Life etc.

Tattly: Temporary Tattoos for Design Minded Kids & Kids-at-Heart

2012-01-28T03:47:00.002+05:30

When I heard of tattly a few months ago I dismissed it at first. Temporary tattoos to me are the ones you get free with Japanese chewing gum & they are for kids (even as a kid I hated them).

But I read on: Tattly was started by Tina Roth Eisenberg (swiss miss!) out of her frustration that temporary children tattoos are often hideous looking. Think Clip Art gone Tattoo. She was ready to put designy, cool, typographic tattoos on her daughter’s arm. Tattly was born.

When you have such an all-star line up of designers submitting designs, there’s not much that can go wrong. Yay for a fun-loving design community that was in for the ride.

Tattly has designer temporary tattoos by so many great artists including two I really like Julia Rothman & Mark Johns.

Though I love getting tattooed for real (with a needle, you know) I find myself loving the idea of temporary tattoos. They're fun! A new one every week. :)

Check out their super fun promo video-

During November & December they ran a limited period subscription offer- You pay $60 (+$15 international shipping) & you a tin every month (for six months) with the latest tattly designs. I found it kind of steep especially since I was broke but I liked the designs & the idea of getting a new tin full of these pretty things every month so I just couldn't resist.

Yesterday my first tattlys arrived! I was slightly sad that the tin was beaten up, but oh well, Indian post truly sucks.

I love each & every one of them (except maybe the scribbles). Can't wait to use these & see what I get next month.

Love,

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Vinyl Love ♥

2012-01-26T23:14:00.001+05:30

So this is something I happened to splurge on a few months ago...

I ordered them from a dealer in London, that's how I was able to get my hands on Tears For Fears, David Bowie & Pet Shop Boys. No chance ever of getting them locally. Also they were the first records I ever bought, it was very exciting for me. They were rather expensive but worth it- even though their all vintage from the 80s they're practically mint.

Also I have two of these (with the exact same cover art) on CD as well (from my dad's collection, also from the 80s) : Tears For Fears - Songs from the Big Chair & Neil Diamond - Moods.

I now have a lot more records (maybe about thirty, I haven't counted). Bought some from a local guy & bought the rest from a man in New Zealand, he knew I liked Tears For Fears so he included an extra EP of theirs.

I now have all the Tears For Fears albums on vinyl except their last one, released in 2004 so it didn't come out on vinyl. And I'm glad I had the good sense to pick up David Bowie's best of compilations as well, this was before I liked him as much as I do now.

Music remains very important to me. Though I do listen to some modern music sporadically (I was a huge hip hop fan in my early teens) I happen to dislike almost all music being made now. I do love certain genres & certain era... 80's synthpop, 70's glamrock, some classic rock & a little folk. It's kind of like the Chris Lowe (one half of Pet Shop Boys) quote I have at the bottom of my blog- "I don't like country & western. I don't like rock music, I don't like rockability or rock & roll particularly. I don't like much, really, do I? But what I do like, I love passionately."

We have family we're close to in Bandra. They have neighbors who they dislike, because these neighbors trouble them by blaring music very loudly at almost all times of the day, unmindful of aged or kids that will be disturbed. Still every time I visit this family I love their neighbors a little more just for their kickass taste in music (also they have a great sound system, I can definitely tell). I was just there earlier today & the neighbors were playing The Police, Spandau Ballet, The Eagles, and many more. And when we were leaving our relatives' house today, I told my mom I would marry into that house. Yes, I told my mom I would be willing to indulge in a custom I don't particularly care for, into a house where I don't know anyone. That is how crazy excited I get when I find someone with similar taste in music as me (which is rare).

Now all that remains is to get an awesome turntable. And speakers. And a table/stand that houses the turntable & the records. *sigh*

love,

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Instagram - Gifts, Baking, Trees & a Birthday! ♨

2012-01-25T00:07:00.000+05:30

Some pretty random instagram from this month-
Strawberry & mint conserve on fruit bread & cardamon flavored milk for breakfast; A cup of hot tea in the college canteen.

Maltesers & Gummy Worms, just two of the huge amount of chocolate & candy my parents bought me from Auckland.

The Cold Water locket arrived. Love how it was packed! Also aren't these hello panda biscuit packs the cutest? So kawaii! ♥

Shalotka is the Russian counterpart of Apple Pie. It's very simple & pretty healthy. I baked it for the first time following this recipe. It's somewhat more of a pudding than a pie, but pretty yummy nonetheless.

Silhouetted Trees.

It was my Dad's birthday & my parent's wedding anniversary on the 20th. We woke up late, then gorged on cake, went to the mall for loads of shopping, donuts & fried chicken.

I'm @magali_c on instagram. If you use it come say hi. :)

Love,

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Who Built Bombay?

2012-01-22T20:50:00.001+05:30

According to ancient history, a grouping of seven islands comprising Colaba, Mazagaon, Old Woman's Island, Wadala, Mahim, Parel, and Matunga-Sion formed a part of the kingdom of Ashoka the Great of Magadh, ironically in North India.

The Bhaiyas and Biharis whom the Thackerays accuse of being outsiders in Mumbai, come from the region, which was a part of Ashoka the Great's empire... We judge everything according to history and the history of Mumbai proves that its earliest known ownership was with a North Indian.

The seven islands of Mumbai passed through many hands, the sultans of Gujarat, the Portuguese and the British. Every ruler left behind proof of residence in Mumbai.

The Mauryans left behind the Kanheri, Mahakali and the caves of Gharapuri more popularly called Elephanta. The sultans of Gujarat built the Dargahs at Mahim and Haji Ali, the Portuguese built the two Portuguese churches, one at Prabhadevi and the other St Andrews at Bandra.

They built forts at Sion, Mahim, Bandra and Bassien (Vasai). The Portuguese named the group of seven Islands 'Bom Baia', Good Bay. The British built a city out of the group of seven islands and called her Bombay.

The original settlers of the seven islands, the Koli fishermen, worshiped Mumbaidevi, her temple still stands at Babulnath near Chowpatty. The Kolis called the island Mumbai, 'Mumba, Mother Goddess'.

In 1662, King Charles II of England married the Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza, and received the seven islands of Bom Baia as part of his dowry. Six years later, the British Crown leased the seven islands to the English East India Company for a sum of 10 pounds in gold per annum. It was under the English East India Company that the future megapolis began to take shape, after the first war for independence Bombay once again became a colony of the British Empire .

History has forgotten this but the first Parsi settler came to Bombay in 1640, he was Dorabji Nanabhoy Patel. In 1689-90, a severe plague epidemic broke out in Bombay and most of the European settlers succumbed to it. The Siddi of Janjira attacked in full force. Rustomji Dorabji Patel, a trader and the son of the city's first Parsi settler, successfully defeated the Siddi with the help of the Kolis and saved Bombay .

Gerald Aungier, Governor of Bombay built the Bombay Castle, an area that is even today referred to as Fort. He also constituted the Courts of law. He brought Gujarati traders, Parsi shipbuilders, Muslim and Hindu manufacturers from the mainland and settled them in Bombay.

It was during a period of four decades that the city of Bombay took shape. Reclamation was done to plug the breach at Worli and Mahalakshmi, Hornby Vellard was built in 1784. The Sion Causeway connecting Bombay to Salsette was built in 1803. Colaba Causeway connecting Colaba island to Bombay was built in 1838. A causeway connecting Mahim and Bandra was built in 1845.

Lady Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, the wife of the First Baronet Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy donated Rs 1,57,000 to meet construction costs of the causeway. She donated Rs. 1,00,000 at first.. When the project cost escalated and money ran out half way through she donated Rs 57,000 again to ensure that the vital causeway was completed. Lady Jamsetjee stipulated that no toll would ever be charged for those using the causeway. Today Mumbaikars have to pay Rs 75 to use the Bandra-Worli Sealink, connecting almost the same two islands. Sir J J Hospital was also built by Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy.

The shipbuilding Wadia family of Surat was brought to Bombay by the British. Jamshedji Wadia founded the Bombay Port Trust and built the Princess Dock in 1885 and the Victoria Dock and the Mereweather Dry Docks in 1891. Alexandra Dock was built in 1914.

A Gujarati civil engineer supervised the building of the Gateway of India.

The Tatas made Bombay their headquarters and gave it the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel and India 's first civilian airlines, Air India.

The Godrejs gave India its first vegetarian soap.

Cowasji Nanabhai Daver established Bombay's first cotton mill, 'The Bombay Spinning Mills' in 1854. By 1915, there were 83 textile mills in Bombay largely owned by Indians.

This brought about a financial boom in Bombay. Although the mills were owned by Gujaratis, Kutchis, Parsis and Marwaris, the workforce was migrant Mahrashtrians from rural Maharashtra . Premchand Roychand, a prosperous Gujarati broker founded the Bombay Stock Exchange. Premchand Roychand donated Rs 2,00,000 to build the Rajabai Tower in 1878.

Muslim, Sindhi and Punjabi migrants have also contributed handsomely to Mumbai.

Mumbai is built on the blood and sweat of all Indians. That is why Bombay belongs to all Indians.

Apart from its original inhabitants, the Kolis, everyone else in Mumbai, including Thackeray's 'Marathi Manoos', are immigrants.

The "Mumbai for Marathi Manoos" war cry has once again been raised to shore up the sagging political fortunes of the Thackeray family...

When the Shiv Sena-BJP combine came to power in 1993, under the guise of reverting to the original name they replaced Bombay with Mumbai.

I wonder when they will discard the anglicized Thackeray and revert back to their original Marathi surname Thakre?

This article was written on February 7, 2010 by Tushar Gandhi, founder/president, Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, and the great grandson of Gandhiji. (Thank you to the friend who shared this on Facebook!) Photo by me, on film. It's of a sign at Gateway of India, it says Mumbai (मुंबई).

It isn't very often that I post writing that isn't mine. But this was too good to not post. This may explain why I like calling the city I live in Bombay not Mumbai. Bombay is truly is a cosmopolitan city & I'm glad that I was born & live here.

Love,

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Pinterest Addict

2012-01-17T16:55:00.000+05:30

My feelings about Pinterest yesterday have been aptly summarized in this comic-

I first got invited to & joined Pinterest over a year ago but didn't even bother actually trying it out. I've seen people using it but it didn't interest me.

I decided to give it a try yesterday, only because I like putting images together & am not very good at keeping actual physical pinboards (when we just moved into this home, a large blue pinboard was one of the first things I bought for myself once the basic furniture was in. I even pinned some stuff but I haven't changed anything for a while now).

And before I knew it I was going beserk pinning all the things!! ;)

Do check out my Pinterest if you like... my two favorite pinboards at the moment are Sea & Sky lust ~ & Men.

Do you have a Pinterest? Do share your profile & favorite pinboards in the comments.

love,

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News about the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club

2012-01-16T08:30:00.001+05:30

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

The situation with Walgreens and Express Script-

For the past year, Walgreens has negotiated with Express Scripts for a new contract to continue as part of its pharmacy provider network.

Those negotiations were unsuccessful, and the contract expired on Dec. 31. As a result, Walgreens is no longer part of Express Scripts’ pharmacy provider network as of 2012. This includes all Walgreens pharmacies around USA and Duane Reade pharmacies in the New York City area.
This situation of forcing pharmacy patients to go elsewhere to use their in-network pharmacy benefits was unnecessary. Express Scripts’ actions are causing disruption with no significant benefit to patients or their health plan. Patients covered by an Express Scripts plan now find themselves not only having to change their pharmacists, but many are having to drive farther to get prescriptions filled at pharmacies with less convenient hours for their hectic schedules. Walgreens offers the most 24-hour drive thru pharmacies in the country.
And patients are not seeing their costs go down in exchange for the increased hassle they’re being subject to. It’s all pain with no gain.

Avoiding disruption and keeping costs flat
During negotiations, Walgreens offered to hold rates for a new contract flat and did not seek an increase in rates. The response from Express Scripts was to insist on being able to unilaterally define contract terms, such as what does and does not constitute a brand and generic drug. Express Scripts also proposed to slash Walgreens reimbursement rates to levels below the industry average cost to provide each prescription.

Express Scripts itself has stated that clients will not see any significant savings from excluding Walgreens from its network. In fact, costs may even go up without Walgreens because we offer competitive pricing, additional savings by dispensing less expensive generic drugs more often than other pharmacies, and savings through 90-day supplies of medications at our retail pharmacies versus three, 30-day refills.

Express Scripts could offer substantial savings to its clients by promoting 90-day refills at retail pharmacies, but it conflicts with its own mail order 90-day prescription business that it profits from. In addition, while profits per prescription among retail pharmacies have been flat or declining in recent years, Express Scripts’ profits have grown at a rate more than two times the average of peers in health care.

What does this mean for Walgreens patients?
Many patients under an Express Scripts plan have used Walgreens pharmacies for years and have a personal relationship with their Walgreens pharmacist. In an effort to minimize their disruption and inconvenience, Walgreens unveiled a comprehensive national effort to make this transition as smooth as possible and is doing all it can to help patients continue to use Walgreens when possible, or take care of them as they are forced to leave Walgreens in order to use their in-network coverage.
Only patients with certain prescription insurance plans managed by Express Scripts are impacted. It is best to check with your local Walgreens pharmacist to find out for sure if you’re impacted. Patients also can check the back of their prescription insurance card – if it has Express Scripts’ name there, then they may be affected. If it doesn’t say Express Scripts, then they are not affected.

What is Walgreens doing to help?

Among the steps Walgreen is taking to minimize the disruption is offering a special discount on annual membership for its Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. An individual can join during a special January promotion for only $5, or $10 for a family membership, and receive savings on more than 8,000 brand name and all generic medications. More than 400 generics are available with a three-month supply for less than $1 a week. Regular annual membership is $20 for an individual and $35 for a family.

Express Scripts is a health care system middleman
Express Scripts acts as a middleman between pharmacies providing the health care service and employers and health plans who pay for the medications. Because Express Scripts is the middleman, most payers don’t see the rates Express Scripts pays to Walgreens. They only know what they pay Express Scripts. When they do see what Walgreens is paid, many health plans and employers are making decisions to continue to ensure access to Walgreens because they find our prices to be competitive and believe that we can lower overall health care costs.

Express Scripts continues to gain financially from its position as a middleman as its profits have grown at a rate more than two times the average of peers in health care. When the middleman is more profitable than the providers, the relationship is out of balance.

Beyond the contract issues, this issue between Express Scripts and Walgreens is really about the value of your local community pharmacy. Express Scripts wants customers to use their own mail order pharmacy business instead of your community pharmacy whenever possible. This could threaten all community drugstores in your area. Remember, community pharmacies are a valuable presence in your neighborhood when you need a pain medication as you leave the emergency room at 2 a.m., or need a flu shot and haven’t been able to get to the doctor’s office. Community pharmacies are often the first point of entry for many people into the health care system, and the value they provide by lowering overall health care costs should be recognized by Express Scripts.

A Walgreens proprietary survey of 823 executives and managers who are key decision makers for pharmacy benefit decisions or provide input found employer attitudes are consistent with recent research published by several leading equity research analysts. Employers want Walgreens in their pharmacy network!
Employers value having Walgreens as a pharmacy option for their employees, but Express Scripts wants to take that choice away. Don't let Express Scripts take away your free will & charge you more.

So the choice is yours, really. To me the answer is pretty clear. You can stay updated by following Walgreens on Twitter or liking Walgreens on Facebook.

Golden Half in Bandra ☀

2012-01-11T22:44:00.000+05:30

Here are some photos taken with the Golden Half in June 2011. This was the first analog camera I bought well over a year ago. The first roll I ran through it turned out pretty bad, but that was probably because it was my first film roll ever & I probably made some mistakes & gave it to a crappy lab out of sheer ignorance.

So I was reluctant about using it again but I tried it anyway. A tiny note about this camera? Since it's a half frame camera it takes 72 photos on a regular 36 exposure roll. It takes forever to get done. Literally. Towards the end of the roll I find myself snapping random things just to finish the roll. The plastic lens makes everything cutely fuzzy around the edges.

All of these photos are taken in Bandra (a suburb in Bombay), & I got these processed & scanned at an slightly expensive but awesome lab.

Superheadz Golden Half x Kodak 400

I am completely sold on this camera. It is cheap but awesome. Sure it can't do some things like double exposures but it has a hotshoe (you can use it with most regular flashes) & more importantly it works just as it should. :)
I have never had any problems with this camera unlike some others & I'm glad. These are just about half of the roll, there are more from Goa & I will show them to you in a couple of days. I really don't know why I don't use this camera more!

Some random personal stuff now? My parents got home early today, yay! As much as I enjoyed staying home alone (I really did!) I missed them & was happy that they're back, somehow things just seem back to normal. They brought back so much awesome stuff! I spent the whole morning being overwhelmed by all the thoughtful gifts. I clicked photos of everything, but only on film so I hope they turn out ok.

love,

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Ground Control to Major Tom

2012-01-08T16:12:00.000+05:30

I am such a huge fan of David Bowie. I love his songwriting, his voice, his avant garde style. (sorry Lady Gaga, you can't be as good as him no matter how much you copy him).

I don't think there's anyone, celebrity or otherwise who is as brilliant, charismatic & overall awesome. I don't think music or popular culture of the 60s, 70s or 80s would have been the same without him.

David turns 65 today. Happy Birthday! {oh & if you don't know much about him this article is a good starting point.}

love,

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Bandra Fair 2011

2012-01-07T10:00:00.000+05:30

Bandra fair is an annual week long fair held the Sunday following September 8th. It is celebrated to commemorate the Nativity of Mary & the fair is said to be about 300 years old. (wikipedia)

Ever since I started college I have tried to attend every year. These are photos from September 2011. The lab had a silly problem & couldn't scan one of these rolls so I had to wait till I got my own scanner. My parents bought me the Epson V600 early last month (thank you!) & that's when I finally scanned these.

The view from the two Ferris Wheels. Funny English.

Roadside tattooing. These are not safe but sadly very common during fairs, you can get tattooed for as little as 25 (25¢). A stall selling candles. During the candles shaped like babies, hands, feet and various other parts of the body are sold. Sick people choose a figure that corresponds to their ailment & light it in the church in hopes of being healed; childless couples offer candles of babies in hopes of getting a child.

Banana & strawberry ice cream after all that fun. :)

Lomo LC-A x Lomography CN400
Lomography Fisheye 2 x Lomography CN400

Bandra fair can be extremely crowded but I'd definitely recommend visiting if you're around Bombay mid September. I love riding on the ferris wheels. Although this last time I had a weird experiences where my friend kept scaring me about how rickety the car felt & kept insisting that the seat fell off after I got up. I didn't see. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. ;)

love,

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Three

2012-01-05T04:27:00.000+05:30

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Goodbye 2011 (a wrap up)

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000+05:30

It that time of the year again. Just a little over a day before we enter the new year, so I'm doing another long, rambly wrap up post like last year.

Since I showed you the CD version of Songs from the Big Chair last year I thought I'd show the vinyl LP this year.

The stuff I will really remember about 2011? Discovering analog photography. It has made me happy, passionate & a little more artistic Going on a vacation with friends, I hadn't been on vacation with anyone but my parents before, & this was so fun. Also starting to collect cameras & vinyl records.

Tears For Fears remained my favorite band ever. I'm glad to say I have their first three albums on vinyl now, & that makes me really happy. We haven't been able to find a satisfactory turntable yet but I'm sure we will soon. Also I discovered David Bowie, I love his music!

I'm alone at home this year, so it's a lot like last year. I didn't want to vacation with my parents at the moment so I stayed home. But staying alone this year is quite different than last year, I am much more at ease, sleeping better, cooking meals & not letting the house get too messy. And I hope to do some laundry as well tomorrow. These may seem like small silly things but to me their not, I have a wonderful mom who usually does all the housework so I don't have to. But me doing all the stuff that she normally took care of, I feel very independent & grown up about it.

I am no longer talking to someone who I called my best friend last year, it feels slightly weird but I should have done it a long time ago, trust me. I found a nice new friend & we have so much fun, exploring the city, talking for hours & pushing each other's buttons (in a fun, friendly way).

Now instead of making new year's resolutions, I did something call good intentions at the start of this year. [You can find them here].

I reexamined them a little while ago & was very glad to see that I kept most of them-

good intentions for the new year 2011

1. do random good deeds.

I did this. Quite a few times. One of those is especially memorable, I will share it in a post soon.

2. don't get angry easily.

This was a tough one to follow, & there was a month or so when I was angry & upset a lot, but I got over it. This is not one of those things that I can really tick off, but I did try to stay calmer & approach things in a zen way & let things go.

3. swear less.

I don't think I did this. In fact, I don't think I really want to do it ever, I just need to have a good filter so I don't say anything offensive when elders or religious people are around.

4. read more books

I did! Maybe not as many as I would've have liked because blogging, photography etc. kept me pretty busy. I did buy many books though, some of which I haven't read yet.

5. eat more. don't skip meals even if I'm busy.

I think I did this. I'm not 100% sure but even on college days I'm often at the college canteen or Cafe Andora or Candies. I still need to eat more, though.

6. sleep earlier so i can wake up in the mornings.

Oh I didn't do this, not at all! :( I tried but I am such a night owl, I think I need to resign myself to that fact.

7. don't bunk college so much.

Eeep, no. I still bunk so much, damn these college timings.

8. listen to more music.
Oh I definitely did this, music makes me so happy. :)

9. eat more chocolates & ice cream.
Done!

10. take risks. try new things.
To me analog photography was new but oh so risky at first, especially when you are new to it, it can be challenging & sometimes frustrating. I kept to it though & now nothing gives me as much joy.

11. start volunteering somewhere again on a regular basis.
I did this as well. I had been going with my mother to a local Home for the Aged since I was 10 or 11. I helped out there in my own way when I was younger but later I stopped going that often, though I still knew most of the nuns there, I felt somewhat negative & told myself I was too busy. But in June 2011 I decided that I wanted to start again & joined a lay people's association there & I'm there an average of twice or thrice every month, I definitely feel very happy about this & will continue.

12. finish more stuff from my 20 before 20 list.
I sorta fazed out the list. I'm not sure why, it's just after a year or so you realized that you have changed & don't want the same things you once did.

13. see beauty in everything around me.

I did. Seeing beauty in everything helped my analog photography; or was it the other way? Maybe analog photography helped me see beauty. But either way I did have quite a few yuugen (幽玄) moments. Yuugen is supposed to be a Japanese word sudden moments when you have this profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of life. (I found this word via Allison's blog, thanks Allison!)
I am happy with how my good intentions list turned out, definitely make one this year as well.

Something I realized about (my) life? Good things happen, bad things happen. There are days when I'm deliriously happy & days when I feel somewhat depressed. But then at the end of the year I look back & I am filled with happiness for all the wonderful things that happened & even the people who wronged me, because they just made me a little stronger.
And I'm super lucky to have nice, understanding parents. Although I don't have too many friends, I am happy with the few that I do have & proud to call them my friends. I feel extremely blessed & lucky & fortunate, I don't think I have done anything deserving enough to have a life as nice as this & people who are there for me if I need them.
I cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for me! And if the world has to end, I won't be so sad because I lived my life.

How did your year go, what are the things you will remember the most about 2011? I'd love it if you shared with me in the comments.

love,

PS- I just read that BBC radio 6 is going to be playing only Vinyl on New Year's Day, I may not be in UK but this still makes me quite happy.

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The 2011 Analog Photography Round Up

2011-12-28T16:14:00.000+05:30

When I saw this wonderful post on Michelle's blog I knew I had to do it as well.
It's a wonderful way to look back at a year from a film-photography point of view.
There is a problem, though. I didn't really keep track of the number of films I used, so mine might be slightly off. But I will try to calculate roughly.

I actually started shooting analog in May this year. And it was slow at first, because I had some bad experiences with film & felt pretty limited with the two analog cameras I owned then (the Golden Half & Actionsampler).

Despite the early disappointments, I kept to it & I was soon hooked.

Total number of film used: about 25.

Cameras used-
1. LC-A - 5
2. Fisheye no.2 - 3
3. Fuji Instax Mini - 3
3. Actionsampler - 2
4. Golden Half - 2
5. Diana Mini - 2
6. LC-Wide (borrowed) - 2
7. Superheadz Wide & Slim - 1
8. Holga 120 GCFN (used at a workshop) - 1
9. LC-A+ (borrowed) - 1
10. Yashica Electro 35 (borrowed)- 1

Types of film-
1. Color Negative {Kodak 400, Lomography CN 400, Lomography CN 100} - 18
2. Redscale film {Lomography Redscale xr 50-200} - 1
3. Slide {Lomography Xpro 200, Lomography Xpro Chrome} - 2
4. Medium format 120 film {Lomography B&W 100 120} - 1
5. Fuji Instax Mini film - 3

New Cameras- {I did go a little crazy camera buying this year, but I don't regret it at all. :) }
1. Lomography ActionSampler
2. Fuji Cheki 50
3. Lomography La Sardina (I ended up switching it out for a Diana Mini)
4. Lomography Fisheye 2 (won this on a contest on Lomography India)
5. Lomo LC-A (I bought two of these)
6. Zeiss Ikon Contaflex Super B (gift from an uncle. Haven't been able to get it working but I hope I can soon.)
7. Superheadz Wide & Slim
8. Fed 5B
9. Smena 8M
10. Smena Symbol
11. Yashica Electro 35
12. Canon A-1

I have a very good feeling about the Canon A-1, I haven't finished a roll yet but I will soon & I'm excited to see results from it.
So this was 2011. I'm not 100% sure if the number of films is right, it could be more (definitely not less).
I will definitely keep a proper record in 2012. And comparing years will be fun, because I am sure I will be shooting a lot more film in 2012.
I will be doing another wrap up post before the year ends.

love,

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Journal- Typewriter Eco-Journal by Julia Rothman

2011-12-28T06:53:00.000+05:30

As promised last week, this is the second journal I purchased. Like the last one, this is also an eco-journal, it's printed on recycled paper with soy based inks. They're both published by the same publisher, Chronicle Books, & this one is illustrated by the Julia Rothman.

The thing that attracted me to this one? Well you must know already with the layout & all but vintage typewriters are my latest obsession, if anyone has leads on how to procure one locally please let me know! :)

(images via buyolympia)

This is going to be my second journal (after I'm done with the first). I cannot wait to fill in the pages.

Some people like clean, blank pages as their journals but personally I like journals like these, every pages cheers me up & inspires me to write a little more.

love,

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I'm thankful for...

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000+05:30

1. The fact that winters in Bombay aren't too cold. It still looks like summer during the day but you can feel winter in the air.
2. Technology, particularly gtalk, facebook, twitter & skype so I can keep in touch with my parents & not feel the 7,641 mile distance as much.
3. Friends to eat pizzas with, friends to eat gelato with, friends to chat for hours with, friends to explore Bombay with. You sure are lucky when you get that one friend who does all these things with you. :)
4. A nice roof over my head. (courtesy my parents, obviously)
5. Blogs & blogging. I'm thankful for my blog & everyone who takes the time to visit/comment; I'm also thankful for all of you amazing bloggers whom I read regularly, who never fail to inspire me with your posts & photos.
6. My cameras. I love them so much, some more than others.
7. Mailmen & courier delivery guys. Thanks, without you guys I wouldn't have been able to get awesome stuff from around the globe.
8. The few friends & family that care. This is to everyone who upon hearing I would be staying alone, offered to help, offered their homes & the few who keep calling to know I'm safe. Thanks so much. ♡
9. My iPhone. To me it is officially the most awesome device in the world. It multitasks so well. Day planner? iPhone. Kitchen timer? iPhone. Music? iPhone. Bored? Games on the iPhone. Light meter? iPhone. GPS? iPhone. Check/write email? iPhone. Take awesome photos? iPhone. To me there is nothing this nifty little gadget cannot do, it is by far the best phone I've ever had, my next phone too is definitely gonna be a newer iPhone. Again, thank you to my parents.

love,

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~ Cold Water Locket ~

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000+05:30

Last night I was sitting here thinking about how I should buy myself something for Christmas, something that isn't camera or photography themed/related (don't get me wrong, I love those things, it's just that I wanted something slightly different now).

So I decided on something sea themed. Perhaps I have been browsing sealust too often recently?

I finally settled on the Cold Water Locket from the Blue Balloon Shop (on etsy).

Marie is the talented lady behind the shop, other than create these lovely pieces of jewellery she also does amazing photography & is a violinist as well. Oh & she has the cutest little boy in the entire world, I thought that deserved a mention.

I know of her store because my mom won a necklace of hers in a giveaway a little over a year ago. That necklace is in one of my special boxes. I haven't worn it as much as I'd like to but I look at it often.

Here is the locket I purchased (all photos are Marie's)

I love everything about it- the fact that it's brass & the wonderful picture of Lake Minesotta (clicked by Marie). The etchings on the outside of this locket remind me of a vintage compass, I cannot wait to get this lovely necklace & put photos of loved ones in it. ♡
{Definitely gonna show this to you when it arrives!}

Cannot believe Christmas is over! I spent a quiet one at home this year, it wasn't much different than any other day for me. What about you?

lots of love,

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✩ Merry Christmas! ✩

2011-12-25T01:00:00.000+05:30

Just a quick little post to wish your loved ones & you a
Merry Christmas
from my parents & me.

I hope you have an amazing time & spend it with the ones who truly matter in your lives. I hope that you had lots of cake & eggnog. I think it would be truly amazing if you could brighten someone else's Christmas in some way, however small (maybe give them a small gift, or just pay them a visit & wish them).
Stay safe!
And now, following tradition on this blog I will share a Christmas song with you (I'm not particularly religious but this was too lovely to not share):

lots of love & best wishes,

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The Canon A-1

2011-12-24T01:19:00.001+05:30

Let me introduce you guys to my newest camera- The wonderful Canon A-1.

I ordered it some time ago off ebay, & it finally arrived a few days ago. It didn't come cheap but the kit seems wonderful! It is came with it's original box, & two FD lenses (the 50mm f1.8 & 28mm f2.8) & the original strap, (that was never used!)

Cosmetically it is in almost mint condition. The seller was kind enough to put in a new battery so I could start playing with it right away.

I have always wanted a film SLR. I tried to use my Dad's Olympus OM10, but even after a trip to the repair shop the mirror keeps getting stuck.

When I read up on this amazing camera I knew I wanted it. It has all the features one could want in a classic SLR. OK, maybe I should stop gushing so much, seeing as how I haven't even tested it with film yet (first roll in progress), but I have a good feeling about this. The camera is completely manual focus, that might hinder my speed a little, but it does have a split image rangefinder focussing aid, for precise focussing (no zone focussing guesswork like the LC-A!)

Cannot wait to try B&W and higher ASA films with this baby.

On the personal front, my parents left on a little vacation a few days ago, & I have been enjoying myself doing absolutely nothing. I gave (& by that I mean forced them) to take two cameras, the Canon Rebel xs & Fuji Instax mini. They are not so much for constantly clicking photos like I am, but I do hope they bring back some awesome photos which I will definitely share here.
I have just rediscovered how much of a homebody I really am, they've been gone four days & I haven't even stepped out of the home once. Yes. The closest I've gone to the main door is to pick up the newspaper every morning, & accept the occasional courier / fedex parcel (my awesome hunter wellies arrived, yay!)

Never having to get out of your pyjamas is am amazing thing. But I am going to go out one of these days, I don't want to forget what direct sunlight feels like.

I will keep you guys posted.

love,

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Journal- Evolve Eco-Journal by Nikki McClure

2011-12-19T21:00:00.000+05:30

Do you guys remembered the Q&A a day journal that I featured here last month & ordered as well?
After a lot of waiting flipkart contacted me & told me they weren't able to get it for me & that it was out of stock. I was heartbroken. But I'm not angry/upset with flipkart, their customer service is still Ace. :)
So I sought out to buy a couple of journals for myself for the new year. I have decided to start journalling actively again (more on that at the end of this month) & figured I needed some pretty ones to boost my creativity & keep morale high.
So after much deliberation I settled on a couple of awesome eco journals. Not only are they amazingly pretty, they are made of 100% recycled paper & soy-based inks. Yeah.
The journal contains the art of Nikki Mcclure, a self-taught artist known for her intricate & beautiful papercuts. Check it out (all images via buyolympia):

When I finally got a hold of it I was so glad I picked this journal. Everything about it is amazing, the colors & art are just lovely & I know I will enjoy filling it up!
I've had it a couple of days now & I've written in it every day. I am happy! I did purchase another journal for when this is filled up & I will show it to you next week.

love,

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Timeswimmers

2011-12-17T13:00:00.000+05:30

Chun Yi crossing Venus ocean.

Today I'm doing a sponsor spotlight post. Say hello to Life etc.'s newest sponsor, Timeswimmers an online graphic novel that has caught my attention because of the themes. Read on to hear more about it from it's creator, Stanley.

What a world we have! We are told “there is no such thing as people living on other planets” But if we turn to our history (particularly in India) we find plenty of proof that we have had space travel in the past. The ship were called “Vimanas”. Here is a description. "The texts on Vimanas are numerous, and highly detailed. They describe entire flight manuals on the control of the various types of Vimanas. Some were saucer shaped, others cigar shaped. The Vimanas appeared to be powered by some sort of anti-gravity device. (Source)

Timeswimmers: The Story of “A” and Timeswimmers:

Chun Yi are two new graphic novels that focus on this part of the human history, reality and possibility.

Only it does in in the context of Time and Space Travel as a normal part of the daily lives of someone somewhere. “The mind is a fertile place.

Chun Yi enters spaceship.

I love to let mine run wild and write down what it comes up with, then convert that to story lines and graphic, which become the final product.”

“I believe that women, in the past and in the future, have and will play major roles in bringing our societies to higher levels, just because of the love that is gendered between mother and child. Most of us had a mother, and most of us appreciate how intelligent and dedicated women are to their children. Most of us appreciate our mothers, so it should be easy to imagine woman in roles as adventurers and leaders. I’m just painting those pictures to help make it easier for others to imagine, which is how we get our future world, by what we imagine today.”

Close up of "A"

Timeswimmers was created and is being created because WE are about to enter an era when all the lies and cover ups about beings from other planets and dimensions and the part they have played, do and will play in our lives have come to and end We will begin to live in a reality that includes the fact that they are our ancestors and we are their great grandchildren many times removed.

Timeswimmers is the unfoldment of that story shared from the perspective of what that might be like or is, for some of us who have made and continue contact with those who are bringing these truths to light.

And because that reality includes a balance between women AND men experiencing and playing out roles of importance and of mutual impact, Timeswimmers stories includes both, with an emphasis on the women right now because to bring about balance, we have to accentuate what has been missing.

Graphic novel, feminism, fantasy & of course the extra terrestrial- This combines so much of what I love! :)
Do check out the comic & let me know your feedback. If you wish to sponsor this blog just go here.

love,

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Rainy Bombay

2011-12-14T23:52:00.001+05:30

A few photos from many months ago (11th June 2011) all taken with the Lomo LC-Wide at the Lomography Monsoon lomowalk (the first one I ever went for, yay!)

Prashin & me.
Deepa with a Sprocket Rocket.
I know you probably can't tell very well but that's Kunal about to take a photo of a cabbie with the Diana Mini, you can see it here.

LC-Wide x Kodak 400

All these photos were taken in town (Fort, around Churchgate etc.) [Photos no. 4, 5 & 6 were actually taken by Akshay.]

Not a big fan of how these look. I really dislike the rain & fact that the meter of this camera was slightly off (it overexposed). The sky looks white! (I really like blue skies). But that was still a fun day. My first lomowalk, I met some awesome people & the journey back was so much fun! (I don't realize how much fun it is to terrorize people!) (:

Still posting photos I took months ago. Hopefully I will catch up soon so I can post only new stuff then. These are the last of the LC-Wide photos.

Bye for now!

love,

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Chivas Studio 2011

2011-12-12T00:52:00.001+05:30

Chivas Studio 2011 was in Bombay on the 10th & 11th December at Mehboob Studios, Bandra.

I sadly couldn't make it for Day 1 (missed the musical!) but I went for day 2 (just got back a few hours ago).

Art Foyer (featuring photography by Jatin Kampani & art by Paresh Maity:

This beautiful art installation (oil on fibreglass) by Paresh meant to show the relationship between men & women.

A huge painting by Paresh titled God's Own Country.

This adorable cat roamed around the venue & charmed the guests! (& stole my heart as well. ♡)
Art jam (Brian Olsen & Mrigya & Angela Johnson as the muse):

Overall it was an amazing evening (partially because I had great company). It was filled with so many things I love like amazing music, art & photography. There were a lot of celebs (I don't really care for them, but it's fun to see the photographers scurry as they arrive). I did however get a little excited to see Dalip Tahil again, that man is so talented & I am definitely a fan!

As a student I don't have many nights out but the ones I do are truly memorable. :)

love,

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Nicole Miller launches in India

2011-12-10T21:00:00.000+05:30

Designer label Nicole Miller launched in India with an exclusive trunk show at The Collective, Palladium.

It was a glam event & I had fun checking out her Resort collection (those foiled jeans are to die for!)

For more pictures & details check out the post on my style blog.

love,

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Minimalism + Blog Redesign

2011-12-10T01:04:00.001+05:30

"Minimalism is not a style, it is an attitude, a way of being. It’s a fundamental reaction against noise, visual noise, disorder, vulgarity. Minimalism is the pursuit of the essence of things, not the appearance."
-Massimo Vingelli

So I've gone ahead & given this blog design a much needed overhaul.

The main focus is minimalism. I have been a little obsessed with vintage typewriters recently & I think it's showing.

The layout is simple & clean. The current header features a new (old) Russian camera, the Smena 8M.

I liked the old design. It was cheery & made me happy.

But the new one is a lot more zen. Clear. It feels like I'm going through so many changes in life & being zen is the way to cope with it.
In the coming month I hope to slowly but surely de-clutter & rearrange my room as well.
Let me know what you think? Suggestions are welcome! :)

“In the pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped.”
-Tao Te Ching

love,

Mini Vacation at VITS

2011-11-30T23:52:00.000+05:30

During the Diwali break from college earlier this month my mom & me went for a mini holiday to VITS, a lovely four star hotel nearby that my parents have a timeshare with.
So for all my friends who were intrigued about me staying in a hotel close to home, I have actually been doing it a few years. It's a great way to take a break & feel the holiday relaxation minus the travel time. It's fun!
Here are the photos I took that week with my iPhone (with instagram & hipstamatic) :

I didn't get much sleep the day before we checked in so this bed was truly a site for sore eyes. Also me playing around with the mirrors in the bathroom.

The cameras I carried on our little trip & a sleepy self portrait in bed.

Chocos planets & stars for breakfast! Also an instax photo I took of mom & me.

Some instax photos are so bad they have to be burnt. And the chocolate dynamite gelato available in a nearby parlor that became my favorite.

Pizzas! Tuna & Meat.

An Indian sweet made to look like an apple (too bad I forgot to click a photo of the watermelon sweet, those were just too cute!) & a scary self portrait with a really sickly color.

Those are all the iPhoneographs I took that week & posted on instagram. The nashville filter is definitely my favorite.
I actually carried my dslr too but didn't use it a single time, what a shame. But all four analog cameras did get used. :)
In other news... I got two lovely soviet cameras- Smena 8M & Smena Symbol in the mail yesterday, which you will know if you follow me on twitter. I am so excited about them but am holding off using them till I finish all the rolls that I have loaded in various cameras. I have rolls in about six cameras at the moment & it is not a good thing! I am trying to finish the rolls off one by one so I can get them processed.
The day before yesterday my college held InTune, a popular inter-collegiate festival & I clicked photos of the event. I uploaded all the photos to a public album on Facebook so you can have a look if you like. This album is pretty important & meaningful to me, & it's not just because a few of my friends performed on stage. It's the first event that I clicked photos of (in entirety) not because someone requested me to but because I wanted to.
In the past I always disliked 'full manual' mode on the dslr, I used all other modes like auto, no flash, shutter priority, aperture priority & whatnot because it always seemed too complicated & technical for me & I hate overtly technical stuff when it comes to photography. It's not like I don't know what the parameters mean I just don't like fiddling around with them unless I'm really experimenting at home or on vacation. But ever since I got my Fed 5C (which is fully manual) I have gotten used to whipping out the iPhone & using the pocket light meter app. So it seemed quite natural to use it for my dslr as well, & I'm proud to say all the photos of the event were taken on full manual mode (some of them were manual focus too, my auto focus was acting a little iffy).
So I know this is weird but my interest in analog photography is actually making me take more interest in my digital camera. No actually it's just that I seem to be getting more serious about photography. A part of me is happy & another part of me is all upset & saying, 'Magali you promised yourself you wouldn't get serious!' (Yes as my friend Jason once pointed out, I do occasionally have debates with myself).
That is all for now.

Aaaannndd Happy December! I cannot believe the holidays are so close. :)

xo

First Redscale film...

2011-11-29T02:24:00.001+05:30

The home for the aged sale was the day before yesterday & it was a great success! I was at the toy department & we sold so many toys! It was so tiring that by the end of it most of the muscles in my body ached from the terrible amount of sitting/standing/squatting/crawling that happened (the toy stall was setup on a stage). My glutes still hurt so bad. I did take a few iPhone photos that I will be showing you later this week. It was a very satisfying day, except that I had to go for the funeral of a school and college classmate. I'd known her since we were four & though we were never really too close it was still heartbreaking. :(

This is my first try with Redscale film, I just got it back from the lab yesterday. These are the best ones from the roll-

A stray cat eating... I had to get in closer than usual to take this photo & you can see the cat angry that it's space is being invaded.

Some graves at out local cemetery.

Bombay's famous yellow & black taxis, with kitschy art naming a few suburbs of Bombay.

I'm sad to see these Padmini cabs go in favor of newer car models.

A under-construction skywalk at Bombay airport. Love the look of this photo- the silhouetted trees & of course the dreamy clouds.

The only time I've used the aperture control on the LC-A. This photo was taken with the Diana flash. I definitely should use the flash more for indoor, night time photos. :)

Bombay is so lucky to have the sea. We have so many promenades. These two were taken at Marine drive. That's my friend Rydell with my Canon EOS Rebel xs.

Lomo LC-A x Lomography Redscale XR 50-200

When I finally got home with the scans & negatives yesterday I was so upset. The scan quality is just so bad in some places! And in the last photos, what is that pink disturbance? I cannot figure out whether it was on the negatives or the results of bad scans. And I cannot rescan either & the lab just happened to lose a strip of negative with four exposures. Terribly upsetting. One thing is for sure, I am never going back to that place ever.

Overall I think I like Redscale film. I am someone who generally likes color, but in the spirit of being more experimental I am pushing myself to try different kinds of film. The results are rewarding. Redscale film looks amazing with the trademark LC-A vignetting & it makes skies so dramatic. I still have a lot to learn about how this film works. And I love the first photo of the cat as well, I know that if I had gotten in any closer it might have attacked me!

So to solve the lab problem I am going to be giving all the film to Idea Creative lab at Prabhadevi from now on. It's a little out of the way & a tad more expensive, but the film there is hand processed (not done in a machine, so no nasty scratches like the 9th photo). And I am looking to buy a scanner so I can scan all my negative at home from now on.

As for other news I am thinking of doing something I have never done before & getting a kitten home. I'm not allowed to keep pets because of our lifestyle but I saw an abandoned kitten yesterday & I cannot stop thinking about it. :'(

I hope I can bring it home foster it for a couple of months till it's a lot healthier & then give it up for adoption to someone who can keep a kitty. I'm excited but also very scared, let's see how it goes. Wish me luck.

xo

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