30.1.15

Happiness ǁ I was glad this week #2






Happy Friday everybody!

Thank god it's Friday, seriously. Today was a crappy day. The week hasn't been great either. I'm sitting huddled up in my blanket surrounding myself with comfort food. But in the midst of the grey, black, sludgy brown splotch of this week, there were indeed things to be glad about.

1. I finished my design portfolio! I felt such a huge rush of relief the moment I saved the final draft. So I sent in my application to a couple of offices and hope to hear about my internship soon. The semester at uni just can't get done fast enough. I'm more than ready to get out into the real world now.

2. Discovered Hozier. Clearly, i've been living under a rock because I only came across this wonderful artist now, but his song ' Take Me To Church' has been a massive hit during the past year and has now received a Grammy nomination! It's beautiful. Period. I've been listening to it on repeat the entire week.





3. Watched the Republic Day parade; (on the telly haha). Nevertheless, it was a moment of pride to watch the magnificent Republic Day parade on Monday, Jan 26th. The parade takes place in Delhi every year and it's been ages since I actually sat down and watched the entire show.

4. Watched an AMAZING Ted talk by neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor. It is amongst the 20 most watched Ted talks on YouTube. She talks about the day she woke up to realise she was having a massive brain stroke. She slowly felt her brain functions slip away one by one, but remembered every detail after the incident. Her description is truly fascinating and it makes  you think about what an absolutely beautiful organ the brain is. Please do watch it! I got goosebumps.




That's it for today folks! I should probably use my own advice and go listen to the Pick me Up Playlist ( click here to view the post). Or I could work on another blog post. Or I could go watch some Dan and Phil 


What cheers you up on a bad day?

Minna

23.1.15

Happiness ǁ I was glad this week #1



HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYBODY!

On my way home from college today, I was reflecting upon the week I had, and it was a pretty great one. There really wasn't any grand event that took place, just a collection of wonderfully happy everyday moments which made me smile a little wider, laugh a little louder. Because when you really come to think of it, we experience millions of precious moments everyday, so why is it that they are so quickly forgotten the moment we have a bad one?

If you have read my first blog post (click right here if you haven't), you will know that one of the primary reasons I started blogging, was to try and consciously be more positive and appreciate the little things in life, through the medium of this blog. So it was only appropriate that I do literally that - make a list of things that made me glad this week! So here goes:


1. Today! It's Friday, need I say more? Ok I will. Weekend! Oh wait, three day weekend! Not to mention that today was one of the nicest days I've had in a while. Meeting old friends, planning adventures together, laughing long and hard enough to draw strange looks and sipping sugarcane juice in a miniscule shed.

2. Finally making progress on my portfolio! So as part of our programme we are required to do an internship in our fifth year of school. I have been trying to put together my design portfolio for quite a while now, but procrastination won every single time. I'm feeling great about it and hope to finish it soon.

3. Reversing the car out of the my very narrow parking space without scratching/denting/smashing mirrors/squashing cats. I really really want to become more confident in my driving skills. It's a particularly unpleasant hurdle I need to cross. I do not enjoy driving at all (shoutout to Indian traffic), but it's something I can't get out of. I feel like I'll feel more confident after I do successfully venture out on my own little joy ride for the first time. Everybody has different skills and loads of people do find driving difficult, so why does it affect my confidence so much? Is that weird?

4. Getting back to Radical Face. In the process of putting together my last blog post, I listened to a lot of Radical Face after a fair bit of time, and of course I was in my happy place! (Click here to view the post)

5. Discovering the AMAZINGLY AWESOME T-Rex Google game thing! You know when your internet connection is down and the T-Rex pops up in Google Chrome? Press spacebar and prepare to be transported to pixelated awesomeness. (Thanks Kashmira!) I think I came across it pretty late but you cannot imagine how happy it made me!

6. Eating yummy imli papad, or atleast I think that's what it's called. It is exactly like aam papad, but green and tangier. It brought back memories of this sweet called Sunrays we used to get in our school canteen. Anybody else remember them?



So this is what I recall at the moment of the week that has been! I hope to make this sort of post a weekly thing. Let's see how that goes!


What put a sappy grin on your face this week? Let me know in the comments below!



Cheers!

16.1.15

Music ǁ Pick-me-up Playlist - Radical Face



Happy Friday guys!


Music is a huge part of most people's lives, be it in the form of singing, playing an instrument, dancing or simply the pure joy of listening. For me, songs and music are as powerful in making memories as other senses such as smell and sight. I'm sure a lot of you have a similar experience - a song can transport you back to your childhood, a particular instant in time, an amazing holiday you had or a time when you were sad.

I plan to have a series of posts sharing some of my favourite music and telling you a little bit about how i discovered them and the memories they bring back. 


My first playlist in this series, I call the Pick-me-up Playlist, featuring songs by the artist Radical Face. You won't understand the beauty of these songs until you've heard them yourself! They are my classic go-to songs when i'm having a bad day and always successfully uplift my mood.


The first song I ever heard by Radical Face was Welcome Home. I got goosebumps on my first listen and had the song on repeat for pretty much my entire summer vacation. It was only after about two months that i realised that there was probably more beautiful music to be discovered by this extremely talented artist!

His songs just transport you to a different world. Here are my top five favourites:


1. Ghost towns: Evergreen, extremely soothing 




2. Black eyes: Beautifully haunting melody 



3. Welcome home son: Plethora of unusual instruments




4. Always gold: Absolutely beautiful lyrics




5. Mountains: Again, beautiful lyrics which transport you back to the wonders of being a child




So these are my favourite Radical Face songs! I am always reminded of that beautiful summer whenever I listen to these. Give them a listen and definitely let me know how you liked them!
Who are some of your favourite artists? :)


Have a great weekend! xx

11.1.15

DIY ǁ Easy Embroidery Hoop Clock



Hello! 

I can feel a bout of Sunday evening productivity coming on. I present to you, ANOTHER blog post!


Those who know me will understand when I say I am a serial DIYer (and organiser, but that's for another day). There's something so very appealing about personalised, handmade knick-knacks lying around your house. I can imagine years later passing on forgotten crafts to my grandchildren. Hopefully they'll be fascinated. I know I am extremely fascinated by my grandmother's knitting. I'm pretty sure there's already a grandma living inside of me. All I need is a purseful of candy to hand out to children.

Anyway, this activity is perfect for when you have about an hour to spare on a rainy day. I did this one a few months ago.  Difficulty level - Minus 1



Things that you will need:
1 Embroidery hoop in a size of your choice (optional - 2 nos.)
Fabric
A clock mechanism
Cardboard
Paint (optional)
Scissors
X-acto knife


The picture is pretty self explanatory really, but here are the instructions.
  1. Stretch a piece of your favourite fabric across an embroidery hoop and tighten the screw. Cut off excess fabric from the edges.
  2. I then took two strips of cardboard. Put them in a plus/cross shape and adjust the sizes such that they fit exactly within the diameter of the hoop. The strips should be quite broad in width.
  3. Now using your X-acto knife, cut two small slits at the central intersection of your cardboard pieces. Carefully cut the fabric slightly as well.
  4. Take your clock mechanism and push it through the hole in the centre. Attach the hands from the other side. And that's it! You're done!
  5. You may want to add numbers to your clock, but i preferred it this way. You may also attach a second embroidery hoop behind your first one, to account for the depth of the clock mechanism.

So there you have it, the simplest of DIYs. I chose a delicate and light coloured fabric to go with my green wall, but you can use just about anything - old T-shirts, pillow covers, tea towels,etc. Paint your hoop to colour co-ordinate. In the end, you will be rewarded with a functional yet personal item for your home, bound to be a conversation starter. The fact that it's practically free is just an added bonus.


Any tips or ideas you might have?


Travel ǁ EGYPT 2014


Aerial view of Cairo



4.1.15

Introduction ǁ Experiments in Optimism




  1. Sanguine:

    Optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation.

    Synonyms:   optimistic, hopeful, buoyant, positive, disposed to look on the bright side, cheerful, bright

  2. Antonyms:   pessimistic, gloomy

    
  1. Hey there! Welcome to Sanguine Stories! I'm Minna, a twenty-something student from India and here's a little bit of my story.



    Close to four years ago, I started architecture school. The journey so far has been splendid, a rollercoaster ride might i say. I have had the good fortune to have met wonderful teachers, made fast friends, learned loads and created invaluable memories. However, for the past year or so I haven't been in the most positive headspace. I understand that nobody can be expected to have sunshine and rainbows beaming out their faces all the time, but I began to notice that negativity came to me much easier than being happy did. It didn't just affect me, but the people around me too. I made a conscious effort to keep a watch on myself, surrounding myself with positive people, even taking the 100 days of happiness challenge (which i failed at miserably). I  still don't know what was causing this burnout but I was desperate for change. 
  2. Summer of 2014, I  stepped out of my comfort zone. My friend and I enrolled for a brief academic project in Jamaica. I was very very hesitant at first, but I decided to take the plunge. It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life so far. Rejuvenated, the following months were better, but slowly the cycle started repeating itself. Boredom, procrastination, binge TV watching and finally stress. I became indifferent, stopped wanting to learn, which was an extremely scary thought.

  3. A result of all the crying and the moping is this blog. This blog is my attempt to bring back  lost enthusiasm, establish a routine, push myself to get out, try new things and say yes to more things. There's so much to learn from the world! I can't stand myself for having done nothing for far too long. Ugh. 

    So join me in my little project, my own small space on the internet where I will share with you my experiments in optimism, stories of my travels, art and architecture, DIYs, food, health and lifestyle! I hope somehow, somewhere, somebody is inspired to explore the wonders around us.


  4. To 2015 - It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me. Feeling Good.



    Stick around for a while, won't you?