but hey, it's a start. Does that make me a professional?
I'm leaving it to your comments to decide.
It's a trivial thing, but I suppose I choose to define someone as a professional when they start being paid for whatever it is that they do.
For example, you can have a bumming arts student who does drama. The moment they start getting paid for doing it (however little) I'd consider them a professional. Sure they're not making their livelihood out of it, but someone is willing to pay them to do whatever it is that they do.
The reason this has popped up in my mind is this: I'm doing the photo shoot for a party tonight. I've done a few of these and they're quite fun. However, I was just told that I was going to be paid for this. Not much, like $50 + drinks, but hey, it's a start. Does that make me a professional?
I'm leaving it to your comments to decide.
marketing gimmicks
There's a myriad of 'em. An abudnace of sales techniques, clever advertising and bad puns that all try to do one thing: make you buy something that you prbably don't need. And no, just using Lynx deodorant IS NOT going get you that hot chick, especially if you have an eye impediment, or make you need a clicker to count the number of chicks that check you out.
It's this incredible number of techniques, colloquially known as "marketing gimmicks" (yep- that's the official name...from me) that makes the advertising industry as popular as ice cream in sub-zero temperatures. Everyone hates telemarketers, street marketers, home marketers and used-car marketers. Well, marketers of all things really. And if you don't then...just go. You don't need to read any further. Or you're brain dead. This hatred is usually for a good reason: gimmicks, whilst seeming clever and making sales are generally ANNOYING to the majority of people! I know I've bought useless things in the past just so that I wouldn't be hassled anymore! (NOTE: it doesn't work on me anymore- I think last time someone tried after I said "no" the first time, I tried to sell my photography to THEM)
And then there's the OTHER sort of marketing gimmick: the one which assumes that the population at large are a bunch of peanut-eating chipmunks or are of equivalent intellect. These shit me the most because they tend to often be quite effective (see Lynx link above). Even on me! (Yes I bought/buy Lynx and am disappointed at my inability to dance after using it)
Which brings me to the crux of this post. Coke. No, not the drug. Our favourite soft-drink manufacturer is the latest company to utilise this ingenious marketing gimmick.
Take a look at this image and spot the differences:
Give yourself one point for each of these:
- Coke zero vs normal coke
- black bottle top vs. red bottle top
- woodgrain background vs. white background
- slightly different angle of photos
- different bottle grips
- 400ml vs 600ml
Well - most of those differences don't matter. I will, however, draw your attention to the last two. And if any of you claim to have spotted the last one, I want a demonstration that you can estimate container volumes by staring at a 2D pixelated photo, because nowhere in the photo did it show the 200ml difference. You could also claim this and NOT demonstrate your powers and I shall therefore label you a liar.
But yes as it turns out, Coca-Cola has supposedly be receiving a lot of complaints. It doesn't have to do with the fact that there are a minimum of 3 products that are essentially the same (Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Coke Light and some other overseas variants) and people are just wondering why they bother nor is it the fact that "convenience" seems to cost somewhat in the vicinity of $1.50 for an inferior product (C'mon! The cold (small) Coke bottles cost more than the 2L ones!). No, the complaints were about those issues at all. As it turns out, customers were complaining that they couldn't hold on to their 600mL Coke bottles!
Yep, I know I have been dropping them constantly. Haven't you? No? Maybe it's because I don't have a thumb and therefore am about as functional at holding things as a fish. But in accordance with Coke logic, there are many like me! Hence, they have taken it upon themselves to rid the old Coke bottles from the Earth with new ones that have better grip! God bless them!
They even went to the trouble of culling 200mLs from an over-priced drink as well! Just so that, we, the consumer didn't have to bear the strain of hauling an approximate 200g up to our mouth each time we took a swig.
I'm sure those were their reasons for the change. I'm sure it wasn't to see if they could get away with blatant cost-cutting by instigating a "the public are stupid" ad campaign. And yes, the ad campaign does parade the fact that the change is due to "better grip!"
It's this incredible number of techniques, colloquially known as "marketing gimmicks" (yep- that's the official name...from me) that makes the advertising industry as popular as ice cream in sub-zero temperatures. Everyone hates telemarketers, street marketers, home marketers and used-car marketers. Well, marketers of all things really. And if you don't then...just go. You don't need to read any further. Or you're brain dead. This hatred is usually for a good reason: gimmicks, whilst seeming clever and making sales are generally ANNOYING to the majority of people! I know I've bought useless things in the past just so that I wouldn't be hassled anymore! (NOTE: it doesn't work on me anymore- I think last time someone tried after I said "no" the first time, I tried to sell my photography to THEM)
And then there's the OTHER sort of marketing gimmick: the one which assumes that the population at large are a bunch of peanut-eating chipmunks or are of equivalent intellect. These shit me the most because they tend to often be quite effective (see Lynx link above). Even on me! (Yes I bought/buy Lynx and am disappointed at my inability to dance after using it)
Which brings me to the crux of this post. Coke. No, not the drug. Our favourite soft-drink manufacturer is the latest company to utilise this ingenious marketing gimmick.
Take a look at this image and spot the differences:
Give yourself one point for each of these:
- Coke zero vs normal coke
- black bottle top vs. red bottle top
- woodgrain background vs. white background
- slightly different angle of photos
- different bottle grips
- 400ml vs 600ml
Well - most of those differences don't matter. I will, however, draw your attention to the last two. And if any of you claim to have spotted the last one, I want a demonstration that you can estimate container volumes by staring at a 2D pixelated photo, because nowhere in the photo did it show the 200ml difference. You could also claim this and NOT demonstrate your powers and I shall therefore label you a liar.
But yes as it turns out, Coca-Cola has supposedly be receiving a lot of complaints. It doesn't have to do with the fact that there are a minimum of 3 products that are essentially the same (Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Coke Light and some other overseas variants) and people are just wondering why they bother nor is it the fact that "convenience" seems to cost somewhat in the vicinity of $1.50 for an inferior product (C'mon! The cold (small) Coke bottles cost more than the 2L ones!). No, the complaints were about those issues at all. As it turns out, customers were complaining that they couldn't hold on to their 600mL Coke bottles!
Yep, I know I have been dropping them constantly. Haven't you? No? Maybe it's because I don't have a thumb and therefore am about as functional at holding things as a fish. But in accordance with Coke logic, there are many like me! Hence, they have taken it upon themselves to rid the old Coke bottles from the Earth with new ones that have better grip! God bless them!
They even went to the trouble of culling 200mLs from an over-priced drink as well! Just so that, we, the consumer didn't have to bear the strain of hauling an approximate 200g up to our mouth each time we took a swig.
I'm sure those were their reasons for the change. I'm sure it wasn't to see if they could get away with blatant cost-cutting by instigating a "the public are stupid" ad campaign. And yes, the ad campaign does parade the fact that the change is due to "better grip!"
going on sale.
Just a small post to say that later this week, some of my photography will be up for sale. It's going up at a hairdressing salon in North Melbourne: Agape Hair design studios.
Three pieces are going up: Hundred years of fun, Japanese Gardens and Traffic Jam.
I currently have no idea how I feel about all that. On one hand, I'm happy that some of my pieces might get some exposure and also might actually get some money out of it, so that I can buy some much needed (and expensive) upgrades to my equipment. On the other, it kinda puts my work up for public scrutiny and scorn. I suppose at the end of the day, the latter will (hopefully) provide motivation for me to improve. Or I'll just quit =P
If all goes to plan (and I highly doubt it will!) I might be able to make enough from this to justify the lens I just bought. Guess how much it costs... Go on!
Orright fine...US $350.
Sigh. You see why I need photography to start generating some cash? It's just not a feasible hobby otherwise. So go tell people to buy one of my photos. Ofcourse all you cheap-skates who read my blog can obtain any of the prints for the price of the printing =P
full gallery: http://cyphix-art.deviantart.com
Three pieces are going up: Hundred years of fun, Japanese Gardens and Traffic Jam.
I currently have no idea how I feel about all that. On one hand, I'm happy that some of my pieces might get some exposure and also might actually get some money out of it, so that I can buy some much needed (and expensive) upgrades to my equipment. On the other, it kinda puts my work up for public scrutiny and scorn. I suppose at the end of the day, the latter will (hopefully) provide motivation for me to improve. Or I'll just quit =P
If all goes to plan (and I highly doubt it will!) I might be able to make enough from this to justify the lens I just bought. Guess how much it costs... Go on!
Orright fine...US $350.
Sigh. You see why I need photography to start generating some cash? It's just not a feasible hobby otherwise. So go tell people to buy one of my photos. Ofcourse all you cheap-skates who read my blog can obtain any of the prints for the price of the printing =P
full gallery: http://cyphix-art.deviantart.com
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