Oh no!

I am having the most horrible time booking tickets for Harry Potter, it's just not working. Whether I try online or call! Uff! This is such a huge downer!

I hope the lines will clear up soon so I can have my seat booked and go about doing other things in peace.

Sleep tonight

Here's the finished piece of the the little 'sneak-peek' I gave you all a while back. Been completing it during my down time in office.

Don't you just want to float away in a bit of space-jaziness sometimes? :)

K.C. Das

One of the many wonderful snacks and sweets franchise here in Bangalore is K.C. Das. Us designers headed there for lunch today. At first I was a little surprised that lunch items were even available because in my head I kept thinking mithai, burfi, jamun and yummm! But, oh my god whatey lunch it was! The food consisted of Aloo Puri, Lucchi, Hing Kachori, Rasgulla and ridiculously delicious samosas. Such wonderful food! And at extremely reasonable prices the lunch there was simply awesome.

< The Aloo Puri. I couldn't get a proper picture as I remembered about clicking it only half-way through.

However, the one, huge downside of eating at the St. Marks Road restaurant was the service. After years of serving simply the best food the staff seemed to have picked up quite an attitude and not in a good way. They are slow, relaxed and waltz from table to table bringing food to their customers. They are so indifferent to their customers it's shocking. When we asked one waiter to join the tables for all of us to be able to sit together, he simply said, "Sorry. Can't be done. It's too much trouble. You guys can sit on separate tables." As Nish would say, "SHOCKING!"

I am still a foodie before all else, so I glorify their food. It must be sampled and enjoyed. Yumm!

Oh that funky sound!

For some time now, her song has been stuck in my head and of course I have no inclination towards making it stop. Her name is Janelle Monae and I am in love with her. She looks small but has so much spunk it bursts out of her. Through her singing, dancing and even her hair. I mean just look at that. It's so cool and unique. I adore that hairstyle! 'Tightrope' is definitely one of her best songs. It never fails to put some funk into my life and has inspired some really groovy albeit embarrassing dancing on my part.

Listen to 'Tightrope' here > LINK

The time has come my little friends,

To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings.

I find myself chanting this poem from time to time. It's very catchy and so non-sensical. Coincidentally, DeviantArt has been going Alice In Wonderland crazy for some time now.

Aye-ya-yaii!

I have to get back to the basics of animation again. Today as I sat and tried making a simple walk from scratch, I realized I don't know jack. Even Jack doesn't know jack. Oh god! That's how bad it's become.

Going through sheets of reference material now. I hope to get back on track soon.

And so six years later,

I realize we are still friends. I don't know what bond was created 13 years ago, but it was done and I think we are going to be in each others' lives for many more years to come. And I think it's awesome that you can count on something like that.

***

So much has passed between us, we must sit down and talk and talk and talk. It sounds like the perfect idea to me.

Here's to that plan. I cannot wait.

**EDIT** I realized my earlier version of this post was way too melancholy for it's own good. Here's the gist of it, toned down to what i think is necessary.

Top 5 Reasons

To watch some Miyazaki today:

1) Because the man is one the most respected names in animation. NO, not anime, I said animation.

2) Because every movie, even though based on similar themes always has something new and different to offer.

3) Because each one is a work of art. A masterpiece in motion.

4) Because his movies can teach you.

5) Because every single movie has the magical ability to transport you to a place and time and in fact, a world that will make you immensely glad you became a part of. Whether under water or up in the air, Miyazaki makes you believe.

Sneak peek and then some

Look above. I'm working on some new art. It's been a terribly long time since I did anything creative and S has been super supportive by believing in me to make more art. So, the upcoming piece is dedicated to S.

On another note - One of my favourite colleague's at R+K left today, it was her last day. And yes, it has made me quite sad. I honestly wish I could have worked with her more and not having known her well enough and still being this sad is a very odd feeling. It's not a happy one. I only hope I will keep in touch with her more in the future. I will miss you very much Shilpy. Much luff to you, Daniel and your loverly cats and wishing you a wonderful married life ahead.

<3

The Anthology Project

Collaborations are always an awesome idea and ' The Anthology Project' is no exception. Combining stories of artists from the US and Canada, it's a book I now desperately want on my bookshelf. Especially Volume 1.

One of the authors of the book also happens to be the artist behind that magnificent looking hard cover illustration. She goes by the name of Joy Ang, her name being a dead give away for the art she creates. After discovering her this morning I happily spent most of my day looking through her work on Deviant Art. You should too. Her comics are laugh out loud funny and her illustrations, simply wonderful. You can tell the amount of thought she put into each piece as they will make you go, "Oh yeah! That's an awesome idea." It's these ideas of hers, they go so well with each other. Things you might ordinarily never put together manage to find themselves looking pretty content in Joy's paintings.

The book throws together some of the most creative artists out there telling nothing more than stories. Stories of their own creation and the wealth of styles this book contains makes it a 'must have' for any illustration/comic junkie. I love it. As I looked through the project's blog, I came across some stunning examples of how the work was made and it also had a wonderful 'making-of' the book cover as well.

I bet it's a wonderful read. As the description on the website will tell you, the book's "humble intent is only to delight." So, anyone willing to pretty please buy Volume 1 for me :)

Listen

It's a really good day today to listen to some nice music. It's cold yet cosy, raining outside but, I'm sipping my nice cup of chai indoors. And what luck that I stumbled across this lovely duo and their awesome music > The Postal Service.

Listen and love them. The singer is none other than Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie.

Sometimes

you need to see other people draw to get inspired to do it yourself.

The Mafia Kalyanam

It was one of the best weekends I've had in the longest time. Aftermonths of living life through phone calls and internet chats, we all met each other. And for what better reason than a wedding. Our friend's wedding which turned out to be a lovely ceremony. The bride, like she should be, was the most beautiful person that day. Every time she smiled, she looked ten times more gorgeous. It made my heart swell up to five times it's original size when I saw her and her sweet groom stand side by side and look utterly wonderful together. A low-key ceremony made rich and happy by her loving family who welcomed all of us with open arms and hearts. We were never made to feel out of place at any time during the events. These are the original good people.
For me, any occasion can be marked as a complete pass or fail by the food it has. And boy! oh boy! did the food deliver. It was simple - the standard fare of idli, dosa and filter coffee for breakfast and lunch being a vegetarian sadhya. Let me tell you, I am a happy non-vegetarian. I love my meat and would preferably like it with every meal. But, I set all of that aside for this amazing meal which, to further send me into heaven, was served the traditional way - on a banana leaf. Joy! Food simply tastesbetter when eaten from a leaf.

To top it all off this weekend had the one thing that made it more memorable than others. My friends. It's the best feeling ever. To be able to hug your dearest friends and talk to them face to face. Games and dressing up and taking a million photos and realizing that even after 'growing up' a little we can still be, for lack of a better word, zany with each other. That's what makes friends more special than other people.

I love you all and it pained me to see us all go our separate ways. Let's meet up again. Weddings are too much fun!

Top 5 Reasons

To step out today:

1) Because you should only watch so many episodes of Boston Legal/Gilmore Girls/Scrubs/Modern Family back to back
2) Because the weather outside is so beautiful.
3) Because sitting at home and eating non stop never made anyone thin.
4) Because there is a sale!
5) Because it will make you bold and appreciate what's out there. It will only come with practice.

So go on, get out more!