There is a voyeur inside...

There are voyeurs and then there are voyeurs! Getting addicted to home design websites with lots and lots of pictures of other people's houses is one thing. Looking at what others are buying at the cash register in a supermarket... ok ,well thats fine too. But it is a tad disturbing (and extreme) to want to look into other people's fridge to see what they are eating ( or not eating). You will find that its a regular pastime for many at www.fridgewatcher.com. They have pics of fridges from Argentina to Vietnam. Yes, I checked for India and thought I might see one choc-a-block with veggies and stainless steel "doodh ka bhagonas" but they don't have a pic from India. If you stop and think fridges are not as ubiquitous in our country ( or in Africa-totally under-represented at www.fridgewatcher.com).
Reminded me of a conversation I had with a newly wed 20 year old girl from a western UP village. She had recently moved to Delhi with her husband and among other things that excited her about being in the city, one was that she could finally send for her belongings from her husband's village. One of her dear possessions was a fridge her parents gave as part of the dowry. The thing is her village-in-law gets electricity only for a few hours every day and a fridge not being of much use in such circumstances had been taken over by her sister-in-law to store her husband's clothes and shoes! Now that's a picture I would like to send www.fridgewatcher.com!

'nuff with that green already!

Does anyone else feel the way I do about this particular green??

Its everywhere, on the walls,in shops...


Even my ALL OUT mosquito repellent is this ubiquitous Dill Pickle/lime(?) green!!!
Yikes!

(Home Photos borrowed from www.apartmenttherapy.com)

Matters at hand

How long can one avoid dealing with the matter at hand. Tiling times are here again!
We have two projects at hand. The first and more involved is tiling the bathroom floor and walls. This will take considerably longer than originally planned because the "mistri" will first have to level the floor and walls to create a "base". In a new construction this is relatively easier. In our case we had removed existing floor and wall tiles. We thought that would be all but once we dug more problems came tumbling down.We found out that we will have to change all inside plumbing from galvanized iron (rusts every few years-ours had rusted) to plastic pipes (supposed to last longer), then we had to get the electrical connections rewired (mirror mirror on the wall, which bathroom has the best lighting of all!!) and then we had the drain re-configured (yeah, whats a few more dig abouts while we are at it!). If we had dug anymore we would have hit oil, I swear!
All this poking and prodding has made the walls and floor surfaces pretty...eh...lunar.
The base will be done today( fingers and toes crossed) using cement, sand and concrete.

Our other project is supposed to be more straight forward. We want to get vitrified tiles laid on balcony floors which have the traditional marble chip floors as of now. Unlike bathroom tiles, these don't require a traditional cement base. These will be stuck on the existing floor using a "special chemical cement". Until a few years ago this "special chemical cement" had to be mixed with a "special chemical liquid" to make a paste that would then be used to stick the tiles .
We will be using a new variety that can be mixed with regular tap water. What exactly is this chemical? I'll let you know as soon as I find out. Until then I am as gung ho as the "special chemical cement" people and endorse their proud claim on the packing.

What say?

I am getting wayyyyy ahead of myself but couldn't resist sharing this japanese Haru step shelf/ room divider. What do you think? It can take care of a ton of storage -they come in all sizes, one of these even has a built in space for TV,and will keep stuff away from dust and curious tots. It is not the average bulky entertainment center that overwhelms a small to medium sized apartment room. Now, if only one could find a desi carpenter who can pull it off!

(Image borrowed from greenteadesign.com)

Inspiration

All this hanging out with sulking plumbers and impudent rude "karigars" has made me sluggish and unhappy. So my gut reaction is to turn to things simple and beautiful. Time to reset the balances by looking at a beautiful photograph or reading a poem or making something simple and fresh to eat. To take a pause, catch my breath.
Browsing some of my favorite websites brings happiness. I chanced upon Mark Poulin's website. He is an Oakland, California based artiste whose work I have long admired. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not much into jewelery and dressing up. Yet chancing upon Mark's work at the SFMOMA had me do a double take some years ago. I was a struggling student and unfortunately wise enough to know I couldn't afford the week's grocery AND the jewelery. When I did leave the US, I bought a pendant as a gift to self. Small wishes fulfilled make me happy!
Check out Mark's website, his links to his jewelery and also his beautiful sketchbook.
"Simple line drawings pared down to the essence of sophisticated design."
Yep, that for me is beauty.

(Images borrowed from Mark Poulin's Etsy Shop)

You spin me right round, baby right round....

My friend Sparkles2005 recommends a blog called If its Hip,Its here.
Amongst other things ( like a veritable mountain of design names and refs) the blog has an interesting post about the soon to be completed Dynamic Rotating Tower project in Dubai by Italian architect David Fisher.
I was intrigued so I dug up more info. David Fisher calls it "a building in motion". It will be completely prefabricated and will have wind turbines on every floor that will work as generators as the building moves.
This is what people are building and will live in and a mere bathroom renovation has me waking up screaming in the middle of the night!

Going going...greeeeen!

A friend just sent me Morgan Stanley's green book

Although I am somewhat weary of the corporate type "doing their bit" by bringing out colorful publicity materials,there is something to be said about the power of reiteration. A lot of the information may sound very US specific at first. Junk Mail for instance is a huge problem in the US but we are slowly getting there here in India. Laying down a carpet may not be a feasible choice for Indians and our walls can not be insulated BUT there are several great reminders on how to become more energy efficient (and save money!). Putting a lid on your food while cooking, not putting your computer on "sleep mode", eating fresh-not excessively packaged food, printing on both sides of the paper etc are not only simple to do, they are reminiscent of the "traditional" advise from our parents and grandparents. Check it out and if you have a kid- do your bit, carry on the good word.