1. Tell us something about yourself. Which three words would describe you best?
I have been heading Corporate Communications for leading education brands before deciding to discover the writer in me. Now an enthusiastic blogger, I’ve also got the ‘Best Reviewer of 2012’ BTB Literary Award, have a weekly column in The Education Post, loved my tech involvement as the Samsung Brand Ambassador, and dream of completing his first novel soon. My blog ( www.passey.info ) has posts that meander through travels, technology, politics, books, wit, poetry, short-stories, food-n-wine, sports, and other thoughts that may just trigger the start of yet another dream for a reader!
Three words that describe me best can be: Don’tEverStop – Forever21 – AlwaysBullish ? I know, I know… you’ll say: ‘These aren’t three words.’ Well, they are words formed by interacting words just as we are people formed by interacting with people. Right? Got it now?
2. How would you describe your blog in one sentence?
All that we experience, our perceptions – sights & insights – seem like a surreal mix of fact and fantasy. There are no lines dividing anything anywhere & existence rides upon interpretations. My blog attempts to surf, fly, jog, dive, swim, jump & at times even hobble through planes of experiences that include poetry, protests, design, tales, photo-tales and whatever else is discovered & needs to be shared.
3. How long have you been blogging? What do you like most about blogging?
I’ve been writing since I was in school… winning story-writing, essay, and debating trophies. My blog was born some five years into this century… but blogging began only in the latter part of 2011. Since that time I have written more than 730 posts – and this does not include the 1800 poems that still exist only in my notebooks and diaries.
Frankly, what I like about blogging is that it allows me to win a few prizes every year… and because of that ‘lure’ I dared to venture into different genres of writing that I may never really have otherwise explored. So now I not only review books and technology products but also do travel writing, food blogging, and posts on wines and whiskies. But I must insist that every post written gets a part of me, my genuine attention and involvement. Not a single post is written cursorily or without a creative element getting into its heart. And no, I do not write for money.
4. What is your Favorite Online Shopping Destination?
I have lots of favourite destinations for online as well as offline shopping. What this means is that shopping isn’t something that I leave only for Specky, my wife. We both love to walk down real and virtual aisles lovingly filling our shopping baskets or carts. So from Lifestyle in India to Harvey Nicols and Harrods in London… from the Great India Place and CP in India to Knightsbridge and Oxford Street in London… we love our shopping binges. And we also love to zip around in the virtual space from Flipkart to HomeShop18 to shopping@Indiatimes to sites like Baggout searching for the best and the most value-laden deals.
5. What was your first purchase using your own money?
I remember this quite vividly… it was a VIP suitcase for my parents. This was sometime in the early eighties and was purchased when I was going back home on my first leave.
6. What is your Craziest Purchase in last three months?
Well, I walk the streets and the virtual galleries chaperoned by the sanity of my wife and son… so crazy purchases are not done often. But yes, if left to myself, it would have been a set of gadgets that include the latest from GoPro cameras and a stylus and pad from Wacom… but because these purchases are still in the pipes, so to say, I had gone ahead and bought a couple of new apps for my iPad: Vittle and Inkflow Plus. They help me handle my creative instincts better, you see.
7. If you were shipwrecked on a desert island what five items would you want with you?
My iPad, my Nikon DSLR, a powerful solar charger with spare batteries for the gadgets with me, a satellite receiver that connects me to the internet, and a GoPro camera that also works underwater.
8. How do you think can Baggout help you while shopping online?
Get me the best deals. What more do I want? And give me that Nexus 7 for my wonderful post that I wrote on how well Baggout manages to cultivate relationships.
The Baggout Interview
Note:
The Baggout URL for the interview is: Baggout Interview
My article/post on the Baggout concept can be read here: Being Trendy
Arvind Passey
03 July 2014
