the stopover

 

 

Frenetic, uplifting, slightly manic, adrenaline rush-inspiring, eclectic, electric, breathtaking, historic. … Just the kind of cities I like. From the minute I stepped onto this foreign land everything seemed strangely familiar. When I heard some one mention it as “the New York of Asia”, it all made perfect sense now. 

New York and Hong Kong both a metropolis, but they exemplify the old adage “east meets west.” The biggest difference I felt was the people in the city, where New York is so diverse and live in an air of their own, Hong Kong a country of 7 billion people is almost an army of silent, pleasant, smiling robots.

Hong Kong’s population density is paramount compared to The Big Apple. It’s not the densest city in Asia, because India has everyone beat. Only part of Hong Kong is developed, the rest has green pristine lush rolling green hills which form a beautiful backdrop to the skyscrapers.

The thing I absolutely loved about New York subways was they were a plethora of diversities in people, cultures, actions and stories, for me I saw it as a great inspiration for artists. Without second thought i would say New York City reigns champion for cultural diversity. As for the Hong Kong subways, most of the people were Asians of course, because 95% of Hong Kong is Chinese and the other 5% are mostly transplants from somewhere in Asia. Anyone else was rightly a foreigner.

But I must say being the first trip I made all by my sensory overload and immense crowds. It turned out to be the perfect place for a stopover – easy transportation from the airport and around the city, signs in English, 100 percent safe, kind and helpful people and lots to do. Because of the shortage of time I couldn’t really see everything possible but I felt the pulse of the city and would love to revisit it again. I definitely missed the great food I’ve heard about and will make it a point to know where I should go for good food next time.

Carpe diem

A realization just came to me that we the youth today are over occupied by our gadgetry that surrounds us. The plethora of thoughts in our head make so many precious moments pass unnoticed. The last one and a half year flew by and now i look back and regret the lost time so i promised my self to cheerish every moment and sieze the day.

Little children and the elderly possess the gift of completely immersing themselves in the present moment — they can be perfectly aligned with the Here and Now, which renders them an integral part of their natural surroundings and activities. And nothing less than that can make a great picture. Often, seeing into their eyes, you feel you almost meet their souls.

i carry your heart with me

I carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Edward Estlin Cummings

Appreciate life

I realized this past weekend of how different i was from so many people out there and how i was saddened  at the plight of their situation and how much i wanted to escape. I never thought there could be people who dint appreciate their surroundings.

For the most part, I would say that some people don’t notice the world around them – they don’t notice beauty or really anything else. I wonder how many people who passed even remember, ten minutes later, that there was a painter or a musician on their way.

This weekend was just the most beautiful bright summer weekend; as i walked through the streets of a small town called carmel i was enchanted by my surroundings. It was a place where art was all around, the character of the architecture, the flowers in the windows, the wrought iron windy windows details and every small thing took my eye. And more so the sun peaking through the trees against the fabulous blue skies made everything a perfect painting.

I am saddened that people didn’t appreciate the sounds of the music or the talent and the beauty… and it doesn’t surprise me as people don’t see the glint of the sun off the spider Webb or the magic of a rain drop or take time to see the stars or delight in the magic of a smile… aspects of beauty that are a part of our every day lives are jsut overly consumed in their lifes. Lifes that they might think is perfect but might be truely worthless.

For all those who dont know how to live life... I am saddened at what they are missing.
Thank You God for making me the blessed one.  I think its because i have always been with people who are connoisseurs of beauty.

Blurry + beautiful

 

Sometimes all that's left of the best memories are blurry images in your mind and other times blurry images can be the memory of those best moment... they can and reflect the intensity and emotions.

 I love when a drop of water reflects the light behind. It shines bling bling.

twinkle twinkle......

 

When atmospheres are changed by the power of light. Oh what magic this plays to transform spaces into intoxicating havens for some. :) I just enjoy them to the best i can.

chai chai

 

The intent of the design is comparision of identities of people. Every person has a certain kind of tea they like and every culture has a particular type or style of making tea. The idea of a mustache also being an identity for a man was somehting that fascinated me and i tried to explore;of how certain types of mustaches could be representative to people and their cultures.

The Brand name is i love chai (tea). The proposal is there could be 10 different kinds of teas assocated, one ot each mustache. My focus behind this project was making it something fun everyone would love to interact with.
So choose what chai are you.
PS. I would love to get comments of how it could be made even more succesful, at the moment there are unresoved questions but its all about the idea here.



Self-portrait

Idea: An attempt to make a self portrait that speaks of who i am as a person.

The picture aims to convey transition. It strikes to show my interests in fashion and architecture and how both are in constant growth and mutation; developing and unfolding constantly.
It speaks of my interest in designing neckware and how i see spaces transition. It ultimate attempt is for it to convey what i am as a person.

Hidden in a cocoon...

The artist beautifully expressing human emotions and relations.
A baby until it is born is so safe, hooded by his mother in her womb from all the evil: from everything that could harm it. But once it sees the light of the day there starts a new circle from which no matter how hard you try you will still be sucked in. Have you ever thought that you wish you could sheild yourself in a cocoon just like a silkworm or hide yourself in your moms womb where everythign is perfect and beautiful.

Website:  http://www.kurbatov.net/graphics-2009/

Free Hugs

Its amazing how small actions can brings immense calm and joy. Just like it was the one thing that he/she needed for everything to be set things right, a remedy for all the upside down, just like its the key to everything to unlock all the happiness of the moment and to set you free. Just like your ready to fly just one more time.

Its amazing to think about how different hugs could be.

Think of how you felt after you just cried and someone hugged you
How you felt when you're father or mother hugged you? 

Remember your best friends hug?

And how about when your girlfriend or boyfriend hugs you? 

The hug which you gave someone when you were parting with, or the one when you met someone after a long time?

The hug that you gave a dear one who lost something or someone or the hug that was given to someone who achieved something?

remember that one hug when you just dint want to let go forever and ever?

A hug can be the best remedy to soothe someone from their pain and to comfort someone to tell them your there for them. I am not too good with words, i mess up in expressing myself but its this expression that never goes wrong, it speaks louder than words. Hug someone tightly with you eyes closed and with a smile and see your world transform and the best thing is you never give one without getting one. 

It just this one hug that i wanted to give to someone dear and that one hug i longed for recently. So its important that you express yourself because at times when your not close to someone and your not good with words and silence is all your left with. So hug your dear ones whenever you get a chance be it with a reason or without one. 

freedom

Freedom, something so subjective, it means different things to different individuals. People are often a prisoner of their inner-self, others are restricted by outside factors, there can be just innumerable reasons for not feeling free.

As we drove the other day we came across these cows that were grazing in the field. They had little number tags on their ears and the grazing grounds were restrained by the barbed wire. They looked at us so helplessly i was saddened i remembered those birds that i once saw that had anklets to their feet since they belonged to someone. There are countless reasons of feeling enclosed and trapped and everyone of them wishes just if they were free.
I wonder too i had wings, just if  could fly away at times, go to that distant link to my homeland, ust If I could this one time.

So cherish your freedom because remember there are many who just wish they could.

Pendleton: The Portland Collection

The new The Portland Collection for Pendleton by Portland designers Nathaniel Crissman, Rachel Turk and John Blasioli certainly brings a lot of excitement in me. I am going so crazy for their bags in particular. N

The Port­land col­lec­tion promises is a more fash­ion­ably pro­gres­sive line than their clas­sic pieces steeped in Amer­i­cana. The idea was to develop contemporary but still use the tra­di­tional Pendle­ton pat­terns as a launch­ing pad for the pieces tar­get­ing a younger more urban bridge mar­ket. Above is the first sketch released to the pub­lic of the col­lec­tion and we can’t wait to see what else is com­ing!

“Perennial pleated skirts, wool plaids and Western wear are the heart of Pendleton, but The Portland Collection will have a designer feel, an urba n sensibility and a versatility factor.”–Mort Bishop, Pendleton Woolen Mills President

The Land of Happy

 Shel Silverstein quotes

“Have you been to The Land of Happy,
Where everyone's happy all day,
Where they joke and they sing
Of the happiest things,
And everything's jolly and gay?
There's no one unhappy in Happy, There's laughter and smiles galore.
I have been to The Land of Happy -
What a bore!”

Happiness is often boring to the mind of a self-conceited person. There might be more drama attached to unhapiness but there can be nothing more marvelous, new and exciting as happiness. So as far as i am concerned i think the happiness and the happy land would be just the place id love to love in.And a just smile at every smile

Bag For Lit

Library Bag Design created by Oneighty creative and in Conjunction with Lancashire County Council. Early concept and ideas by Thom Isom and developed and produced by Oneighty. The design will soon be in full mass production and used throughoutLancashire’s 74 Libraries.


Simple but unique idea, thus they say its the concept that matters in design. 75% of a great design is concept and 25% is production.

Hybrid Digital Cadavers

Michael Reedy works form a fascinating mixture of classic portrait and an informative guide to the anatomy naturalism. Its very accurate, realistic, fun, ethereal, hallucinogenic. Just seems like you hold an glass and you can look through and see whats in you. My recent interest in human anatomy drawings makes me wonder when i will even get close to 10 percent of his perfection. Stunning work.

Website: http://mikereedy.com/

the pure innocence

As we grow mature and old the biggest change that comes in a person is that they loose that innocence and purity. Have you ever thought what a child thinks when he/she stares at you, i really wonder. You smile at them and they'll smile back, wink your eyes and they'll wink back at you: its just so pristine. It just seems that their world is magical, they sparkle in their eyes, the beauty of their smile; adventurous and wild.
So just when the word seems harsh and everything just seems upside down, don't give up. Just find the child inside you find you and let it be free and see everything fall in place.

try it on again and again

I often laugh about the little things that we like to do in life, some odd tendencies.

Being a shopaholic i love to get things most of which are tried and tested before they are purchased for perfection. But there is just so much joy in coming home and trying the stuff that you just bought again, modeling it for your family and friends. No matter how creased the clothing is, how stiff, or itchy at the tag i still would run right to my room and come out with a swagger. there is a high in this that i am sure many can relate to.

picture credit : Gerd Grimm: young woman in front of a mirror (1990)

so times were bad

There are times in life when everything just seems slow just like someones sucking life from you or the battery is dying; until it finally stops. And then there is a pause, a break until you recharge it with another life, another set of batteries. That was my life these past months and i apologize for not being here. But i promise this coming year being a year of another round of sharing and i hope this time it lasts really long. I would like to share here this one video that really makes me thank god for the life i have and learn from this person and say to myself its important we finish strong.

With the Christmas eve just a couple hours away and the new year around the corner i cant help but think how fast this year has flown by. It seems that with each passing year, time flies by faster and faster.

Wish all of you a merry Christmas.

food of the gods... certainly irresistable...

cannot be more indian

Often you come across things that just amaze you and make you think of the cleverness and creativity of the designer. Whenever i come across such unique interesting items i like to share them.
Take a minute and think what would be the weirdest mint flavor you have ever had. I came across an odd flavor called the "CURRY FLAVOR". The taste of it was certainly the after taste of indian curry but certainly not a flavor i would like to feel in my mouth and definitely not a refreshing one. The packaging also was interesting and added on to the identity of the product.