Stray Strokes and Clicks

A very close friend of mine recently made me play what is called "The Cube Game". I had to imagine a desert, a cube, flowers and a storm, all within a setting related to me (I think :P). Apparently there's some kind of a psychological interpretation involved regarding how I imagine these things. What I saw seemed like a good idea for a sketch. This is what I came up with:

Cubed

I do plan on colouring it, but it's taking a painstaking amount of time on Photoshop and I lack patience so I posted the ink version anyway. :P (I have a scanner now, yay!)

Oh and this beautiful creature (and it's appretite) won me a prize at a college event today:

A Trophic Encounter

I seem to always be winning things in college thanks to insects. :P

Anyhow, I feel like being useful. So hopefully, there will be more artistic endeavours in the near future!

Pictures taken with the New Cell!

I wonder if it is just me or has winter temporarily left the city... It is strange to find myself content with only a T-shirt (and pants, duh) so late in December. In any case, here are some of Justify Fullthe pictures that I have taken since getting my new phone! Most of these have been Radar-ed. :)

Canopy: This was taken near the lake where I had gone for driving practice.

The Greyness of Traffic: Taken while getting bored in a traffic jam on my way home.

Speed: Blur! Another picture to counter boredom while travelling.

Talk to the Hand: For those still curious about the phone, there will be a picture of my fingers posing with it. Tee hee.

Loneliness: Again, taken when out driving. I simply had to capture this. Although I would have been happier with better resolution. Oh well.

From the Pilot-seat: Another day of driving. I had stopped for some coffee when this was taken.

Paper cuttings for my room: I had got this sudden urge to do some paper cutting last evening, something that I don't think I've done since I was ten years old. So this was the fruit of my evening. :)

Bird

This is just something I made some minutes back, to celebrate the end of the end-semester exams. I had taken the stock picture sitting on top of the terrace water tank last year. :)

Stormy Brew

My (late) morning cup of Earl Grey, which looked nicely stormy. Tea bags rock! :D

And it was also shiny!

Faces

The building complex has a lot of new things for me to explore. It has been ages after all... I took this yesterday morning with my phone-camera.

The Capital and Other Places

The trip there and back was nice enough although my stomach did not like the ride too much. Still! Pictures! :D

Below are some of the pictures (of the locations) sneaked in between pictures of family and myself posing horrendously at Places of Sight-Seeing. :P

The Qutub Minar! Kindly refer to your middle school history book for details regarding who built it, for what purpose and when. I'm just giving you the name and picture. DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK! :P

This is the Bahai Temple also called the Lotus Temple. I vomited on its stairs while descending. You probably didn't want that piece of information. :P But wait, let me explain. My dad dragged us out sight-seeing at two in the afternoon right after a heavy lunch after a tiring train journey. What else do you expect? Still, the people who work there are pretty nice, since this lady let me use the staff washroom to clean up. :)

A part of the Observatory at the Jantar Mantar! And the yantras are still used today. Seriously, you can imagine how talented the architects and scientists were back then!

Yes! There is actually such a place, I kid you not, readers! It lies on the way to Agra and we stopped there for a rejuvenating syrupy concoction they pass off as masala tea. :P

The entrance to the Agra Fort.

A view from one of the balconies of the Agra Fort. :)

This would be the Resident smart scurrying Squirrel of the Agra Fort. Tee hee. :P

The oft quoted, oft mentioned Poetry in Marble. Need I say more?

I Want To Break Free

Today was photography day! There are several new additions to my Still Shots and Nature and Randomly Real folders, many of which will be Radar-ed shortly, when I have a better net connection. I really liked the plaintive air about this flower, which although still attached to its mother plant, was aching to reach out to the world outside.

An Old Point Of View

Most wonderfully, I discovered the high-points of Infrared technology today! And so, I have been able to transfer some pictures taken ages back from my cell-phone (I lack a functional datacable)... all thanks to the most wonderful Cat! Here would be some of them (un-edited, though):

Lightsaber: A play on lights using a spectacle lens as a reflector. STAR WARS!!!!!!1111

Arms Outstretched: An overhead shot of some branches.

Leafy Shadows: Who would have thought green-tinted shadows could be so alluring!

Lone Ranger: The defiant leaf that chose to grow where no greens had grown before.

I Grow: Fiery red, the embodiment of its inner spirit.

Pentacle: This was taken within the college grounds.

Black Cat: The black feline beauty of the college grounds.

Shadowdance: An innovative candle-stand.

Light Glass: Any guesses? A paperweight and a coaster with some quirky office lighting.

Solar Skyline

Today’s eclipsed sun spared Indian viewers the sight of its complete devouring by the moon. However, I’m sure that did not stop many eclipse enthusiasts from running to their terraces to witness the first total eclipse since 1995, even though it was only a partial eclipse here.

Late this afternoon, on receiving a phone-call from my astronomically aligned ally, I ran to the terrace, which I hadn’t visited since January, armed with my UV-protecting sunglasses and an old X-ray film of my mother’s skull. It was an amazing experience, feeling the wind on my face as I sat on the ledge supporting the water tank and watched the two heavenly bodies vying with each other for attention in the sky. Kaz and I spoke to each other over the phone, giving each other updates on our unique viewing angles and how the clouds were trying to play spoilsport.

What I saw, when the clouds were not making an attempt to outdo the moon in trying to block the sun from view, was simply beautiful! I have no other word for it! It felt good. I’ve always felt more connected with the world around me when looking at the sky, and to watch this celestial landmark in time take place before my eyes, with a favourite friend’s voice for company was truly lovely!

My memories of my first total solar eclipse are restricted to only a few images ingrained in memory along with the feeling of anticipation and excitement that accompanied them. I am adding today’s to that album of mine with the hope that I will witness many more. Sitting there on the terrace by myself brought me mixed feelings though. Almost all the residents of my building were present the last time. It’s funny how the span of a few years changes things quite so much.

Well, seeing how I’ve been taking pictures almost at the drop of a hat these days, I did manage to take some shots of the sky and sun. Here they are:

This picture was taken from the study window, just when I was told that the eclipse could be seen.

A view of the amassing clouds, which were most unobliging for a while.

The sun was completely hidden by then, for the clouds had covered most of the sky.

The eclipse. This blurry thing was taken using my very simple digicam and the X-ray film. So it is hardly a good picture. I am hoping that Kaz has better pictures. Oh well... I am not complaining.

To the heavens, now and forever!

More Pictures!

So yes, I meant to post the pictures I had taken yesterday on the day itself, however I did not have net access. Gah. Oh well, here are two taken yesterday and one taken today. And yeah, I am on a photography spree. It has been AGES since I have had a workable camera and I am going to make the most of it!

This would be the view from the window of a classroom I was occupying. And no, I did pay attention in class; this was taken before class started. :P

This one is a little blurred since it was taken from a moving auto. But I sort of like the perspective. :)

I took this today. The view from the fourth floor balcony is lovely! :D

Aerial Chasm

I took this last afternoon... they were drifting over my head, waiting to be photographed. It is a pity that it was taken against the light and hence it looks darker than it actually was. Oh well, the good news is that my camera is back! Yayness!