ManjitBedi.com

So, my web-site is  messed up in a few places.  I don't know what do about that.  It is mostly to do with photos cannot be found.

Recently, I had some mishaps because of my dependance on technology.  I use text messaging like many people do with mobile phone.  The problem is that sometimes the text messages don't go through or arrive too late.  Really,  if I need to contact someone, I should call them and not depend on a text message or say email.

It seems to be there is a larger malaise in the technology dependant world we are in.  Software has bugs and systems don't work.

Here is another example of something that I suspect is a problem with technology.  I was renting a house and ultimately the phone line was being provided by Brtitish Telecom.  The important thing to note is that i did not have  BT account;  I renting my phone line for broadband access through another company.  Someone has bought the house I was renting.   The new owners were taking possession of the house in April.  BT cuts off my phone line and broadband access 3 weeks early.  And BT would not fix the problem, they said I need to speak to company in between which i did a few time.  The basic issue is this, I did nothing wrong; BT made a mistake and would not do anything to fix it.

I am busy which is good.  I am wasting a bit of time which is bad.  Been getting distracted by unnecessary things.  

Some of the new projects I am working on are going to be pushing what I have done on the iOS (iPhone & iPad) more then in the past this is a good thing.  

I am 80% sure that I am doing some app work for a festival in the U.K.   There are details to work out; it is an excellent chance to do some really good work.

And there has been a steady flow of freelance work.  I am glad that I have been working with some good people and good companies of late.

Getting a bit technical.  I am looking to do some work using animation and the AV foundation framework in the iOS. I have read the documentation and studied up on it.  Now, I need to crack some code.  Must focus, must focus.

Manjit

I have been listening to music the last few days.  But I should add, I am actually just listening to music not listening to music while on the bus or doing work.  Just listening.  When was the last time, you just sat on the sofa and listened?

I have mainly been listening to the Beatles and this was before the announcement of the the Beatles music finally being available on iTunes.  I have many of the Beatles albums already on CD.  I did go and buy the digital download of the "Magical Mystery Tour" Album from iTunes.

The music fills my head with all the neat flourishes from the production of it all.

I don't think of the Beatles as a sixties band as much as they are a band from the sixties.

My mother used to play the Beatles records when my brother and I were growing up.  I knew many of their hits as a result.  As an adult with some decades on the planet,  the lyrics have become more meaningful.  There  are emotions being expressed and not always just love and happiness; there is unhappy side of life in there as well.

I am taking some time out at the moment.  2010 is almost over and looking back, I have been incredibly busy at times. I am doing some reading and coding at a leisurely pace. Just recently, I took a transatlantic flight a few days ago and I watched a few movies. 

It was quite interesting to me to see how some plot elements were common to the 3 films I saw. I watched "The A-Team", "Robin Hood" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".

The first two films followed very similar plots - there is the introduction of the heroes.  The heroes are outside the "law" and are in a few predicaments and ultimately they save the day to clear their names, and achieve a positive outcome so to speak but are betrayed by the "powers".  The films are the origin stories leading to adventures that follow.

With "Robin Hood" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo".  The lead male characters have flashbacks to childhood memories.  As the memories are explained, they are significant as plot devices leading into what follows;  interesting coincidence.

Where has the time gone?

Well, the year started out fairly busy.  I have been working non-stop since January until about July.  I went to Argentina for 10 days in around the end of February and into March (I was still doing bits of work while there which was fine).  I was just chilling out in the heat in Buenos Aires.  It was so good to catch with up with old friends and make new ones.

I was really busting a gut on some iPhone projects;  doing a bit of volunteering at the Shunt lounge at London Bridge which has now since closed and move to a new location.  

I sprained an old injury which really slowed me down and limited what I could do for a while.   The injury is such that I need  rehabilitation done on my leg.  And I will probably be getting an MRI scan done of injured area around my knee.

There are no comments at the moment, the system I was using is no longer available.

Tell me should I use WordPress?  I would be be blogging more if I did (I promise).

After a really busy and productive summer, my working life is slowing done for the moment.  I have time to think and pick up the pieces on various things.

I have been thinking about Japan for many reasons recently.  I have on and off been working on a writing project with my friend in Osaka Shu Nakajima.  I need to bring some of the material up to date and publish it.  I may post the first piece here in this blog.  Here is a photo to tease you with what we have been talking about.

http://www.shunakajima.com/

I am also doing some more editing on the short film I made back in May (has it been that long already?).  I need to shoot a few new scenes.  One scene in particular is not working the way I would like; it is unintentionally funny.  I also have been in my mind's eye thinking about animating tea cups.  Hmm, I do like it. I need to find images of tea cups and tea leaves.  Hmm.  there may be some 3D modelling involved as well.

I have am also slowly updating my portfolio.  My resume as a text based document does not truly realise what I have been doing all these years.  The portfolio has images which are important considering how much of my work is visual.

So much for a re-design to the web-site.  I have been busy (he says).

I have making iPhone software and working on various things.

It was a rather sunny day yesterday and I went for a good long walk around the canal network in Limehouse with some friends.  The walk was organised by Gordon Joly.

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/2142520/

Amongst other things, my short film project hit a few breaks in the road and got stalled.  It is back on course now.  I have revised the idea for the shoot and I will be doing a treatment and making some new storyboards.

Ok, more to post soon.

Manjit

I am going to be re-designing my web-site over the next few weeks.

It has been ages since I have done any posting and I still have some writing to do.

Also, if you are using RSS to get to the blog - this location may be moved so come back sometime in December.

Meanwhile, I was recently in Barcelona to see a friend.  It was a short trip but a good one.

Having some cocktails in the Gimlet bar in the Born district in Barcelona.

Tapas

Back in late November 2007, I went to Mendoza with Gina.  Gina is fellow traveller that I met while in Argentina.

I have been wanting for some time to go to Mendoza to see the bodegas (vin-yards) and also get closer to the Andes.  This was going to be a bit of a special trip to go around and spend a few days with the main intention eating good food and especially drinking wine.  Some years ago, I went to the Torres Bodega just outside Barcelona.  It was a very enjoyable and memorable day trip and going to Mendoza was a chance to do the same thing but on a bigger scale.

The city of Mendoza is about 1000 kilometres from Buenos Aires; it is located in the province of the same name.  You could either fly or take the bus.  It is quite a long bus journey about 14 some hours.  That is an awfully long time to be sitting on a bus.  But in Argentina, you can take buses overnight which have special seats that flatten out like beds; they are called "camas" in Spanish.  It is the same idea of flying first class but much cheaper.  There is an attendant on the bus who serves food and drink to the passengers just like on airplane.  The journey from Buenos Aires to Mendoza was Ok; in fact we did not book the correct seats and got what was a semi-cama; seats that partially recline;  we did ask the agent at the booking counter that it was full cama; strike that one up to limited Spanish.