Flower bouquets can last longer...

There is something so very beautiful about flowers that every woman ( perhaps men too!!) find very romantic. Who does not like a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers?

A gift of a bouquet of flowers brings smiles and lights up hearts!

These can light up any living space and add that much needed colour and freshness to any room. Its sad that the flowers, however beautiful they are wither away. But, if cared for well, you can make them last a little longer than its actual life span.

• Remove the bouquet from its wrapping, cut all stems diagonally. This way it will absorb more water. 
• Take a clean vase, crush an aspirin and place it on the bottom of the vase and fill the vase with water. 
• Place flowers in the vase - the flowers must be kept at a place with ample light, but it should not be kept under direct sunlight such that the flowers dry up.
• Changing water everyday at the same time will help the flowers last longer.
•  Every week cut the stems a little above the last cut, diagonally. This way you can ensure that the flowers absorb the water it needs.

As I said before flowers will wilt away eventually, but if taken care of, you can make it last longer.

What sleep means to me

Relaxation. Rejuvenation. Interest. Hobby. Restoration. Dreams. Nightmares. Refreshing. Calming. Soothing. Normal State. Happiness. Nirvana. Solace. Effortless. Random Eye Movements. Anytime. Antidepressant. Restore. Rhythmic. Automatic. Excessive. Meditation. Hypersomnia. Calmness. Happiness. Innocence. Rest. Rust. Blank. Natural. Procrastination. Unwind. Shavasana. Rewind.

Floating around in a Snow Globe

For those who are wondering what a snow globe is, Snow globes are attractive see through transparent ornaments with floating glitters and some small figurines or models.

Being a dreamy person, snow globes always capture my attention. I love things that float about, like a balloon in the air or a leaf in the river. I lose my thoughts in them and just stare at them till they float away from my sight. I am very attracted to aimless drifting, maybe because, that exactly describes my personality.
Maybe it is this fondness of staring at floating things that has got me intressted in snow globes.
There is something very magical about snow globes.
I have a few snowglobes and I find myself spending a lot of time just shake them to loosen all the glitter or snow and stare at them after placing them down watching the glitter  slowly float and settle down. I let my thoughts wander about, getting lost in the glitters that float along a random path to finally settle down at the bottom of the globe, where it always belonged. It feels like a perfect dreamy world in the snow globe.
We have started buying snow globes as souvenirs of places we have been to. That explains the penguin snow globe from Phillip island and the clown 'Nemo' fish one from cairns :) We also got one for valentines day which has floating hearts.
There are snowglobes of varous sizes and varying shapes now. No matter what the size and shape, they are always magical.
Now a days, i have also found snow globes with pictures. It would be a great idea to make a globe with pictures of family members and keep them. That would make a wornderful snowglobe family tree. ( Now that has got me thinking! Maybe I will try it out :) )

Taking care of these snow globes are very difficult. Snow globes contain water or other liquids for the 'snow' to float on. Over long periods of time the water gets dirty and can have alge growth.  It is easy to clean if the snow globe comes with a detach button on the bottom which can be used to detach the globe. In that case all you need to do is carefully remove the water and replace it . Easy to clean. In some cases the globe is not detachable.  For the non detachable ones, placing the globes in non direct sunlight will help get rid of the algae.
Snow globes are also perfect gift items and a classy ornamental addtion to any home.

For me it is a perfect magical world in the globe filled with perfect magical emotions.

Beauty of Ganesha, The Elephant Headed God

Ever since I can remember , I have been a fan of this beautiful idol. Even before I reached an age when I could understand religion and worship, I have been fond of Ganesh idols. One of my many hobbies is collecting these idols. I never miss a chance to grab one and place in my ever-growing collection that I have at home, back in India. This is one of the many things I miss about being in India.

Though there are stories in Indian mythology that explain how a human body was fitted with an elephant head and how he got a God like stature, I am still mystified as to how this beautiful form came about.
Ganesha's iconography has many forms and each form show distinct characteristics of the deity. Some show him lying down, whereas some show him in the dancing pose. Many versions show him with four hands, each hand holding a different object. In all the versions the elephant head, the pot belly and the broken tusk remain common. The slight slant of his eyes are also depicted in most forms.
The Ganesha symbol is a very common symbol in Indian art and hence it finds many variations. The symbol has found changes in due course of time and now a days we find Ganesh drawn as a silhouette with the trunk, large ears, tusk and belly intact, the features that make this icon so unique. There was also this picture of Ganesha made out of two leaves and a hibiscus petal, which I had seen in a restaurant, that stands out.

As a deity Ganesha is considered as a remover of obstacles and is one of the most worshipped Gods in Hinduism. This Deity is not only worshipped in Hinduism but devotion to this God is also found in Jainism and Buddism. He is worshipped across India and ouside India as well. On our trip to Thailand, we were surprised to see a wide variety of art inspired by the Ganesh iconography.

It is the chubby-ness and the cuddly-ness of these idols that attract me to them. Also the various forms in which the idol can be found. I have found that no two idols are the same, since the love and devotion of the person making these idols show in the final outcome. Eagerly waiting to get back to India to resume the collection.

Sadly, I do not have any photographs of my collection to share! That is one of the things I need to do on my next trip to India, get a good snap of my collection :)

My mind garden..

When people are lonely or are feeling low and they do not know what exactly will bring their mood up, there are a number of things they try to do. Some creative, while some not so. In my such low times, I too have tried a number of activities. Some of them got me very involved that they were taken forward as hobbies, where as some of them have got lost in the daily cycle of morning-noon-evening-night chores. The hobbies that I have continued till date, I have found ways to improve on them and accommodate them in my daily life making them a part of my daily routine. But what about those little activities that I once took up very enthusiastically and I no longer do? 

I came across a few articles about the terauptic effects of gardening . There is a quote that says 'You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.' These articles brought thoughts in my mind, as if they were played in the flash back mode, memories of spending time in the garden with my grandfather, digging in the dirt and watering myself more than watering the plants. I know it is hard work in the garden, to make all those plants and flowers look happy but all I remember is it was lot of fun :)


Thinking of all those happy moments, I wonder, what it would be like to get a new garden now. First thought- it will require a lot of dedication! like I am taking care of children. Feed and nurture the plants, monitor their growth, keep them free of diseases and pests, be with them throughout because they will need attention on a daily basis. Now! that means I may not be able to take long vacations without having someone to care for these plants! Not to forget the space constraint, living in an apartment in the 26th floor, gardening may not be a good idea!


Even then, being the persistent person that I am, I have started building a small garden in my mind. A blueprint, if I may call it so, of how my final garden in the balcony will look like. A few pots of flowering plants and a couple of pots of vegetables or herbs is all I want right now. If this plan goes well, I can add more to the garden. Ah! just the thought of having pots with flowers and sweet smelling herbs make me happy!
But Of course.... As Mr. Lou Erickson aptly said 'Gardening requires lots of water - most of it in the form of perspiration.'  

Caps Hats Caps - why you need them!!

Recently, I have a new found interests in hats, caps, visors. Though I initially started using then as head covers for protection against the blazing summer sun, now I have somehow found the courage to wear them and pull them off as an accessory along with my clothes.

Hats are a must have mainly because it provides good protection from the sun. The ultra violet rays from the sun penetrate into layers of skin making it dark, dull and wrinkly. Many years of exposure to the suns rays on your skin are quiet harmful and can cause skin cancer, the most dangerous being melanoma. A good hat with a wide brim can block out most of the harmful rays of the sun.

Hats are not only useful in the sun, there are hats and caps that also keep your head warm during winter. 

Apart from hats being useful as protection for the head, they are also great fashion accessories and can change to look of an outfit. In many cases hats complete the look of an outfit.

Many people ,especially woman, shy away from wearing hats because they feel they cannot pull off the hat look and hats will attract too much attention. This is not true. If chosen carefully hats can complement your outfit and look as if it belonged there.

We must always try and pick hats that match the clothes you are wearing in terms of colour and style. If we wear clothes with neutral colors such as black and white, accessories of any colour will go well with them. Where as if you have bright colored clothes, try hats that match the color of the dress or neutral colored hats like black or brown.

The large brimmed straw hats are available in many colors. The usual brown/ cream colored ones are beautiful and go with almost any summer dresses.

 If going out in the sun, do remember to carry a hat. :) However, it is best not to stay in the sun for too long!

Magnetic Puzzle cube

A post dedicated to my recent addiction- a cube made up of 216 rare earth magnetic balls, the Neo cube

The first time I saw this cube at a toy store, I was attracted to the small 'click' sounds the magnets make when when pulled apart and left to join back together and the beauty of the small magnet balls stuck to each other had me wondering, what the purpose of the toy could be. A bit of help from Google, after I reached home and I wanted the magnetic cube for myself.

We bought one online and we find it difficult to put down. This is more of a puzzle toy and there are infinite amounts of shapes that you can form with it. Every time I am puzzled by how the North and South poles of the small magnets are formed. It is based on this alignment of each of the magnet that the shapes can be made. The polarity of the magnet matters, since some very innovative shapes I have tried have got disturbed due to magnets sticking at the wrong places.

It is most easiest to draw out the magnet balls into one long string, where as i find it very difficult to get it back to it original form, the cube. You can make some really cool geometric shapes in three dimensions.

Who would want to keep it in a cube when all u would feel like doing is break it and start on a new shape! it is an effective stress buster too!

The magnetic cube is a wonderful way to pass time and very addictive. It is my new prefect hobby tool.  I have just started and I am hoping to make some nice shapes with it. Check this toy out! I am sure the cube will capture your imagination :)
Just Google for magnetic cube and get started!