UA-49621821-1

December 20, 2010

What a bloggy day!! #blcm

#blcm - Blogcamp moodi IIT
I had set my alarm at 7:30 AM... Had made all the plans to get up early as I was about to go to the blog camp un-organized by @mokshjuneja @ideasmithy @netra @annkur So, this was supposed to be my first ever blogcamp. I was all set to make sure that I don't miss out on this opportunity. Was really excited to meet up fellow bloggers and talk to them casually about nothing.... Just like 'Jerry Seinfeld's' show, this #blcm was about nothing... Haha... well actually it turned out to be more than just that...And I was glad that I finally got to attend it.

So having said that, my alarm at 7:30 AM was overambitious... especially going by my standards of waking up on a Sunday morning, and that too after not having slept at all since Saturday night... Well, all said and done, I somehow managed to wake up by 9:00 and reach the venue at around 10 am... As soon as I stepped into IIT, my college memories were back. Just like @beeayeanoowhy had also tweeted out. So well, yea, it was really a good feeling to be attending this session. I reached on time, and we hadn't started till about 11:00 AM, hoping for some others to join us as well... but, I guess this time around it was a few handful of us say about 20-30 people who were going to talk about our blogging experiences.

One of the best things about this kind of a format is that it encourages you to really talk without any inhibitions about what you want to and as bloggers discuss things openly and not hesitate making an opinion, besides of course on their blogs. Some of them knew each other and had interacted with each other many times, some were new and new to blogcamp itself, myself included. So we didn't kind of know, what to expect.

But when it started flowing it was really what it was supposed to be. With sessions from each and every blogger about their experiences, some about movie reviews, some about poetry. Some about sketching experiences and others about what blogging meant to them. Some about how blogging should be done for passion and why we shouldn't blog if we don't really have something meaningful to say. Some of them talked about really interesting concepts like comics and how blogging helped them realize and reach out to many... Some really enchanted and touched us with their stories of how blogging really helped them woo their someone specials parents (a really nice cue to Channel V's Date My folks :P) and some really talked about how blogging helped them really make a difference to the society and the country's politics. A lot of them had very valid points and all of them really focused on one single point... the point that all of us really crossed tangentAlign Centers with.

That was one of the strong messages that came out and I really felt where a lot of us agreed to was the fact that blogging as a whole is and will be in the future taken as a serious community. Yes there was discussion about 'Are bloggers out there to sell themseves out to Brands/PR agencies? or are we free to write our own independent content and yet be appreciated by these same brands for voicing our honest opinions. Also, whether blogging can be seriously taken or is taken as mainstream media... How does user generated content become important in taking important decisions of buying products, vs just making a simple decision of watching a movie or not. For that matter, what is the definition of the true purpose of why a blog exists and what it achieves to really do

.

Essentially a blog was a 'Web Log' Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. (Wikipedia) but now, we all know that a blog is more than that and a blogger has evolved manifolds.

But what I also felt was a very important point was... 'What next??' and that is what Moksh also asked us... A really serious thought and I thought about it on my way back.. really good point to contemplate about and truly set goals for myself. Where do I head from here?
What do you think?? Where to now??
Read more from other bloggers here: Pradeep Mohandas: Parallel Spirals; BlogCamp Mumbai – MoodI 2010
TechGreek Stuff: Facebook Photos
Manoj Kewalramani: Voter Files & Blog bang!!
Sampath Iyengar: Facebook Photos

December 06, 2010

DUB FX gig @ Blue Frog Mumbai

So before I go ahead and blog about this super amazing gig that happened at Blue Frog on Tuesday night at Blue Frog, I need to give you a taste of what DUB FX is all about? Check out this video of his Courtesey the Dewarists (Dewars) http://www.facebook.com/DewarsIndia

Well yea, you can go ahead and Wiki him up too. But truly what he's all about I got to know from this blog that I stumbled upon

http://sumofchange.blogspot.com/2010/01/music-monday-dub-fx.html

Before I went there, I hadn't heard DUB FX, and didn't know much about his music. Frankly, I just knew he's an Australian BeatBoxer. But when I went to Blue Frog, they were showing this video and I really struck a chord with his one statement.

"Don't do something, someone else thinks. Stick to your beliefs, never try something someone else thinks, it's fake and people will see through it." I totally agree with that, not just in music but whatever you do in life.

So there he was, with his gig, started off with a really racy number grooving to it...everyone really caught up with music at that instant. Next Up he got on to the stage, his fiance The Flower Fairy... She was really amazing too, especially the way she emoted her music and expressed herself with great emotions. That was like a really good couple doing great music out there. The entire house was shaking and dancing to their moves, raising their hands and really sticking to the rhythm and the beat.

Well, you thought that's what the gig is all about?? No wait... there was some great fusion... coming your way. Sabir Khan with his Sarangi turned his magic on and Rhys with the saxophone blew our minds! They even played, beatboxed and saxophoned the famous track I always loved from the movie 'The GhostBusters' We had everyone shouting, who you're gonna call "Ghostbusters' :)

All in all it was truly an experience to remember..