Polar Bears are huggable

Polar bears have to be at the top of my favorite animals' list.

This piece reveals my feelings towards these magnificent and endangered creatures.

* Everything, big or small, effects the universe no matter whether we're aware of it or not. Take responsibility for the environment and know that you make an impact.

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The Art of Living

We live in a rapidly changing world where things are becoming multicultural at an exceedingly fast rate. We are introduced to so much information that it gets a bit difficult to keep up with all thats going on "within" ourselves and in our minds while being constantly on the move.

The Art of Living courses help us have a mind free from prejudice and judgments by tapping the breath which, as you all know, is vital to our existence and also connects our body, mind and emotions.

For instance, if you notice our breaths change according to our emotions. When we are upset or angry, exhalation, sighs, hmphs are frequent as compared to when we're happy or excited, we inhale, laugh or gasp more often.

So, when these three rhythms in us are in sync, we feel a sense of harmony and well-being :)

You should try it, it is an amazing experience!

Lady Elf

The first artwork created by my new palette of Winsor and Newton Cotman watercolors.

Love the way her hair turned out.

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Buddha

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Japan Chronicles

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Charlie's Angels

Being a former student of Welham Girls' School, India, I create designs for t-shirts and greeting cards that are sold as souvenirs during school events.

The funny looking dots on the girls' uniforms are, what we at Welham, call "tadpoles". They are a Welhamite's identity - a print every girl associates herself with and can't do without after living in the boarding school for 8 years.

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I Have Wings

Illustrations for I Have Wings coffee-table book released as a memento for Welham Girls' School's 50th Anniversary in 2007.

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Pegasus and the Ladies

The character of Pegasus in Disney's Hercules has been a personal favorite since I first laid eyes on him in 1997.

I had used Pegasus in a black & white illustration I created for my high school magazine, Chrysalis, in 2006. To add some perspective to the illustration I have been itching to remake it in color ever since and finally did so only a few weeks back.

I love both the works and here it is in color.

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The Lifesaver

With growing urbanization and slums around the globe, the number of deaths caused by drinking contaminated dirty water is on the rise. We wonder how we could efficiently provide these people and secure ourselves of having this basic commodity no matter where we go.

Well, here is the solution. Its called The Lifesaver.

If you're like me and you'd rather watch than read, check out a talk given by its founder Michael Pritchard at one of the TED conferences.

The Lifesaver is a safe, easy-to-use water purifier that can make the most revolting water drinkable in seconds.

Why spend money on mineral water or wait for a natural calamity to hit?

Get your own Lifesaver now.

Making the Right decision

Sometimes when logic prevails, we ignore our gut feelings, understanding later that a rational approach was only one way of determining the situation.

After much debate in my own head I took up a 9-to-5 job in a Japanese company as my gateway into the world. Between testing & cleaning machines and experiencing the comfortable life in sub-urban Tokyo I made peace with the usual office chores that almost all my friends are mentally (if not physically) doing with their lives in Japan.

I had taken up this job by looking at patterns in lives of people around me. While I associated myself with them I also convinced myself that the same is bound for me unless fate makes things happen.

Now, after one and a half years, I realize that we are never given anything unless we truly have the desire for it.

Fate, chance, luck - exists only in our hearts and minds to help us achieve what we want. But the first step into seeing that dream has to be ALWAYS done by us alone.

I decided to quit my job just before they moved me into the highly respectable Sales office so that I can pursue my dream of studying art.

At work some mates told me its crazy to QUIT a 'secured' in this economic situation while my bosses said its a crazy idea altogether to go school when I'm already making a living.

I know all of the above are true. But more than anything else I know I am not going to be one of those who lives their entire life only realizing in the last days that I could have been somebody had I done it differently.

Its always harder to do the right than the easier wrong.

What follows after 20th August might be an easy or a difficult set of experiences. But I know I will MAKE my own path, look back and smile at whatever was.

Solar Eclipse - limelight or ill omen?

While the world marveled the total solar eclipse 2009 earlier today morning, my Japanese workmates in Tokyo were least interested to know anything about it.

Occurring for the first time in 46yrs, the next predicted to be in 2132, the sun, moon and earth aligned themselves for 6 mins 39 secs to create near darkness after dawn in Asia and the Pacific regions.

I was thrilled to receive constant updates in Japan from my twin sister who watched the eclipse in our hometown of Patna (India), which was one of ideal cities to view the occurrence. She told me that her excitement matched nothing compared to that of one of our helpers at home, whose small village of Taregna was the BEST spot to view the eclipse.

With more than two lakh researchers, astronomers, scientists and people from across the globe descend in Taregna to view the event, the villagers didn't know what they had done to deserve the sudden limelight. Taregna (means "stars" in the local language) and nearby Khagual (derived from khagshastra which means "astronomy") are the places where the 6th century astronomer-mathematician ARYABHATTA* had camped and built his observatory at the Sun Temple for his studies.

*ARYABHATTA found the notion of zero and also proposed that the earth rotates on its axis.

It gave me a kick to think that in India, where superstitions sometimes takes the excitement out of people's lives (like the eclipse being a bad omen i.e. a triumph of the evil over good) people, even in a rural areas, were more concerned whether they would get a view of the eclipse more than anything else.

For me this a positive change in the mindset and I don't think there are any ill omens to it. Moreover, it is inspiring to see people be in awe of the universe unlike my workmates in Japan who don't seem to care about anything.

Life is to enjoy, celebrate and be happy about and not just stare at a screen 24/7.

Scared to be ME?

I am going through an artist’s block these days.

After attending my very first SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) in Tokyo last week, I was enthused to create a portfolio like no other for my art school applications. Since majority of my works are illustrations in black & white (owing to the format of a students’ magazine I was a part of during high school), I wasn’t sure whether presenting these drawings would be good enough to get me into a school.

Almost every one of the designers and authors I met at SCBWI network meeting said that I should remake a few illustrations by adding colors to them. Getting suggestions from people who were in the field I am hoping to plunge into, I put my energy in asking them for as much feedback and advice as possible. They reciprocated and were kind enough to give me tips on page layouts, backgrounds, designs and most importantly – on creating a storyline while showcasing my work.

All said and done, I returned to my den excited as crazy on Thursday with scraps of paper and visiting cards but then the weekend came along and turned me upside down, taking away my thrills.

The weirdest thought occurred to me just before I sat to start my first illustration re-make. I was scared as hell to re-do my own drawings, petrified whether I will be able to re-create it or not. Being a person extremely annoyed with distorted and imperfect pictures, especially if I am the artist, I have been holding back for a week now to work on my own portfolio.

Ironically, I need to gather strength and support from me to be me!

Switch to Electric?

An overview of BETTER PLACE, the leading electric vehicle (EV) services provider, catalyzing the transition to sustainable transportation -

Although we have consumed only 30% of the Earth’s proven reserves, much of the remaining supply is locked away in unconventional sources like tar sands and deep water, making it far more expensive to extract.

Over the last 100 years, oil has fueled industrial development, mobility and prosperity for much of the world. Future progress will be made possible by new sources of energy.

A sustainable electric automotive solution is vital to economic opportunity, energy independence and a cleaner planet. Never have the prospects been better. Consumers are enthusiastic about the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) and their potential to eliminate exposure to surges in gas prices, foster new job opportunities, and reduce CO2 emissions and improve air quality. Governments are increasingly supportive as they look to stimulate weakened economies and improve trade balances. Automakers are developing an increasingly diverse range of new electric powered vehicles in hopes of revitalizing exceptionally weak consumer demand.

View my MINIFESTO!

The meaning of Travieso

It completely slipped out of my mind to explain the meaning of my blog "stash-travieso" on Blogspot.

For starters, Travieso is a Spanish word, with a number of meanings.
Some of these are - transverse, oblique, Restless (inquieto), uneasy, flighty, knavish, turbulent, noisy; mischievous.
Its not that I chose Travieso because a number of people mistake me for being a Spanish/Mexican.
What amazes me is that an English word can sound really cool by adding an "o" or " i " at the end of it. You know what I mean... finito, momento, inquieto !!!
I seriously feel I would enjoy learning Spanish and have the ability to become pretty good it.
But with my present toils to cope with speaking and learn Japanese at work make me tired.

Nonetheless, given the right frame of mind and time, I think I will give it a shot to learn some Spanish !!!

How fish leads to Absinthe

Hearing about a friend's visit to Tsukiji, the largest seafood market in the world, I couldnt stop myself from searching for videos of it online. Enormous fish being brought in, sliced, packed and frozen for the sushi eating Japanese was pretty amazing!!!!

As usual I got caught up on youtube and watched a couple of big tuna fishing videos, which led me to read a few chapters of the online version of THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA(you see, the old man used to catch marlins!!) Then I started reading about Hemingway ('cuz he was the author of OMS) and began wondering why he shot himself. This made me discover that he drank heaps of ABSINTHE (which causes mental instability) and that one of its cocktails is actually called DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON (cuz Hemingway shot himself in the afternoon). This led to articles on the origins of absinthe, how it has medicinal value but then it was banned cuz a couple of people started to go high on it, and what is its status quo.

Soon enough I realized I had spent an hour and a half reading/viewing/searching/finding stuff on the internet just as I used to flip through channels on the TV as a kid.

I have tons of weird information that can help me initiate good conversations on any of the above topics. But is it really going to help me anywhere??

God bless the internet, the new idiot-box.

Aesthetic alteration or a painful experience?

My first tattoo sprang out of a rush of heat in the summer of 2006.

It was the graduation of four of my closest friends and 3 of us, including me, had planned to get ourselves printed-on before D-day. The graduates were tied up in their packing and throwing away sprees of clothes, furniture and what not (everyone collects crazy stuff over 4 years of life in Japan), I was left alone.

It was a now or never situation and so... I went for it.

Deep Tattoo Studio is a small white structure behind Shidax karaoke. Even though the building looked unfinished from the inside with its revealed skeleton of grey pipelines and beams, I could feel the "hygiene" on entering the studio with the faint smell of antiseptic in air.

After 10 mins of brainstorm I decided it was safe to get a Japanese kanji cuz I didn't want to freak out myself more than anyone else by getting cats, snakes or any sort of creepy design, plus a kanji would represent my life in Japan. I didn't want the usual cliches 幸福、調和、愛、平和 (happiness, prosperity, love & peace) instead smth that looked cool yet complex with tons of sharp strokes and I settled for 優.

'Yu' can be written using different kanji characters and can have meanings that range from benevolent, amiable & fond to excel & superior.

A stencil with the kanji print was pasted on my right shoulder and then the outline, shading and filling started. For each of the three process there was a different kind of needle used. The process wasn't painful although I do recall it being similar to a million ants crawling over me. Once the tattoo was complete I was bandaged properly and given a small box of tattoo-goo for the aftercare.

I was excited like a newborn I galloped on my way home.

x x x

With puzzled "Did it hurt?" and "Why did you do it?" from friends and family it has been three years since. I still smile at these questions and look forward to getting a new one soon...

The acting is Abysmal... Watchmen (3/10)

" This is, after all, a movie where the lead character is a naked blue man on steroids who uses his super powers to duplicate himself and have a me and myself threesome with his superbabe.
... ... ... ... ...
With the exception of Jackie Earl Haley's Rorschach, the acting is abysmal, particularly MArin Ackerman's Silk Specter, who after being teleported to another planet, exclaims "OHMYGAWD, we're on Mars!" She also gets the fakest looking sex scene this side of "Showgirls" with Patrick Wilson's Nite Owl. (And fans of Leonard Cohen will wince at the cheap use of his song "Halleluja" here.) "

Source http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20090327a2.html

For starters, we didn’t have a clue of how these superheroes got their powers in the first place. I got the point that they all had messed up childhoods and were pretty down to earth and pissed about humans being a bunch of loonies trying to kill each other and fighting all the time. But Watchmen were the SUPERHEROES!!

There was nothing super heroic about the character of Rorschach except his paint-moving mask or the Night Owl, a simple man in love with the superbabe, or the superbabe herself who waves her black hair in the yellow latex jumpsuit every now and then.

There were a LOT of unnecessary flesh-muscle-blood flying around in the movie, especially the scene with two diseased dogs fighting over a little girl's leg for meat was highly gruesome and uncalled for. I mean, the audiences have a heart you know!!! Even 300 or Dark Knight - which got into a bit of controversy for the amount of violence - were far from being this insensitive.

The only character in the movie having actual super powers was the blue man Dr. Manhattan - was naked 90% of the time!! He wore nice suits once in a while but seriously how about trying on a pair of boxers or briefs for the rest of the movie? It would have saved the audiences from having scary dreams of your blue weenie.

I guess the movie made sense only to those who have read the book because it gave them super visuals of what they had read. It was something like the Da Vinci Code, where the audience was a bit clueless about what was going on had they not read the book earlier (and Tom Hanks hair was unforgettable).

All in all, I would rate Watchmen as a 3 on 10. Those who see it, might do so on their own peril.

Realization of Death

I have often wondered how we understand the concept of death.

When my grandfather passed away in 1990 I was only 6years old. My twin and I were rushed out of our classroom and taken home. As we came into the living room I saw my grandfather lie on the floor covered with white sheets. To me he looked sound asleep and I wondered why he wouldn't just wake up when there were so many people around him.

We wandered from one room to another noticing that crying was a common practice in all of them. She saw my bewildered expression and said "He's never coming back again." I didn't understand what she meant so I replied "From where?"
And she shushed me down.

It was 1995 and my family had broken its journey in Delhi on their way to seeing us twins off to Welham, a girls boarding school in Dehradun.
I had a strange dream that night. I was in a battlefield and my neck had been slashed open - causing my head to continuously tilt backwards because of lack of support. It was gruesome. I ran from soldier to soldier in the dream, asking them to stitch me back so that I could carry on fighting against the enemy, but no one could hear or see me.
This was the first time I understood death.

The next day I hung on to my aunt, mum & dad throughout the journey, continuously stroking them to make sure they were there (looking at family members with a fear of losing them can be highly traumatizing for a 10year old).
I have tried to re-dream that battlefield for as long as I can remember, but I still haven't been able to stitch my neck back.

Death is the end of life whether we acknowledge it or not.
Even though I am bad at saying goodbyes, I think its realization ever since that day gave me the freedom and strength to dream, be fearless of losing people or moving places, because in the end we stand alone to leave and gather memories of those we love.

a-wake or a-sleep

A normal Wednesday, my alarm went off at 7am, I got out of bed, walked through the kitchen to the bathroom, brushed and was taking a shower when I realized that my alarm was ringing again it was 7.30 and I was still in bed!

This was a weird incident for me because even though I have very realistic dreams, today was the first time I believed that I could sleep while making my body do smth I didn’t want to do – i.e. get out of bed in the cold to take a shower.

I have heard of kids peeing in their beds, but showering... lolz, that would have been a sight!
Neways,
I think its a sign to hit the bed @ 10pm tonight!!
My consciousness really needs a break from worldly winter rain, cold and creative TED talks :)

Getting out of the puddle

Consumers or Creators on HIGHER GROUNDE - A must read !

I think am definitely working or at least trying hard to become a creator so that I can live my life the way I want to. But the attractions of a consumer’s life - the new iPhone or an overseas trip on my company's expense, just keep enticing my mind from putting in my 100% in achieving my goals.

I read somewhere that all material goods have a short lifespan, a snap and their happiness fades away like a dream.

There is no doubt that once we have achieved a certain level of maturity in the field that is most suitable for us, all the things that we crave now IS easily accessible and their pleasures are certainly more satisfying if not forever-lasting.

If we understand and know all of this, why is it so hard to channel our energies to take actions that will make us happy in the long-term? Why does the mind get stuck?

I guess I will stop brooding over such thoughts and figure it out on "the road to my higher grounde..."