Mumbai Fly-By

Just got back from Bose Krishnamachari's curated group show at Bodhi art gallery in Mumbai. Been flying by the seat of my pants as usual since returning to Mumbai three days back from Thailand, coordinating to meet a million different people for lunches, dinners, rendevouz, etc. to talk about all kinds of fun opportunities for myself, etc. Also trying to organize all the delightful goodies I brought back with me from Thailand that I quickly had to shoot before shipping back to America for my store (www.vicariouscollection.com). Here's just a few samples for those who may be curious about what I got:

Taxi Driver T-Shirt
$19.99 USD + S/H

Yoda Don't Do Pop
$19.99 + S/H

C3-PO Ring
$19.99 + S/H

Van Gogh Earrings
$7.99 + S/H

Almost of of this stuff came from Chatuchat weekend market in Bangkok, one of my most favorite places in the world, and also one of the craziest and amazing places to shop on the planet. They sell everything and there is always an abundance of young exciting graphic artists and clothing designers always growing and changing there and delightfully mixed into the labyrinth of a place that it is.

I'm planning to have all the many items I picked up soon posted on my flickr account, or perhaps my website soon (again, www.vicariouscollection.com), not sure yet if I'll have them for sale right away, but by all means if you would like to reserve any item, just shoot me an email at michaelfiles@vicariouscollection.com.

Sorry, back to the art opening

But anyway, as for tonight's fun, it was actually a duel opening at both of Bodhi's spaces in Mumbai, one at the Wadibunder transformed warehouse space, and one at the Kalaghoda gallery space. Had some really nice stuff. Standouts were Charmi Gada's work, along with a few others who I couldn't catch their names because nothing was labeled. Which I kinda liked actually. This guy in particular had a very nice piece. Again, I even talked to him, and had a little conversation about the work, but didn't catch his name.

The shows must have been put up crazy fast, because the show at Kalaghoda reeked of paint fumes from the walls that I heard had just been finished an hour before the opening.
Anyway, I guess the recession has really hit because there weren't any damn waiters in little white gloves accosting me non-stop with hors d'oeuvres. Which I was really banking on for dinner actually.

Instead all there was was crappy Madera wine (which is an exceptionally crappy wine, but actually not bad for Indian-made red wines for those who don't know. Indian whites are much better) and home-brewed filtered water. There weren't even wasteful individual bottles of mineral water! They actually had a container in the ice bucket filled with water that they would unscrew and fill your glass with! Can you believe that! What is this world coming to!? How will we continue to fill the landfills and create mountains of garbage with this sort of nonsense!

There were however, and exceptionally large amount of art paparazzi even for a show in Mumbai, so that it seemed every time I went to have a conversation or meet someone there were flashbulbs going off or video spot-lights on me. Which I don't mind actually, Ha! :)

Slumdog is a slumdog

In other news, I finally saw Slumdog Millionaire last night, in Mumbai no-less, and was severely . . . dissapointed. I'm sorry, I gotta speak the truth. A decent flick. That's it - 3 stars.
What the hell is all the hype about? I'm sorry, maybe its because I live in Mumbai, but I just don't get it. Best Picture nomination? Are you f-ing kidding me?

Well, that's all for now, I think I was gonna post something else, but ah, I'll get to it later. Love, Mikey

Leaving Thailand, heading back to Mumbai, oh mercy.

Just a glimpse of one of the many fruits of our week in Thailand:




Well, sorry not to be blogging too much lately, those of you that are following.

The last two weeks have been a blur. As of now I'm sitting in Suvarnabhumi International Airport Bangkok, Thailand, my travel partner Merwan and I reminiscing about our good fortune of having the chance to be able to spend even a short time in this wonderful country of Thailand once again. Funny, Bangkok, sprawling megalopolis capital of Thailand with a population of 9 million people, and a reputation as one of the wildest places on the planet, seemed like a stroll in a peaceful pleasure garden after living in India and Mumbai for the past six months.

Really, I can't get over the people, they are just so damn wonderful, sweet, cute, and pleasant. They haggle like Indians, everything is bargainable, which is always good fun, but its all done with a smile instead of a monumental fight. Needless to say I've enjoyed my respite from my new home country of India, and I'm not particularly looking forward to leaving what has been the incredible weather of Bangkok (I'm used to being here in the summer when its unbearably hot, humid, and raining with reckless abondon at any moments notice). There is also just the way things get done here. No one looks after you like Thai people do. Nobody. Everything is always accounted for. Taking a trip down South to one of the many beautiful islands of Thailand? No problem,

they'll send a cool guy with a sweet afro on his bike to escort you to the bus around the corner and every step of the way they'll herd you like a good sheep herder does to make sure you don't loose your way.
But alas, it seems the time has come to board our plane now so now I must bid this fine country adieu yet again. Here's to hoping it won't be long before I return.
In the meantime, I'm looking forward to basking in the glory of a 545 Bhat (that's about $17 USD) commemorative edition of Time full of Obama glory.
Stay tuned on the blog for more from this week in Thailand. I found so much good stuff, met more amazing street artists and crafts people, and generally had a jolly good time.

Sawadee Krap - Mikey

What is happening to me?

Yes, now my bottom lip is swollen. And no, I am not sticking out my lip in any way. This is all natural allergic reaction here.

Any doctors out there have any idea what the hell is going on with my lips? Should I sell myself to science or better yet Barnum and Bailey's as a freak specimen?

Actually, as of now everything has once again returned to normal thanks to Indian antihistamines. Mother, and other concerned parties out there that have got a hold of my blog, I repeat: everything is back to normal, I can breathe, please don't worry.

I am actually quite entertained by these freak occurrences that have struck my lips lately. Also, to explain my haggard condition in this photo: this is after traveling on the overnight bus to Mumbai from Ahmednagar (12:30am to 6:30am). Sometime around 6am I started to realize that my lower lip was starting to blow-up. Perhaps its something in the air this time of year in India. Who-knows.

The trip was smooth otherwise, not a bad deal at all really: you don't loose a day because the time you spend traveling you would have been sleeping anyway. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to make the trip from Ahmednagar to Mumbai. The company is called Dolphin, and as long as you don't mind sharing your little sleeper bunk with a new friend (or better yet, if your traveling as a twosome - well, there ya go) you get a little pillow, its comfy as long as you keep your imagination in check as the no-doubt insane antics the driver is up to cause the bus to lurch and bounce violently in different directions.

More to come soon about Mikey's recent adventures with his first Christmas in Meherabad, etc. Stay tuned. :)