Preeti Shenoy's Blog, page 41

Life is better with a doberman pinscher--wordless wednesday post 51

This is my post for Wordless Wednesday


Doesn't this pic say it all?
Vee in my book 'It happens for a reason' runs a dog-boarding facility :)

If you want to know more about Doberman pinschers, watch this very interesting short video.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTfJ6rpKrsA

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Two sketches. Hope they bring you joy! (blog marathon post 28)

The love I get from all of you is an amazing thing. I feel blessed for all the nice things you say to me in my comment box.
On my down days, I re-read the lovely lovely mails which my readers send. I haven't yet responsed to mails. But I promise I will. If you have written me a mail, and not got a reply, please resend.

For today's post, I thought I would share with you two paintings/artwork that I did in my art journal.
My art journal fills me with joy. It is almost a meditative activity. I LOVE filling it's pages, capturing the memories, the mood and anything that strikes me as worth capturing at that moment.

Here's what I did. I made it quickly while she was asleep. It is hard to get her to be still otherwise.



Here is one more. (I placed the capsicum on top of a book, for contrast)



More tomorrow.
Hope you have had a great day!
(I sure did)
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When the lights turn red (blog marathon post 27)

I clicked this picture from my car, at MG road Bangalore. The Umbrella seller deftly made his way, weaving a path through the traffic, selling these colorful umbrellas.
I loved the bright colours of the Umbrellas he carried. I did not buy any, as I already have enough number of Umbrellas in the house.

There was another little girl who was selling roses. They were beautiful.
'Didi, please buy,' she implored, sticking out a rose.
'How much?' I asked.
'Didi, Twenty rupees each,' she replied.

I asked her to give me 3, and she begged me to buy 5.
So I did.
Gave her a hundred, and the smile across her face was a million watts.

She thrust 5 rose buds at me. I took them.
Then as an afterthought she said 'Didi, wait, I will give you the nicest ones.'
She took back the ones she had given me and then carefully chose the best ones from the lot.

'Which class are you studying in?' I asked her.
'6th standard didi,' she answered.


As our car sped away, i could see her  and the umbrella seller in my rear view mirror, as they walked to the side, for the traffic to flow.

Most of us hate red lights at signals. But for some of us, the best time for business is when the lights turn red.
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A picnic --to refresh one's soul (blog marathon post 26)

Every now and then, we need some little break, something rejuvenating to refresh our souls, nourish our spirits.

For me today, it was a pinic in one of the most beautiful spots in bangalore city. It was magical, ethereal, serene.

Here are some pictures from today:




I even managed to capture the trunk of an old banyan tree.



Two people , complete strangers, who kind of peeped into what I was doing, said it was lovely work.

You heard all about my day. Your turn now! What did you do, to nourish your soul?

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Satur-YAY :) (blog marathon post 25)

Today's post is a picture post for you:

First picture is a sketch I made the other day:



The next two pictures are from my day today. I had a very pleasant day. I went shopping with my daughter. Girls day out. We had so much fun.



 And then we walked into a bookstore---and we find this!



As you can see, I have had a Satur-YAY! :)

Happy me!!
How was your Saturday?
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Where to find inspiration to write (blog marathon post 24)

Many people ask me this question 'Where do you find inspiration for your stories and writings?'
I wish I could tell them exactly where. There is no one correct answer here.
The truth is I can find inspiration, anywhere, anytime! My mind is a busy place.
There was this one time, when I found inspiration in a dead leaf and wrote a poem on it.

You can read that poem here.

When my children were little I was always making up stories and narrating it to them, whenever we had exhausted our supply of books to read. And I read to them every single day! But sometimes, we would be driving, or it would be snowing outside( we used to live in the UK) and we wouldn't be able to go to the library. Then I would make up stories and tell it to  them. I would let them create the characters. I would ask them 'Whose story do you want to hear today? Give me a name'. They would give me a name. Then I would ask more details about this 'person'. When I had a character, I would start telling them a story. My children were always spellbound.

When I read the morning newspaper,  so many ideas strike me.
When I walk in the mall, I am making up stories about people inside my head. I am observing people. If I passed you in a street, and if something about you, struck me as interesting, I would probably be able to describe you to the very last detail, including the shoes you wore. I am very observant by nature. I think a LOT!

At airports, railway stations etc, I am always observing people. I am silently eavesdropping on their conversations. (and we Indians are usually loud, like the Italians).
Sometimes, people share bits of their lives with me. That strikes me as interesting and I spin a story about them.

I get my best ideas when I am flying. It is a strange feeling to be cut off from everyone of earth, and till you land, you are suspended in a state of 'nowhereness'. I like that. I love closing my eyes and thinking.

Sometimes something unusual happens to me, and I find my material right there. Sometimes, Mostly when I am walking my dog, I have all the time in the world to ponder and think. I get story ideas there.

That's it really! That is my 'secret'. I spend time with myself, inside my head, and that is where I find my ideas.
I think it is important to spend time alone. At least for me, it is.

The next time someone asks me where I find inspiration, I am going to direct them to this post.
And for all of you who ask me where to find inspiration, I hope this helps!
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Parents---back off! (blog marathon post23)

Today I watched half of an interesting movie on Netflix. It was called One Day, 
and it starred  Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. I used to live in the UK, and the British accents, places where it was shot, were all familiar to me. I felt a tug at my heartstrings, as I remembered my wonderful time there.

In the movie, the parents of Dexter (Jim Sturgess) disapprove of the career choice their son has made. He is a succesful TV presenter, but the show he presents is 'crass' and 'tasteless' according to his parents who feel that he could have done better. He however enjoys his work, and he is having fun.

It made me think about parenting. Many parents in India too, disapprove of their children's career choices. The adult/teen child might want to be a graphic designer, but the parents might want him/her to take a corporate job.Or the adult/teen child might want to become a musician or a fitness instructor or a yoga teacher.But the parents may not think it is good enough.

I know many people who never thought they would end up in their present day career, as their ambition was something totally different. But their parents thought that was too lowly for them.

I think parents should back off from the decisions an adult child makes. (of course as long as they are not decisions which harm them, like driving drunk and doing drugs)
Allow them to make mistakes. Do not deprive them of that. If you do not let them make mistakes, and learn from them, you are depriving them of a chance to grow.

Think about it, and leave me your thoughts. Do you know any instances like what I mention? (too much parental influence). If you care to share, I am listening.
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Wordless Wednesday no.50

Today is Wordless Wednesday

Sharing two pictures I made. (Both in less than 15 mins, both drawn 'live' )





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Breaking Bad ! (blog marathon post 21)

Television is something I detest. Like  Roald Dahl says
Television - Poem by Roald DahlThe most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, NEVER, NEVER let
Them near your television set --
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.
In almost every house we've been,
We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotised by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all that shocking ghastly junk.

Read the whole poem here


I know many who are addicted to TV series, especially some who used to be addicted to Friends. (They watch it over and over again). I haven't seen a single episode of friends. Sure, i can talk about it, as I read about it, but I simply do not have the patience to sit through an episode.

Howerver, there are two shows that I watched fully. One is Band of Brothers and the other,is Breaking Bad.

Just finished wacthing all five seasons, of Breaking Bad, the last three in the final season, I watched back to back. I just couldn't budge. It was a great story.

If you have seen it, tell me what you liked about it, who is your favourite charatcer, and what did it make you conclude.
If you haven't seen it, go watch!

Till tomorrow!
Adios!  http://preetishenoy.com/

Sketchy Monday (blog marathon post 20)

Remember, I told you all that I am doing a sketching course? I did my course work today.
Oh what joy! I enjoyed it so much.

I am making an illustrated journal and it is a work-in-progress. My first assignment (which is a part of the journal) was that I had to draw and write about an object that meant a lot to me.

I drew my writing desk.

Then I had to record moments from my day, and objects from my daily life, that i like. What was remarkable about this assignment  was that we were banned from erasing or using pencils! The sketches had to directly be with pen. So if we made  a mistake there was no way to correct it. The purpose of training us like this, is to enable us to 'see right', and to observe, get accuracy and to be so sharp, as to get it without erasing.

I am sharing with you, the pages from my sketching journal. Must say I am pretty pleased with what I did.
Let me show you:





Here it is in detail:

And the other one:

The body is actually made up of 60% wanter. But I wrote 85  as I always thought that was right!

That's all for now folks. More again tomorrow!




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