i’ve got the love bug. i’m in love with james martin. i know he doesnt have that rough attractiveness of jamie oliver, nor the sexiness of nigella lawson, but he is just the cutest thing i ever saw. he talks so sweetly, and his desserts just leave me weak at the knees- deliciously simple, simply delectable, and all available online.
after 3 back to back episodes of sweet baby james- (that really is the name of the program, honest) i went rummaging in my fridge to find anything close to a blackberry delice or a lemon curd syllabub, but sadly i was all out of my james ingredients. i thought about making a trek to the supermarket, but the husband made an appearance right then with the usual question- what’s cooking honey? and in not-so-sweet terms- sigh sweet baby james, where are you?
in the end i made pan-fried salmon with potato and rocket mash~ as you can see in the picture. turned out pretty good, but my craving for sweet baby james is still pretty alive and kicking.
toblerone maybe?
july
brother's wedding & the fun that goes with it
festivities with family
absolutely amazing spending time with the cutest family member
dressing up, stepping out, the heat is on
at the end of an evening ~indulging with coffee with chocs
august
finally, the fascination for holland tunnel dawns upon me
in the midst of hustling bustling times square there is privacy
falling in love with manhattan in manhattan
september
rediscovering old friends
october
more family wedding~more family action on and off the field
the beauty and magic of mehndis
dancing away to our own tune
november
big day for sis~ mint at fashion week
catching up with sisters is just the best thing ever
relaxed breakfasts, photo moments & me being absolutely me
friday breakfasts in bed
december
december dinners, hanging with friends, entertaining at home
wintery weather & our favourite view
participating in a group show~alumni art collective
design high!
being new in a new place ~karaoke and fancy dress up
santa clausing
finally flowers make a steady appearance and the year ends
I saw this on penelope’s blog and thought it was a much needed idea. I have been very confused about 2009. What was it? How do i describe it? It was a year which i will always call the year of transition, perhaps it had changes which i still dont fully understand. Trying to write about it, didnt bear much fruit, so here is an attempt to illustrate it in images and maybe that will help in charting the path for 2010.
january
arriving in dubai, our first look at the area which would become home
one of the many cups of coffee we grabbed while apartment hunting
without a home, we practised food courting
and then finally, keys to a place to call our own
february
first visit back home, the pleasure of familiar faces
back in dubai, exploring it
march
developing our comfort zones, this would soon be our daily walk
discovering new recipes, trying out different cuisines
something as simple as an invite to a gallery opening makes you feel at so much at home
the start of friendtrips
april
the delights of setting up cozy corners
the rush of chance encounters- pedicure with a friend turns into an impromptu plan for an evening of musical drama
college friends, memories, and all that's happened
may
our first road trip to fujairah
lunches with siblings
mommy mommy-
raw life it is for sure
friendtripsy
june
karma
While enjoying my nightly blog browsing, i came across this graphic designer/illustrator who does a lot of hand lettering- with my love for hand written, and hand drawn type, i really enjoyed going through her work. She is Natalie Perkins.
More of her work is available for browsing here. Sometimes i think i am the laziest person around. I think, i plan, i imagine, i brainstorm, but then i forget and go on with daily things. Then i find these incredible people/artists online who are just so committed to their passions, their design- it’s not about the commercial projects necessarily, it’s about making their mark, even if it’s just for themselves. As a result you have many creative people, not waiting for some client to provide them with an amazing creative opportunity (because that never happens) they go out and just create it anyway and put it up online. People visit, love it, interact, comment, and a little star is born.
One such online venture is a great magazine called blanket magazine. It is an online pdf art and design and photography magazine that aims to uncover emerging artists from around the world. Check it out.
My last lovely link is of a shop which promotes love, unabashedly.
These beautiful prints are available here.
Have fun with these. 
As one of the group who is always slightly lagging behind the rest, there are many adjustments to be made. First spouses make an appearance and you find yourself being the single friend who everyone loves and indulges. You are so happy that love is a-flowing and couples are being made in heavan and on the earth, you celebrate with them, and melt into the couples dynamics. Then babies turn up. You have bagged a spouse but as per the course you are still lagging. Babies bring a complete change. Breakfasts with girlfriends have a whole new twist with little nodding heads attracting buckets of attention; the universal love for babies takes you by serious surprise. Dinners sometimes move to early times, and sometimes become ice cream plans. You find yourself not batting an eyelid. You find yourself going along with the wave because thats the wave your friends are on. You understand it-it’s a different phase. You’re in a different place. And that’s fine.
Then along comes an easy monday breakfast. You are’nt expecting it, but somehow all the babies have been left at home. It’s adult entertainment, parents supervise pls, no children here- Not a One. There’s conversation without clanging pans (sorry guys you know i love them regardless hehehe) there’s laughter without distracted mommies, there’s mad content with all bodies present physically and mentally, and there is banter- BANTER i tell you, and you find yourself loving it- almost more than you should. You realize you did miss this. You did crave this. You also realize it’s okay to think that.
So mommies and daddies- i love you all. I do. I just also love you without the titles, sometimes without the offsprings, sometimes free-spirited, sometimes impractical- just as my friends
As designers we are forever plagued by this incessant itch- the itch to look, observe, analyse, judge, store away as inspiration or discard contemptuously as un-designed, ho hum, not-worthy-of-our-time hoo haa. This itch becomes dulled in our regular routines with our regular daily meanderings and regular city discoveries. Move away from your comfort zone though and it comes back maddeningly strong, completely desperate for a scratch.
Holidays mean our brains are going to be particularly overloaded. Do we walk about enjoying the general environment or do we stop and stare at something as simple as building signage; stare till your companions think you to be a bit mad? Do we walk away happy to have witnessed this design blurb or do we madly scrounge for our camera so we can capture it and then spend the rest of the day imagining future projects of a similar design nature?
Moving to a new city then is holiday times 12. We dont know the streets, we dont know the design styles, therefore we must be even more observant (as if there was such a thing) we must walk around armed with our notebook, our camera and our 8 senses ( didnt you know designers have more than 6 senses?) all the while frustrating our spouses/friends/siblings at our sheer inability to just walk about without commenting, thinking, arguing fonts & being a designer!
Being in dubai almost 9 months now, means i have had my moments of now-you-see-it-now-you-dont camera moves. I have stored many many little ideas away for posterity. I have oohed and aahed over many arabic fonts (the simplicity of the ones prevalent here is just brilliant) and sometimes i have also been known to secretly steal water bottles while enjoying thai entrees with friends. This bottle had been tempting me since i moved to dubai. Most of the formal dinner venues served these water bottles and as you watched in complete dismay, the serving staff would refill glasses and promptly take the bottle away. This weekend though i involved a friend and under her watchful eye the bottle never ran out, and as we paid our bill, she swiftly took the bottle and walked out. Such are the urges we get and obey we must.
