Genesis Again

~ bjcharles ~ Leave a comment

My blogging is like a kite floating in sky. Sometimes an upward surge of wind will keep it going high, or then, it will drive down to earth.

Today I again got that blast of southern wind. Now I’m back sharing old tales and my aging thoughts. Today the surge to write comes from an idea to share lines from novels and it’s ripples in me. Today as I was reading ” God of small things” in the loo, I thought its rich narrative exploded something in my head.

Why not share few here to make a sequel out of it. I hope this idea will give something more to blog about.

Bryan Adams in Bangalore

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18 till I do, fella is back for the fourth time in Bangalore. For me it’s the first time, I’m attending his show. I got free tickets, with that I happily went to the venue. The whole area was filled with cars, dust, and short skirts. Seeing the lasses in short colorful skirts rocked my spirits further.

I went inside the venue thinking of the Kingfisher beer or Royal Challenge. But all hopes evaporated as soon I entered the venue. So fuc*** counters for booze. What a pity to be in a rock show with out any elevated spirits.

Bryan Adams in Bangalore
There was no opening band. That was a dampener.

As the show kicked up, the young crowd swayed to his old beats. All I could see was a  silhouette from a distance  and up close from the big screens. As my friend remarked, he has aged beyond his years and he looked liked an old 50’s guy. 

New Spanking Me!

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One day at a time…
It’s 2011, the big year started with fewer pennies. It’s getting tougher by the day to survive, let alone save. How do I take it from here to where I love to see. We are all in the same race to make more money, more wealth and become happy at the end of the day.

Miracles don’t happen. But ideas can turn your life into a miracle. It’s this quest that’s burning in me to turn the high flame to opportunity.

If you’ve any thought on how I can turn my life around, or just give me a call. I’m all ears..

Russians in Goa!

~ bjcharles ~ 3 Comments
Russians in Goa  ( Source: indrailsearch blog)

Goa which once caught the attention of the hypee is now a popular destination of tourists from all parts of the globe. According to The Hindu, the number of Russian tourist in Goa has outnumbered all other nationalities. . 

Friendly Goa and Unfriendly TouristBack in 2002, Goa tourism started promoting Goa as a beach destination to Russia. Now, there are more Russians than other nationalities in Goa. 
Last time when I visited Goa, I was surprised to see hotel banners in Russian language. Most of the hotels were packed with Russian vacationers. I talked to one hotel owner about the impact of Russian tourist.
The hotel owner in Calungute had nothing good to say about Russian tourist. These big fellows and slender women are creating other social issues in Goa. Many of them are into drugs, and many Russian women land India for quick money from sex.

Tourism at what cost?
As a spin-off  of Russian tourists is visible in other sectors in India.  From Bollywood dance to regular events, you can see Russian models in many roles. It’s also a sad reminder of how a powerful Indian ally during the cold world era has succumbed to it’s own economic ploy. Now, we see Russian or Ukrainian dancers in Bollywood movies, swaying to the tune of Indian masala .

So, What Holds for Goan?

It’s difficult to say how things will turn in future. I think the policy makers, people of Goa must take the right step to keep Goa a safe destination in the years to come.

Links … Russian page

Old Bangalore – Down the Memory Lane

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                                     ( Marble Memorial plaque inside St Patrick’s Church, Bangalore)

I found few interesting sites from old timers. There is a small tribe of people who still cherish the old life in Bangalore. I would like to meet them personally, hear their tales, and know how the life was in ’40 or ’50’s.

Somehow I adore seeing the old black and white pictures. There’s something in those pictures which makes me lost, or connected with those yesteryear life. Probably, it’s the fresh, innocent or naive way of life, which is portrayed in those old pics. On the same lines, I love collecting vintage stuffs, from books to items of the pasts.
Who talks of Old Bangalore
One Mr Ronnie Johnson has given wealth of details through pictures and detailed content on the life in old Bangalore. As he rightly the heydays of Bangalore as – those were the days
Mr Ronnie also writes content for websites or for online publications.

Pls contact him: Ronnie Johnson, 5/3 King’s Street, Richmond Town, Bangalore 560 025, India. Residence Phone in Bangalore: 080 2240145.

( update on 10/15 – Some time back I came to know from an Anglo Indian person that Ronnie Johnson has passed away). Now, I’m not sure who is there to track those vintage diaries. I feel sorry for not meeting Mr Ronnie in person. 

Corner House Bangalore

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Today for a change, I went to Corner House, next to ESI hospital, Bangalore. I’ve passed by this buzzing ice cream joint, but never bothered to stop. Today, we dropped in for death by chocolate.

Even at 10:00 PM, this place was crowded with people, of all ages, licking and slurping from the white plastic bowl.

Now my question?
How do this brand attract so ice cream lovers?
Why are customers visiting this place? What’s special here?
How different is it from other popular brands like Baskin and Robbins?
What homework should you do to start another brand like this?
What could be the sales in a day?

Is it the brand name that attracts so many ice cream aficionados to this Corner house. On the same lines, do you attract people? Why is the secret to your popularity?

My Fiftieth Blog post

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After 50 boring all ‘me’ posts, I should be exploring new avenues in blogging. I think I’m taking a turn to  hospitality business blogging.

The first idea to write about small hotel biz segment sprung from the my earlier blog post I wrote about a guest house in Goa. The response from this post, triggered a new thought. Another shot in the arm came after reading the Daniel’s blog.
I was just mesmerized by the writing style of Daniel Edward Craig. My writing is a far cry from this hotelier turned blogger. He writes for Opus hotel. Read his post to taste the wonderful bouquet of information from each post.
Here’s a little peek into my nutty mind. >>>

See more

Benefits of blogging for Hotel Resort Travel Mart

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Do you know that more than 40k blogs are opened in a day?
Did you know that blog receive 55% more website traffic?

More website traffic means more people know about your hotel or resort. Now does it makes biz sense to start a blog right away.
Answer is Yes and NO.
Blogging is easy to start, but most often it runs out of steam. Most blogs dreams fizzles out in time. Lack of time, lack of ideas, lack of proper promotion, and lack of motivation.
You need is consistent blogging from an blog enthusiast!
I feel hospitality biz is the ideal platform for a blog. There is so much to write about.

  • You can write about the best of your rooms
  • You can boast about your menu
  • Talk of your special hospitality
  • Take them for a virtual tour around your hotel
  • Share unique stories from new guests
  • Talk about places to visit around your resort
  • Activities to add spice to visitors stay
  • Platform to engage with guests
  • Distinguish your hotel from others

Does these points strike a chord with the elements of your hospitality business. Now does it makes sense to share these points to potential visitor or repeat visitor.

If you think blogging is greek to you, or it’s a kind of technical stuff you can’t handle, then I can pitch my word for you!

I love talking of travel points, love putting your name on the web ( for a reason). Yes, I would like to get dough in return.

If it makes sense to hire an outsider to do blogging for you, then I’ll be of your service. Pls mail me at bcc2charles@gmail.com. Let’s chat or speak on how you can get started with a blog impression.

Jingle Weather in Bangalore

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I’m kind of high with this soft chill climate in Bangalore. It kind of adds more jingle to the coming Xmas. Today morning when I woke up she was playing myopusradio and my fav song for this season was on air – jingle bells.

Jingle bells from Jim Reeves takes me to me to my raging 20’s. This was one of the records I used to play in my LP. The red cover of Jim Reeve’s LP still comes to my mind. Don’t know what happened to those LP’s. Someone borrowed it and never got it back.
Yes, those moments will never be back. Only solace is to listen to his songs and chew on the old flaggin memories of another life at another time.

Does City Life Make You Lonely?

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Are you in the groove with city life or a misfit?

I see too many confident men and women in Bangalore. They work in polished office building, drive swanky cars, wear designer clothes, stay at apartments, give out an a air of superior well being. Their look give out an aura of confidence and wealth.
On top of these glossy facts, these people are connected with all kinds of gadgets – ipad, netbook, wifi, 3G, facebook, twitter, cell phone, land phone.

Despite these hi-fi facts, they still remain as elusive as ever. We live in a neighborhood where we hardly know the people sharing our walls.

  1. Why is this disconnect?
  2. Why does city life breed shallowness?
Colleagues are another breed of people we smile or laugh with, by still remain just as co-workers. We hardly know what they are?
Often I ask myself, if Bangalore life has made me a plastic like other people. All appear to be busy, running behind some schedule.
Facebook Phonies

In my last b’day, I got the most number of b’day wishes – well through Facebook.
Every phony in my Facebook slashed out a customary b’day wish. Too many well wishers to be true. Did it make me feel elated?
Answer is absolut – NO. Facebook promoted them of my b’day and they wrote a 2 second msg.
If these people had called me on this day, I would have really felt touched? But who cares to call me
Maybe, I’m old fashioned phony trying to get used to the new age shallowness in relationships? Maybe I’m a misfit in this society or the future to come. If you’ve a better answer you can tell me.
Forget what others do, let me focus on what I can do to others and with me.
Amen