Getting into Creative Writing... Writing my own reality.

I came to the realization that I am actually writing my own reality, my perception of the world, my opinion, widely accepted or not, to myself, this is my reality.

With my new found grasp on reality, I realized that I don’t need to live the words that everyone else has written for us. But it’s my occasion to write down my experiences so everyone else gets a chance to live the reality that I do.

A quick tweet or an short-winded blog, it’s about mastering my words. Translating my every day interactions to font; this curiosity has come a bit later in my life, but none-the-less I look forward to spraying ideas and experiences over our net, as vast as it extends with alphabet.

This isn’t my first punch at telling stories. I’ve pounded right and left mouse clicks, scuffed up my mouse pad through Photoshop, manufactured visual stories for governments, businesses, products & events, and caramelizing it to glossy paper; to spread messages of the people that paid me to create them. When asked what I do, “I am a commercial artist” I’d always say, an artist that was commissioned everyday for 15 years, who's art augmented economies, but today at the age of 30, I know I was just whore.

On my road to becoming a pro, and to grasp my reality, (I’ve actually calculated this out, day dreaming between art commissions) would take 2 hours, spanned over 3 years, considering the probability of you spending every day with me. I could then share with you what I’ve seen, the places I’ve walked by, where I’ve looked up, and thought to my self, “that design is mine”, and with the time it’d take to blink twice, shrugged it off and kept walking. I’ve always been secretly envious of students who felt the awe and could celebrate their art; where I, had a long list of clients waiting for me to produce their work.

So I figure, with the understanding that experience, shared verbally can come off as ego, and professionalism converted to print earns respect. I write my own reality and much like my visual stories, can fly freely, be replicated and shared an infinite number of times.

~
Raoul
Follow me on Twitter @bhattmaan

D'Lish Urban Kitchen and Wine Bar... and night with Steelwood

Last night I was invited by a friend to come down to D'Lish, he plays in a band named Steelwood, and he was playing there last night, which also ended up being the restaurant's soft re-opening. D'Lish has been around for while as a meal assembly studio, where busy professionals could stop by and pickup a meal to take home. I don't really know the details because I never did get a chance to check our their previous setup, although highly recommended by many people. First impressions of the new D'Lish, it looked fabulous. The atmosphere was calming, the decor was well thought out, everywhere you looked was beautifully detailed; and it was spacious, yet intimate. I have never been the type that enjoys large commercial venues, so this was nice.

The servers were pleasant, my wife was also popping in for the opening, she only had 15 minutes, to eat and go, so I pre-ordered a dish so it'd be ready by the time she'd arrive. Upon checking the status of my order, by mistake the server doubled it, it was just a misunderstanding, he thought I wanted one for each of us, but graciously insisted that he can cancel the second order and bring me whatever I like. I went for the Gnochi, being vegetarian that was the only selection I had if I wanted an Entree.

The menu had a wide variety of tapas, wine and a few entrees to choose from, which gave me the impression that they are aiming to be a wine and tapas joint. I went for the cheese dish after my entree, not because the portion was small but because I was there for a while and just had a craving to compliment my wine with some sharp tastes. I was given a list of cheeses to choose from, I didn't know which ones to go for so I told the server, just pick your 3 favourite ones and surprise me. It was brought out on a black slate, the presentation was wonderful and came with a side of wine grapes, grated cucumber in a dressing, and soft, hearty sliced herb bread. A good sized portion, it was enough to nibble on for the evening and still have some to take home. Next time a single choice of cheese would be plenty of a snack for just me.

The night was wonderful I spent 3 hours having some great conversations with friends, while listening to the soft rock of Steelwood. I felt like I could have easily stayed another 2 hours until shutdown, complements to the pleasant atmosphere and the great music.


Steelwood @ D'Lish from firetext on Vimeo.

I really like the location of the place, 124th street and 104ave. If you live in the west end, and you want to break away for a taste of downtown atmosphere without the hassle, this is definitely the place to check out. I'll definitely be planning another evening here for some wine and tapas, maybe a date with my wife, a night with friends.

Follow me on Twitter @bhattmaan

New Cineplex UltraAVX, 111mins of my life in Red

So, I got to checkout the newest released to the public innovation in Cinema entertainment. When I first logged in, sorry I mean walked into the Cinema building, the night became a whole new experience.

Earlier in the day my wife emailed to say she won 2 tickets to the movie RED. I didn't think anything of it, because at first, I didn't hear anything about the movie, and I've been to the theatre it was playing at dozens of times; so the night wasn't going to be a new experience, it was just going to be another lovely night with my wife. Let me get this out there too, I've been on this new thing the past few years where I try and not know anything about a movie, that way when I get to see it, its like a surprise.

But, the night was different the moment I walked in the movie theatre, the ticket seller took our double postcard size tickets and asked us where we would like to sit, while presenting us a layout of our theatre on a 12" blue screen that laid in front of us. The seller highlighted 2 seats with his touchscreen; we weren't happy with the seats he had chosen for us, so we asked for a different set of seats, a pair on the other side of the theatre and about half way down. After a bit more thinking, we switched back to the set he picked, seemed this new feature of airplane like selection brought on too many choices to make a easy decision while on the spot. The seller handed us the official tickets and we were making our way towards the red rope, but not before I told the seller that this was a "classy experience." He laughed...

Through the red ropes, under the banner draped entrance and cutting through the aroma of fresh paint. We were definitely walking into a brand new not-a-single-popcorn-kernel-on-the-floor space. The theatre was beautiful, I felt like I was walking into the control deck of the Star Trek Enterprise. Just needed to order "Take us away Commander"....after a quick look around to take in the new setup, we made our way up the far stairs and to our seats.

My isle was The Nile, I couldn't believe the amount of real estate I had, I knew when I come back I'd probably be paying a bit more for my ticket then I normally would for a seat. But it made sense though... wouldn't it be better to fit one less row of people, and offer your customers more comfort. Because really, how often is the movie theatre completely packed that you can't afford to sacrifice a few spaces which is taken up by stragglers anyways. Brilliant thinking Cineplex! I know you must've cut like 5 rows to get the space that you are offering us, but you know we'll gladly pay for the comfort. Speaking of comfort, the seats were nice, I'm the type that prefers a hard bed, a hard seat, hard pillow so this was nice; also I really loved the fabric, a nice vinyl material that felt more like tightly stretched leather. I'm really glad they didn't choose fabric, because I don't think it fabric really ever gets cleaned. Sitting on those fabric chairs, there was always a bit of doubt that would linger in the back of my mind, usually between creeped out stickiness and weird dark stain on the chair thoughts. This time it was great, they had a bit of a lean-back setup to it, I'm not sure why you'd ever use it to lean back, just for it to automatically spring you back upright again, well i guess for anxiety relief during a really good suspense movie.

The sound system was all Bose, the speakers definitely were all about substance over size, but there was a lot of them and with the brand, when I saw the brand, I knew I was up for a great surround sound experience.

EasyRock 102.3 FM was hosting the pre-screening for the movie, RED, you'd figure for being one of the first 100 people in Edmonton to experience this new UltraAVX technology that they'd set out a few roman candles, maybe some wine and cheese at the least. Come on! Let's celebrate this new Edmonton attraction; sadly they handed the microphone over to one of Cineplex's representatives where she talked, then tested the audience on facts about this UltraAVX theatre. I did throw up my hands twice, but then didn't bother after I saw she was just giving cheap posters promoting that promoted the movie. Now if it were a t-shirt, maybe I would've put my hand up the 3rd time...

The visual experience was great though! I thought 3D was a vibrant experience, but this UltraAVX screen was so bright and crisp that it almost looked as if it were 3D, and objects jump right out of the screen when they played the promotional video for the Cineplex UltraAVX technology. Awe-inspiring for sure, which sparked me to uttered a slow woooow, I had a similar experience the time I saw Avatar as my first 3D movie, this was the same, just without the need for 3D glasses. The screen was enormous too, it filled the entire wall of the room, edge to edge; i didn't think it would make that much of a difference by removing the black frame, but it enhanced the experience, by pulling you into the movie.

I've never seen such video clarity that was so darn large and with seats so spacious. I did the couples test too, I tried to snuggle with my wife in various ways, and the arm support height, spacing, rear tilt and leg room made getting close no problem at all. This is important to me, as I'm sure a lot of other people, because this is a theatre that could be a second or third date location, (after the first, because you'd want to at least spend time talking with them). Also a few other things I thought were really cool was the ability to pre purchase your seat location over the web, it definitely brings back that "night out" experience back to the theatres.

Great work Cineplex, just wish I got to see "Watchmen" in this theatre. This isn't really a review about the movie RED, but it was a good movie, be sure to take your parents they'd like it too.

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Here's some locations on where you can check out the Cineplex AVX theatres.

Cineplex Odeon Queensway Cinemas
1025 The Queensway (at Islington)
Toronto, ON

SilverCity CrossIron Mills & XSCAPE Entertainment Centre
261055 CrossIron Blvd (at CrossIron Mills)
Calgary, AB

Cineplex Odeon South Edmonton
1525-99th Street NW
Edmonton, AB

Cineplex Odeon North Edmonton
14231-137th Avenue
Edmonton, AB

Contacts

Contact me at 1-888-347-3839 Ext 705
Phone: (206) 855-5819
Email: me@raoul.ca

Fuelling the Tech Wildfire

Raoul Bhatt’s software proves that texting isn’t just for kids. It’s for marketers, too
By Caitlin Crawshaw

Raoul Bhatt has a client roster that would make entrepreneurs twice his age choke on their coffee. Think LG, Smirnoff and Garnier. He has staff in four different countries. Yet Bhatt maintains that he’s “just a little Edmonton guy.”

You might raise an eyebrow; obviously he’s anything but typical. Bhatt is the guy at your high school who made it before you snagged your first internship. He’s the smartest guy in the class who decided against university and proved that classroom learning isn’t everything. Today, the 28-year-old has used his strong business instincts, curiosity and guts to create a burgeoning tech empire.

Bhatt owns FireText, a business named after its flagship product: text-to-screen software. It’s similar to online chat rooms: people can compose a text message, send it to a specific phone number, and almost immediately it will be displayed on screen.

If you haven’t heard of it, you’ve probably seen it: this winter, as you tensely awaited the third period of an Oilers game, you may have noticed people taking their eyes off the ice long enough to send a text message to the Jumbotron screen to vote for the game’s most valuable player.

If you’ve recently visited clubs or pubs, you may have spotted a public screen with a hodgepodge of unrelated messages, from communication between friends (“Bob, meet me at the bar”) to spicy flirtation (“To the girl in the pink tube top: you’re hot!”).

Denis Byrne, owner of Edmonton club The Druid, describes FireText as ultimately “a flirting tool,” like a kind of dating service. It entertains patrons, but also helps the bar maintain relationships long after last call: when users send a text, they subscribe to a promotions list and receive information on upcoming events (if they don’t unsubscribe).

But don’t be fooled: FireText is not just for kids. Since taking its first shaky steps two and a half years ago, the company has accumulated about 4,000 customers from a wide range of industries around the world. Large conferences have used the technology to allow participants to send questions to speakers. It’s used at large concerts, like recent gigs by Foo Fighters and 50 Cent. A pizza company recently approached FireText with an idea to have customers vote for their favourite toppings. Communications giant Shaw has approached the company to create a late-night text-messaging chat service.

Speaking over veggie burgers at a Whyte Avenue café (Bhatt is a life-long vegetarian), I believe him when he insists he’s just an Edmonton guy who’s done some neat stuff. His modesty isn’t put on. His charm seems rooted in an honest confidence and curiosity about the world. He has the warmth of a yoga instructor and the enthusiasm of a child in a sandbox. While Bhatt doesn’t deny that money is a happy consequence of his work, it’s the joy of the work that makes it worth it – though it makes work-life balance tricky. “I can get lost in work,” he says. “I could work for 24 hours.”

It’s hard to pinpoint where Bhatt’s career began. In the course of working for the family business, advertising agency HugePhoto, Bhatt cut his teeth on marketing, advertising and design work. Bhatt learnt what he needed in the field while accompanying his dad, Harish, to business meetings, or he taught himself.

Before he’d finished high school Bhatt was taking on projects for the business. At 17, when most teenagers are flipping burgers, he and his older brother Raju designed marketing materials for a new Edmonton music hall, the Winspear Centre for Music. Shortly after, they were asked to design a large poster (about 120 by 60 feet) for a multi-faith conference.

On both occasions, the Bhatt brothers rose to the challenge. “Customers believed in us, and we grew. And the more we grew, the more they believed
in us.”

It was encouragement by both customers and his family that formed a solid foundation for Bhatt’s unshakable confidence. “The real opportunity my father gave me, and my family gave me, was being there for me. That encouragement. It wasn’t financial. It was a shoulder to lean on when you’re at the point of burning out,” he says.

His success seems effortless on first glance, but he readily admits that it’s taken many long nights to make things happen. It took a year to develop the technology and finding local staff was tricky. Ultimately, Bhatt travelled to India to explore outsourcing.

“I went with an empty mind and open eyes to see what was going on, how these guys were doing it. Mercedes, Microsoft, Ford – all of these guys are over there. The greatest asset the East has, which we don’t have, is manpower. Here, we’ve got all kinds of resources, but we don’t have the people,” says Bhatt. “I’ve tried local staff, but the problem is that no matter what you pay them, they don’t work as hard as they do over there.”

It helps that Bhatt speaks Gujarati (his family origins lay in India). The connections he made, however, were entirely the result of cold calls. He hired a team of programmers and web developers and bought a house for office space.

As soon as the company secured its first client – a club in El Paso, Texas – it didn’t take long for FireText to take off like, well, wildfire. It took longer to find local clients, possibly because text messaging has taken longer to become popular in Canada.

“For the first year and a half we didn’t have a single customer here,” Bhatt says. “We had customers in Latin America, China and the U.S. No one here. It didn’t matter how much we tried to convince people. It didn’t matter. We were almost in tears.”

It was a big surprise when Edmonton clients began to find their way to him, and now the market is growing rapidly. He credits much of this success to his overseas staff. People in India are proud to work for an international company and can often support a large family on the income. They’re also bright and good at what they do, he adds.

Today Bhatt has team in Uruguay and a sales team in Philadelphia. The creative aspect of the business remains in Edmonton, with help from his brother.

FireText continues to diversify; soon you may see it in movie theatres, radio stations and shopping malls. And soon FireText will be about more than its flagship product; Bhatt is currently developing four other technologies. (Details are hush-hush for now.)

While you might think a 28-year-old kid would want to sit back and enjoy the first wave of success, Bhatt is determined to continue exploring new options. After all, he says, the most successful people he’s met have been those who are always seeking out new ventures.

“I think when you get to a certain stage, you plateau. The happiness is in the growing stage. It’s learning and discovering new things,” Bhatt says. “They [successful people] don’t stay with one thing…. At 50, they’ve still got that youthful excitement. That’s what I never want to lose.”