After a real tiresome day before

Yesterday was short with action packed. Not a movie but in terms of work done. Lots of things needed to be prepped up, finished or replinished and the list just extended and extended, so much that I wondered when the night fell "so soon??" Kalamkari elephant was finished while the grains soaked for batters and a deformed eiffel with no chance of corrections was done with spices getting roasted and cake bieng baked in the background. Since the monster that is lurking made us stay confined and weekdays that are so brim, I had to use my saturday so that I dont ruin my sunday. I know that there are a few more pending activities but they can now be tackled.

So here am I sitting with the lappie, at my favourite place in the kitchen (where my art is calling me), the tea brewing my type and a sunday sun slowly spreading its light blanket.

I love getting up in the morning. A lot of things can be done without any disturbance. A new art can be planned, writing can be done, prep work for cooking can be done. So many things can be planned when another day is just starting.

So yesterday, paying heed to MFK (Fisher), I tried using my enormous oven for cooking a few more things. Already my mind was planning on eating baked apples with remains of condensed milk, the silly jaggery (that bloody never sticks together to make a vadi but makes the whole thing a sweet rich mess...now...I can eat that with apples ...yayay). On a whim I made irish soda bread.

I didnt expect much but it really did turn out OK especially when its soapy smell is camofledged with sun butter . Since I never have bread flour or even APF, atta was my only choice. It did turn out dense but for a non critic person, its OK. not a real deal but can be eaten and not trashed....

Looking at an OK result, I am sure that next time I am at grocery, yeast is going to plop in my cart...

Bread baking is definitely in my mind.

Saturday morning project :mumbai skyline

Corona virus is no where nice. The amount of deaths and pain and beravement that its giving is manyfolds higher than the ones that man made or nature made are. the second one is once done over types and the remaining are left behind to pick up the pieces. With corona, you dont know when it will end and who will be left to gather the pieces and in the first place, can you even pick up the pieces.

 Saturday morning post is supposed to be uplifting but here I am like repeat telecast, starting the same tape again. I need to think of something better, and thats what I did.

Lets start with the history first.

Last year Pilla and I along with another kid and his mom (who is real pal for me but more on that later) went to Pilla's school for halloween bash. It was the usual affair with Pilla dressed as Sheriff and the other kid as construction worker. There were some games and some craft stalls as well. at one of these stalls we found these small black cutouts of pumpkin, cat faces, bats etc with a black stylus. The first one, we scratched completely and it revealed a rainbow cardpaper cut out (nope, no lucky number and no prize). The next cut out , I used my imagination (or so I thought) and made some toothy smiled eyes open bat, a cat with whiskers , a jack o lantern. I thought I me and my imagination...wow. But incidentally that was exactly what we were supposed to do. It was scratch art...drat me creative...:):)

Now, as usual I searched if we get such paper, at less cost, on ebay, put it in cart, went to india and came back and ordered it. It went in my safe custody of procrastination before COVID struck and all of my paraphernalia came out. That included three framed canvases and 5 smaller canvases from Ross of NC days which was five years old, mandala coloring and fashion sketch book (five year old) with staedler pencils (fashion designing days...almost sola saal...sixteen years old...cracked a little but functioning well) paint by sticker and scratch art book (few days old...they are lucky they are started on before they wondered at their purpose in life...is it in dark box of art supplies...).

The canvases are rapidly getting used for madhubani paintings (or so I think they are) and just now I am looking at an outlined kalamkari elephant that will be filled this afternoon. The fashion sketch book gets filled the same way atleast with two fashions (sometimes real raunchy but who is looked except the sketch it self, who wonders where the clothes exactly are) with mandalas wonderong their luck.

Yesterday Pilla's school bell rang early (online ...shala sutli pati phutli happened...wow, I love to type that in english) so I was left with some time as the dinner preparation was already done. so while we listened to intoxicating Neha kakkar, I opened the scratchpad...the first will always be Bappa, the master of 14 sciences or knowleges and 64 arts. The god of knowlege and giver of same. I start most art, with starting his form in some way or the other. So he came first on the scratch art. (I drew first by pencil and then scratched with stylus).

Mumbai skyline was always in my radar but its actually too difficult to include all intricacies called mumbai in single skyline. But scratch art especially if you from far, erazes all errors...and so I started to draw. What I thought will take ten minutes took good half an hour, making my tea my types (a bit dense and all essence from tea powder in tea), the unsalted butter which I had kept on simmer became clarified butter to be refilled in near empty canister of "ghee". And so MY city came from my eyes and mind (with the help of google images) on the scratch paper. Done. Tea drunk. Done a little soft excited "eeeeeee". Time to call up my best friend after a week (thanks to online school I cant call her as often as I want to).

Neil Gaiman rightly said " The world always seems brighter when you 've just made something that wasn't there before".

Time to take care of the elephant...ofcourse after the chatter call...

Outside trees are getting tickled by wind and they are giggling like drunks.

Projects that included a facemask

COVID made me search and try a lot of things which either procrastination or fear of failing pulled me behind.

Many things are never done in life because we fear. Fear criticisms, fear comparisons and fear ridicule. I have faced all that and survived. I realized it hard way that I have to do things. For my self. Not for hanging on the wall or show off but do it , for my self.

And I started my hand ...at trying to paint madhubani, doing sticker paintings, trying to doodle, trying to cook some things, trying to make animals with playdoh, drawing fashions and new things came on horizon. Scratch art, origami, painting using earbuds, weaving...the list just goes on. If mood happened, I showed, if modd didnt happen, they went back in the art box which held my supplies.

Then came necessity. A need to do laundry and with a dearth of masks at home , it seemed an impossible task. Then a torn kurta, two head crunches, and some tacking and hemming with youtube tutorials came to rescue.

First what started with just sewing the boundaries while listening to bhajans, slowly morphed into completion.

Now I had a mask for my self at ready. Not a designer wear, neither to pretty, but surely something to protect me atleast a little from mr COVID.

PS: incase you are wondering where is it now...its languishing on the shower rod to dry. Tomorrow it will make me shine :):)

When your first blog of the year comes in April.

New year started with Pilla's thread ceremony. It was no easy feat, with so much cacaphony, you didnt know if you are going or coming.Especially if its a visit after four years, a two week (yes, you read it right) elaborate ceremony "almost a wedding" I was told. Pilla gained two really caring cousins and we had generally good time (leaving aside quite a few hiccups which actually questioned my sanity). Along with this a small dental (pilla's) and elaborate (yours truly's) dental process. Some shopping and no friend meeting. My must haves were forgotten. We came back and within a month, home confinement, thanks to COVID.

COVID allowed a lot of things which were becoming impossible for me. A lot of art time for me (every saturday and sunday), a lot of reading but a very hectic week day life which includes online schooling-home schooling (lots of screaming and tears). So this is how my current life is. Not a daily soap types but daily discovery types.

By the way have you read MFK Fischer and Mindful eating together? One triggers you to eat and eat and eat, another one makes you think. Already a  peasized is slowly disappearing. Brains I mean.

The only praying point here is hope this COVID gets in control very soon. Hope no one dies prematurely and not without their loved ones near them if they are doing do.