Chp 450. Bye bye Posterous. RIP.

So today, 30th April 2013, Posterous is officially closing down. As my friends say, this is just another case of the big fish swallowing up the smaller fishes. Less than a year since Twitter acquired Posterous, it’s time to say goodbye. Remember what happened to TweetDeck when Twitter bought it? Yup, they’re now shutting down all TweetDeck apps for Android, iPhone and AIR desktop.

Anyway, I guess business is business. My main blog is here at blogger.com, and I’m sure Google will never shut it down. Google bought blogger in 2003, and later bought YouTube in 2006. If you can’t beat them, buy them.  Thank God Google isn’t killing them off after acquiring them, like how Twitter seems to be doing with all their acquisitions (although Google is shutting down Reader come July 1, aaaaarggghhh… but then, that’s a different story).

But I feel kinda sad that Posterous will be no more from tomorrow onwards. Our younger generation will never know it was quite big during it’s hey days, like during the days of digg, and stumbleupon, and del.icio.us.

Even though my main blog is at blogger.com, what I really loved about Posterous was that, three years ago when the smartphone boom happened here in India and Android because a large player, it was the only microblogging platform where I could easily update via my mobile through an app. I didn’t have to login to a website and shit. Blogger.com too had an app, but it was buggy as hell. And there were many third-party apps for Twitter but those were just 140 characters long. Posterous became an ideal platform to quickly rant about something on the fly.

I used my Posterous blog for my June Pledge. It’s a pledge I took back in June 2011 about abstaining from alcohol for an entire month. And it was quite a successful pledge.

Unlike others, I am not going to import my Posterous feed to Tumblr or other platforms (Heavens, no I am NOT migrating to posthaven and pay $5 a month) because like I said, it’s not my main blog. But I will instead copy-paste my Posterous content here, so that I can always read them again later.

Feel free to continue reading if you want :) Don’t mind the typos, because I’m putting it here as it was. Remember I was live-blogging from my mobile.

June 1, 2011

Day 1: Here I come

Yup, today is D-Day. Today is the day I begin my June Pledge. If you don't know what I'm talking about, please read here on my main blog.

On this blog, I will be ranting daily for the next 30 days, mainly about alcohol. lolz. Here starts a new day.

June 1, 2011

Day 1: The forbidden fruit syndrome

The toughest part about quitting (even if it’s just a one month ordeal) is knowing the fact that you're not allowed to do that particular thing. That makes it even more enticing. The forbidden fruit always appears tastier.

It is human nature to want to do something that we are not allowed to do. Here in Mumbai, I may not drink every day, but on DRY DAYS, the urge to drink increases multifold, simply because we know alcohol will not be available that day. And so we spend twice or thrice the amount buying it in “black” on that day.

Hence, to quit, we have to convince ourselves that it is not a forbidden fruit. That it is actually a rotten fruit nobody wants.

Day 1 of The June Pledge ends now. So far, so good. Signing out.

June 2, 2011

Day 2: No glug glug, no worries

My June Pledge couldn’t have come at a better timing! Yesterday, the Maharastra Government raised the legal age limit to consume alcohol – from 21 to 25.

Also, the dreaded and archaic system of “Alcohol Permit” has re-surfaced… So you need a special permit to purchase booze and you can buy only two fulls (750ml + 750ml) per week using that permit. Actually this law has always been in place but nobody follows it. A good friend of mine has this permit and I will try to post the pic here later.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, whether a permit is mandatory or not, or even if I am younger than 25, all these issues suddenly don’t matter. I. Have. Peace. Of. Mind. :D

June 2, 2011

Day 2: Stereotyping the drunkards

This morning I wrote about the new Maharashtra law that raised the legal drinking age from 21 to 25. IBN Live wrote a pretty good report about this law where they compared the legal age limit of not only different countries but different states of India as well.

And of course, Mizoram had to be mentioned because it is one of the only two states in India where Total Prohibition is enforced.

The entire news report was researched quite well, until I reached the last sentence of the article. IBN Live ended the article with this line –

Underage drinking is a big problem in the US and on the streets of Aizawl, the capital of the Indian state of Mizoram where liquor is prohibited, you barely meet a person who is not drunk after 7 pm.

I immediately commented –

Good article, but your last paragraph reeks much of sensationalism. Yup, underage drinking, or any age drinking for that matter, is quite a problem in Mizoram. But to say that you barely meet a person on the streets who is not drunk after 7 pm is a GROSS exaggeration!!! Has the writer of this article even been to Aizawl??? I would wager anything to walk with the author on the streets of Aizawl and count how many drunk and sober people we will meet.

Did they publish my comment? Nope. As of now, it still hasn’t appeared on their site. But they DID change the last sentence a few minutes ago -

…on the streets of Aizawl, the capital of the Indian state of Mizoram where liquor is prohibited, you come across quite a few tipplers after 7 pm.

Ok, now THAT, I cannot argue with. That is a safe sentence to use. I may not be a journalist, but being a copywriter, we must always word our sentences carefully when writing for the masses. Whether they approve my comment or not, I’m glad they have rectified their tone. I hope CNN IBN doesn’t become like the Times Of India, whose only job it seems, is to print false news and allegations about the Mizos or Mizoram.

Looking back at this incident, I can’t help but think – the author most probably has never been to Aizawl to say something as ridiculous as that…. so… were we stereotyped? Because, yeah, many of us Mizos staying outside Mizoram do love our alcohol. If it’s a case of stereotyping, then that gives me one more reason to continue with my June Pledge and abstain from alcohol, so that we can prove all these idiots wrong!

Go June Pledge! :)

June 3, 2011

Day 3: Mobile go go

Ok posterous is known for its ease of posting from different sources like email, twitter etc. so I'm just checking it out.

I have just downloaded the posterous app for android to make it easier for me to post here everyday from anywhere. I have also downloaded an app called superious which is another popular posterous app.

Also, lemme test the pic posting option in this same post..

June 3, 2011

Day 3: Amazing dinner, and a test!

Im currently at a private dinner party hosted by Coral. Its at Prahlad Kakkar's Bandra cottage, to be precise. Around ten people are invited, most of them renowned foodies. Strangers to me but Im slowly starting to get to know them. Entry is 800 bucks per head.

I wouldnt have gone had it not been for my friend Pawan who insisted on my coming, and the menu is PORK - coorgi pandi curry. Who can say no to that? Its delicioussssss!

Lots of free wine, but I am still sticking to my June Pledge so Im drinking ginger ale! Lolz. I have never spent a Friday evening like this before :)

I am attaching a pic of some of the food served... the pork has been deep fried really well and I am now going to get back to my food now. Hope the pic shows properly.

June 4, 2011

Day 4: An evening to remember

Its past 4:30am now. Just reached home from the dinner event I mentioned in my previous post. Ah, what a memorable night.

We talked about everything related to food, catering, restaurant business etc. till 4 in the morning. I learnt a lot about the food industry because of the other guests.

As for me, had I come home at 4am in the morning on any other time (especially saturday mornings), I would have already been really sloshed. It is different this time. Ginger ale does not give you a kick. lolz.

KC (owner of Cafe Goa) even left behind a full bottle of Whyte & Mackay whisky after having just two drinks from it. Pawan looked at me and asked if I want it. Dayyymmmm.... but then, with a heavy heart but a strong conscience, I said no.

Right now I am tired, but it sure feels good to come home from a "party" this late, completely sober! Now, time for some sleep :)

June 6, 2011

Day 6: I passed my acid test!

Yeah, it’s Monday! And I’m still clean!

I may have gone without booze from Monday to Thursday before, but frankly speaking, I clearly don’t remember when was the last time I DIDN’T drink during the weekends (Friday night, Saturday night and sometimes Sunday night).

Weekends were always the time to relax, unwind and open a bottle of Old Monk. Plus there was always an EPL football match going on. How could one not drink while watching your favorite team in action? :D

Fortunately for me, the EPL season is over and there is no football this month. And it’s hard to picture myself drinking while watching the French Open. Haha.

So this weekend, I bought a whole bunch of non alcoholic drinks like two cartons of Tropicana, Tang (powder) and this absolutely amazing new drink called RIO.

I really got to love this Rio. Cheap (20 bucks) and yet the bottling is quite exquisite. It comes in different flavors and they aren’t like your typical flavored drink. In fact, they are like the teetotaler’s version of a Bacardi breezer! :)

So how did it feel like to go through my first weekend (after ages) without any alcohol? All I can say is, it felt WONDERFUL! The past one week since I started my June Pledge, I had been dreading the weekend... but trust me, with a little bit of determination, it wasn't difficult at all.

But this next upcoming weekend... well... that is a whole new Mount Everest...

June 9, 2011

Day 9: An Epiphany!

So my Creative Director asked me if I am still keeping the June Pledge, and I said yes.

And then he said, "Good! So... you must be saving quite a lot then!" That's when it suddenly struck me - Yes, I will indeed be saving quite a lot of money if I go without alcohol this entire month! lolz.

June 13, 2011

Day 13: The Walk of Shame

And so… I broke my pledge this weekend…

But hey, it wasn’t one of those, “I. Must. Drink. Alcohol.” incident.

When I first took this pledge, I knew there would be obstacles. Challenges. Roadblocks. Temptations. I was ready to face the temptations part. Like I said before, I took this pledge not for any moral reasons, but purely because of my health. Deep down inside, I knew I could resist the urge to drink.

Office parties – I avoided them. Friday night hangouts with regular friends – I avoided them. In order to keep my pledge, I knew I had to become some sort of a social pariah. Because all those events eventually lead to drinking.

Saturday, I was supposed to go to my “ahemz” place. Being with her gives me more strength not to drink.

However, due to the stupid monsoon, it poured the whole freaking day, and most of the roads were flooded. And so I decided to stay at home, alone.

And then around 9pm, I got a call from an old friend – a house warming party, just walking distance from my house! It was like a B-School reunion, meeting up with long lost friends and being in the company of grads from IIMB and IIMK. It was really tough to say no to that… Plus it could be important for my career as it was like a premium kind of networking.

And so I went there… and of course the inevitable happened… Old Monk.

Am I feeling ashamed for breaking my pledge? Well… not so much. I feel sad of course, but the event I went to was really a once-in-a-lifetime type of celebration, and it would have been a great loss for me had I not gone there.

And this incident does not mean I keep breaking my pledge. No, nothing has changed. I will continue keeping this pledge and act like this weekend never happened.

I just want to be honest, that’s all.

June 17, 2011

Day 17: Jogeshhwayee Eeeshh

Ah… other than that tiny blot last Saturday, it still feels good to be keeping the pledge…

I kinda miss the nights I would approach an auto driver and tell him my address – Jogeshhwayee Eeeshh (Jogeswari East).

But I think the best drunken slur I’ve heard is from Southpark (season 9, episode 14) when a drunken Randy gets pulled over by a cop, and he’s trying his best to act sober, so he asks the cop innocently –

What seems to be the officer, problem?

Hilarious! :D

June 21, 2011

Day 21: Thou shalt finisheth thine drink!

Smirnoff

Triple distilled

swaying slowly…

from the brim of my glass to the tip of my tongue;

like a ship on a stormy night

shattering every piece on the rocky shores of guilt.

Pledge

broken again,

falling a victim

this time not to weakness

but to sacrifice rather, for people dear -

one must finish other's leftover vodka

lest it gets spoilt and poisons them tomorrow.

June 29, 2011

Day 29: And so it goes…

So clearly, I wasn’t able to keep my pledge, as evident from some of my updates here. But was it a success? Of course it bloody was!

Four weeks have gone by so far, and even though I broke my pledge two times during these past four weeks, that’s far better than any other months when I would be drinking every weekend and sometimes during the weekdays too. Going cold turkey on alcohol is tough, and this pledge has indeed helped me a lot. The last time I drank just two times during an entire month…. must have been long before I joined college 10+ years ago!

One more day left… if I can keep this up… next month would be a breather.

Maybe next month…. I can do this whole pledge thing again….