A glass of steaming milky syrupy tea is best served cut. One by two or two by three, it embodies the spirit of sharing and camaraderie (and more significantly a resource crunch). Come, have a sip.
And here's the 2009 edition of the Cutting the Chai Calendar (with Indian festivals and holidays).
This printable calendar is in the standard A4 size (minus any frills), so that you can take easy printouts and put it up wherever you want to. Moreover, this calendar is in a compact single page, that saves you the trouble of flipping it over every month.
Major Indian festivals and holidays have also been included as they are usually not found in most calendars available online.
This time the printable calendar is available in three formats (PDF, JPG and GIF). Take your pick.
2009 Calendar with Indian Festivals and Holidays (Size A4)
My level of liking for Aamir Khan seems to be getting lower by the day. But this isn't what this post is about.
The funny guys at Webchutney have come up with a new viral for Oktatabyebye.com.
This esentially is a spoof on Ghajini and like everything about Aamir Khan has only Aamir in the ad (with the exception of the tattoo artist).
The disclaimer reads, "Before we forget, the character portrayed here is completely fictitious (and NOT a perfectionist). Resemblance to any real-life person(s) is purely accidental."
These online shopping sites come up with innovative tricks to fool people.
This seems to be use for quite some time, but caught my attention only this morning. The 'new' measurement of camera resolution - the lacpixel/lakhpixel.
If you are wondering what it is, here's the explanation:
10 lakh/lac = 1 million 1 megapixel = 1 million pixels 10 lacpixel/lakhpixel = 1 megapixel
For a layman the bigger the number, the better it is (remember the PMPO days). So a 1.3 megapixel camera would directly translate into an 'appealing' 13.0 lacpixel camera. 13 > 1.3. So the selling chances are higher.
Next we might see some hazarpixel cameras too.
Thankfully didn't yet notice any of the major manufacturers resort to this gimmick.
Four days - that must be the maximum in years that I've been away from the internet (well, not actually... I did check a few sites in between on my cell phone... but that doesn't exactly count. Does it?).
I would have liked to keep the judai (separation) for a while longer, but my boss didn't let it be. Had to log on to send some 'important' emails. And when you are online you just cannnot resist the temptation to check the updates on GMail, Blogger, Twitter, feed reader, LinkedIn, Facebook, Orkut and so many more. I couldn't resist posting a post.
The reason is that I'm away on a vacation, a few marriages to attend and a little booze to drink.
Tomorrow I'll be leaving for Silchar in South Assam for four more days - so more four days away from the net (I'll be Twittering though). I'm not getting any withdrawal symptoms. Yet.
By the way, the smoking ban doesn't seem to have any effect on the bars in Shillong. Actually the waiter was surprised that we asked him the question.
And kids here too are playing terrorist-NSG games. Disturbing.
Planning to go to an interesting museum today. Will post if I find anything interesting.
Saket Chaudhary's much loved 2006 romantic-comedy Pyar Ke Side Effects provides us with some insights on why do girls want to get married and boys are usually (though not always) averse to the idea.
There's a scene in the movie where Sid (Rahul Bose) Nanoo (Ranvir Shorey) and Aamir Bashir (Kapil Sharma - Sid's brother-in-law) discuss the finer details of marriage over bottles of beer.
Kapil's observation is that girls want to get married because wedding is a beauty contest that every girl can win, as on that day her make-up, clothes, jewellery is better than rest of the girls. That day "she can be Miss World".
Google has pumped up advertising for its new baby - Google Chrome via its Adwords channel. It is also promoting the product through YouTube and also LinkedIn (amongst others).
So this implies that Google (obviously) wants the world to use its Chrome browser. But it seems that the guys there in Mountain View are themselves yet to get used to their very own web browser and are still relying on Firefox for travelling across the World Wide Web.
I stumbled across this browsing through Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide [PDF link] (Dated November 13, 2008) [Via] and found that one of the screenshots (on page 3) that the good guys used to make things easier for us has a tiny but very identifiable Firefox logo. That can mean only one thing - Google still uses Firefox! And that is a good thing. Even Bill Gates might be.
To give them the benifit of doubt, they might be working on a Mac (I never worked on that much) and Google is yet to release a Mac-compatible version of Chrome. Therefore Firefox.
At the time of posting this only the first four episodes were made available. I believe that in some time all the episodes would be put up (though my analysis says that they have already uploaded 16 episodes but haven't yet made them visible on the website).
Since there is no download option, users with slower internet connections can find the experience a bit painful. But then there are ways to store the files on your hard disk for future smooth viewing.
Durex apple flavoured condoms print ad: Your turn now to seduce heer with the forbidden fruit. Apple flavoured condoms. Next time she is hungry for love, offer her a heavenly temptation. Durex's new apple flavoured condom. So that lovemaking turns more fruitful. Even sinful. Durex Apple The original temptation
Hunky John Abraham and dusky Jiah Khan in a commercial for Wrangler Jeans. Both get close and closer. Fingers slip into the belt loop, hands get beneath the thighs. And given Jiah's penchant for water she wants to do it under the shower. But John has other plans - a long run away in a bathtub on the riverside. "Do It Your Way - Wrangler".
"Every daily newspaper is chockablock with news. People in fact tend to scan each page and read only what is important. We just decided to help them do that better. Luxor Highlighters tied up with a National Newspaper who agreed to hiighlight only the salient parts of every article on a particular page. Our team worked closely with the editorial team in coming uo with innovative and intrinsically true stories within the larger story. The promotion touched the consumer at exactly the right time and at just the right place."
Category: Print - Office Equipment Award: Gold Ad: "Highlight What's Important - Pink" Agency: Leo Burnett India, Mumbai Product: Luxor Highlighters Client: Luxor Writing Instruments Pvt Ltd Chief Creative Officer: KV Sridhar Executive Creative Director: Santosh Padhi Copywriters: Russell Barrett/Santosh Padhi Art Director: Santosh Padhi Illustrator: Kunal Mhabadi
Category: Print - Office Equipment Award: Gold Ad: "Highlight What's Important - Blue" Agency: Leo Burnett India, Mumbai Product: Luxor Highlighters Client: Luxor Writing Instruments Pvt Ltd Chief Creative Officer: KV Sridhar Executive Creative Director: Santosh Padhi Copywriters: Russell Barrett/Santosh Padhi Art Director: Santosh Padhi Illustrator: Kunal Mhabadi
The centre spread of a magazine was stuck with each other with post-it glue On opening the page the reader saw the stain stuck to the t-shirt Post-it glue was applied on the lipstick On further opening the page the reader could easily remove the stain off the garment
The centre spread of a magazine was innovately used to communicate a fresh new idea for Tide. The left half of the centre spread had the visual of the supposedly stained garment and the other half had the visual of a secretary with red lipstick. The lipstick was stuck to tha garment with the help of post-it glue. When the reader tried to open the page, he could easily remove the lipstick stain off the garment. This laid emphasis to our core proposition, 'Put stains back where they belong'." Category: Print - Consumer Campaign Award: Silver Ad: "Lipstick" Agency: Leo Burnett India, Mumbai Client: Procter & Gamble Agency: Leo Burnett India, Mumbai Chief Creative Officer: KV Sridhar Executive Creative Director: Santosh Padhi Copywriter: Santosh Padhi Art Director: Santosh Padhi Photographer: Amol Jadhav Illustrator: Bhushan Patil
"The centre spread of a magazine was stuck with each other with post-it glue On opening the page the reader saw the stain stuck to the t-shirt Post-it glue was applied on the ketchup On further opening the page the reader could easily remove the stain off the garment
The centre spread of a magazine was innovately used to communicate a fresh new idea for Tide. The left half of the centre spread had the visual of the supposedly stained garment and the other half had the visual of a boy spilling ketchup from his burger. The ketchup was stuck to tha garment with the help of post-it glue. When the reader tried to open the page, he could easily remove the ketchup stain off the garment. This laid emphasis to our core proposition, 'Put stains back where they belong'." Category: Print - Consumer Campaign Award: Silver Ad: "Ketchup" Agency: Leo Burnett India, Mumbai Client: Procter & Gamble Agency: Leo Burnett India, Mumbai Chief Creative Officer: KV Sridhar Executive Creative Director: Santosh Padhi Copywriter: Santosh Padhi Art Director: Santosh Padhi Photographer: Amol Jadhav Illustrator: Bhushan Patil
"The centre spread of a magazine was stuck with each other with post-it glue On opening the page the reader saw the stain stuck to the t-shirt Post-it glue was applied on the ice-cream On further opening the page the reader could easily remove the stain off the garment
The centre spread of a magazine was innovately used to communicate a fresh new idea for Tide. The left half of the centre spread had the visual of the supposedly stained garment and the other half had the visual of a girl having an ice-cream.
The ice-cream was stuck to tha garment with the help of post-it glue. When the reader tried to open the page, he could easily remove the ice-cream stain off the garment. This laid emphasis to our core proposition, 'Put stains back where they belong'." Category: Print - Consumer Campaign Award: Silver Ad: "Ice Cream" Agency: Leo Burnett India, Mumbai Client: Procter & Gamble Agency: Leo Burnett India, Mumbai Chief Creative Officer: KV Sridhar Executive Creative Director: Santosh Padhi Copywriter: Santosh Padhi Art Director: Santosh Padhi Photographer: Amol Jadhav Illustrator: Bhushan Patil
Delhi Times reports/advertises that the ad for model-VJ Pia Trivedi's new show on ETC channel, Dress Circle, is "too hot to handle."
And the Censor Board has asked for cuts in the promo (to be shown in cinema theatres) as they were "too hot and daring" and even post the cuts it would be released "only in theatres running films with an 'A' ccertificate."
Obviously, I got curious and decided to have a look at the "hot" ad and was disappointed to find it a bit damp.
Edgy! Sexy! Hardcore! Prepare to be a part of my circle... Dress Cirlce Under Bollywood's skin! Circle of movies... With me Pia Every Friday Only on ETC Every Friday 7:30 PM
Pia Trivedi in ETC Dress Cirlce promo photo gallery:
Salman Khan did a bit of modelling (like many other Bollywood stars) before making it big on the big screen. I remember having a poster of Salman in a bike advertisement (cant recall which).
This is a very young Salman (though he still doesn't look his age) playing football and quenching his thirst with some lime and lemony Limca.
Who can forget his first victory? Limca with isotonic salts to quench your thrist Fun time Limca time Young time Limca time Masti time Limca time Lime n Lemony Limca
Who can forget his first love? Togetherness with lime n lemoni Limca
Fun time...
Who can forget his first journey? Safely travel with zero bacteria Limca
When the teasers were running (Aamir Khan doing all the housework) I was wondering what product is? Now that I know, I'm more than pleased to also find the charming Gul Panag as Aamir's better half in the TVC.
The agency is O&M and this is one of the better ads that Aamir has been seen in (he is usually too full of himself).
Aamir tries to act as a 'good' husband waking his wife - Gul Panag - in the morning, making a breakfast of scrambled eggs, slightly burnt toast and carrot juice and also packing her lunch. Checks the fridge for necessities annd gets them on the way back from work. Also offers to make the evening tea... all to watch a cricket match that clashes with a Saas-Bahu serial.
But Tata Sky Plus hain naa... isko laga dala to life aur bhi jhingalala.
Download video [00:01:06 FLV 1.51 MB] Tata Sky+ is a DTH personal video recorder service that allows users to record, pause and rewind live TV (wonder when will we able able to fast forward it) and the hardware (Digicomp) costs Rs 8,999 plus installation and other charges. I'll wait a while for the prices to drop.
Now you can embed your customised Cutting the Chai widget at (almost) any place online - blog, Twitter, Facebook, iGoogle, iPhone, Netvibes, Pageflakes, Windows Live...
In case you also need this blog on your fridge door - print this page and use a magnet to stick it there.
Powered by Grazr, I found it to be a worthwhile enhancement for this blog.
Click on the 'Share' link on the widget to do whatever you want to do with it. You can also customise the look and feel.
Or if you have a weakness for blocks of code, here it is:
Adjust the dimensions (and other stuff) if you need to.
The above widget displays only the consolidated feed for all the latest posts on Cutting the Chai. But many of you might have a preference for only a/some specific flavours. You can get a widget to display only those posts filed under a particular label/category of your choice. Pick your pick from the dropdown list below.
And I hope that some people might yet just prefer the good old way of physically visiting webpages.
The 'Debonair' here is not to be confused with the adult blog, but the once 'revered' monthly men's magazine. This advertisement from the November 1987 issue invites girls to pose for Debonair magazine.
[Click to enlarge] Show the world what you really are.
How often have you stared at yourself in a mirror - admired your beautiful features and figure - and wished you could let people see the way you really are? Now's your chance. We are looking for models for our colour photofeatures. The photographs will be shot by internationally renowed photographers like Adam Steven, Swapan Mukherjee and Chien Wien Lee. Selected models will be paid handsomely. Many of our models have launched into exciting careers in films and advertising from our pages. Why not you? Send two recent photographs (full length in a bikini and a closeup of the face) to The Editor, Debonair Publications Pvt Ltd, 41A, Dr E Moses Road, Worli, Bombay 400 018, mentioning your vital statistics, height, weight and age.
Be a Debonair girl. Let people see the real you.
Magazines like Debonair found it difficult to get models for their pages and therefore perhaps needed to advertise to find some willing candidates.
Vinod Mehta, Editor-in-Chief, Outlook Group, commenting on the news about Playboy launching an India edition:
The present avatar of Debonair doesn't seem to feature any topless models and has also toned down its content. But the glory days of the magazine are long over.
A couple of interesting bits (the more interesting in bold) about Debonair magazine that I found online:
Vinod Mehta, Editor-in-Chief, Outlook Group (in an interview with Exchange4Media.com):
This blog first saw a spurt in its pageviews in July-August 2006 thanks to a post titled Rubbers of India, something that has now developed into a complete section.
And when we talk of rubbers of India, the first brand that comes to mind is Nirodh.
The following advertisement (quite sombre and modest by Mallika's present standards) is from the December 1999 issue of Zee Premiere.
When fashion goes beyond the ordinary... Saboos Womenswear, Menswear, Kidswear, Accessories D-1, South Extension Part II, New Delhi - 49 Tel: 6258188, 6257085 15 MG Road, Bangalore Tel: 5597888, 5585519 Visit us at: www.saboosworld.com
SRT is India's biggest superstar. There's no doubt about it. And he has further fortified his iconic status overshadowing Brian Lara's mammoth 11,953 Test runs total.
Being a superstar it is obvious that he would have endorsed many a brand. And amidst the all high profile endorsements Sachin Tendulkar also appeared in ads for Bajaj Sunny - the scooterette (This was before the record Rs 31.5 crore deal with WorldTel).
To celebrate Sachin's (yet another) record here's the ad that I found in a February 1994 issue of The Sportstar. "Ride the red hot super looker teen machine" - Sachin Tendulkar Bajaj Sunny 55 KMPL · 50 CC · No Gears · Easy Kick Start · Spare Wheel · Price Rs 12,000 (ex-showroom price Delhi) Bajaj Auto Ltd Akrudi, Pune 411035
Agency: Lintas
And the nice Bajaj Sunny Zip TVC with the nice song (this doesn't have Sachin in it).
Lyrics: First you say you're always with me, Because being with me is fun. Say you'll go the whole distance, Since the love that you found. All right. Come on, what's going on? What you're thinkin'? Then you say you need me, Like the garden needs rain. Then you go and deceive me, Like it's all in the game... All in the game.
Text: Easy come. Easy Go Bajan Sunny Zip
If I'm not mistaken the agency behind this ad is Contract Advertising and it got them an Abby gold in 1997.
Most laptop don't usually boast of robust sound and therefore external accessories like headphones/earphones or a set of speakers become a necessity for an optimal listening experience.
But then laptop are meant to be portable but most speakers aren't and earphones don't lend themselves to group listening. So when I came across this set of USB powered speakers from Tech-Com (SSD-510U), I was immediately interested. Did a bit of testing and bought it home (as an additional accessory for my Asus Eee PC 1000H).
The biggest advantage is the size and the fact that it folds into two (like a clamshell) to make itself even more portable (see images below). It doesn't need a driver in modern operating systems (though it comes equipped with a CD) to run and you can simply plug in to your USB post and listen. And also has a little stand to help keep it upright. But there is always a chance of misplacing the little stand.
The sound quality isn't that great, but better than most in-built laptop speaker output (and louder too, but not party loud). It is also more of treble and less of bass. If it is bass that gives you the boost, then this might not be the best choice.
Moreover it doesn't come with volume controls so all the controlling has to be done through the laptop/PC.
Open and plugged in (notice the red right glowing). Compared to a DVD.
Closed. The stand and a DVD lie besides.
Held in the palm of my hand for a better idea of the size.
Being USB powered means that it is a bit different from other speakers that you plug into the headphones socket. If you are listening to something while you plug the USB speakers, the sound wouldn't get transferred from your internal speakers to the external speakers. For that you have to shut the application and restart it again. A small pain.
But for a price of Rs 400 (the printed price reads Rs 699), it seems paisa-wasool.
The packaging says 460 Watts PMPO and doesn't mention any RMS rating. PMPO is dubious, we all know that. And it is manufactured in China.
If you aren't very finicky about the quality of your sound and are looking for portable speakers that you can carry around in your laptop bag, it might be a worthwhile purchase. But the timbre conscious might have to look elsewhere. [Dealer details: Spiral Systems & Networks, 120 Mansarovar, 90 Nehru Place, New Delhi 110019 | Phone +91 11 2629 2660 | Mobile +91 11 1126 6280]
To say that Orkut is popular here in India would be a gross understatement. And since it is popular you cannot afford to stay away from it (for long) and especially if you are in the online business you just cannot afford to.
Thanks to so many people being in there I'm now in (remote) touch with a number of old friends.
But I get flummoxed when I get a scrap from someone called "IM oN tHE 7tH HeAVen aNd In NO mOdd 2 GEt DoWn." Good for you buddy if you're there and I wish you'd stay there but at the same time I'd also like some clues towards your real, non CrAzY cased identity? I then go snooping to the scrappers profile and try to hunt for clues - common friends, photos, videos, scraps, testimonials. Usually I make a good guess, but often am left clueless.
To many this might seem cool, but it actually defies the real purpose of social networking. One your identity gets camouflaged (unless it is a deliberate act) and someone looking for you there by your name wouldn't find you in the search results. And when you scrap someone, he/she would be left wondering.
Some clever chaps have found a way out, they insert their names in some other field, eg city, and hence get featured in the profile search results.
Maybe Orkut should give these bacchas some other field where they can let their creative energies roam free while I get to know who is scrapping me.
Thankfully, my Facebook friend's list is still sane. Maybe because Facebook emphasises on the 'real name'. Or are my Facebook friends saner than my Orkut ones? Or people tend to be proper on Facebook and go crazy on Orkut? Maybe I'm getting old?
How often did you blindly download a large multimedia files (video, movie, audio, music) from the internet (especially file sharing websites) and found that the quality or the content wasn't what you had expected?
And you might have kept your PC on for hours and used considerable bandwidth (especially if you have a pay-as-you-use internet connection), not to mention the time you had to waste to check the status of the download (I often happened to find my files in some undecipherable language).
Some download accelerators do have a feature to preview the multimedia files being downloaded but then many of us might have a preference for other download accelerators, that sadly don't have such a preview feature. Moreover many sites restrict downloading through download accelerators.
This simple trick will let you preview the initial portions of the file even while it is being downloaded (advanced users please excuse the elaboration). On many other sites (like archive.org) you needn't follow the process and the files tend to play easily even while they are downloading. This post is more targeted towards previewing while downloading from sites such as Rapidshare, Sharedzilla and the like.
I'm still on Windows XP, therefore am not sure whether the steps involved would be the same on other operating systems too (It is still the most used).
Browser Download
This doesn't seem to work on Internet Explorer and Google Chrome (though you may give it a try). Therefore this is Firefox specific (didn't test on other less popular browsers).
If you don't have Firefox, get it. Chrome still has some catching up to do.
Before you initiate this (ignore this step if file extensions are visible) open any folder > on the File menu go to Tools > Click on Folder Options > Select the View Tab > Under Advanced Settings deselect the 'Hide extensions of known file types' check box > Click Apply - OK.
This will help us in the steps to follow.
Now download the file you wish you using Firefox. In the folder that the file is being download you'll find two files bearing similar file names, but one will bear an additional .part extension.
Now create a new folder and copy/paste the file with the .part extension into it. If you don't want to create a new folder you can paste the file in any folder other than the one that it is being downloaded in.
Then rename the file (right click, or two left clicks but with a pause in between, or from the right click context menu) to remove the .part extension. Now your file is ready for preview.
This might involve a number of steps, but I find it better than spending hours downloading something that I'd then have to delete.
Downloads via Download Manager
If you're using a download manager/accelerator (many sites don't support download accelerators) then in the folder that the file is getting downloaded to you might similarly find another file with the same fie name but an additional extension (the extension might differ from accelerator to accelerator).
In my preferred download manager Orbit - it is .ob!.
Follow the steps mentioned above and happy previewing.
Some stats first...
Many people visit this blog looking for free download or an option to watch online the popular sitcom Sarabhai Versus Sarabhai, but find only a 
Now you can embed your customised Cutting the 
In addition to the existing RSS/Atom feeds and Email alerts you can now subscribe to Cutting the 
To say that Orkut is popular here in India would be a gross understatement. And since it is popular you cannot afford to stay away from it (for long) and especially if you are in the online business you just cannot afford to. 
How often did you blindly download a large multimedia files (video, movie, audio, music) from the internet (especially file sharing websites) and found that the quality or the content wasn't what you had expected?
