All That Jazz

I love music. I love listening to very many different types and instances of music ranging from classical instrumental to alternative rock, depending on how i feel at the moment. I had Four Seasons playing in my room at an age when most of my classmates were listening to Backstreet Boys and I used to attend Parikrama concerts instead of buying the latest Westlife cd (Gosh!). But for some reason, I was never able to get the hang of Jazz. I tried listening to it, kept it playing in my room while i was in high school, but it never did call my name.

Until now, that is.

About two months ago, I started listening to the Dave Koz radio show and the sound that came out of my speakers was like honey. When the sirens sang to Ulysses, I’ll bet you a sax that was no pop that he heard, baby!

Jazz is a mellow mature type of music, un-canned and handmade. Its flavour not only consists of its ingredients but also overtones of where it comes from. That probably explains why it took me so long to enjoy it: it requires a certain state of mind. Now if you’d visit me while I work, you probably hear strains of a trumpet hovering around my computer, or you’d hear a sax swimming around the rooms of my home on a quiet evening. Its wonderfully relaxing, and does not disturb my thought processes at all. Some of my first memories of Jazz were Kenny G, and later Dave Koz, but now you’d probably find other names on my play list (If you happen to grab my notebook away from me), names like Vandross, the lovely Sade, Chris Botti and George Benson. I have been jazzed, and it looks like there is no turning back. I suggest you try it, it’s quite addictive..

Large Person Discrimination

I wrote a post some time ago about the insensitivity of advertisements and the blatant typing of body sizes into a ‘good’ slim one and a ‘bad’ fat one. There were a few responses to it, from which I found out that the advertising was in-house and noticeably low budget.

Recently, I came across another set of ads in a store selling branded clothing that was quite atrocious. The terrible thing was not that the ads were in bad taste and low-budget, but that the ads were in bad taste and obviously of a higher budget. The resources were obviously available to create good quality advertisements, but it is sad to note that is was not enough to ensure some sensitivity.

Now I am not on a crusade for large people, but seriously, some one should give these people a course on decency.

I must apologize for the lack of clarity of the picture, I had to snap it in a hurry before a security guard descended on me. He tailed me during the rest of shopping session, mind you. The things I do for citizen journalism!

The ads are for a pair of jeans, “Skinny Jeans”, which are not for the masses. On the far left (partially cut off the picture) is a large woman looking up at the skinny woman with the skinny jeans. It is really quite pathetic the depths people sink to, to sell a product. Someone should sit them down, give them a tap on the knuckles and teach them some manners.