Tag-hour(part 2)

-- All or nothing in a day's work --

Scroll down to read part-1 of this tag. Here I describe my day from morning to night.

I was woken up at 7 a.m. by my mom. I chatted with her for half an hour and doubtless I was incoherent  Once out of bed, in ten minutes I was ready to get out. I took a walk for about 40 minutes. Usually I go earlier and sometimes, I go to the gym if I want to do something different. I love my morning walk/jog. The neighbourhood where I live is wonderful. In summer, I used to walk looking up, down, left or right - never straight along the path. I would leap up seeing a dog all of a sudden. Today I only saw some school kids and joggers. I had cereal for breakfast and spent an hour emptying the dishwasher, putting away clothes for laundry, checking e-mail, getting ready etc. 

I had the whole day to myself. I read my book (The three daughters of Madame Liang - Pearl S Buck) for a little while as I stopped at an interesting juncture last night. I love Pearl S Buck and will probably end up reading all her books. Soon, I decided to do an oil painting . Landscapes intimidate me ever so slightly. If you have noticed, I haven't done very many landscapes/seascapes. The one I was doing was using the wet on wet technique by a very talented artist called Bob Ross. It took me several hours to finish it. I stopped for sometime at noon to have my lunch which was when I took a TV break too. Resumed painting and slaved over it till 3:30 p.m. when the doorbell rang. Some of my neighbours had enquired whether I could take Art lessons for their kids. This was a month back. So I have a couple of five year old boys who come twice a week. I don't "teach" them, I show them what can be done with different colours. Right now, they are on oil pastels.I guide them and usually they tell me what they feel like drawing. I help them with shapes and give ideas. Today they were very excited as they saw a cow in school. Black and white cow, purple cow, brown cows with spots, cow with a milkman, cows with smiley faces and many more were all drawn today among other things. The kids left around 5 when I had my milk and snacks. I had not finished my painting .. I wasn't too happy with it and decided after an hour to stop. Mainly because my knees started hurting from all the kneeling! 

I called one of our relatives who lives two lanes away and during the course of the conversation, invited myself to dinner. I can now drive (yay) in USA so I did , solely because I didn't want to walk alone by myself at night. I had very filling and tasty south indian food over a long conversation spanning a zillion topics. They had the new iPhone5 and I loved it. The Maps look great barring the fact that they don't work well. I got back and decided to update my dormant blog. My husband is traveling and will be here in an hour. 

Most of my days are , I won't call it busy-busy , but they are sorta packed. I hardly watch tv and if I am not painting, I am at the library where I volunteer or reading up on stuff. Today I didn't cook and so had more time on my hands. Usually I spend about an hour and half or sometimes two for all the meals. I am no super chef, I only cook dinner fresh.  Dinner usually becomes next day's lunch - or a part of it for both of us. I eat leftovers or something whipped up in a jiffy like rotis with salad. I had grand plans of making pine-apple jam today but that didn't happen. Tomorrow's another day. 

I tag the bloggers who haven't done this tag. Come on, its only three easy-peasy questions! :) 

Tag-hour (part1)

Really, an irresistible tag this one! Its almost like giving an interview where the interviewer asks only your favourite questions. What's even better - there are only 3 questions! Thank you SG for tagging me. Read his post here.

Two cities you love and why

Bangalore was going to be my obvious first, but since it is just so predictable, I will list some others.

1. Hyderabad - This city has an old world air about it and in the six months I lived here, I couldn't help savour all that this wonderful city has to offer and long for some lot more time. A true melange of the glorious Nawabi culture with present day trappings. I have such fond memories when I think about Durgam cheruvu, Maharaja chat, Minerva cafe, Meena Bazaar, the other usual touristy spots and even Kacheguda rly stn!! They have the best airport in the country (my humble opinion) and driving in Nehru ORR (especially during the rains) is a magical experience. Although I only picked up a smattering of Telugu, I really enjoyed this movie 'Dookudu' which went on to become a superhit. When in Hyderabad, be Hyderabadi. This is where I learnt to make pesarattu and alam chutney and still love it, a tad more than the world famous biriyani. Here is also where I had my first baking lesson, baked my first cheesecake, made a chocolate mousse and got hooked to baking. Hyderabadis, do visit Labonel in Banjara Hills if you want to have some of the best pastries ever. Drool!

                   I was lucky enough to get a chance to spend an evening at the enchanting Taj Falaknuma Palace in Enginebowli. It was the Nizam's palace, now a heritage hotel. Falak-numa in Urdu means 'mirror of the sky' but it feels like a piece of heaven literally. There ought to be a grander word than palace to describe this. It is really the jewel among all palaces. I cherished every moment I spent in Hyd and was in tears when it was time to leave. Some cities do that to you. 

2. Kerala - I cannot name one place in this state that hasn't entranced me. I have visited more than 5-6 and it leaves me so alive and recharged after every visit. Each time I have stayed in different settings and enjoyed ALL experiences. Be it the food, people, places - it has such a calming effect on me. One of my most favourite getaways at any time. They simply have it all. Munnar with foggy mountains and a picturesque lake is the only hill-station in the South that comes close to experiencing Shimla without actually going there. The backwaters of Kumarakom-Alleypey make you immerse yourself in the surroundings and make the most of the moment. Every Keralite ought to be very proud as it is without doubt, God's own country. My favourite artist, Raja Ravi Varma also hails from this beautiful state. 

I wish I could write more as I struggled between Kerala and Udaipur(Rajasthan) for my choice of second city. Since I spent a very little time in Udaipur, I decided to pick Kerala. But do visit the very 'under-rated' Udaipur and take a moonlit private boat-ride on Lake Pichola! ;-) Trust me, you'll be spouting poetry.

Two professions you love and why

There are tons I like but I am choosing two off-beat ones. Not really sought after, atleast in India. Hope to see more of them though. 

1. Travel show host - Looks absolutely glamorous, period. Stunning locales, exotic hotels ... in short a paid vacation around the world. For years, 'Lonely Planet' used to be my favourite program on TV. When I travel around, I now see the dark side of these professions. You have to be so flexible, so careful in new surroundings, adjust instantly to changes in schedules and make it all seem like a breeze. Add to the fact that it can get pretty lonely. I am sure most of us like a vacation with company where one can relax and unwind. That is just one of the bleak spots. All told, it still is a fascinating job for as they say -  " if you haven't traveled, you haven't lived at all ". Cheers to these cheery people for showing us the world within the comforts of our sofas and couches. And making us to yearn to globe-trot.


2. Professional swimmer - Right, this is due to the Olympics. I have been a fan of the games and love watching all the swimming events. I was rejoicing when Phelps finally struck gold in London this July. Being a professional sportsperson requires so much grit I sometimes suspect they are born with something different than the rest of us. My neighbour used to be a state-level swimmer and she used to be training from 5am in the morning. After school, it used to be back to training or exercises. It all seemed grueling and no doubt it is, but you get much more than you give. I had read an article some years back about the training schedule of a swimmer and retrieved it for you to read if interested, click here to know more about how they train.   


This tag continues in my next post. I will describe how I spend my day from morning to night and then list my 3 questions for others. 

The music wall

One day, in my home, I plan to have a wall with musical instruments. Paintings of them of course :) The first 3 in the series are here. It could very well happen that these remain the only 3 but one hopes there will be some company for them in the future years. 

These are paintings done on marble slabs. When I visited Jaipur last year, just before I left the city, I scouted around for shops selling marble slabs , found one that seemed reliable and got them to ship it to me. The slabs made the long journey from India and survived. However I cannot frame them here as I want an ornate frame so one day, they will make another long journey! 

                    

p.s - Any ideas on how to create a website from scratch.I want to try to have my paintings in one place. Suggestions and advice welcome.

Bubbles!

This is a pencil portrait and my very first A3 size attempt. It is actually a poster I saw online. I don't know what comes to your mind when you see this. Do share. 

I thought of Powerpuff Girls !!! :-)

Two books, two movies, two stars! (an essay)

Suffice to say it is not easy to ascertain which was the first book to be depicted as a movie. These are the findings of my research. Fact though, is crystal clear that this conversion of tomes has been a century long affair. Subtle changes such as silent movie, black/white, colour, 3D have not marred the effect stories have had on its viewership.What is contumacious however is whether the 'show and tell' has managed to retain the spirit of the written word. In this singular aspect, several falter and dither away into oblivion.

Bibliophiles will devour each word thereby expecting the movie-makers to spin a surreal tale that would transport them to all those visually enticing areas their brain led them to. Astute film-makers are not deterred by the arduous task. A few over-zealous others irrevocably ruin it. 

Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch in To kill a mocking bird)

An art onto itself, the film is decidedly a canvas with a plethora of artists slaving tirelessly to ensure the stories are blended well. One such example of exemplary film-making whose inspiration was an equally splendid book was "To kill a Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee. It continues to gain appeal among current generations as one that does justice to its original story while retaining the exquisite texture portrayed in the book. Oh, the characters, they are presented in precisely the same way one envisions them or perhaps even Harper Lee did. 

                                                                                

As much as story is important, provided one explores the wide gamut of emotions that the reader goes through in his journey with the author, the film would not leave a lasting impression on any movie enthusiast. How the tale is presented is paramount and will always be. The complicated marriage of books and movies ensues but my verbose essay will not. 

Vivian Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara
in "Gone with the Wind"
(Another favourite)

p.s. - was inclined to write in good ol' literary English after reading a book called 'Wicked' by Gregory Macguire which was such a glorious read! 




Do share the books made into movies which you loved.