In the news…

It has been a while, but here it goes, this week’s news highlights. First, an anniversary and a sad one at that, one year since the Mumbai attacks. Called by many as India’s 9/11 moment, it was only one of many such atrocities committed in India that year, but it happened to be outside Kashmir/Chhattisgarh and so was played out in front of the world’s media. Many blamed the Indian government for the handling of the crisis, but the saddest thing was to see such a great city brought to its knees. The Mumbaites are stronger after the attack, but like the dwellers of any big city around the world, terrorism is a facet of life that they have learned to live with.

Second, Dubai is bankrupt! Hooray! Unlike Mumbai or India, the Gulf States of the Middle East are my least favourite places in the world. For all the wealth they had, they could have given the world so much. Instead, the leaders of those countries have given their populace fat benefits to sit on their backside, while those same leaders have spent their money on prostitutes of the Edgeware Road, Champagne on the Champs Elysees and Fifth Avenue shopping all the while importing an army of slaves for their own pleasure. Oh, and they have ski slopes. Wow. All that cash and you have managed to build a range of shopping malls. You make Thatcher look like a wise spender of the North Sea oil wealth…

Third, a light hearted one to end the blog post. Oysterisation or whatever you want to call it. Basically South London can now join the Oystercard party. However, this being London, it is not a straight forward touch in and touch out. Oh the joys of the Oyster Extension Permit…

Toodles!

Anniversaries

Yesterday marked eight years. Eight years, I cannot believe that this length of time has passed. Sometimes you do not realise that time is passing by so fast, and for me, I was just a friend, I sometimes forgot. But for your parents, the pain must have been unbearable. Eight years, everyday remembering the gap where you once were in their lives. I hate to say this, but if I had not met your father the other day at the shops, I would not have realised the significance of October 21st, such is my own, now so-called busy life. But yesterday was eight years since you passed away and I remember that dreadful day in the hospital. How time has flown for me, but how time has stood still for others.

We all die, that is a fact. Sometimes, the best of us are taken away at a young age, sometimes he most unworthy lead a long and fruitful life. Life is an unfair struggle. I do not know what happens in the afterlife, but I hope there is no reincarnation, as I would not want to come back to this Earth. Unfortunately, at a young age, I have experienced loss and now, a few years later, the loss still feels to raw to talk about properly. Maybe one day I will begin to deal with it properly. But for now, a wave of bitterness still passes over me everytime I think about October 21st.

Wherever you are, rest in peace.

‘Transforming’

Looking back at the rehearsal footage for ‘Jay and Kay Save the World’, it was interesting to see both the differences and similarities between the end footage and how it all first started out during the rehearsal period. Rehearsals are essential to the film making process. Often they are glossed over, but they provide a valuable insight into how the film might progress as well as being able to correct any mistakes the actors/crew might make. For a director, rehearsals also give a chance to finalise the position of the main players in relation to the camera position(s). While rehearsals themselves take up time, they make the actual shooting process far more efficient. With a rehearsal, there is an idea for all the people on the set of what is happening and what to expect.

See for yourself, the similarities and differences between the rehearsals and the final cut:

Click here to watch!

Crossing the Thames – an update…

Hampton Ferry
Hampton Court Bridge
Kingston Bridge
Teddington Lock
Ham Ferry
Richmond Bridge
Twickenham Bridge
Richmond Lock
Kew Bridge
Chiswick Bridge
Barnes Railway Bridge
Hammersmith Bridge
Putney Bridge
Fulham Railway Bridge
Wandsworth Bridge
Battersea Bridge
Albert Bridge
Chelsea Bridge
Vauxhall Bridge
Lambeth Bridge
Hungerford Bridge
Waterloo Bridge

as well as London Bridge, which I did ‘out of turn’ as it was its 800th anniversary in July.

And still to come are the following crossings:

Blackfriars Bridge
Millennium Bridge
Southwark Bridge
Tower Bridge
Rotherhithe Tunnel
Canary Wharf-Rotherhithe Ferry
Greenwich Foot Tunnel
Woolwich Ferry
Woolwich Foot Tunnel

There are two potential crossings that could also make it to the list. The first is the new ferry crossing that replaces the Jubilee Line on weekends to the Millenium Dome. The second is the new Blackfriars Station. If they exist before I finish this trek through London, then they may well make it onto this list…

CWP Da Comic Strip!

Yeah, you know me. It’s a Monday, and that means only one thing. COMICS!

This comic is taken from the third webisode in the CWP series, The Suitcase. So have a mosey around in your spare time this morning…

And the winner of the steaming ot bowl of plov is…h

As part of last month’s exclusive competition for a steaming hot bowl of plov, we here at CMD Enterprises Inc are ready to announce the results of the entrants to last month’s competition. If you would like to be considered for next month’s prize draw (a luxurious free CD compilation of EL Director’s podcasts and ramblings) simply click on the link below and enter the following details:

Name:
Address (inc Zip/Post Code):
Date and Place of Birth (if born in a Mickey Mouse country please discontinue):
A secret password:
Re-confirm Password:
Credit Card Details (no debit cards, we aim to be untraceable):
A mobile phone number:
Your facebook account (so we can be friends):

And click on the link below to enter our free prize draw!

FREE PRIZE DRAW (MADE MORE OBVIOUS BY THE USE OF CAPITALS) – CLICK HERE TO GET MORE GREAT OFFERS/COUPONS ETC!!!

My India Top 5

As a round off to my India month, here are my favourite things that I did while traveled through India’s North East. In no particular order, and with nothing but frivolity behind the suggestions, I hope you have enjoyed reading about my travels through this great land!

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5) Meet the Khasi’s.

Up in the hills of Meghalaya state, enjoy the cooling breezer wafting in over from the Bay of Bengal. Dominated by the very cool Khasi people, Shillong is a laid back city, nestled away off the beaten track. Fun and chilled out a place as any.

4) Hop on the train.

Fun, cheap and a great way to see the countryside. Quite rightly famed as one of the best ways to see the country, the Indian Railway system is a must for any visitor to the country.

3) Cross a bamboo bridge.

They are shaky, oh what the hell, they are plain dangerous. But a little bit of bamboo will put some hairs on your chest. And if they can support my weight, they will probably support yours.

2) Catch a flick.

Head to the cinema, get your ticket and take your place in the cinema hall. Raucous, noisy affairs, so join in, whoop when there is a hint of love, boo the bad guy and tap your toes to the music. Fantastic fun, and a great way of watching movies and an interesting take on the local culture!

1) Eat well.

India is a country filled with fantastic food. One billion palettes make for some serious variety in the cuisine! Try something new, all the time, everyday. You will not regret it! Be adventurous…

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Thank you India for the memories. All of them. I hope to return to your fair shores very soon…

The only way to travel in India – by train!

India is famous for its railways and rightly so. The country absolutely loves traveling by rail and it has one of the largest networks in the world. Do not underestimate the importance of Indian Railways to the social fabric of the country. Yesterday, it was reported on the news that people in Bihar state burned trains in protest of cuts to their local stations. Indian Railways duly restored the slashed services. Can you imagine an Intercity getting gutted at Potter’s Bar due to a cut in the level of trains stopping at a local station? I think not…

I took the train right through Assam, from the lower parts of through to the upstate regions. In Assam, the train service is pretty comprehensive, in fact, it is damn good. While timings may be inconvenient for some destinations, the fact is that they serve both banks of the Brahmaputra and so make traveling around Assam without backtracking on yourself a very easy possibility. And it’s cheap, even by Indian standards. For anyone with Forex, trains are wonderfully priced – why would you want to travel any other way. They may not be reliable but they are far more comfortable than any other form of land transport. However, due to its location (isolated) and terrain (hilly) Assam is the only place where train use is feasible in the North East. The only other states in this part of India with a train line are Nagaland (a few kms that serve Dimapur) and the narrow gague track into Tripura. Unfortunately, due to the insurgency problems in parts of Assam, the line to Agatarla was closed for the month. Damn!

The train also happens to pass some of the most beautiful countryside that I have seen in ages that included lush tea estates, masses of forests, and paddy fields as far as the eye can see. A slice of Assam. All these can be viewed from the comfort of the train, an open carriage, with fresh air coming in from outside. None of this health and safety rubbish about hermitically sealed coaches and air conditioning. Instead the natural breeze of the outside fills you with the thrills of outside and you feel reality hitting you in the face!

One great things about the railways is in the towns and cities they pass through, there is usually a lot of activity around them. In some towns the railway can dominate its setting. In others, it is merely another form of transport. But the railways seem to have more than the local bus stations. There is always something to eat, somewhere in or around the railway station. In fact, the food served inside the stations are not bad (not exactly great either, but far more superior compared to the pap served at the airports). Very handy if arriving at an odd hour of the day, but you are unlikely to starve if near a station. Also the markets that congregate at the stations, particularly at night are a useful source of fresh fruits and local produce – excellent for sampling delightfully the fresh mangoes or the wonderfully sweet pomegranates that are currently in season.

Apart from the intoxication of the landscape, what I love most about traveling through India on train is peeking the life of so many people. From pulling out of the stations in the towns to seeing the multitudes that inhabit the countryside, the railways are not isolated from the country, but are woven into the very fabric of the nation. All around the railway tracks, at any time of the day or night, people are gathered, going about their daily business. And as a traveller on this vast network, I was able to see a little into the lives of others. Maybe it is the writer in me coming out, but what lies behind each of those faces? What story did that man or that woman have to tell the world. What trials and tribulations go on in that person’s mind? I look down from the train onto the life that passes beneath me, but I will never know however, as the train continues on its way…

India

‘I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beauty…by its ability to overload the senses…It was as if all my life I had been seeing the world in black and white and when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolour’

(Keith Bellows, Vice President of the National Geographic Society)

Wow, wow, wow! What a country! Number thirty on the visited list, and I have never been so stunned by a country in my life as I have been by India. What a fabulous land, filled with wonders that stimulate every sense available on my body. Still tingling with the magic that is Bhārat Gaṇarājya, it is a country that will amaze and shock on every turn. I absolutely love this land, it has stolen my heart and completely captivated me. Nothing in my life prepared me for how this country would make me swoon. I Love India.

Now, before I begin this month’s blogging about India, let me just make clear that I am not seeing India through the Rose Tinted Spectacles of a vacation. India is one messed up country. Just take a look at the facts and figures that exist and they will tell you that it is a country that is rife with corruption (and considering that Congress, a marginally less repulsive party in the quagmire of Indian politics has been elected – good luck), illiteracy that in some states have struggled since Colonial times as well as huge rates of female infanticide. Its society is statistically in huge amounts of trouble and has problems far beyond what many people living in Europe or North America can even conceive.

Also, from my own observations, I can confirm that India is a filthy country, poverty is rife and it is crowded to the hilt. The weather is intolerable, being a country that is dependent on three months of continually torrential rain in order to quench its thirst. Chaos is everywhere, the result of the second largest population on Earth being squeezed into a country that is only the 7th largest in terms of area. It is a country plagued by the ghosts of the past, most recently its independence from Britain and the horrific crime of partition. India is a country that still depends on connections rather than merit, where knowing someone will propel you into the limelight, and where your class and even the colour of your skin can be the difference between a life of success or a life of travesty. But despite all of its faults, of which there are many more, let me say once again, just to make sure that no one has missed out on my feelings towards this land:

I Love India.

Assam, which was my first stop in India, is an absolutely amazing state, everywhere is green, lush and fertile from being the valley floor of the mighty Brahmaputra river. Where else can you see rhinos wallowing in paddy fields (outside the national parks)? Where else does history and culture combine to give exotic palaces, riverine islands and tea estates in a compact area? Assam is a place that I simply did not see enough of and I will be returning to this magnificent land to see and experience more. If there is one part of the world that has captured my heart, it is Assam. Alongside the magnificent landscape, are some of the most beautiful people you will ever meet. Warm and welcoming who are proud of their ancestry and of the land they live in. The kindness of the Assamese will stick in the memory long after the visuals of the land fade from my thoughts. And don’t get me started on the food with plenty of tea! Everywhere there is tea!!!

Tiny Tripura, nestled in the corner of India, almost cut-off from its motherland. India in miniature, there are tiny temples, tiny water palaces and tiny hills along with lots of forests. Hard to reach but rewarding to see for the curious traveller. This is real frontier traveling, one of the many places in the country that has been barely touched by tourists from India let a lone the rest of the world. Tripura was the second of the states that I visited on my tour of India’s North East and was simply delightful. Out of all the places I went to in North East India, the food of Tripura was simply spectacular. The Bengali influenced cuisine providing me with ample amounts of fish, rice and vegetables along with some of the best street stalls that I have visited in all my travels.

My final stop on my travels in India was Meghalaya. A state that before I went, I did not hold in much regard. In fact, I was initially going to bypass it. Thank goodness for the heat of Tripura, forcing me to make a detour up into the hills of Shillong, Meghalaya’s capital. And simply, Meghalaya was the Jack-in-the-Box. But in such a good way, I was surprised beyond words by this state. From the stunning landscape and the wild weather, to the people who follow a matriarchy. Yep, the people of Shillong and the surrounding areas are ruled by their women. Evderything from local businesses to marriage proposals are controlled by the women, not the men, a surprising change from the rest of India (and in fact from the UK). And what wonderful people as well, proud of their own culture and of their country, but extremely hip and very westernised. Never on my travels in India did I expect to hear Bob Dylan or Tupac but they were well and truly alive on the streets of this Khasi city. And they don’t put milk in their tea – you have got to love the Khasi’s! Plus along with great music and fantastic dress sense, they make a mean fried fish! At times I felt I was more in Seychelles, so familiar, yet different was this part of India. I saw such a tiny part of this very inaccessible state, but I will surely be making a beeline for the rest of it at a future date.

And so here begins, my travels in this wonderful country. I hope you join me this month as I take you round India’s magical North East. Later on in June, I will be sharing some hints about traveling, what I like and dislike about the journeys along the road as well as a few anecdotes from the recesses of my mind…

India Travel Month (begins tomorrow)

When I went to North East India this month, it was as if the skank of life had been scrubbed from my eyes. On two fronts, I felt revitalised and refreshed and far more optimistic about my 29th year on this planet, even though the events leading up to birthday 28 last year were so much more optimistic.

While traveling in India, I may not have blogged online, but I was writing like a madman. Without the distractions of computers, filming or meeting up with people, I was left to my own thoughts and devices and experienced the surroundings with my own eagle sensitivity. Part log, part fiction, my little red book and myself were inseparable during the trip. Give me a writing implement, something to write on and a lack of distractions, and I will write. Prodigiously. It is what comes naturally to me, as does eating or drinking. It is a need for me to carry out, and I feel lucky that I am able to do this.

But anyway, why the month long blog about India, when I was only there for three weeks? Well, firstly, I want to share the experience of India, particularly North East India. This is a part of the world that few outsiders penetrate, mainly due to its inaccessibility (the farce of partition continues 60 years later). Go on, check out the literature for North East India, it just does not exist. Even for Indians, this is a part of their country that seems remote and detached from the rest of the country. And on visiting this region, expect the unexpected. The nature of the terrain, compounded by its location at the junction of South Asia, South-East Asia and Tibet has made this region rich in terms of culture, wildlife and people. Diversity is the key here and while it may seem farcical that this small area contains a quarter of India’s states, on visiting the area, it is easy to see why, such is the breadth of change that occurs in this small region of that vast country.

Secondly, I want to share my travel experiences in general. While I have been blogging my life as ‘Mr. Babarouge’, the fact is that I have travelled far longer than I have been a film maker. If it was not for films, it may be pretty unlikely that I would be sitting here in London on this sunny day, typing away. It may even be unlikely that I would know how to use a computer, such is my love for the simple in life. In the past ten years, I have seen a fair chunk of the world, particularly Asia. From those first hesitant steps by myself, I have experienced joys that simply cannot be bought. Compared to many of my contemporaries that live here in the UK, I have seen sights, witnessed events and gone through trials that many cannot even imagine. I am also fairly seasoned in the rigors of the road. Luckily my health is pretty good, in fact better when I am out of the UK. I want to share a little of that experience, share the tips, share the farce of traveling as well as share some of the moments that become priceless experiences, long after the memories of a ‘large one on the tiles’ fade away.

I know that travel is not for everyone, and I realise that many do not have the opportunity to partake in the adventures of globetrotting. But I made a conscious choice when I was young. I threw the life of stability aside and decided to take advantage of a remarkably good passport in order to see more of humanity. To paraphrase from a famous film, I chose not to choose life. You may or may not agree with my choice, you may think me immature (and hell, I am – the mind of a kid, still!) but for me, personally, when I look back on what I have done so far, it has not been the material wealth that has satisfied me, nor has it been the academic or the career that has inspired me. What has kept me thriving, is doing what I wanted to do, personally. In terms of cash, I am scuppered. But in terms of living, it gives me an energy that exceeds that of many of my contemporaries and keeps driving me forward in what I want from my life.

Food for the soul, thoughts for the mind and practicalities for the traveller as well as some great pics from a beautiful country. All through June, here on ‘El Director’s Blog’.