Postcards From J

This 2014, here's my wish for you... ...and me! :) I have decided to make a conscious effort on one facet of my life: HEALTH! Starting January 1st, I'm giving up aerated drinks. Will add a few more things-to-do in the coming weeks related to this. Tons to do at work, so need to keep myself healthy and fit. And I'm praying healthy habits will last me at least a year. As Oprah Winfrey's optimistic greeting says: "Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." Hope to blog regularly too. Best, ~j~

Hi there! Happy New Year! I know I am three days late with the wishing, but you see I had to travel on an urgent work assignment at very short notice. In fact, I returned on 31st December from a whirlwind 4-day trip of Mangalore - two of which were spent in the train to and fro - and flew out for the assignment on New Year's Day. While I can't disclose where I am at the moment, here's a picture postcard for you. :) This is a little moment I captured for myself today. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebration. December 2012 vanished in a blur for me thanks to all the weddings I had to attend. I am feeling a bit jaded and am currently battling a sore throat. Hope to be alright soon and also to get back to blogging about a couple of exciting experiences.  Catch you later, ~j~ PS: I quite like the place I am staying in right now. More importantly, I am enjoying this living-out-of-a-suitcase business. Let's see for how long though. ...

Here's yet another one of my spur-of-the-moment projects: bookmarks !  You may recall my posts on the lovely writer's group that I've been part of recently. For that first meet in Thane, while I was burning the midnight oil over my assignment, I thought why not make something with a personal touch for everyone as a little token of my appreciation. And what could be better than bookmarks, no? Now, it was really late that night. So I didn't have much time to ponder over the look and feel of the bookmarks. I decided to make them of plain - but slightly textured - paper along with polka-dotted red ribbon to go into the punched holes. While going through my notes from the Kala Ghoda Travel Writing workshop, it made sense to jot down learnings from it on the bookmarks. They'd serve as reminders of the insight we gained and the fun we shared. See some pictures below of those bookmarks (click on them for a larger view): 1. Folded the paper sheet sharply a...

... are wished for you and your loved ones. Thank you for being a part of my blog and for sharing my journey, dear readers. Happy Christmas! Our li'l Christmas tree

There was a time when I took the trouble to 'make' stuff like simple greeting cards and bookmarks or recycle things. Like the one time I made a funky pen stand out of half a coconut shell. Or little boxes out of old greeting cards (really easy to make). Over time, being busy or lazy stopped the creative juices from flowing.  So, I've been thinking of reviving the arty-crafty side of me. Over the past few days, I made little birthday greetings on plain paper inked with a black marker for colleagues. These could be pinned to the softboard, so they weren't made like typical cards. I can't draw to save my life, so stick figures work for me. Also, I'm quite fond of doing the block lettering. [Psst, it forgives uneven writing.] :-) Today, I made the following greeting for a colleague from a small sheet of paper, a black marker and colour pencils. The basic sketch done in pencil first, then outlined with a fine tip marker. Final look created using ...