Sukanya's hobbies

DECORATING A FLOWER BASKET

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:16:00 +0000

DECORATING A FLOWER BASKET

Ganesh Chaturthi is round the corner. I decorated a Yogurt bucket with colored paper, flowers and a bow (left over from a gift wrapping). I stuck the paper to the yogurt bucket inside outside. Rolled the flower string over the handle and tied the bow to the bucket to make it look attractive and lo and behold I had a beautiful flower basket in which I put in the flowers so all my friends who come over for the aarti in the evening can pick up and offer to Lord Ganesha.

MINIATURE ART - JAPANESE HOME

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:57:00 +0000

MINIATURE ART

Miniature paintings and sculptures are fine art on a small scale, with minute attention to detail, which can be enlarged or withstand close inspection without revealing its faults. A miniature can convey all the beauty and power of a larger work of art but has the added appeal of being a particularly personal object. The viewer must view the work at close range to obtain a full appreciation of both the image and technique. The miniature has always had a feeling of preciousness associated with it due in part to the fact that it can usually be held in the palm of your hand.

I bought the set from a store about a year ago and started doing it but with 2 kids I really didn’t get the time to concentrate enough to finish it, so it was my husband Yo who finished this.

In the picture you can see a traditional Japanese house with a low table and bench. Food is laid on the table and there are other Japanese staples. Minute attention is given to ensure that everything is perfect, so there are small things that have to be stuck looking at a picture provided. (You can see in the close-up photo above) This was actually bought by Yo for my 5 year old to develop concentration and give attention to minute details, but we are the ones who ended up doing it with her help ofcourse.

Do try miniature art. It really builds up your concentration and patience.

SAAWAN BEETO JAAYE

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:00:00 +0000

SAAWAN BEETO JAAYE

I love this number by the band Fuzon and sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali.

The guitar piece is so good. This song is a fusion between Indian Classical and Western styles.

Their music is truly mesmerizing soothing and energizing at the same time.

You can listen to this song here;

Here are the lyrics of the song;

Saawan Beeto Jaye Pe Harwa
Saawan Beeto Jaye Pe Harwa
Mann Mera Ghabraye
Mann Mera Ghabraye

Aiso Gaye Pardes Piya Tum
Aiso Gaye Pardes Piya Tum
Chain Humein nahin Aye
Chain Humein nahin Aye

Mora Saiyaan moh sey bolay Na
Mora Saiyaan moh Sey bolay Na
Mein Laakh Jatan Kar Haari
Laakh Jatan Kar Haar Rahi

Mora Saiyyan Moh Say Bolay Na
Mora Saiyyan Moh Say Bolay Na

Tu Jo Nahin to Aise Piya hum
Tu Jo Nahin To Aise Piya hum
Jaisay Soona Aanganaa
Jaisay Soona Aanganaa

Nain Tehaari Rah Neeharey
Nain Tehaari Rah Neeharey
Nainnan Ko Tarsaona
Nainnan Ko Tarsaona

Mora Saiyaan moh Say bolay Na
Mora Saiyaan moh Say bolay Na
Mein Laakh Jatan Kar Haari
Laakh Jatan Kar Haar Rahi

Mora Saiyyan Moh Say Bolay Na
Mora Saiyyan Moh Say Bolay Na

Pyar Tumhain Kitna Kartay Hain
Pyar Tumhain Kitna Kartay Hain
Tum Yeh Samajh Nahin Pao gay
Tum Yeh Samajh Nahin Pao gay

Jab Hum Na Hongay to Peeharwa
Jab Hum Na Hongay to Peeharwa
Bolo Kya Tab Aao gay
Bolo Kya Tab Aao gay

Mora Saiyaan moh Sey Bolay Na
Mora Saiyaan moh Sey Bolay Na
Mein Laakh Jatan Kar Haari
Laakh Jatan Kar Haar Rahi

Mora Saiyaan moh Sey Bolay Na
Mora Saiyaan moh Sey Bolay Na
Mein Laakh Jatan Kar Haari
Laakh Jatan Kar Haar Rahi

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR SOCKS

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:28:00 +0000

HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR SOCKS

The morning rush to reach work in time during the working days and can’t find your socks, how many times this could have happened to us. What we do is usually stack our socks in one place, so we can’t find the pair. It’s worse if our socks are all the same color and have only a slight difference in design. Here is a little tip on how to organize your socks, so that it looks neat and at the same time stays together in a pair and there is no way it can mix with the other pairs.

Step 1

You can see a pair of socks, I took a colorful one so its easy to see how it is done.

Step 2

Keep one socks on top of the other as shown in the picture

Step 3

Make 3 folds. First fold the bottom side

Step 4

Then fold once more. Roll on

After you fold it will look like this.

The side where you put your leg in will be together as you see in the picture

Step 5

The last flap you pull and turn inside out, this forms a pocket and holds the pair together

Voila.....You are done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See the top view of the folding.

You can have many pockets of your pair of socks as shown in the picture below, not only will they be together so you don’t have to search for the pair, they also look neat in the closet/wardrobe/cupboard.

COIN WORK EMBROIDERY

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 08:52:00 +0000

COIN WORK EMBROIDERY

I did this coin work embroidery on my Punjabi suit. I bought this dress because it had a very sober and rich looking color combination and I was in love with the kalamkari print and the sheer softness and flow of the fabric. I got it stitched from the tailor but when it came from the tailor I felt it was looking very dull and simple, the color which initially impressed me felt dull and I wanted to do something to make the dress look more glamorous. The color of the fabric didn’t leave me with much choice as any embroidery I choose would get blended into the kalamkari print, so I settled for coin work. I chose gold colored coins of a medium size to give it that extra zing.

I sewed on the coins onto the front, the sleeves and also to the dupatta.

It was very difficult to attach it to the dupatta and I learnt later that usually when they attach such kind of embroidery to sheer fabrics, they usually use a thick cloth as base when they sew on the embroidery to help hold it in place. I had to stitch many times to hold the coin to the fabric. But its worth the try.

DRAPING CURTAINS - ROSE

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:50:00 +0000

DIFFERENT STYLES OF DRAPING CURTAINS

THE ROSE

Hang your curtains in a different manner and lo and behold the look of your house is changed !

Curtains do much more than blocking the sunlight and maintaining your privacy, they also soften the look of the room. Hanging curtains in right fabrics and patterns in different ways can make your window look larger, smaller, wider or narrower than it really is, add height to the living room or give an oriental or romantic feel to the living room.

Here is style of hanging the same old curtain but draped in a different manner, this gives it a theatrical look. The draping done here is very simple…..

Step 1

Hang the curtain, scoop out the fabric from the middle as shown in the picture, hold it there. About 5 inches of the fabric is held by you in your fist.

Step 2

Twist the 5 inches that is out

Step 3

Roll it around, forming a circle

Step 4

And bring the tip through the circle formed

Step 5

The Tip comes out and is held there like a knot

This gives the appearance of a rose and you can see how beautiful this drape looks.

You can do this in fabrics which are not too sheer and slip off, if you so choose then you must hold the knot with a decorative pin.

If the curtain is made of heavy jacquard or cotton materials you cant drape it in this fashion.

The fabric should be light and able to hold the knot.

You can further enhance the look by tucking in an artificial flower or tying a bow.

HAIR BANDS ORGANIZER

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 03:36:00 +0000

HAIR BANDS ORGANIZER

Here is another trick to organize my little one’s hair bands. Used Incense stick(Agarbatti) rolls. Incense sticks are sold in rounded cardboard containers. Dispose the outside cover and use the roll inside. Since the incense sticks are placed inside these cardboard rolls they have a very good fragrance and the cupboard where you keep them will emanate the fragrance of the roll and since they are just the right width and length for my little one’s hair bands, I thought why not use it to organize her hair bands, so we paired them in colors and put them on the roll. Now it is easy for her to pick the one she wants, just stretch and remove out. The cupboard is fragrant and the hair bands are organized.

This is yet another activity we enjoyed doing together.

SEQUINS WORK ON KURTA

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:54:00 +0000

SEQUINS WORK ON KURTA

After I delivered my second baby, I went to India for some rest. I stayed with my parents for 4 months enjoying the luxury of post natal care and generally not doing anything. After a while I was getting so bored that I decided I must make myself busy with something.(Since I am a Type “A” personality).

One project I undertook was teaching computers for free to my maid servants’ brother and the beautician and the second project I undertook was embroidery.

Yes embroidery…..What embroidery I knew was attaching stones, just like we attach a button…so simple….(its called stonework and was a rage in India about 2 years back) to the neckline of kurtas and that I had done about 2 years back, the tailors in India nowadays charge a bomb for even simple embroidery, so I thought why not try doing some simple embroidery myself, if it was not going to work I will pass my project to the tailor and pay for it to be done…..Ohhhh!!!!! the luxuries of staying in India.

I do most of my garments purchasing in India. Since I happen to live in Mumbai the fashion capital of India and the fabrics there are cheap and I have a permanent tailor there who does all my designing. I just have to tell him my ideas and he will get it incorporated for me…..I truly miss Mumbai when I am here (in Singapore).

I am going to feature all the embroidery I attempted in segments, I tried different works and different looks.I also designed a few dresses, they are unique and I will feature them in the blog soon….

During the time I did a lot of purchasing, mainly kurtas. Some expensive and grand party wear and some simple for regular wear. I end up wearing western wear(pants and kurtas) almost all the time in Singapore simply because it’s convenient and less clothes to wash, iron and maintain. This time round when I was shopping I noticed that cotton kurtas were selling in small roadside shops for Rupees150-200.

The moment I saw this green Kurta I was in love. I liked the color and threadwork and the fact that it was so simple. Since I had a lot of time and nothing to do, I thought why not do some embroidery and highlight the look of the kurta.

SEQUINS WORK ON KURTA

I wanted to use contrast in this Kurta as I felt the Kurta was gorgeous as far as color and the thread work goes, but still looked pretty plain. So I chose orange colored sequins, as they make a definite but subtle contrast to the green. The orange colored sequins I chose are called Dhoop- chaav(literally meaning sun and shade), but actually this means that it shows two colors. In one angle it will look like a copper color and in the other angle it will look like orange color.

Things that I used : - “0” zero number needle, orange colored thread and orange sequins.

I decided that inside every mango shape(threadwork) I am going to sew on a sequin. After I sewed on a few I got bored as I am not very patient with embroidery, It took me about 15 days to finish the kurta, but believe me the immense happiness it gave me when I wore it…..It cant be explained in words.

JAANE KYA CHAHE MANN BAANWRA

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:54:00 +0000

JAANE KYA CHAAHE MANN BAANWRA

I kind of liked the movie, “ Pyaar ke side effects”. Side effects love does have…….doesn’t it for all those who have loved know that.

You can listen to this song here;

The lyrics of the song are here;

Jaane Kya Chaahe Mann Baanwra
Aankhiyan Mere Saawan Chalaa

Saghan Aanchal Sada Hor Hove
Sajan Ansuvan Mein Kya Jor Hove
Kya Jor Hove, Apne Jiya Pe
Mann To Mara Ye Manchala

Jaane Kya Chaahe Mann Baanwra
Aankhiyan Mere Saawan Chalaa

Pawan Purva Mein Yun Udta Jaave
Badra Chanda Se Mann Judta Jaave
Aave Hawa Ka, Jhonka Phir Aisa
Toote Patang Ki Dor Sa

Jaane Kya Chaahe Mann Baanwra
Aankhiyan Mere Saawan Chalaa

GANESH CHATURTHI AND LATA MANGESHKAR'S AARTI

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:02:00 +0000

Today is Ganesh Chaturthi and it gives me such nostalgic memories of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Mumbai where I was born and brought up. The pandals, the huge Ganpati idols, the small ones, the elaborate themes, decorations and imagine all these for 10 days. We wake up early in the morning with the music blaring out of the loudspeakers from the pandals of the Sarvajanik Ganpati Mandals. The music that we used to hear was mostly Lata Mangeshkar's (The nightingale of India's) voice singing aarti and other bhajans in Marathi for Lord Ganesha. Listening to these bhajans immediately transfers me to my childhood days. No matter how many people sing these, it cant feel as good as listening to Lata Mangeshkar singing it.
You can listen to the aarti here,

BEJEWELLED FELT HANDPHONE COVER

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:35:00 +0000

BEJEWELLED FELT HANDPHONE COVER

Seeing my fellow bloggers using felt for the various art works, I bought felt cloth. I bought a packet of 3 pieces from a $2 craft store. Felt cloth is so soft and fluffy and the best part is it is washable. Since I got 3 different shades of blue I thought why not use all the 3 shades instead of using only one color and make a tri- colored handphone cover, so I placed my handphone and measured the width and height and cut 3 strips from the cloth and hand stitched the 2 strips deciding on the color scheme which was the lightest shade on top followed by the dark color and the medium shade, I felt this combo looked the best. The hand stitched ensured what I wanted. Then with the help of a sewing machine I stitched both strips to the centre strip. Since I use a bigger sized handphone, I couldn’t make the cover with the stripes vertical so I had to settle for the horizontal striped look for my cover. I decided which side would go inside and stitched on the sides and bottom and folded the top portion into a small piece for me to enable to insert a string as I wanted to incorporate the drawstring look. After this, I flipped the cover inside out. I inserted a string into the top niche. If we pull the string it becomes like a drawstring pouch.

Now comes the best part adorning it with a jewel. This came as an afterthought. Initially I didn’t have the idea of adorning it with any jewel, but when I opened my shoe rack I saw 2 pendants lying there and voila it was blue too. I had bought this slipper at Bugis market mainly because I had liked the pendants but never actually wore it, so I had given it to my maid as she needed a pair of slippers, Apparently one of the pendants came off when she wore it in the rain, so she had removed the other one also and kept it in the shoe rack. I washed it, dried it in the sun and then using super glue stuck it on to the middle portion of the cover and it looks like a handphone cover bought from the market.

FABRIC PAINTING ON CURTAINS

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:19:00 +0000

FABRIC PAINTING ON CURTAINS

I was tired of the green curtain hanging in my bedroom, but it is Yo’s absolute favorite as it ensures that the room is completely dark. I tried my best to convince him to buy a new one, but no matter what he moans for this one to be put back, so decided I will change the look of the curtain. Thanks to fabric paints, I drew spirals on the curtain and the curtain looks different so both of us are happy. Since its dark green in color I chose Yellow ochre color as it would be a good contrast and at the same time be subtle. Now it looks like as if the curtain already had the prints…like self imprint.You can see a close-up of the spiral design on the right. I am so hooked onto fabric painting that I want to paint every single fabric in the house.

GOVINDAM - FUSION BHAJAN

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:48:00 +0000

Do listen to this fusion bhajan sung by a foreigner. We must appreciate the effort and the bhajan is soothing to listen to. This is my ode to the great saint Swami Srila Prabhupada and the ISKCON movement started by him.

You can listen to this bhajan here;

Dedicated to the lotus feet of Lord Krishna

govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

venum kwanantam aravinda-dalayataksham
barhavatamsam asitambuda-sundarangam
kandarpa-koti-kamaniya-vishesha-shobham
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

angani yasya sakalendriya-vritti-manti
pashyanti panti kalayanti chiram jaganti
ananda-chinmaya-sad-ujjwala-vigrahasya
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

ACHYUTAM KESHAVAM, KRISHNA DAMODARAM

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:15:00 +0000

Today is Gokulashtami/Janmashtami day and I would like everyone to listen to this sweet and soothing bhajan by Vikram Hazra bhaiya. Listening to this fusion bhajan is so relaxing.

You can listen to this bhajan here;

KAUN KEHTE HAIN BHAGWAN AATE NAHIN

Achyutam Keshavam, Krishna Damodaram (2)
Rama Narayanam, Janaki Vallabham, (2)

Kaun kehte hai Bhagwan aatey nahi (2)
tum Meera ke jaise bulate nahi (2)

Achyutam Keshavam, Krishna Damodaram (2)
Rama Narayanam, Janaki Vallabham (2)

Kaun kehte hai Bhagwan khate nahi (2)
Ber Shabri ke jaise khilate nahi (2)

Achyutam Keshavam, Krishna Damodaram (2)
Rama Narayanam, Janaki Vallabham (2)

Kaun kehte hai Bhagwan sote nahi (2)
Maa Yashoda ke jaise sulate nahi (2)

Achyutam Keshavam, Krishna Damodaram (2)
Rama Narayanam, Janaki Vallabham (2)

Kaun kehte hai Bhagwan naachte nahi (2)
Gopiyonki tarah tum nachaate nahi (2)

Achyutam Keshwam, Krishna Damodaram (2)
Ram Narayanam, Janaki Valabham (2)

FABRIC PAINTING ON A KNAPSACK

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:04:00 +0000

FABRIC PAINTING ON A KNAPSACK

August 22^nd was my friend’s son’s 5^th birthday. I was thinking of gifting him something unique as I am tired of gifting books and toys. I wanted something which he would enjoy and use at the same time. I also wanted it to be personalized. I pondered over all the possibilities and Yo came up with the idea of a knapsack. I thought that would definitely be different from the other gift ideas, but I didn’t want to buy a Cartoon knapsack or the general kiddy ones that are usually bought for kids. I wanted the knapsack to be personalized too, so went hunting for a knapsack which will have some place for me to do fabric painting and finally found this elegant knapsack with space to write on. We decided to buy it. It was a bit over budget, but since I got the one I wanted, I decided to go for it. I brought the knapsack home and was thinking of what to paint, I was afraid to spoil the expensive knapsack. I had also bought some expensive fabric paints and brush. It was the first time I was going to use a brush and fabric paints in tubes to write. I was scared to paint anything and spoil the bag so I decided I will just write his name. I chose black as the knapsack is red and grey in color and black would go best with it.

So I wrote his name“KRISH” using the Yummy Apology font.

This one's for Priyanka who keeps inspiring me to do more and more fabric painting. Every time I post a fabric painting , she will comment by saying " Iam waiting for more" She was also the person who inspired me to start fabric painting in the first place with the T-shirt gifted to me during our first KC-meet. Thanks Priyanka.

HARI MERE GHAR KO

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 03:35:00 +0000

Since it’s the eve of Janmashtami (the birthday of Lord Krishna), here are 2 bhajans for all to enjoy

Hari Mere Ghar ko sung by Sonu Nigam. You can listen to this bhajan here;

WARLI PAINTING ON FABRIC

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:15:00 +0000

WARLI PAINTING ON FABRIC

Since Iam not an artist I thought why not incorporate a Warli painting on my little one’s Tee- shirt.

Warli painting derives its name from a small tribe inhabiting the remote regions of Maharashtra, India.

Folk imagination, beliefs and customs are spontaneously expressed in these monochromatic tribal paintings.

Warli is a simple art form using geometric designs, dots and crooked lines.

Warli paintings are usually done in stark white against earthern backgrounds, but my little one wanted Red on her T-shirt, I used a red color for the motifs but highlighted it with a white color just for that dash of originality….anyways the background is blue, so we are not incorporating authentic Warli painting….. so here is a variation. This one is for my little one.

Iam planning to do a proper Warli painting later…..

Read about Warli paintings here;

http://www.ethnicpaintings.com/store/folk-art-paintings/warli-paintings/

Here is what I drew on the front;

On the front I drew a family of four, A man, a woman and 2 girls, which is a depiction of our family.

The man wears spectacles(initially he wasn’t wearing one, but my daughter insisted, “ Pappa wears spectacles so you must draw it.

The woman in the picture is me (Mamma, with bangles in the hand and a bun on the head, I don’t wear both, but this is just to depict the difference in the pictures),

My 5 year old has a pony tail and my little one has curly hair so the older one insisted I draw curly hair for the little one. Here is a close-up of the Tee-shirt (on your left)

On the back I wrote,

“WE ARE FAMILY, MY PARENTS AND MY SISTERS AND ME”…My little one is a Simpson’s fan.

I have also attempted to do a flower giving it a 3-D effect. I have mixed colors and highlighted with a yellow and white color and outlined the petals with black trying to give it a raised 3-D look.

Check the picture on your right to see the 3-D look.

Since this was my 5 year old’s Tee shirt, Art has been altered to suit to her needs.

So I can say it’s a Warli “ Inspired” Fabric Art.

"This is an ode to my birth place Maharashtra and also to the birth place of my better half and my first born. "

FABRIC PAINTING

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:20:00 +0000

Priyanka of Asankhana inspired me to take up Fabric painting. So here is my very first attempt to paint on Fabric.
It was so exciting to do fabric painting. I started on a small budget. Bought a $2 Tee shirt and bought cheaper fabric paints as I was not too sure if I could pull this one through like my talented KC mates.
But all at home are impressed with my art work and my daughter wants a painting done on her Tee-shirt too….
Here are the things I used to paint on

I used a ruler to draw straight lines, marking chalk to mark on the fabric, Fabric paints and a wooden ring (picture below)to keep the fabric tight and straight while drawing upon it. There should'nt be any folds or wrinkles while painting.

My maid belongs to a place called Ilo Ilo in Philippines and hence on the back of the Tee I wrote

I love(Heart shape) ILO ILO

On the Front I have tried to draw a Peranakan style Rose (inspired by my visit to the
Peranakan Museum @ Singapore)

Since my first attempt at Fabric Painting has been appreciated at home. Iam going to try more of it. Its fun, creative and makes a $2 Tee look like an expensive one.

Have bought more $2 shirts , one for my daughter and one for my husband and planning to do different themes for them too.

BRILLIANTE WEBLOG AWARD

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:47:00 +0000

Priti feels that my blog is brilliant in content and design. Thanks Priti, you are a wonderful person and friend that I got to meet thanks to blogosphere.

Brilliant Weblog is a prize given to sites and blogs that are smart and brilliant both in their content and their design.

The purpose of the prize is to promote as many blogs as possible in the blogsphere.

Here are the rules to follow:

When you receive the prize you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back.

Choose a minimum of 7 blogs (or even more) that you find brilliant in their content or design.

Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing they were prized with ‘Brilliant Weblog’.

Show a picture of those who awarded you and those you give the prize (optional).

I would love to pass this to

LG, Srilekha,Srivalli,Vegetable Platter,Madhavi,Usha and Sukanya Ramkumar

ROCKING GIRL BLOGGER AWARD

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:26:00 +0000

Vani and Easycrafts feels that Iam a Rocking girl blogger.
Thanks Vani I feel honored to receive this award from you. This is special as it is the first award on this hobby blog of mine.
I would like to pass this award to Vedamurthy

MY RAKHI CREATIONS

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 07:40:00 +0000

I would like to send this post for the Rakhi event hosted by Vani

MY RAKHI CREATIONS
Rakshabandhan is a festival celebrated in India where the sister expresses her love to her brother by tying a rakhi which is a decorative thread. This festival enforces and emphasizes on the bond between brother and sister.
For more information on the festival you can refer to this website; http://www.surfindia.com/festivals/raksha-bandhan.html
Here are some Rakhis made by me…….

I tried to make these Rakhis by using things available in the house. Haven't purchased any material from the market. For the Rakhi in the middle, I plaited Lavender and white colored threads to form a Rakhi thread and stuck a dry scented flower with super glue.
For the other Rakhis I used Facial cotton and dipped it in 3 different food colors yellow, red and green. Incase, you are trying this at home, then do the yellow first, then the red and then the green and after you finish one color, wash your hand off the color completely and do the next one. You can also use natural colors like Turmeric for the yellow, kumkum or beetroot for the red and make organic rakhis.
Once dipped in the color, set on news paper and allow to dry, you can dry it in the sun or air dry it under the fan. I used a ready thread easily available in the market the thread has got gold thread wound on it( I had this at home). I just stuck the string on the balls of cotton with glue after placing them in the color sequence that I want. You can also stick it with hot wax, Light a candle and drop hot wax on the back of the colored cotton and place the thread, once dry it will be holding onto each other but glue is an easier alternative. I am planning to make more Rakhis, if I get the time…..this is just the beginning.....I love making Rakhis, its such a fun and creative activity.

I Can See Clearly Now

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:09:00 +0000

This upbeat song can cheer me up anytime, Its such a positive and upbeat number.
I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW
I Can See Clearly Now The Rain Is Gone
I Can See All Obstacles In My Way
Gone Are The Dark Clouds That Had Me Blind
It's Gonna Be A Bright (Bright)Bright (Bright) Sunshining Day
It's Gonna Be A Bright (Bright)Bright (Bright) Sunshining Day

Oh Yes, I Can Make It Now The Pain Is Gone
All Of The Bad Feelings Have Disappeared
Here Is The Rainbow I've Been Praying For
It's Gonna Be A Bright (Bright)Bright (Bright) Sunshining Day (Ooh...)

Look All Around,
There's Nothing But Blue Skies
Look Straight Ahead,
There's Nothing But Blue Skies

I Can See Clearly Now The Rain Is Gone
I Can See All Obstacles In My Way
Gone Are The Dark Clouds That Had Me Blind
It's Gonna Be A Bright (Bright)
Bright (Bright) Sunshining Day
It's Gonna Be A Bright (Bright)
Bright (Bright) Sunshining Day

Listen to this song here;

MY FRIDGE MAGNETS

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:14:00 +0000

MY FRIDGE MAGNETS

Veda Murthy of Iyengar's Kitchen has hosted this very beautiful event of Fridge Magnets. We can show off our Fridge Magnet collections here.

This is a picture of the Magnets that are on my Fridge.

Each Magnet there has some memory attached. Like the sacks with spices are souveniers we got back from our visit to Chiang Mai(Northern most part of Thailand)

The korean dolls were brought from Korea by my husband Yo

The little magnetic stickers of birds are a souvenier from the bird park which my little one loves to proudly display on the fridge

There is the magnetic sticker made by me on which I usually display my family photos.
There's the Disneyland magnet a gift from my friend who had just been to the Hongkong Disneyland. Unfortunately when we had been to Hongkong, Disneyland was still not open to visitors.

The butterflies are the latest addition, thanks to my little one's school picnic to Butterfly park. She has stuck them herself on the refrigerator.....and so on and so forth......

GARDEN FESTIVAL 2008

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 06:54:00 +0000

GARDEN FESTIVAL 2008

Visit to the Garden Festival in Singapore at Suntec city.

Since I had decided to work on photography, so that I can upload professional pictures onto my blog, this is my latest hobby. The garden festival proved to be a good place to try my skills with beautiful floral displays. Here are some of my clicks.

Seeking Shangrila won the first prize. ( the 3 photos above) The display was very beautiful and the Message was to save the earth. Since I have read the book " Lost Horizon" by James Hilton this display was a bit special to me.

NIGHT FESTIVAL AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM SINGAPORE

surftosurvive@gmail.com (Sukanya) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:43:00 +0000

NIGHT FESTIVAL AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM SINGAPORE
We had been to the first ever Night Festival at the National Museum at Singapore and it was truly spectacular. Although we couldn’t cover all the activities on the schedule, we did manage to watch the air acrobatics on the 18th July 2008 and activities at the Peranakan Museum on the 25th July 2008. You can read about all the acitvities in detail on the National museum’s website, http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/
NIGHT FESTIVAL @ PERANAKAN MUSEUM
The Peranakan Museum had some fun interactive activities planned for kids on the 25th July 2008. The theme was “ glow in the Dark”.
The setting was perfect, the room was dark and had Balloons hanging with glow ribbons inside. There were activities for children like making mini photo frames, Create an original Peranakan print with a stencil and oil based crayons and making their own badges.

There was also a balloon sculptor twsiting balloons into various shapes for kids. The clown made this lovely frog(on the right) for my 5 year old using 2 balloons.

There was a booth with girls making tattoos for kids using face paints. Image on the left is the tattoo on my little ones arm, had to capture it asap.

My daughter sure did enjoy the events and the best part was it was for “FREE”

LIGHT INSTALLATION - BY ELECTRIC CANVAS
Later that night we went to watch Light Installation by the Electric Canvas which was installed by a Sydney based lighting effects company. The Electric Canvas specialises in large-scale projections on historic buildings. They truly transformed the facades of the National Museum into brilliant hues of colours and textures. One wouldn’t recognise that it was the same building when the façade changes from one to the other. It was truly a masterpiece, a great work of art as promised. I managed to capture some of the facades in my camera,

PASAR MALAM (NIGHT MARKET)
After that, we went to the Pasar Malam(which actually means the “Night market”). The carnival atmosphere was truly recreated and there were a variety of food stalls and games kiosks where people could eat, shop and play.
There was a booth where girls were making glitter tattos...my little one was sure in a very sporty mood so she had this onea glittering butterfly(image on the right) done on her arm.

There were some long lost games like Tikam tikam - a very popular gambling game in the past - guess during the 60s or around that time.
Game of 5 stones - it is played with five small triangular cloth bags filled with seeds, rice or sand. Two or more players can play. The aim is to score as many points as possible. A point is scored when a player completes the eight steps in throwing and catching 'five' stones.
Marbles : There was a box of sand and Marbles were kept in for people to reminisce and play the games that kids used to play in early Singapore. We noticed that marbles were played differently by people from different countries. In India, We hold the marble with the thumb and index finger of the left hand and hitting the marble with the index finger of the right hand. We saw some others holding it between the thumb and index finger of the left hand but hitting it with the thumb and index finger of the right hand like we do when we play carrom.
One very interesting game that we saw was Main Lereng,
Main Lereng (Bicycle Rim) -This game was innovated by children in the late 50s in Singapore. With much energy to spare and no computer games to keep them occupied, children in that era were very innovative and find many ways to amuse themselves. This is one of many games innovated during that era.
Method of play
1 Basically, a bicycle rim (lereng) and a stick are used to play the game.
2 Two parallel lines are drawn 5metres apart, one marking the starting line, the other, the finishing.
3 The rim is held upright and when the signal is given to begin, it is thrust forward with the stick.
4 The player rolls it along with the stick, keeping the rim upright throughout until he reaches the finishing line.
5 The winner is the player who reaches the finishing line, first.
6 In team play, the game is played as a relay.
7 The player rolls it along with the stick, keeping the rim upright throughout until he reaches the finishing line.
8 The winner is the player who reaches the finishing line, first.
9 In team play, the game is played as a relay.
It was fun and we enjoyed it. Wholesome entertainment for the entire family. Looking forward to more Night Festivals…Singapore………

(Information on the game courtesy Wikipedia)