My Week in Pictures (with the iPhone) #5

I'm happy to get a remote for my Canon EOS 550D. I'm not sure whether I'll use it that much but it felt like a nice to to have in my kit. I really need to try taking self portraits.

I also went for the Ralph Lauren Big Pony Fragrance Collection for women launch. It was fun meeting a bunch of other bloggers there.

Now there's a funny story with the chocolate cake. We've always been buying cake from the same bakery for every birthday party since I was a little kid. In recent years I don't have Birthday Parties, but we still do buy cake often. Last year I surprised my mom with cake on her birthday, & I'm pretty proud of it because I actually managed to keep it a surprise. Anyway Anita, the lady who owns the bakery remembers my name & my birthday. Since I spent my birthday in Goa, mom ordered a chocolate cake now. When Anita asked about what should be written on the cake (You know, 'Happy Birthday so & so...') mom said nothing, we're just going to eat it ourselves. Then she brought the cake home & we saw Anita's message, 'Hi Magali Enjoy'. :)

Love,


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What Scares You?

I may not be a super brave person; but I'm not scared of many things either. My parents have gone on little trips leaving me alone at home. Most of my friends get freaked out at the thought of it, they're always used to having someone or the other at home. And everyone asks me if I'm scared being alone. I'm not, I enjoy it immensely. I do confess to leaving a small light on, just so I can see easily if I wake up in the middle of the night.

I was born & raised in this big city, so as crowded as the place is, the fact that I have three neighbors on the same floor as me is comforting. And if I were to scream, someone would hear.

Rural areas always freak me out a little. I can't really put my finger on why, I think it's a combination of many things... the wilderness, the fact that houses are so far apart, the very audible creaking of the crickets, etc.

The Home For The Aged that we stayed at in Mangalore was not scary at all in the day time. The residents there had their dinner very early, since there was no way we were having dinner at 6 PM, the kitchen staff packed us a tiffin for dinner. After we were done with that, my mom would clean up/do the dishes while I did the long walk to the kitchen to keep the tiffin back. The hallways were very dimly lit, I could always see the fish tank light at the end of the corridor. (The photo above is very underexposed because I wanted to remember the corridor just as it looked at night.) I always felt a little creeped out during that night walk, but frames of Jesus, Mary & the saints were hung on the walls at regular intervals & I found that quite comforting.

So what scares you? I'm not even talking about smaller things like spiders. What really makes your hair stand?

Love,

PS- I know the is completely unrelated, but I've just stopped being lazy & re-started posting outfit photos to my style blog. I just posted one I really like, an outfit I wore to an event where I was the photographer as well. Do check it out if you have a minute.

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Home for the Aged at Mangalore (Part IV)

So these are the last of the digital photos from Mangalore. I have film ones too, I will probably publish them on here in a month or two.

Sister Patricia is in charge of the parlor in the Home for the Aged in Mangalore. Last month was the first time I met her (as opposed to some of the other nuns there who I've known since a couple of years). She is such a calm & loving individual & I was very happy to quickly snap this portrait of hers. I will cherish it. She asked me to take a couple of photos around the home there, we just got prints of them & I will be mailing them to her in a couple of days.

Looking at that food from Mangalore is making me very hungry right now. Also, spiders freak me out but I really want to find more spider webs to photograph (with live spiders, please).

Love,



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Home for the Aged at Mangalore (Part III)

I am in love with my Polaroid 420 land camera! (that photo of me was taken by mom) It was inexpensive to buy, film is reasonably priced & the colors are superb. So what if it's a heavy, large & slightly cumbersome to operate? I don't hate the attention I get when I'm using it. I'm going to do a little how to post on using land cameras very soon.

There was a mother cat + three kittens in the home for the aged in Mangalore. They mother was chilled out & I got to pet her multiple times; no such luck with the kittens though. I love how the the photo of the two kittens looks almost like some kind of optical illusion because they were crouched so close by & there was a leaf in front.

Since the last couple of years, Mangalore is a muddy mess because roads are being widened & paved everywhere. And I'm not even sure if that's a good thing with the amount of accidents there due to negligent & rash driving.

Love,



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Home for the Aged at Mangalore (Part II)

One of the things I enjoy about travel is experiencing the different cuisine. There's breadfruit, pumpkin, crabs & unpolished rice in my lunch plate.

Love,



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Home for the Aged at Mangalore (Part I)

Photos from the Home for the Aged we stayed at in Mangalore. They had a lovely garden & because it's Spring & all everything was in bloom. Indoors too everything was vintage & beautiful, a photographer's paradise.

Love,

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Pabba's, Mangalore

Pabba's is one of two really famous ice cream parlor's in Mangalore (the other being Ideal's). We went there twice.

{banana split; royal falooda; gadbad; vanilla ice cream with gajar halwa}

The first time we went I really wanted to try the banana split (mom got the Falooda). The split was too much for me so I begged & cajoled my mom till she finished it.

The second time mom got gadbad. Gadbad is a hindi slang word that means jumble/confusion/disorder. This preparation got it's name from the fact that it contains multiple flavors of ice cream, jelly, dry fruits, tutti-fruity & a little milkshake. Fun. Gajar (Carrot) Halwa is an Indian dessert that is served hot. I really like how it tasted with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Though I enjoyed both visits, the second time has sad memories because that's when the plastic that covers the LCD screen on my 550D got a nasty scratch (it later cracked). It's under warranty but I'm not sure if this is covered & I'm little scared about how much getting it fixed will cost.

Love,



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The Journey to Mangalore

So I'm starting to post photos from the trip I took last month. We took the train to Mangalore. It was a little longer than a train journey to Goa (as Mangalore is a little farther). And rather surprisingly, I enjoy almost every moment of it. We had a window seat, & it was great to see the the rice fields, grazing buffaloes & rustic homes, all with blue hills visible in the distance.

We should do this again sometime, ma.

Love,



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Lavasa at Night

First two photos were taken from the balcony of the room I stayed in at Mercure Lavasa. It offered such an amazing view. I don't get to see twilight much living in Mumbai.
All hotel rooms keep tea bags but this one had an assortment of different ones. I had the lemon tea after a tiring but fun filled day at the Lavasa Women's Drive. It was a great way to relax.

Love,



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How to safely use Online Classifieds to buy a Vintage Camera

A lot of people have asked me about good places to get vintage cameras. And my friends tease me about the amount of online shopping I do. So I put together this article, & I do hope it helps you in your vintage camera quest.

Some Online Classified websites are as old as the internet. But they've garnered a bad reputation due to sleazy ads that are posted there.

Most of us are used to online shopping at some degree. I'm adept at shopping on brand websites & auction sites but I only recently realized that I haven't shopped that much with the help of online classifieds. So I'm going to tell you why online classifieds have an edge over auction websites in buying certain things (such as vintage cameras!), & how you can make a shopping there a safer, happier experience.

Why they exist

Auction websites now-a-days provide great buyer protection. They promise to reimburse you if the item is not exactly as the seller has described. That is a great thing, because it reassures you that you will not get fleeced. But auction websites are dominated by dealers who know the worth of a camera & often auction prices are very high because of this. Or even if the auction started off low, odds are it will end high because you are competing with people from your entire country or the world for something you want. Online classifieds, on the other hand are a different niche. Imagine you find your grandfather's camera in nice condition in your attic. You want to sell, you know it's worth a decent sum... none of your friends want to buy it, so you need to find someone that does. Selling it to a dealer is no use, you know that he will buy it from you cheap & sell it expensive. You know there are people out there who would be interested in getting their mitts on it, the only problem is you don't know any of them. Now that, my friend, is where a classifieds website comes in. You list it on an a classifieds website (mostly for free), a potential buyer seed the listing & contacts you (via email or cell phone, the choice is yours) & you take it from there. 

How to Buy

Online classifieds are most often city-based. So go to an your city's section on the website. Find something you like? Contact the person that listed it & have a chat. Ask about the condition, ask for photos, & maybe haggle if you like? (it's up to you. You probably shouldn't do it if the lister has written something like 'final cost' or 'non negotiable'). In the case of a vintage camera, always ask to meet somewhere. If you have & know how to operate these, you will be able to properly examine the camera. If not, maybe meet at a camera repair shop so he can check it for you (& the repairman will probably charge for checking so you'll have to decide who's going to pay for it). And of course if you're going to be using the camera as a prop/show piece there's no need to worry about how it works, just that it looks good to you. And if you thing the camera is good & the price is right, then buy it, what are you waiting for?

So I guess what I'm trying to say is there are deals to be had on these websites. It's pretty win-win too for both buyer & seller.

I do hope you find this little post useful. I'd love to know your thoughts. More analog photography related how-to's are coming up.

Love,



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Rollerblades

I love this video because it's simple & happy. It makes me excited for summer.

Love,



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GoodHomes Magazine India has a new look

BBC GoodHomes is India's leading decor magazine & a personal favorite as well. It offers DIYs, recipes, tips & a lot more. Every issue is eye candy... but the April one is special, it's the 4th Anniversary Issue & the magazine has a great new look. The issue focuses on Investing in Art, Rainbow hue accessories, easter treats, eco concious living, smart home solutions, regal to contemporary decor styles, and giveaways worth Rs. 4 lakhs! It has amazing pictures and excellent combinations of style and decor that can make your home look great.

And here's something worth mentioning. This blog is featured on their GH on the net page! My post 'I see Red, Blue & Yellow' about a lovely event supported by the magazine that I attended-

Sadly I have not been able to get my hands on the issue as I just returned from the long trip I was on... Will definitely pick it up tomorrow, I am very excited to see it. :)

Oh & don't forget to stay in the loop with all the awesome stuff happening at GoodHomes magazine by liking them on facebook.

Love,



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