Of Red Herrings, White Elephants n Black Swans..!!

Sketching on the MBTA...

2011-07-10T01:47:00.003-04:00

Who knew that my MBTA journey today from Copley to Malden Center had in store for me, this spontaneous piece of art :)

The train journey was short, just 15 mins long and there was this very young artist sitting in front of me drawing rapidly on to his sketchbook. He was sketching two passengers on the train. I was so impressed with the speed at which he finished the sketch, that too aboard a moving train..!!

Best part :D ... he tore off the page with the sketches he had been working on, signed it and handed it over to me when he got down at Sullivan Square.

Derrick Trotman just made my day so happy and special :) ..This sketch is for keeps..!!!

Art Project...

2011-05-14T20:52:00.003-04:00

Another one of those amazing TED videos :)
I am loving the Art Project...So many of my favorite masterpieces in such striking visual detail...will be saving my favorites in a gallery collection soon here ..!! yey :D

this entire experience is priceless...!! Thanks a tonne Amit Sood..!!

Alice speaks...

2011-03-14T01:02:00.004-04:00

"I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!"

"If it had grown up, it would have made a dreadfully ugly child; but it makes rather a handsome pig, I think. Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a telescope! I think I could, if I only knew how to begin."

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of my favorite stories of all time. Alice is such a wise little girl, so many of her lines have such depth to them..every time I read or watch Alice ...her quotes leave me with so much to think.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

You can stand under my umbrella....

2010-12-21T18:01:00.004-05:00

Inspiration - Rihanna's song and colorful paper umbrellas from Laos

Life lessons from big cats...

2010-12-20T14:33:00.004-05:00

A moving talk at TED by Beverly and Dereck Joubert

More Links

Pink Plum Tree...

2010-10-28T13:00:00.009-04:00

This one is in support of the pink ribbon initiative this October...more info at http://www.nbcam.org/

I lost one of my favorite aunts last year to this cancer and an earlier detection could have saved her. This painting is dedicated to her and all the awareness effort.

keeping the dialog alive...

2010-07-28T12:39:00.004-04:00

Rabbi Iaakov’s wife was always looking for an excuse to argue with her husband. Iaakov never reacted to her provocations. Until one night when, during a dinner with some friends, the rabbi had a ferocious argument with his wife to the surprise of all at the table.

“What happened?” they asked. “Why did you break your habit of never answering?”

“Because I realized that what bothered my wife the most was the fact that I remained silent. Acting in this way, I remained far from her emotions. My reaction was an act of love, now she understands that I hear her words.”

--(Paulo Coelho's Blog post, May 21, 2010)

rambling...

2010-05-08T12:27:00.002-04:00

I'm not stubborn, not narrow-minded, not lazy, not stupid or maybe all of them.

I have to clear it up inside, need to leave some things up in the air, like a kind of mystery one gives up on, because there is no sense in just going round and round and round looking for an answer that's not there.

Colored Canvas...

2010-03-19T20:52:00.003-04:00

Inspiring wisdom and wit...

2009-12-03T20:11:00.002-05:00

Garden Motif...

2009-10-16T23:42:00.002-04:00

Soulmate...

2009-09-21T12:34:00.008-04:00

A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys,
and keys to fit our locks.

When we feel safe enough to open the locks,
Our truest selves step out
and we can be completely and honestly who we are;

We can be loved for who we are
and not for who we're pretending to be.
Each unveils the best part of the other.

No matter what else goes wrong around us,
with that one person we're safe in our own paradise.

Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings,
our sense of direction.

When we're two balloons, and together our direction is up,
chances are we've found the right person.

Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.

-- Richard Bach

White Magic ...

2009-08-06T23:44:00.008-04:00

yesss yesss...!!! Flowers are the Beautiful :D
flowers make me HAPPY...!!!
and white ones especially...
these read "same here" :D

Peacock Swan...

2009-08-06T23:35:00.003-04:00

Painting Warli...

2009-07-29T00:11:00.007-04:00

Was trying my hand at painting Warli and this outcome makes me all happy :D

What the India government has to say about 'Warli Folk Art'

All about the Warli tribe

Bride to be...

2009-07-27T12:59:00.002-04:00

Doodle Doo...

2009-07-22T12:33:00.006-04:00

an office notepad...on a lazy wednesday morning :)

Vision of a beach...

2009-07-10T13:42:00.016-04:00

Beaches and sunny boi always make me happy :)
Remembering a recent trip to one with sunbeam, I think of this song

There's a calm surrender to the rush of day
when the heat of the rolling world can be turned away
an enchanted moment, and it sees me through
it's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you

And can you feel the love tonight
it is where we are
it's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer
that we got this far
and can you feel the love tonight
how it's laid to rest
it's enough to make kings and vagabonds
believe the very best

There's a time for everyone if they only learn
that the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn
there's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
when the heart of this voyager beats in time with yours

- soundtrack 'Can you feel the love tonight' from 'The Lion King'

The next big step...

2009-06-07T14:46:00.010-04:00

...and it is giving me the jitters..!!

Stop reading between the lines...

2009-06-02T09:21:00.009-04:00

can you trust me the same way i have trusted you?
can you spare me of suspicion?
can you be my strength and not a reason to despair?
can you count on me in your hour of need?
can i hope to be at peace instead of being at war?
can i follow my heart when it leads me to happiness?
can i share the same happiness with you without causing you pain?
can i stand by you through all your plans, joys and sorrow?
can WE together build a better tomorrow?
can WE be each others reason to smile?
do WE have it in us to be at harmony?

The Gift...

2009-04-11T00:50:00.006-04:00

What can I give you, my lord, my lover,
you who have given the world to me,
showed me the light and joy that cover
the wild sweet earth and the restless sea?
All I have are gifts for your giving--
if I gave them again, you would find them old,
and your soul would weary of always living
before the mirror my life would hold.
What shall I give you, my lord, my lover,
the gift that breaks the heart in me:
I bid you awake at dawn and discover
I have gone my way and left you free.

-- Sara Teasdale

Happiness... an illustration...

2009-04-07T00:32:00.016-04:00

Project - My book of Pictorial Grammar
Page 3 - Abstract noun - "Happiness"
Usage - "Happiness cannot be bought with money"

PS: This pic is way back from school [St. Ann's (ICSE), Secunderabad, Class 7 'C'] ... the happiest times ever..!! and was part of an english class assignment.

This book = My treasure

Remaining pictures - My book of pictorial Grammar

Sita sings the blues...

2009-04-01T23:40:00.006-04:00

a friend shared this movie with me and it just made my day :D ...!!
super creative ...!! an amazing work of art.. i am bowled over by it...!!

official Site

Our earth needs more than an Hour...

2009-03-28T17:53:00.010-04:00

"Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,

Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten."

--- Cree Indian Prophecy

If...

2009-03-26T20:00:00.004-04:00

If you can keep your head when all about you
are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
but make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
or being hated, don't give way to hating,
and yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream,and not make dreams your master;
If you can think,and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster,
and treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken,
twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
and stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings,
and risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
and lose, and start again at your beginnings
and never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew,
to serve your turn long after they are gone,
and so hold on when there is nothing in you
except the will which says to them - "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
or walk with kings, nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute,
with sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
and which is more - "You'll be a Man, my son!"

--- [a poem by Rudyard Kipling]

Nalini Nadkarni on TreeTop EcoSystems...

2009-03-21T01:29:00.005-04:00

I bow to her ...!!!

An Escapede...

2009-03-16T23:41:00.004-04:00

i sometimes dream of an escapede to some natural paradise... where i can swim in the tranquil waters with abandon.... sit and smile into a welcoming sunrise... watch the birds fly in and out of their nest, hear their little ones chirping... stay transfixed at the awesomeness of auroras, the canyons...learn about the endless wonders of the universe...dedicate life to preserve whatever is left.... far away from mundaneness, far away from needless cry... happy and smiling, experiencing boundless energy each day.

Anton Chekov says...

2009-03-13T12:34:00.015-04:00

(Pssstt ... My own views on the sacred knot have not been any rosy. In fact, the thought of marriage still freaks me out to this day, although I have kind of given into the thought now, that this fear would come to pass one day and I would eventually 'happily' step into it too.)

About this quote.. I chanced upon it at AskOxford's 'Quote of the week' section.

A doctor, playwright and story writer...needless to say, Anton Chekov's persona is extraordinary and I'm his huuuuuggge fan ..!!!

Some links here...

his Wiki page

an article on Chekov from 'Heart Views'

his works, the literature network page

PS - picture is an edited version of his Portrait by Chekov's brother Nicholas, 1883

A lost word...

2009-03-10T14:40:00.012-04:00

I lost a word yesterday..
unguarded, from my tongue;
It slipped into the atmosphere..
then trouble had begun..!!

A dozen others followed it..
they filled the room with grief;
No matter then what word I said..
it could not bring relief..!!

If only I had stopped that word..
before it crossed my lips;
My day had been a happy one..
sweet with companionship..!!

I think I wasted yesterday..
hurt self as well as friend;
Today I want to watch my words..
and let no one offend..!!

Design and the elastic mind...

2008-10-17T20:19:00.002-04:00

- a talk by Paola Antonelli

The Butterfly...

2008-09-18T15:51:00.014-04:00

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

...>i<

The man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings.

................>i<

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened!! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shrivelled wings. It was never able to fly.

....................................>i<

The restricting cocoon, and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through its tiny opening, were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight, once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

......................................................>i<

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we were allowed to go though our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been.

..................................We Could Never FLY ...!!...>i<

P.S. - Pic was taken on a trek to the smokies... (Aaahh.. the smokies..!!! :)
Content - an excerpt from TOI's sacred space.

GINA - Context over Dogma...

2008-08-09T00:05:00.002-04:00

Ferns and Pebbles...

2008-06-30T00:26:00.006-04:00

Tryst with charcoal and pencils .. a starter for my sketchbook ...!!

update 04/09 - this sketch was selected cover page for Georgia Tech's art journal "ERATO"

Aaargghhh...!!! This empty feeling ...

2008-06-08T04:21:00.003-04:00

Into the Wild...

2008-06-02T21:25:00.008-04:00

This verse from Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, shows up in the very first scene of this amazing movie "Into the Wild".
Must say..It mirrors my thoughts ..!!

There is Pleasure in the Pathless Woods...
there is Rapture on the Lonely Shore,
There is society, where No one intrudes...
by the deep sea, and music in its Roar,
I love not Man the less, but Nature more..!!!

-- Lord George Gordon Byron

Link to the complete poem

Yellow Lemon Tree...

2008-06-01T22:35:00.006-04:00

This ones a favorite by FOOL's GARDEN ....can't help humming along :) ...!!!

am sitting here in a borin' room
It's just another rainy Sunday afternoon
am wasting my time...I got nothing to do
am hanging around...am waiting for you
Buttt nothing ever happens and I wonder....

am driving around.. in my car
am driving too fast...am driving too far
I'd like to change my point of view
I feel so lonely...am waiting for you
Buttt nothing ever happens ..nd I wonder...

I wonder how..??..I wonder why..??
Yes'day you told me 'bout the blue blue sky
nd all that I can see.. is just a yellow lemon-tree
I'm turnin my head up and down..
I'm turnin turnin turnin turnin turninnn around
nd all that I can see.. is just another lemon-tree...!!

Sinnggg.. da..da da da.. da deedapda
da da da ..da deeedapda....dapdeepdeda..!!!

am sitting here...I miss the power
I'd like to go out takin' a shower
But there's a heavy cloud inside my head
I feel so tired...Put myself into bed
Well, nothing ever happens nd I wonder...

iiiisolation is not good for me
iiiiisolation ...I don't want to sit on the lemon-tree

am steppin' around in the desert of joy
Baby anyhow I'll get another toy
nd everything will happen.. nd you wonder....

I wonder how..??..I wonder why..??
Yes'day you told me 'bout the blue blue sky
nd all that I can see.. is just another lemon-tree
I'm turnin my head up and down
I'm turnin turnin turnin turnin turninnn around
nd all that I can see.. is just a yellow lemon-tree
nd I wonnder, wonnnder

I wonder how..??..I wonder why..??
Yes'day you told me 'bout the blue blue sky
nd all that I can see...nd all that I can see..nd all that I can see...!!
Is just a yellow lemon-tree...!!!

BTW informally.... a "lemon tree/lemon" is a person/thing that turns out to be defective, imperfect, or an unsatisfactory dud.

Creating Objects that tell stories...

2008-05-31T22:41:00.024-04:00

Product design - Something.. that has always always excited me. Maybe this field is more n more synonymous to APPLE for most of us today.

This video here is from TED TALKS - one amazing place where zillions of groundbreaking ideas are shared. Most of the talks here are power houses of inspiration. This talk today reminded me of CEED and all the informative browsing I did a zamana back..!! (These days its constrained merely to watching random videos on Youtube or some movie every other day.)

Isn't he charming :D...!! I loved the way he concluded saying values can change the products we design.. change the companies we work for and together we can change the world into a better place. Think of designing products that are more environment friendly, ergonomic, recyclable, that can be put to multiple uses, products with a cause , products that make a difference and then "the world as a better place" isn't far off at all...

Every Product's design and its aesthetics has its own story to tell. This field has such loads of creativity involved that it awes me all the time. The one time I put in a serious thought and effort to be there doing what I wanted to, was when I prepared for CEED ...Yeah ..!! very few even know of it ...Its (Common Entrance Examination for Design). I couldn't get through...too many highly creative souls sat for it back then and one thing led to another and here I am.. doing a Masters in Industrial Engineering right now.(sob)...!!! But talk of an exam that I thoroughly enjoyed preparing for and got a lot outta doing so...this would be it...!!

These are some links that were so much fun :D

Graphics courseware

Design Surfer

Design of Signage Systems

Don Norman's Design site

Product Design & Joint Program in Design - Stanford

Centre for Sustainable Design

Design Engine

A Lifetime of Color

Causes of Color

Color Theory

Industrial Designers Society

Lighting Design

On Furniture Design

Color Matters

Tribu Design

Product Design & Development MIT Courseware

Art Source

Design Addict

BadDesigns.com

Ramblin On...

2008-05-29T18:03:00.007-04:00

Well, FINALLY..Finally, I'm onto writing a blog :D ...never thought I'll find the patience for doing this ..!!
Joblessness, solitude and lunacy, definitely drive people to doing strange things they never thought they would.

Now that I've created one...I'd like to clarify to the very few souls I know on the face of this planet and even fewer ones reading this piece of blah, that the title of this Blog is nowhere racist... It just suggests the degree of unstructured randomness, absurdity, triviality and insanity of the posts to come. The title would seem gibberish to any sane person... I agree..!! Heres some trivia to it.

A red herring is a narrative element intended to distract the reader from a more important event in the plot, usually a twist ending.

It originates from the tradition where young hunting dogs in Britain were trained to follow a scent with the use of a red herring(salted and smoked). This pungent fish would be dragged across a trail until the puppy learned to follow the scent. Later, when the dog was being trained to follow the faint odor of a fox or a badger, the trainer would drag a red herring (which had a much stronger odor) across the animal's trail at right angles. The dog would eventually learn to follow the original scent rather than the stronger scent.

A white elephant is a valuable possession whose cost of upkeep exceeds its supposed usefulness, and is therefore treated like a liability.

It originates from the sacred white elephants kept by traditional Southeast Asian monarchs. To possess a white elephant, was regarded as a sign that the monarch was ruling with justice and the kingdom was blessed with peace and prosperity. The tradition derives from tales in the scriptures which associate a white elephant with the birth of the Buddha, as his mother was known to have dreamed of a white elephant presenting her with a lotus flower, a symbol of wisdom and purity, on the eve of giving birth. Because the animals were considered sacred and laws protected them from labor, receiving a "gift" of a white elephant from a monarch was both a blessing and a curse - a blessing because of the animal’s sacred nature and a curse because the animal could not be put to practical use.

A black swan is a term indicating a hard-to-predict, large-impact and rare event beyond the realm of normal expectations. Many scientific discoveries are regarded black swans - undirected and unpredicted by nature.

It originates from the ancient Western conception that 'All swans are white'. In that context, a black swan was a metaphor for something that could not exist. The 17th Century discovery of black swans in Australia metamorphosed the term to connote that the perceived impossibility actually came to pass.

So much for those who care about history..!!

This name was to be... coz I had chanced upon reading a book "Red herrings and White Elephants" by Albert Jack... (once upon a time when I was officially at work). It was a random compilation of various phrases of the English language and their historical origins, a pleasurable read and the name just struck me when I wanted to drop the idea of blogging, coz it seemed, I couldn't even come up with a title that interested me.

Colors and Nature have always fascinated me... and this just seemed more apt than any other phrase that struck my cerebrum. On a cognitive note, herrings I associate with water, elephants to land and swans to flight and air, encompassing elements of nature. My degree too, now seems to me, a white elephant... expensive but worthless and impractical of sorts. I'll leave all the angst to feature in the future posts though.

Posts to come will contain snapshots of vagueness that my mind conjures up regularly, its fancies, impulsive bursts of creativity (well, thats according to me), dreams, random thoughts, people and incidents that inspire now and then, wishlists, regrets ....so on and so forth ... !!!

In short.....Some place I am going to vent it all out ..!!