Weekend o' craft!

Last weekend saw me being all crafty! I stitched myself a laptop sleeve! Yes, I do random things like that. You see, I was the proud owner of a new MacAir, which I was loving (Yes, all you cynics out there, Googlers have the utmost respect for Apple products and we don’t have a company policy banning us from using them) Anyway, I had decided it needed a new home and while browsing Etsy, in a moment of madness, thought to myself, "Now why exactly can you not do this yourself?" And that evening found me at Lincraft picking fabrics, and as they say, the rest is history. 

Now a few friends have asked me how I actually made it, after they saw the final product. However, sadly, I have absolutely no pics of the WIP. So I am going to try and explain as best I can. And the (ugly) sketches might help. 

Think the most important thing is to have an idea of what you want. I knew my computer already had an awesome (and totally unprofessional!) cookie monster decal, so I was torn between continuing that theme or getting a more professional theme. Ultimately figured out, as the sleeve has two sides, might as well keep it neat with a small motif on one and boring and professional on the other. Bingo! 

So, with that in mind, spent about an hour in the shop picking up exactly what I wanted.

Here’s what my shopping basket contained:

Outer fabric

Lining fabric

Fusible interfacing (or plain interfacing) 

Ususal sewing stuff

Embellishments (your choice)

Again, begin by knowing what you think the ‘skeleton’ of it will look like. Trust me, it helps tremendously knowing what you are working towards.

1. I began by cutting out the 2 exactly same pieces of interfacing and lining fabric about ¾” larger on all sides of the Air.  Depending on how snug you want it, of course..I knew the Air is slim enough to not really need much space and I was looking at a real snug fit. Leave a half inch for the seam, and adjust accordingly. 

2. Next I fused together the interfacing and the lining...But before that can I take a second to rave over the concept of fusible interfacing! Pure brilliance! Here's how it works - All you do is place the lining fabric on the interfacing, and then run a hot iron on it, and voila! You have now one piece of fabric, soft on one side, smooth on the other, just waiting to protect your laptop! #win No sewing required!

Just make sure tho that you place the inner side of the lining fabric against the fusible side (it is the one with the tiny glue spots). Running the iron 10 secs over each area on the interfacing will ensure the glue melts and stick to the lining. Repeat on both pieces of interfacing.

3.   I next took out my rusting sewing machine and sewed the outer fabric (with the inner side facing the interface) to the lined interfacing. At this stage you should be able to see the outer fabric folded across the edge of the interfacing. Like this

And this on the other

5.  Next, I added a pocket to the back of my sleeve. Optional step. Just figured it might be nice to have a pocket to place a notebook in when I go for a client meeting etc. 

Its simply about cutting the right size, sewing the edges on all 4 sides (to avoid the edges fraying), and then stitching that to the outer side of the outer fabric.

6.  You're almost there! Now, place the two outer sides of the outer fabric together (So the lining fabric faces you on both the pieces) and sew it on three sides.  Leave the side open that had the extra seam going over the top.

 And finally, just turn the sleeve inside out!

There you go! Now you have the basic sleeve ready! Snug enough, you should be able to place the kindle, phone or tablet in it. If you want added protection (or looking to make it a little more stylish) you can add the flaps and buttons. The flaps were a single piece of cloth I cut out hexagonal ends of and stitched it on the edges. Make a slit and button hole it (if you haven’t done embroidery before or don’t know what the hell I am talking about, I’d recommend you cheat a little – stitch the button on top, and use a snap button on the bottom J)

Embellish as you wish! I like freehand sketching, so I had picked up some fabric paint. Helped me with the motifs (You go roadrunner! Run run! Away from the Wile-y coyote...!). Also found some lace lying around the house that I used on the borders across the front and the flaps. Helped add definition....And I was one happy customer of the product I made!

Oh almost forgot! There is a secret pocket on the inside. Just a sewed on a piece of fabric that I can drop my phone in or some cash if I am going for a quick client visit from office.

Have to admit, I completed this in a weekend. But that is literally all I did that weekend (other than swim a little...)  From the buying of the fabric to the painting, it was painstakingly slow, esp when you compare it to the number of powerpoint decks you can create in that much time (Yes, I did actually make that comparison in my head)..but *so* much more satisfying. I know I have uncovered a hidden interest in this handicraft and I hope to be able to pursue it. 


If nothing else, it makes me happy

Singapore and Hong Kong - what *really* happened

So here's what *really* happened –

Yes there was a conference, and yes there was work. (And no, I cannot tell you all the cool things we discussed at the conference. Though I *will* tell you that our Japan Sales team can dance! Hell yeah, can they?!)

Well here's most of what happened.

On reaching Singapore, I was half dead. Having eaten on the plane, I went straight to bed. And whilst I am a lightweight anyway when it comes to late nights. (I am also the annoying bubbly in the mornings kind. Go ahead, judge me.) I do however, remember my friend mentioning she was hungry, … then saying something else... and somewhere between that and that, I passed out on her. God bless my understanding friends. We are still friends.

Woke up to a raining Singapore. And as a Twitter friend would put it, I was #stuckinsingapore without an umbrella. Was decided to make it the obligatory shopping day.

Now heres the thing: I am a girl who loathes, abhors and detests shopping . Here’s another thing: I was hanging out with two girls who love it. ..and here’s the most important thing of all: Singapore’s national sport is shopping.

2:1. Battle lost. So, ended up going to the mall. Also, I was promised good food, and here’s a lesson I learnt early in my life: Follow your belly. Now don’t you think eating at a Singapore mall is easy. No. Here’s how it generally goes.

You walk into a food court and are instantly assaulted by the sights and sounds and smells of yummy food. It transfixes you. You stand there thinking, I want that..and that and that too..Ooooh, what *is* that? ...Your local friends are happily oblivious to this and they give you the liberty of “choice.”! – Extremely dangerous when it comes to 1) food and 2) Librans. There was no escape for me.

Thankfully they choose a stall for me. You think that’d make my life easier, wouldn’t you? Not really. We walk to this Malay food stall and there’s this lady standing on the counter waiting for me to order. She's looking straight at me, and in her hand is holding a plate, ready for my order. Of course, the crowd is milling around me while I stand there looking at all the curries through the glass pane, and then, her face. And the curries ..and her face.

Again, my friend to the rescue. You choose a set of non veg and veg curries and she puts it all on that plate with the rice and serves with ‘chutneys’. ..oh and add an extra 50c for additional curries. I beam. This is gonna be divine. …until I see the choices. Long story short, manage to choose a few and head to the table my other friend had to grab and reserve, while we spent time dilly dallying my food menu as is it was my last meal on earth. If by now you are confused by the mentions of ‘the friend’ and ‘the other friend,’ lets just call them Indy and Ono for convenience sake.

Spent some more time visiting the hawker centers, the hawker centers and the hawker centers. Not just to eat the yummy food and enjoy the chaotic orderliness, but also wash down the fruit juices! Nobody does fruit juices like Asia. (And, sorry, no, Boost and NZ Natural don’t count.) These are *Real* fresh fruit juices. Must have guzzled liters of sugar cane, dragon fruit and mango shakes and juices.

Also went to the Asian Civilisation Museum, in China Town. Great place to study the interesting (albeit short) history of the city. Founded by Sir Raffles, it turned into this magnet for labourers from all over the region. Ended up with a great mix of Asian migrants. Had an enormous opportunity for the creation of a culturally vibrant city. Unfortunately, its converted itself into this drab, characterless city. (Of course, you are free to disagree with me.) But I do strongly feel that Singapore is a wasted opportunity. I reckon food has managed to stave off this globalisation machine that has chewed off everything else that was antique or culturally significant, only because it was another cog in this great tourist trap. ... So *that's* my problem with this city. A wasted opportunity.[Chinatown - as colourful, lively, interesting, touristy and fun as the ones in SF, Sydney, NY, Japan, Melbourne.....]

Rant over. Other interesting highlights of the trip.

Universal studios. Enough said. You do not want to hear stories of how silly, childish, excited, and fearful we were, in turn. Protip though: Do the Egyptian mummy ride. And the Jurrasic park. And Madagascar. ..Hell do them all! And if you do the Futuristic, turning 360, up down and sideways ride, let me know. I would like to gift you a some anti nausea tablets.

The Lion King: Am.azing musical. Technically gorgeous. Its not easy to convert a movie into theater. At the start of the performance I thought to myself, oh how will they do the wildebeest tramped scene, or the Mufasa’s ghost dream scene? Suffice to say, they exceeded my expectations. Used a clever combination of 2D, puppetry and light and shadow. Was fun and totally worth it. And Marina Bay sands is not such a bad venue either J

[With my lovely partner in crime. ]

Rampang: Found myself face to face one evening with this delightful mound (make that mountain) of ice shavings, drenched in fruit sherbets, and topped with swirls of mango puree and condensed milk. Heaven on a saucer. Protip 2: Singapore's best food is in tiny stalls. Chilli crab is great, but there's more to Singapore.

Overall I had lotsa fun, spent an amazing time with friends, ate half the nations’s food supply, and then headed for a quick visit to the nearby Hong Kong.

Hong Kong on the other hand is very Asian. My hotel was located in a rather residential area of the city. So after dropping our bags, ended up looking for food. And straight off the high from my Singapore food adventure, I was ready to give more Asian authentic food a try. Walked into this really really local looking place. No tourists around. Not in that café, not in the street outside. We walk in, feeling smug at how quickly we will have a great local experience. The lady at the counter doesn’t speak English and we smile to ourselves. She places us on a table with three other people and we smile broader. Feelin good! Man, *this* is the real HK! This is how locals eat!

And then she sends out a girl who speaks English. Sigh. And she brings with her an English menu. Sigh. She's seen through us. (Not much you can do with a 5'8" Irish and a 5'6" Indian girl anyway.) However, not to be outdone, my friend points to the guy beside her and says, I want what hes eating. I order too. They then place tea in plastic glasses in front of us and chopsticks. My friend sips the tea, and then both of us look in surprise as the people on our table dip their chopsticks into the glass. Heres how our conversation goes:

Me: Ahem..Did you just drink soap water?

She: No...I don’t think so. Didn’t taste like that.

See why I love her? Trust her to never get nonplussed. That’s why she’s a great travel partner.

After that lunch, HK was pretty much a blur. Among other things, I managed to get myself to the Lantau Island to see the endangered Chinese white dolphins. Visited the ‘Peak’ as it is (cryptically) called, to catch the sunset and gaze at the entire city. Took the star ferry across to the shopping district. Visited the night markets which, all in all was good fun.

But guess the highlight of my trip was the Lantau island. It’s a gorgeous island that the train takes about 20 mins to get to. Was running on a tight schedule, so jumped on the local, and rickety, bus as soon as I arrived and spent my time taking in the lush green hills dotted with the coulourful monasteries. Nobody still believes me when I say I caught a glimpse of King Kong emerge from them mountains! True Story!

The island has this old fishing village called Tai O that is built on stilts. It’s a nice little touristy thing to do. But obviously, my heart was with the dolphins. So after drinking some fresh apple juice and eating peanut butter pancakes on a stilt balcony, overlooking the fishing river, I jumped on a fast boat with 2 other American and 1 British couple. Keeping to the stereotypes, the American girls shrieked at every sighting of a part dolphin fin and the British guy commented on how stupid that was. Guess there is no stereotyping without smoke ;)

[Venice of the east]

Anyway I digress. The dolphins are pretty cool. They are very elusive and move very fast. And they are *White.* but because of their transparent skin, sometimes appear pink. And the pink, is adorable! I was pretty pumped, to be honest, to see them.

My 2 days in this city was now over. And truth be told, I had a great time in HK. I don’t think I am in love with it, but will say, it has piqued my interest enough to want to visit it again. I like to call it a ‘Stumble upon’ city (that phrase might or might not have been stolen from somewhere else. Ahem.) The best parts of the city are tucked into alleyways and if you keep to the malls and TST, you will not see the real HK, with all its efficiency, ease and culture.

You need to dip your chopsticks into the tea.

More photos :

Hong Kong http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150207776996682.311692.543981681&l=04f5b99d65

Singapore: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150207757841682.311691.543981681&l=55991d96a1

Food Inc. - Where does your food come?

This has to be, by far, the best and the worst movie I have ever watched. I have watched it twice, and will watch again. It made me angry, and sad. More angry than sad.

It starts with a simple question. Do you know where your food is coming from? Enough to make you stop and think.

I grew up in a small town in India. In a valley, underneath the mountains, beside a river. If my plate had the major food groups on it, I knew I was eating healthy. I still follow the same principle. Carbs, proteins, vitamins. Apparently, if I was in living in America and ate the same things, I might still not necessarily be eating healthy.

Food inc, as a brilliant piece of investigative journalism, raises the veil behind food in America (and technologically advanced countries?) What you see, is not what you get, is it’s gist. It effectively brings out the monopoly of the mega giants in the food industry. As fast food becomes the new religion, and Mc Donalds and KFCs the new Mecca, they don’t just control what they feed you, but also how all of that food is produced. In America, MD is the largest purchaser of ground beef, potatoes, tomatoes, and even apples. For instance, 4 beef packers control more than 80% of the meat packing industry in America. Who do you they owe their allegiance to?

We like our chicken breasts. So what does Tyson do? It raises chickens to double their sizes, in half the time. What does it mean for the chickens though? They are so heavy that they can barely walk. Some die of internal complications. Doesn’t help that these chicken farms factories dark tunnel ventilated houses. There is no natural light or air. Farmers have no autonomy and are often controlled by these corporates.

Forget the chicken, the story is the same for beef and pork. Bred and killed in their own manure. And we wonder why the E Coli breakout occurred? The largest slaughterhouse in America, and the world, is in N. Carolina. It slaughters 2000 hogs an hour. That’s 34 a minute…. Let that sink in. 34 hogs slaughtered every 60 seconds. Do you want me to guess what that means in terms of animal cruelty. (I should probably mention at this point, there are parts of the movie that is not for the animal lovers. I couldn’t close my eyes, but my jaws dropped and I wished I could. Enough evidence to set any animal rights organization into furore. Surprisingly, that hasn’t happened yet.... Can only guess why.)

And it just isn’t the animals who are exploited and abused. Think of the workers in these industries. The assembly line mentality was first introduced by Mc Donalds to reduce costs. Treat humans like machines. Teach them to do one task, and one task alone to obtain maximum efficiency. Of course, it then doesn’t qualify as ‘skilled labour’ and you can get away with low wages. Do not forget it was Mc Donalds again, in the States that argued in the Congress to allow the use of 16-17 year olds in their restaurants at a cheaper wage. Pay them a $1.28/hour instead of the generous $1.60. (And if you haven’t read it yet, highly recommend ‘Fast Food Nation’ by Eric Schosser. Wait, make that *highly* recommend. )

And then there is corn. Genetically modified corn is the base for over 90% of the products in the super markets. You will find high fructose corn syrup in everything from ketchup to peanut butter. Salad dressing to diapers. And batteries too. It’s a cheap crop and the ‘waste’ can be fed to cattle. More corn in our bodies.

The problem is multi layered. It just isn’t that fast food companies are lowering prices to feed the consumers bad calories. Not just that chips are subsidized, but not carrots. It isn’t just that the food regulatory bodies are headed by people who are powerful in the Congress. Or that when systemic failures occur (like the E Coli breakout) not much is done to actually fix the system. Rather a quick fix is derived – drenching all meat with ammonia. Because it kills all bacteria.

It simply is a powerful industry, run by a few honchos, who are averse to relinquishing control.

And yes, the solution is simple. Buy organic. Buy at farmers markets. If you can afford it, pay a little more. The ‘Meal deals’ come at a price. Buy fair trade.

A lot of my American friends dislike paying more for food here in Australia. I hope you know now.

Uluru, Australia

I recently realised that most of my posts are conceived by my mind going into thinking over drive, or a something touching me enough to make me want to write. Guess I will change the pattern here a little, and do a quick travelblog post, though I am sure there will be elements from the past pattern you will notice.

Last month, I travelled to the famous Outback of Australia, and as a friend pointed out, the geographic center of the country. Ok, let me say this out loud, whilst I was excited to see Uluru (or as most people call it, the Ayers Rock) a part of me did go like, ‘It’s only a big rock in the middle of the desert, how great can *that* be?’ But checked myself soon enough, because I realized I had thought the same about the Great Barrier Reef (mind you, I grew up on the NatGeo channel). I had stood corrected then, and the diving/snorkeling trip had blown my mind, so decided to give Uluru a chance to impress me.

Arrived there for a long weekend, and catching the first glimpse of Uluru from the airplane was admittedly great

… But nothing compared to witnessing it grow from a small rock in the middle of a flat horizon.. to a ginormous piece of sandstone, as we drove towards it. It overwhelms you just to look at how big that one piece of rock, and soon I found myself contemplating the fact that this rock was actually eroded over centuries (by water, believe it or not) and is only the tip of a larger, underground piece of rock that links it to the nearby Kata Tjutas (when I say nearby I mean 46kms) ..Now that is pretty cool! It is a geographical miracle in more ways than one.

Talking about miracles, have you seen the rock glow in the sunset? It is like a time lapse movie being played over quickly. The sun goes down over the unending skies, and as it almost kisses the horizon, throws its rays at the bottom end of Uluru. That’s when it starts to glow. Like an orange-red lantern. And slowly the glow spreads upwards, momentarily banishing the darkness that had engulfed the Rock. It is visual poetry. The changing hues of Uluru have been written about several times before, but nothing will prepare you for what you see. I could have stood there, staring at it for a long long time after the sun went down, and I promise you my heart was pulp... One of those experiences that you will not forget in a hurry, if at all. (This picture kind of tells you the tale of the blush starting on the Rock)

Something else that made the place magical for me was just being on Anangu’s sacred lands. I am no hippie, but there is no way I can deny the fact that the land seems to have a magical pull. It’s effect on you is like watching the waves at the sea shore, or the twinkling stars on a clear night... It stills you, and makes you ponder over the bigger questions of life. A certain calmness will pervade you and you will only be able to sense it, as it overpowers you.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it to, arguably the most popular ‘Valley of The Winds’ walk, but well, at least that gives me a reason to go back there one more time!

However, unbelievable as my experience was in the Grand Canyon of Australia, there were a few things that bothered me. (And I am not even including flies here)

Uluru is sacred for the local Anangu tribe who has for centuries, used it as a place to complete rituals for the men and women and initiate them into secrets preserved over eons. Then came along us, took over the land and now politely ask if we would like to donate $2 (You heard me right, 2 dollars) to help the aboriginal community, while in the same breath saying that our accommodation and food bill was $1500. Umm sure we can, how about you do something too, and donate like a 10% of your earnings to your hosts of this land?

This brings me to the overpriced monopolistic resort of Yulara. If there was anything else that annoyed me there, it was the exorbitant (and totally unexplainable costs) for the most basic things. Remember being asked to pay AUD 45 for a hot breakfast, which wasn’t even comparable to the Swedish smorgasbord in Adelaide I paid 25 bucks for! We stayed at a mid range option, but have to say was underwhelmed by the room.

Some other practical tips, rent a car. Most visitors are on tours, so having transport of your own (even if it is a tiny Yaris like ours!) will give you flexibility over your schedule, save you money and help you avoid the crowds!

Get a fly screen if you are goofy enough, or fly repellants if you are cooler than me! That’s one thing you won’t be able to avoid!

All said, highly recommend a trip to the Center. If you are in Australia especially, there is no excuse!

I love being a woman...

I love being a woman. I love how satin feels on my bare skin. I love how I can cry when I am overwhelmed. I love how I can literally feel my heart melt with tenderness.

With that said, I will say this. It is hard. It is hard being a woman. (Not necessarily because ‘it is a man’s world.’ Agreed, men and women feel differently and think differently, but that’s about all. I don’t think the world lives by the standards of either... Of course, I digress.) Whilst most people talk about the physical changes that occur in the female body (and the accompanying emotional roller coaster ride), well, trust me, that is just the start.

As challenging as it is, being dictated by your hormones, I am talking about all the other complexities that come from being a modern woman. How do you toe the fine line between being vulnerable and strong? Modern and feminine? And most importantly, yourself and what the society demands?

For me being a woman means I can enjoy chiffons and silks as much as hiking boots and camping. It means I love been pampered and cared for, and yet can nurture and nourish, in turn. It also means I can afford to be vulnerable. I can feel intensely and be totally at peace with my emotions.

However, unfortunately, as humans, we do not have a switch to turn our feminine-ness on and off. I have tried my entire life to balance the two. How do I go all out and be feminine and yet strong? How do I enjoy my tenderness and yet not turn sloppy... Or alternatively turn off my feelings and turn into someone who is unable to feel joy and happiness deeply, because she is protecting herself from future heart breaks.

I have often chosen the former path. With a twist - Intense inside, calm outside. ..And it hasn’t been easy. Though it has meant that whilst I generally love living my life, and live it more whole heartedly, it means most people (other than the ones closest to me) don’t see it. That probably leads to a whole different discussion in itself.

The other challenge, of course, is where exactly do you draw the line between being yourself and what is expected of you. Choice vs obligation. I have almost obstinately swept aside all efforts of the society to sell me onto ‘the done thing.’ I don’t do my eyebrows, I don’t wear heels. Hell, I wear glasses to feel less glamorous on days! And yet, I have my days. Days when I wonder if I should ‘playing’ the game. Wonder if I don’t, will be left behind? Alone.

Of course I realize, these aren’t necessarily choices only women have to make. But I do have a feeling that the ‘obligation’ part is a heavier burden on women. Well, mostly, because we allow ourselves to. Trying to please everyone in our lives, is the motto of our lives.

Don’t get me wrong, I also do realize men have their own issues and own reasons to love themselves. Neither are these ramblings necessarily a sweeping generalization of our gender.

This is about me. And what I feel.... How I feel.

'The Naked Brain'

I remember reading somewhere that the normal human brain uses about 10-15% of its capability, and so I decided I would figure out a way to make that 80-90%.... Well, in my defence, I was 12.

However, that one sentence did spark a lifelong interest in the human brain and hence, psychology in me. Over the years, I did find myself reading research papers and articles, mainly out of curiosity. And with the recent purchase of my Kindle (did I not tell you about it?! ;-) ) , I have to say I did go on a spree. The one that stands out is ‘The Naked Brain’ by Richard Restak . It is by far the best neuroscience book I have ever read.

A simple book, it takes the reader on a journey through the complex neuro pathways of the brain. And just so we don’t lose our way, it clearly lays out a hypothesis, followed by some incredibly interesting experiments, and finally a conclusion of what it means in our every day lives.

What kept me hooked was the clever use of experiments to prove concepts we knew instinctively. In a powerful chapter on ‘Thinking is Doing’ Richard talks about how merely thinking about doing something increases the likelihood of our doing it. [Hence, the ‘Imagine yourself in front of the audience’ tip before a public speech, I figged.] However, taking this a step ahead, he scans the brain and through an fMRI actually detects that the exact same areas of the brain being activated when you are ‘thinking’ of doing something as while actually doing it.

However, going beyond the obvious, the book also lays out some exceedingly interesting experiments and thoughts. Consider this for a moment, “ We are continuously in the process of trying to explain ourselves to ourselves by coming up with plausible causes of our activities.” Remember how you did something stupid and then blamed it on everything from the planetary alignment to an ad you saw on your way to work! … Well, now, you can blame it on the way your brain is wired. Richard claims that the left hemisphere, that is the ‘speech’ centre, automatically rationalizes emotions that sit in the right hemisphere of the brain. He describes a bizarre experiment conducted on a patient with a rare medical condition – her brain hemispheres weren’t able to communicate with each other. In the experiment, she was shown a grisly video targeted to her right hemisphere. When later questioned, she expresses her feeling correctly (fear) but in the absence of the communication, she rationalizes it with a ‘It must be the room ‘and a ‘You make me nervous.’

I find this particular insight very fascinating. It is almost as if nature wants us to justify actions and emotions that take less than micro seconds to register within our brains. Is this a survival technique for the sensitive homo sapiens? What would we be like if our verbal system would not note our emotions and automatically assign a cause to it. Something tells me we would be able to experience emotions more fully. But would that necessarily be a good thing? Especially for me who literally lives her life by ‘Don’t judge emotions,’ this is definitely something I know my mind will keep returning to.