Yes, my mum is born on the 29th of February – a leap year baby.
As a result she (forces) us to celebrate her birthday for 7 days (not even joking – it is like an Indian wedding each year)
I am aware that I talk about my mum waaayyy too much..but it is secretly because I find her really ‘cool’. I love her boho-style (I will choose her wardrobe to ‘raid’ over my sisters anyway). I love her passion for life. I love her creative spirit. I love her generosity.
(Mum and her 3 gals….)
10 Fun facts about my ma…
1. She goes crazy for tiramisu and marzipan.
2. She is completely tone deaf.
3. She was a vegetarian and did not drink alcohol….until she met my dad.
4. She loves her art studio – it is her happy place
5. She can eat a jar of aioli in one sitting – I wish I was joking…it kind of makes me sick watching her.
6. She has an impeccable knowledge of current affairs
7. She likes to watch Bold & Beautiful…and has been doing so for over 20 years.
8. She can’t move her tongue properly after eating ice-cream…it freezes up.
9. She has never drunk milk in her life.
10. She can shake her hips like Shakira (she goes crazy on a dance floor)
Next week she is having a solo exhibition ‘Asurya’ at ALL are invited to the OPENING NIGHT!!!
Her work is a convergence of her own spiritual and physical experiences. She explores the omnipresence and omnipotence of deities, within both the physical (ie. Indian temples) and imaginative space (ie. human mind). There is an application of tribal embellishment and visual decoration upon each of the spirits. Mum’s method of painting is very intuitive and itself a spiritual journey!
For me, it was defined by a massive amount of discovery.
Self Discovery. Discovery of new places. New people. New interests.
Throughout the year, I was continually pushed outside my comfort zone.
Without getting too cheesy (ewww- the thought of cheese actually makes me feel slightly nauseous…had way too much cheese and wine last night!), here is a list of 27 things I discovered in 2013…
I discovered….
1. The deliciousness of kale chips & coconut water & PILPEL hummous (I did a quick calculation and I have literally eaten a 300g tub per week which roughly equals over 15kg of hummous)
2. The chocolately smoooothhh voice of Frank Ocean. I also got obsessed with ‘Thinking about you’ and have proceeded to discover every ‘cover’ of the song on Youtube.
3. The functionality of the ‘video’ on my phone….from ‘caroke to bedroom dance floor sessions. Hours and hours of entertainment. Here is a sneak preview of ITEM 2 & 3 combined. ENJOY…yes, I am using a hair straightner as a microphone….
5. What it is like to live without a TV for a year.
6. That I am a ghetto gangsta gal…they call me ‘brown suga’ (who am I kidding, I didn’t just discover that this year, I’ve known it since I was a child). A definite highlight this year was seeing Jay-Z & JT concert in NYC and then Queen Bey when she came to Sydney.
12. Sometimes dressing ‘hipster’…isn’t always ‘cool’. AKA the night I looked like the lampshade.
13. The feeling of scoring a soccer goal (took me 5 years but got there)
14. My new hobby – WEAVING. It is my goal in 2014, to improve my weaving….especially now that I got a magnifiying glass for christmas (thanks mum). I am officially a 27 year old stuck in an 80 year old body.
19. How cool it is to collect glass bottles…wierd I know.
RE-DISCOVERIES
Here are somethings I re-discovered….
20. My spiritual side …. through meeting some inspiring people….learnt a lot about the ‘Moon Cycles’. It’s my dream this year to go to the Observatory.
21. Rediscovered the world of dating – speed dating, app dating (yes, tinder), blind dating, bootcamp dating (it was called Fit2date…wish I was joking…would rather erase this from my memory altogether)..I tried it all.
22. New York City – actually this was a rediscovery….but I spontaneously booked a ticket 5 days before leaving. Was one of the most spontaneous things I have done…ever.
23. Certain ‘life’ events, made me re-discover how nice it feels to be surrounded by my family and friends.
24. How much I love spending time by myself – this year I really felt content in my own company…I even went and saw a couple of movies by myself.
25. How lucky I am to have a family home (with 2 beautiful puppies) to go ‘home’ to…
AND FINALLY….my family discovered…SELFIES.
I am excited for what 2014 will hold & what new discoveries I will make…
I have decided 2014 is the year of DIY. My main NY resolution is to embrace the ‘handmade’…I want to make things, rather than buying them. Will be the year of ‘Crafternoons’. Other resolutions include:
1. Wait 1 minute to try and use my brain to remember a fact, rather than automatically ‘googling’ it on my phone.
2. Wear less mui-mui’s (my sisters had an intervention…apparently it just makes me look frumpy, not boho-ethnic-hippy chic that I was aiming for)
3. STOP wearing a high bun so much (yes, this carries on from 2013).
AND ofcourse I will be stick to my mantra of ‘Treat yo’self”
Happy New Year & all the best for the year to come.
A significant number of my favourite things in life are from New York City.
When I was studying in Boston, I used to catch the $10 ‘Lucky Star’ bus to NYC (it picked you up from Boston Chinatown & dropped you off at NYC Chinatown – with a very dodgy stop off at some chinese restaurant along the way) I did this many times and loved how each visit to the Big Apple was so different. One of my favourite visits was just before christmas when my whole family including my grandparents (Aaji & Papaji).
My Aaji (grandmother) suffered from severe leg pains, however I will NEVER forget how she RAN up a flight of stairs (wearing her sneakers & hitching up her sari) in the back streets of NYC Chinatown to check out the illegal fake leather handbags. It was like someone had given her a shot of adrenalin. It is one of my favourite (and last) memories of her.
New York city is just one big conversation. Pauses. Interjections. Banter. Once immersed you have no other choice than to become a part of it.
I love the way people walk in NYC. The swagger, the confidence, the strut, the hurried shuffle. It is all about the walk.
The BEST part is that…I am going back there….in a couple of weeks. YEEWWW.
With all this energy, chaos and noise it is no wonder that NYC is a global design hub. Here are some inspirational design ideas that have emerged on the city streets of NYC…
Rap Songs into Street Signs…
in the site-specific street art project ‘rap quotes’, new york-based artist Jay Shells installed over thirty street signs with lyrical references to hip-hop songs and their appropriate NYC location. Eg, the intersection of broadway and myrtle avenue in brooklyn receives a mos def sign featuring the line: ‘I’m blacker than midnight at broadway and myrtle.’ ‘new york city is the birthplace of hip-hop and if any place deserve this historical map of sorts, it’s new york’.
Founded by venezuelan architects marcelo ertorteguy and sara valente, designed the installation at st. patrick’s old cathedral school in nolita. The concept creates an ‘inhabitable’ environment, where users can immerse themselves into the space, taking the time to browse through books and borrow or exchange them. the structure is built out of an inversed plastic tank and a wooden frame.
This one is one of my favourites.The Windows of New York project is a weekly illustrated fix to graphic designer José Guízar’s obsession with the windows and fire escapes of NYC. He says; “This project is part an ode to architecture and part a self-challenge to never stop looking up”
In a similari mindset & also obsessed with the recording of places & spaces – All The Buildings In New York is a personal project of James Gulliver Hancock. An illustrator from Australia now based between Sydney, and New York. This project stems from an interest in obsession and recording of places
The project is called Recalling 1993 and it’s part of an exhibit at New York’s New Museum called “NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star.” Starting this month, the public can access any one of 5,000 public phones in Manhattan and call a special toll-free number (855-FOR-1993) to hear stories about life in 1993, specific to the area in which the phone is located.
Ok, so I whilst I write this I am playing Jay-Z’s ‘Empire State of New York’ & getting really, really excited!! Also craving a warm Bagel…with cream cheese. A trip to Woolies may be in order on this rainy Sunday afternoon…..
She may be younger to me, but in so many ways I look up to her.
She is ambitious. She has patience. She is disciplined. She is gorgeous (both inside & out…she is commonly compared to ‘Frida Pinto’).
And now, she has just landed her DREAM job – she is going to be a maternity & peadetrics dietician in one of the best hospitals in Brisbanel. QLD the state of Bananas. Quite fitting really.
Sounds 100% corny, but I am honestly so lucky that she is my sister/best friend (both my sisters are) & I am so proud of her.
We continually tease her for eating ‘air’ and running crazy distances…but secretly all that jest comes from a place of absolute aspiration. I know that I am secretly jealous that she doesn’t have a pet snake on her stomach (I’ve affectionately named my snake ‘Rollo’). I know that I am secretly jealous that she has the self-dicispline to stop at just a handful of peanut M&M’s whilst I can’t resist…tearing and NOT sharing.
It is this self control that makes her excel at her profession as a dietician. I have no doubt she is going to go so far. She is precise and committed (both emotionally and mentally) – (healthy) ingredients to a successful career. Any patient will be lucky to have her.
I love the way she gives Dad dirty looks when he reaches for the chilli chips. He definitely owes his lowered cholesterol to her.
I love the way she advises Mum on how to look after her digestive health. Her fibre intake has definitely increased.
I love the way she secretly replaces Alisha’s ‘sweet snacks’ with carrot sticks (Ali only notices when she opens her bags at uni). Her dental bills have decreased exponentially.
I love the way she is also a ‘Veterinarian Dietician’ – Mojo & Perry have the shiniest coat this side of town…..thanks to their protein intake.
We just love her.
We will miss her when she is living in Brisvegas. Without her guidance, I am sure we will all become fatty guju’s.
Inspired by her dedication to healthy eating, I have managed to find some inspirational interior designs which integrate the famous Enzo Mari’s fruit prints (and a few other random fruit ‘designed’ items) I actually really like the bold shapes and saturated colours of these prints. Simple. Symbolic. A daily reminder that an “Apple a day…”
Now I have the guilts…I am drinking tea & eating a Cherry Ripe (it was in the $1 bin at Woolies) …but feel like I should be eating an Apple. Cherry Ripes count as fruit right?
N x
P.s. here are some amazing/random pics I came across…thought I would share!
I hadn’t even consumed lots of wine (ok, maybe just a little)
I had just been to dinner with ‘ma gurls’ and laughed……and laughed….and laughed.
I was exhausted from laughing.
If there is one thing I truly love in life – it is laughing until it hurts.
I love that feeling of gasping for breath. The stabbing pain in your abs.
I love that fleeting moment of self consciousness when you are laughing so hard and you know you look so unattractive (especially with my horse-like teeth) but… you just don’t care…and carry on laughing.
****
The last six months of my life has prompted a significant amount of self-reflection.
Life events have forced me to be introspective and develop a real sense of self –awareness. I have honestly learnt so much about my emotions, actions and willpower. I have learnt what gives me inner strength. I have learnt the importance of not over thinking. I have learnt what truly makes me happy.
I am not going to lie – the last few months have sucked at times, but I have been blessed to have learnt so much about myself. It has forced me to gain perspective on really is important. For me, it is the beautiful people I am surrounded by. My family and friends.
I have also realised that I truly believe that everything happens for a reason.
I believe that people wander into your life for a reason. To teach you lessons. To teach you about yourself. To test you. Some people stick like glue. Others swan in and then out…
Last year when certain things were falling apart … two beautiful girls entered my life. I have only known them for a year, but immediately they have become like… ma sista’s. I honestly believe they were brought to into my life for a reason. They have kept me grounded. When I am going off on an emotional tangent – they bring me back to reality. They are both so individual and unique.
The best part… I am lucky to be able to see them every day at work.
When the three of us are together we don’t just laugh….we sqwark. We don’t just talk…we rap like we are from the Bronx. We don’t just eat…we devour (usually ‘Pilpel hommous’).
I know this all sounds really corny – but I just being honest.
It was these two girls (and some other friends) that I went to dinner with on Saturday night. We had a ball. My abs got a work out. We laughed and laughed.
I am honestly blessed to have met Miss A and Miss F.
Miss A attends pottery lessons every week and creates the most beautiful, organic bowls, spoons and little vessels. Each piece is made with such care and love – a reflection of Miss A’s vivacious and warm personality.
Miss F is a very talented artist (graphic designer by profession) who creates the most thought-provoking collages. She seamlessly integrates delicate hand drawn lines with mixed media elements to explore ideas, themes and social commentary. She is a true artist and I know her potential is limitless.
One part of my day job is to manage the Habitusliving social media (including the facebook page) – ( I encourage you all to ‘like’ the page!).
One recent success was sharing the amazing street by Edgar Mueller. He is a world-famous street painter,
Upon uploading his image to our habitusliving facebook page we got 310 SHARES and 420 likes in less than 3 days. A lot of cynical viewers argued that it had been photoshopped. I guarantee you it hasn’t been.
Street Chalk art – it’s one of those things you just can’t stop looking at. Its an optical illusion – your mind turns circles as you attempt to rationalise and make sense of the image in it context.
No words can do it justice. I am yet to see one in real life – its on my bucket list!
I invite you to become immersed in the world of street chalk art….
Yes, my blog does seem to be overtaken by my family this week. First my grandfather…and now my mum.
As most of you probably know by now – my mum is a crazy artist. Crazy being the key word (Click here to hear more about how crazy she really is…. post)
I just wanted to share, how incredibly proud I am of her this week. Despite, some personal set backs this year she somehow managed to have an art exhibition!
The opening was on Wednesday night & if you are in Sydney, I definitley recommend you check it out (open until 28th Jul 2012 @ Lane Cover Gallery, Longiville Road Lane Cove)
I’ve attended a lot of my mum’s art exhibitions, but I can honestly say this one was the best yet. It is as if she has harnessed all her confusion, grief, happiness and passion into this new body of work.
Whilst in pervious years her style (as per below) focused on the abstract shape and form of indian vessels, her new work has definite tribal and spiritual undertones. She experiments with texture, colour and subtle lines to create suggestive human figures. Upon looking at these works you experience an unavoidable emotional response. Despite these figures possessing no realistic human traits, you can’t help buy fully immerse yourself in their world – some of the figures you feel like dancing with, others you feel like reassuring them…
For some reason, these new works deeply resonate with me – perhaps because I have been witness to mum’s own personal journey over the last year.
I love watching people look at artwork. It’s an expression of art in itself. A raised eyebrow. A small smirk. A furrowed forehead. All signs and gestures of emotional response.
When ‘people watching’ at Mum’s art opening – I found a common thread. People froze. Their faces went blank. They stopped talking to the person beside them. They stopped sipping their red wine. It was if they were under a trance. Their minds captured and held at ransom. The only release was….to look away.
Ok, so many of you probably think I am just ‘talking it up’, because she is my mum.
I just couldn’t help sharing this…I came across JIll Ricci & immediately was captivated by her work. They sucked me in….big time.
I love her composition of layers and colours, they evoke a contradictory and simultaneous sense of realness and fantasy.
Jill Ricci is an artist from New Jersey – “One of the most arresting visuals for me is an old wall layered with papers, graffiti and text- our modern hieroglyphics. I try to re-create this beauty in my work, the layers of time and decay are what interest me. I hope that the person viewing my work will linger, trying to discover hidden imagery and text and depending on their life experience, find their own meaning or interpretation”
I can imagine this work sitting against an exposed brick wall in a New York loft apartment – it has a ‘globe trotter’ feel to it – the shapes take me back to Morrocco, the graffiti back to Berlin and the decorative paper to Vietnam – Ricci’s pieces can take you on an imaginative journey around the world.
Check out Jill’s work here – it is truly inspiring.
Officially started my Diploma in Interior Design/Decoration. The first unit is Applying principles in Design required me to create a mood board for a fictional client ‘Jennifer Tan’ (requiring a concept for her modern living/entertaining area). Jennifer loves to entertain guests and has a large abstract sculpture collection.
I decided to explore the theme of modern organic.
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