Keep Calm and Happy Anniversary

This is for my avocado obsessed sister and brother-in-law.

Keep Calm poster created on Photoshop by me.

Here's a fruit and vegetable chart that helps you understand in which months you can find them.

Luckily, love blossoms in every season.

Happy Anniversary.


I created the poster on Photoshop. But for those who aren't familiar with photoshop, here's an App with which you can make your own Keep Calm Posters.

Is you Madonna?

I'm going on a little one week holiday tomorrow.

To the land of the 'We can make that too but bigger and better than you'.

You guessed right.

It's Dubai!

I planned this trip on an impulse and spent the last few days feeling nervous about whether they'd give me a Visa yet again.

Now, everyone thinks it's silly to worry about getting a Visa to travel to Dubai.

Because they welcome you with open arms and lead you straight to the mall where you can spend every last penny.

But, if like me you had traveled to the Holy Land, you may not have the same kind of confidence.

If you live on this planet, you will know that they are sort of enemies.

Every time I have travelled to Israel, I have been questioned about my constant need to go to Dubai.

Questioned so much that I start to wonder whether I am in fact a terrorist.

Luckily I got my Visa which makes me feel great and like the World is a happy place again.
All those Miss Worlds wishing for World Peace really payed off and it worked out well for all of us!

But, before all the jumping with joy on getting my visa, the last few days were spent in 'nail biting' nervousness of Will They/Won't They (give me a visa).

[The nail biting was added for dramatic effect. I think it's pretty gross to bite your nails.]

And then I found a million reasons as to why they would have to give me a Visa.

And I even had one that I decided to use as my argument with the visa people incase I would get rejected.

[It's always better to be prepared in these situations instead of the should'ves and could'ves later.]

So here's my brilliant argument:

You allowed Madonna!

Madonna trivia: She started her MDNA tour in Tel Aviv (since she follows Kabbalah).

And then went to the UAE and the rest of the world.

When I told my sister this she said, "You know there is a difference between you and Madonna, right?!"

And I told her, "Do not discriminate!"

We are all equal in the eyes of the Visa officer.

Or so I hoped.

Her question reminded me of this video.

"Is you Madonna?"

But, to be honest, I is Madonna.

Or rather was.

It was a fancy dress party.

And all it took was 2 party hats and some cello tape.

I even have photographic evidence but let's just keep that in the photo album.

See you in a week!

Happy holidays to me (minus the creepy eye scan at the airport).

Missed Connections

Photo of my copy of Missed Connections by me.

I received a book I ordered in the mail today. Yay!

It's like receiving a present from yourself.

You know it's coming but you are just as excited as you'd be if it were a surprise.

Yes, receiving packages releases endorphins (atleast in my case).

The early birthday present to myself is a book called Missed Connections: Love Lost & Found by Sophie Blackall.

I had read about it a while ago and bookmarked it for days when I have time for bookmarks (which is never).

Months later I checked it out on Amazon and had a little looksie and then went ahead and ordered it on Flipkart.

The book is a collection of illustrated Craigslist Missed Connections.

A longer than usual glance, a friendly stare, a moment shared.

In the most unusual situations.

Doing laundry in our building

Girl sleeping on train

We shared a Bear suit

The short descriptions and fun illustrations take your mind on a picnic.

Or wherever your happy place is.

Because as light and funny as this book may be, you do connect to it.

We've all experienced it.

You know what I'm talking about.

Like when you saw a really goodlooking man and you imagined him to have all the world's goodness.
He was sitting close enough for you to make good eye contact.

But not close enough to have a conversation.
So you just smiled for more than 5 seconds.

Which made you look slightly creepy.

But, since you'd never see him again, it didn't really matter.

Because

Life goes on.

And we all live happily ever after.

Even with the Missed Connections.

You may want to check out Sophie Blackall's website, blog, etsy shop, Facebook page, Twitter page and other books & leave absolutely no room for Missed Connections!

C'est bon!

A friend of mine emailed me this video.

And it just made my day!

It's a Disney short with Mickey & Minnie (last name Mouse).

And it's in French!

You will hear a lot of café Croissant, café croissant, CAFÉ CROISSANT, café croissant.

It's like you're doing animated sightseeing of Paris in 3 minutes and even get a glimpse of Daisy (last name Duck).

Love it.

C'est très bon!

Have a great week!

[via DesignTaxi]

Things everyone ought to know

via

to:

Cycle

Play an instrument

Sew

Play a sport. Or atleast find someone to nag you to do it

Remember the good old days

Learn from failure

Travel like Barbie

And most importantly learn to CODE


I wrote some of these things on my TeuxDeux list. They have a section called Someday. Just perfect!

White smoke

There is a new Pope in town.

And when I say town, I mean Vatican City - the smallest country in the world.

I always wanted to go see the Pope.

It was one of my obsessions - like wanting to meet Oprah (Thank God I'm done with that phase).

I really liked Pope John Paul II. Just because he looked like such a sweet old man.

But, by the time I made the trip, Pope Benedict XVI had taken over as the Pope.

I travelled to Rome in 2006 with my sister. And we managed to spend a day at Vatican City.

I am not Catholic, though I know all the hymns thanks to the school I studied at.

But it was exciting nonetheless.

We managed to visit Vatican City on a Wednesday - when the Pope held his weekly General Audience.

I was super excited to see the Pope and when I got there I had no idea what he was saying the whole time. 

It all sounded like Latin to me.

Maybe because it was.

But as we all know, Pope Benedict XVI decided to retire last month which created a lot of questions, bad Facebook jokes and silly Tumblr blogs.

And then on Wednesday night, a little after 7pm, a new Pope was elected.

The age-old process of electing a Pope with the Vatican Conclave began in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday.

While the 115 cardinals were still deliberating, a puff of black smoke was seen emerging from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel indicating that they had not yet chosen a new Pope.

It's sort of their version of Wait for it.

And when a new Pope was elected, a puff of white smoke was seen.

And the crowds were heard cheering in different tongues - 

Habemus Papam!

Il papa!

We have a Pope!

The new Pope is Pope Francis, formerly known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio who was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

He is the first South American (and first non-European) to lead the Roman Catholic Church as the 266th pontiff.

I can't say I agree with his thoughts on many things but I've realised that sometimes it's ok to just agree to disagree.

Here's hoping his election will do some good in this world.

[The secret recipe used for the black smoke is a combination of potassium perchlorate, anthracene (a derivative of coal tar), and sulphur. While the white smoke is created with potassium chlorate, lactose and a pine resin.]

All photos by me. Video from Pink Panther II.

Stardust

I've always had this crazy obsession with stars.

I'm not sure what it is about them that fascinates me.

Maybe it's that they're so far away.

And are just so beautiful.

Like jewelry for the night sky.

Living in Bombay, you don't get to see starry starry nights.
You can count the number of stars you see every night.

Unfortunately the twinkle doesn't get past the cloud of pollution.

Which is why I'm always excited to head out of town just to get a glimpse of a starry sky.

A couple of days ago, I got such a chance and decided it was time to finally try to capture it with my DLSR camera.
Because if I shot the night sky with my phone camera or a point and shoot, I would've got a beautiful black photo.

I tried every setting I knew and went through about half an hour of taking some pretty bad photos.

But that changed once I took some help from a friend and Google and got the correct instructions for photographing the night sky.

So here's what you do.

Set it on M [for Manual]

Keep the Shutter open for as long as possible. Mine was set for 30 seconds.

And the ISO should be high. I set it to 6400.

And voila!

Photo by me.

I did get a couple of grainy photos in the beginning (because of the high ISO) and for some reason I wasn't able to adjust the aperture (f). Clearly I still have a long way to go!

But I had so much fun just learning through the whole process.

I didn't have a tripod so I set it on tables or chairs or then tables and chairs.

Till I got tired of doing the whole balancing act and finally just set it flat on the ground with the lens pointing towards the sky.

Sometimes the simplest things work best.

I clicked pictures till my battery finally ran out at 2am.

And had it not run out, I could have been up till sunrise.

I don't know what it is about stars that fascinates me so much.

They're just so beautiful.

Like a freshly baked cake dusted with powdered sugar.

Or maybe it's the amazing fact that we're all made of the same stuff.

We are Stardust.

Photo by me.

I love to look at the stars. Look how they shine for me.

Because when you stare long enough everything twinkles.

But how did the Universe get it's spots?

How did we come into existence?

Why is the entire Universe dark? Even when it has so many stars to light it up.

How big is the universe?

Are we at the centre of it? And does everything revolve around us?

I look up at the sky and see all the constellations - Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Orion and Cassiopiea (those are the only ones I know).

And when you look at Ursa Major (Big Bear), you see a formation of stars that looks like a big question mark.

It is no wonder then that looking up at the sky leaves us full of questions.

So if you're looking for answers, keep looking at the sky.

Because as they say, 

it's all written in the stars.

Watch all the videos. It's worth you're time. They're pretty amazing!

Here's something for everyone!
Some jewelry, more jewelry and clothing for those who are so obsessed with constellations, they like to wear it.
And an iPhone & iPad App for stargazing enthusiasts.

And an iPad App for children that helps them learn about the Universe. It's always good to start early.

Do what you Love. Love what you Do.

I have always had a great appreciation for art. Of every kind.

And I also love it when others feel the same way so I can share my enthusiasm.

But what's even more fascinating for me is when people have their very own creative projects.

As a hobby and not as a business. Just because it makes them happy.

They have interests which may be completely different from their day jobs.

And it's just incredible when they convert these interests into hobbies and make time for it just for the love of the art.

While at the Machan, we met a really nice couple from America.

I needed to write something down so I borrowed a pen from them. It was a fountain pen.

And it had been really long since I used one.

Now I almost never compliment someone for their pen but this time I just had to.

It was just so smooth.

And when I said Nice pen, the man said, Thanks, I made it.

Whaaat!?!

I have never known anyone who makes pens.

Because noone is crazy enough to spend hours and days making something they can buy at any store.

But how awesome a hobby is that?

He showed me pictures of the entire process.

He collects pieces of wood from anywhere and everywhere.

And he even has special tools to shape them.

Once they are shaped, he puts a protective coating and then attaches the metal fixtures.

It seems like quite a tedious process but I suppose when that's what you love doing, tedious is the last thing you'd call it.

The Ebony ball point pen and Amboyna Fountain pen by Glen Wingerd.

He showed me a series of pens.

The Ebony (from which the black keys of the piano are made) is jet black in colour and almost looks like plastic.

There was also a Cedar, palm, and many more. Even one made from the Jack Daniel's Whiskey Barrels.

Each one in it's own plastic case. Ready for gifting.

They all looked so different and beautiful in their natural colours.

And he even dyed one pink for his wife.

Amazing!

He was kind enough to let me take one home.

And I chose the Amboyna (a south-east Asian tree).

It had little holes in it which he had filled up with powdered turquoise.

You've got to love the details!

The Fountain pen made of Amboyna wood.

I'm in love with my new pen.
And so glad I met this lovely couple.
Not just for giving me such a beautiful handmade gift.
But for inspiring me.


Do what you love. And do it often.

Letterpress greeting cards by Yoko Sakao Ohama for Holstee.

Our very own wax museum

On my way back from the Machan, I finally made it to the Celebrity Wax Museum in Lonavla.

Yes, it actually exists.
And it's the first of it's kind in India.

I have passed it a few times but have never made it there.

I would always see the hoardings on the Expressway and be bursting with curiosity.

It's a wax museum in Lonavla for God's sake!

Wouldn't you be curious?

Now it's no Madame Tussaud's but it's still pretty awesome.

- With it's random selection of wax figures.

- Non-museum like museum.

- And it's in Lonavla!

All photos by me.

The Celebrity Wax Museum is by Mr. Sunil Kandalloor.

He says that it takes him a month to complete a wax figure.
And also mentioned how hard it is to get appointments with the 'stars' in Bombay.
I suppose they all want to be showcased in London.

Me and Hitler at Madame Tussaud's [2004] and at the Celebrity Wax Museum in Lonavla [2013]
And neither of us have changed!
Please note: I'm not a fan of Hitler. 

But, as they say on the hoardings (and car):

Why Visit London !!!

Especially when you have a wax museum in Lonavla.

I commend Mr. Sunil Kandalloor for building this museum.
You can see his love for the art, 

his dedication to this love which helped him realize his vision

and his complete craziness for actually going through with all of it.

Great stuff!

It's worth a visit.
Because how often would you be able to say that you spent an afternoon with Angelina Jolie and Saddam Hussein.

The Celebrity Wax Museum is open all days of the year from 9 am to 9:30 pm.

Tickets are priced at Rs. 100 for an adult and Rs. 80 for children.

And it's free for those below 5 years or under 120 cm.

[I don't really get the 120 cm concept. Is it free for those who are above 5 but short to make them feel better about their height?]

On the treetop

I've never climbed a tree.

I have gone swinging from the roots a couple of times but that's about it.

But a couple of days ago, I went straight to the treetop.

Luckily there was a staircase.

Panoramic photo by me (with a little help from my iPhone)

I went to the Machan in Lonavla.

It was my second time there.

It's like you're living in a salad while being surrounded by broccoli.

And as weird as that sounds, it was nothing but magical.

The Machan is made up of treehouses.

Yes, actual tent-like houses above the trees.

They stand on two beams and a part of it is suspended.
So they move a bit with the wind and even though that sounds scary, it really isn't.

And makes a great bed-shaking morning alarm.

It's such a well thought out place.

Where they use wind energy and solar panels.

Where you can be one with nature.

Without being surrounded by the creepy crawlies.
They also keep a tube of Odomos. As thoughtful as that is, it isn't the best packaging for insect repellent and I say that because I have known people who have brushed their teeth with it.
But what was really thoughtful was that they went that extra mile to make make a special day even more special. We got a Sky lantern! And got to make wishes.
It was somewhat like inception - A wish within a wish.
Does that make any sense?

I love nature.

But have never been someone who enjoys camping.

Living in a tent while being surrounded by insects just isn't my thing.

And even if there are 100 people in that tent, I know the insect is only going to bite me.

We just don't get along.

Also, I don't go anywhere where there isn't a proper toilet.

So this place was perfect for me.

I could check all the boxes in my list for the things that make up a perfect weekend getaway.

Nature ✓
Pleasant weather ✓

Great food (that comes close to my mother's) ✓

Clean rooms ✓

No insects ✓
Starry skies ✓

A good and modern bathroom ✓

Nice people ✓

A guided tour ✓ where a man tells you about all the trees and which ones are good and which one will make your teeth fall out (that's right, there are evil trees too)

& Complete disconnection from reality ✓

Photos and drawings by me.

The Machan is so cut off from the world without being far from it.

It's so peaceful that 20 minutes of sleep feels like a lifetime.

You can hear every sound.

You feel like breathing in all that clean air has improved your hearing.

But that's not it. Miracles don't happen that easily.

It's so quiet that you can finally understand the meaning of pin drop silence.

Because if you dropped a pin you'd surely hear it.

And your iPad which sounds not that loud at home on full volume suddenly makes you feel like you're at a nighclub on only half the volume.
Every room also has an iPod dock which you really have no use for.

You barely get any network. And I love that.

In this day and age where conversations are replaced with text messages, emails and Likes, I think this is something we really need.

But who am I kidding? I am a Bombay girl.

Ofcourse I had my moments of weakness where I'd try to upload a picture on instagram or stalk someone on Facebook and almost walk into a tree.

Looking for network while staring at your phone and being surrounded by trees can be tricky.

But if you can do without network or can walk through trees, this place is for you.

I had the most relaxing time there and totally recommend it to everyone.

I left the Machan drunk with happiness.

It had only been a day but it felt like I had been away from Bombay for 2 weeks (the amount of time I think it takes me to feel like a holiday has changed my life forever).