This tiny bottomless box contains a plethora of thoughts and things. Eat slow and relish every bite! Join me as I feel loved, find food, dream DIYs, relive movies, sway to music, dabble with fashion and simply live a wholesome life
As we inch our way towards our big day, date undecided, I find myself marvelling at the concept of marriage and making a home. We've had eight years to know each other as two separate entities. As we stand at the cusp of a new life stage, I guess I'm not mighty concerned about the legality of it all. A piece of paper, a few random rituals and a couple of signatures don't make a marriage, do they?
In the "civilised society" it does. From where I stand, it makes a wedding, maybe a few nice photographs but certainly not a marriage. To me, marriage is more like the second definition thrown up by Google: "a combination or mixture of elements.” It’s an amalgamation by choice that riots against everything to continue to be an amalgamation. A coupling of the mind and heart and soul that cannot comprehend life as a singularity.
So here we are making a home together with our family and friends as witnesses and equally important participants in our story. And you guys, of course.
In the next few months, you will see us trying to figure the first leg of the rest of our lives. You will see us trying to take a house and turn it into a home. You will see trying to do-it-ourselves and make the most of a cosy apartment in the middle of Mumbai. You will see us debating on the colour of upholstery and framing art. You will see us making a home...
I’ve been an interiors and design writer and lover for six years now, so my love for home decor is plainly evident like the sun in the sky. But I never in my wildest dreams expected D.R.R TrollKill, the boy I’ve known and loved since I was 20, to be a decor enthusiast. And to make matters extra exciting, we have two different and often conflicting ideas of “beautiful”. This is going to be fun to watch… for you.
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P.S: Everyone has a couple hashtag and I want one too, even if it's as lame as #PaoBottleMasalaMisalIdliForLife
I've been terrible these past few months. Ever since I've got that neck and back problem, I've been ignoring my commitments and promises and spending precious time writhing in bed with a cold pack. But enough. Enough of pity, enough of pain sensitivity, enough of ignoring my blog/friends/family/life. It's 2017 dammit. My 28th chance to finally get it right. Besides, the new year is a good time as any to start a new music series with my favourite musician, no?
So, meet Adriel George. I met him over nine years ago when we were studying in the same college. I remember watching him with my jaw on the floor as he danced during our graduation party. Although he studied IT, Adriel chose to string together his own path, note after note. He's now a music composer (a damn good one at that) and producer for films, theatre and those Youtube ads that you sometimes can't skip and end up liking.
That's our man on the keyboards
A much sought after piano teacher, he loves sneaking into hotel lobbies and malls with grand pianos and serenading late-night guests with his renditions of famous movie themes. Although I'm yet to catch him in action, I have heard him tune out the world and drown in chords at his studio in Santacruz, Mumbai.
On a regular day, you'll find him writing hauntingly touching orchestral arrangements or obscure dance music, while smothering his cat Lilith aka Lil' Kitty (she's ghetto like that) with love and affection. I've admired his choice in music for years. Varied as it is, I somehow seem to connect with several songs that he suggests.
He was kind enough to create a playlist for this post that has been long loooonnngggg overdue. But to hell with pain and nerve compression, you are going to hear this compilation and you are going to hear it now!
Tell us what you think of his six song playlist for January.
Adriel George talks about his January Playlist for SlowMotionThoughts.com
The first two songs on my January list are by Glass Animals, an English indie rock band from Oxford with a very groovy sound and strong catchy melodies. "Youth (2016)" is from their album How to be Human Being and "Pools" is an older track from their 2014 album Zaba.
The third song "Diddy Bop (2016)" is by 25 year old Fatimah Warner, better known by her stage name, Noname. She's an American hip hop recording artist/ poet from the Bronzeville, Chicago.
After her track, listen to "Professional Rapper (2015)" by David Andrew Burd, better known by his stage name, Lil Dicky. He's an American rapper and comedian who admittedly began his rap career to merely get attention comedically and eventually fell head over heels with the genre.
Up next is "Au pays d'Alice (2014)", a jazz musical inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Accompanying French-Lebanese musician Ibrahim Maalouf is the rapper/poet Oxmo Puccino. A stunning adaptation of Carroll's iconic story, it features various musicians including a thirty piece classical orchestra and a children's choir. My favourite one from the album is "Jamais quand il faut" that's followed by the entire piece performed live.
Birthdays are miserable. And so are New Year's eves. The build up to these two days, the days themselves and weeks following them are soul sucking. They are a painful reminder of what we haven't done and what we will never do. Wretched are the seconds where the mind and heart dwell on the lost. Lost time, lost opportunities, lost experiences, lost fun, lost travels, lost conversations, lost anything that could've enriched your soul...
Both these days are upon us. Our birthday have come and gone and New Year's eve is a precisely 24 days away. I've been drowning the voices inside my head with TV shows and music and food and rubbish website. None of it has really worked. The last few months have been tough on my health and that's got a grey cloud right over me. Now I find myself here... pouring emotions into a blog post as my heart aches for everything I've not done.
Do I have the time to do things? Is my priority to absorb life in its every essence or is it to pass the time till it's up? Do I have the inclination to do things? And why haven't I done them yet? If I didn't have the time and inclination then, do I have it now? Will next year see a better version of me?
Click-bait heading of a scientific story with a hopeful ending. Slow Motion Thought's favourite sci-fi nerd Regan Fernandes aka D.R.R.TrollKill tells it like he sees it
Why it's cool? While we have been hunting for exoplanets (planets outside our solar system) for a couple of years now, we never had one this close before, that too in the habitable zone. And it would also the first planet outside our solar system that we could be able to sort of explore. While we haven't yet visited another planet with humans, we have sent robots and probes to almost every planetary body in our solar system.
Pic Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser
And now we're aiming for the stars, quite literally. Russian billionaire Yuri Milner and real life super genius Stephen Hawking along with a host of backers that include social media mogul Mark Zuckerberg are helming a project called Breakthrough Starshot. It aims to send thousands of rice grain sized “starchips” to investigate nearby stars.
These starchips are carried by metre long “solar sails” propelled by super powerful lasers to upto 20% the speed of light. And while alpha Centauri AB (Proxima’s bigger brighter neighbouring twin system) was the initial target, the presence of a earth sized planet in the habitable zone around a star that can be reached in our or our children's lifetimes is a big deal.
Why the hype?
While it's really big news. Click bait mongers love to sell this as Earth 2.0. An untouched paradise ... with water and air and possible life. In all honesty, we have no idea what we're gonna find. All we know is that the planet is roughly the size of the earth and lies within the habitable zone of its star i.e that special zone where water can remain in the liquid form. So, what's the catch? We have absolutely no way of directly observing it at the moment. We've observed of its gravitational effects on its parent star and it’s size (derived through the shadow it cast as passes in front of the star) to come to one solid conclusion. We know it's a rocky planet like Mars and Earth as opposed to a gas giant like Saturn or Jupiter. But the predictions vary – it could well be a water world or barren desert wasteland or something in-between.
But...
Unfortunately, Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf and it’s habitable zone is really close to its star. This makes it likely that the planet is exposed to sterilising outbursts of solar storms. Another problem with being that close to a star is the increased chance of the planet being tidally locked. So one side of the planet could be in perpetual day and a boiling hot hell, while the other would be in perpetual night and a frigid wasteland. Fun fact? This may result in a habitable belt between the day and night sides.
Why is it still huge news?
In the end, it's still an exoplanet close enough to theoretically be observed in our lifetime. And, that is something that many scientists said would be impossible a few years ago. I have always been an optimist as far as humanity’s future is concerned. While many people feel that humanity will live and die and eventually go extinct on this pale blue dot. I have hope that one day we will extend our reach to the stars and eventually conquer the galaxy.
The author of this article referred to the following source while researching the subject.
1. Space.com 2. Space.com 3. Jpl.nasa.gov
The past three odd weeks have been testing. The vagueness in the general direction of life has caused sleepless nights. As I write this, it still leaves me with a constant aftertaste of anxiousness. But I've been surprisingly strong about it and it's all because of my rock solid support system. Without them, I'd be a pile of old damp clothes in the laundry basket.
While general life seems to be directionless, I'm trying looking for beauty in the ordinary. It's an everyday, every moment choice I've been making for the past few months. It does wonders to my sanity. Maybe you should try it. Imagine looking around you and only seeing beauty. Even as your city drowns in the rain, even as you're stuck in traffic.... there is so much pretty around us if we choose to look.
I capture a few here and there on my Instagram feed and more often on my Instagram Stories. A look at last week....
Salad bowls are my new thing. Too bad I'm still trying to get my grip on making a awesome salad.
While I stare at pinterest with interest (I'm sorry for that) looking for "easy salads", "healthy salads" and "taste but easy salads".... I found this beauty.
Elvy from New Delhi has these super fancy salad bowls from Vietnam. White and wood are a classic combination. Somehow this bowl and salad spoons look equal parts oriental and Scandinavian. I love the clean lacqured white and the classy gold rim.
Website: Elvy.in
Last week was tough. Lesson learnt: No eating outside food during the rains. Now that I work in my favourite part of the city (Bandra, duh), after work involves a lot of aimless loafing. On one such walk, I met and had a silent conversation with the cutest boy. Look at him! *heart eyes*
On another rainy day, I came home to something sweet and spicy. A little something from the good people at Paper Boat. I loved their Jaljeera drink but then I discovered their Guava Chilli drink. Now I can't decide which one I love more (pakka Libra girl). Anyway, they also sent me a sweet tin box for memories and a copy of Jungle Book that I've started reading.
Christmas is almost here and so is Star Wars! I have a *good* feeling about this. I've been hunting for Star Wars merch that doesn't break the bank and I figured you'd appreciate a heads up too. Did some insane amount of searching and found 7 amazing deals on Star Wars-y stuff and they are all under Rs 900 bucks.
Perfect for gifting your Jedi obsessed friend who has been quoting Han Solo all week or even for you as you continue to curse the hell out of Diwale and Bajirao Mastani for pushing the release a week. While we anxiously wait and dodge ever know spoiler on the internet, here's something that will make you feel better.
Brave today. Brave tomorrow. Somedays are harder than the rest. Most afternoons are spent craving for the night. For sleep and rest. Shit happens now and then. Or so I've learnt. Hold it together. Wait for the night when no one can see you or hear you. And then let go...
Monday. It's you again. You came knocking too quickly. But it's almost December and we have only 6 more of you this year. So in your face, Monday!
I wrote this for R. Like every other corny/cheesy line I have written since 2009. I couldn't have written truer words than these. With every song, happy or sad or funny, my mind wanders through the lyrics and ends up with him. Something about music, the very existence of it, makes me think of R.
So, he asked me a question on Halloween day 2015. The most important question someone could ask someone. The answer to which I knew years before...
Some Mondays are harder than most. Today was exceptionally difficult. But somehow we will ourselves out of bed and fling ourselves out the door. That essentially human trait of being ridiculous persistent will never cease to amaze me. We never stop trying, do we?
Promises are nice. They are full of hopes, dreams and rainbow coloured prettiness. But sometimes words are just that...words. They evaporate into oblivion the moment they are uttered. Actions though, they stay longer than most things/people.
Last week was forgettable but this week, oh it shows promise. There's a wedding in the family and I am travelling for it. Don't you love it when routine gets disturbed?
Another start to another week. We're closing this year and what a damn one it has been. A lot has changed...some for the good, others for the better. But we are still here. Still here together because of all the decisions we've made, even before we knew of each other's existence.
Before you begin this day, take a moment and remember all the people you cherish. Take a moment and smile... Your life is wonderful. Happy Monday, hon!
It's a been over 2 months since my last The Week That Was post. I'm going to blame the lack of activity on my day job. We are creatures of convenience after all. This week took me Bangalore city (glad as I was), even if it was for a few hours.It brought back a lot of old memories that bring a silent smile on my face and a happy flutter to my heart.
Long weekends are often filled with resolutions. As hibernation consumes the body, the mind winds down and introspects. I've got so much to do, so much to change, so many priorities to rearrange. Maybe I ought to make a list... maybe writing it down in black and white might induce the sense of urgency that seems to be lacking.
Madonna had it right. I truly do wish it was Sunday. Manic as there are, Mondays are bound to come around. I wonder if it is raining where you are? We are in the middle of our monsoon and I didn't have to look too far for inspiration.
Tardy but here. Last week was rather uneventful, mainly because all my concentration was on my day job. It might not seem like it at first glance but I take most of my outdoor pictures from a moving cab.
It's been pouring like there's no tomorrow all week, which is a good thing for the water reserves and the farmers, but rainy days (a lot like Mondays) tend to bring on the blues. It's grey everywhere, not that's it's a bad thing. Have you ever noticed how the blue palette simply tends to pop on cloudy, monsoon days?
Here are some still from my Instagram account. My stint at the Suggested User roll is over. I am grateful it happened for it feels great to share your images with such a large audience.
Ah, another week is upon us. I've penned another few words to get you through today.
I find love is rather powerful mood uplifter, which is why most of these little #slowmotionthoughts are about it. I hope it adds cheer to your day...even if it is only for moment.
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