Webstore Spotlight : Zansaar

As far as I can remember, I have always been a shopaholic. My mom chides me about the fact that I can never save money but at-least I'm stuff-rich, you know?

I've gone through many shopping phases. First it was fashion items like clothing / accessories / shoes / make-up. Then later it was vintage cameras + photography products had a torrid affair. But recently I'm very into décor & cooking (especially baking).

I don't remember how I exactly found Zansaar but the first time I was there, I spent almost an hour browsing everything on their website. They have separate sections for Bed & Bath products, Kitchen, World Food, Dining, Decor, Outdoor Stuff & Gifts! And they have a large inventory.

Shipping is free in India for Rs.400 & above. They send by Aramex so it's trackable & arrived within 3-5 business days. I've already placed two orders with them & here are two of my favorite things.

Red round bake dish (large) // Paper & fabric writing board

When I received my first order I was very disappointed to find the bake dish broken due to poor handling by Aramex. I called customer service & had a replacement with me in a couple of days & that made me love Zansaar even more!
The bake dish has a glossy red & orange finish & has already been used twice to bake chicken pot pie.

And I had been searching for a vintage-style writing board for a while to use to display notes / artwork (like this). This was perfect, I was so happy to find the photo-frame style back (so I can make it stand anywhere). It's also eco friendly, always a plus point.

Other than these two things I've been enjoying shopping in their world foods section. Lots of imported, hard to find food at reasonable prices.

I also curated a collection there of my favorite things on their website. For me, shopping on Zansaar will definitely be an ongoing thing, I can't wait to see what new stuff they keep adding.

Love,

New Camera + New Camera Bag {Fujifilm Finepix X100 / Georgia Nautical from JoTotes}

Photography is a very big part of my life & I'm very excited to introduce you to my latest photography gear. I have both a brand new (digital) camera & an amazing new camera bag to carry my stuff in. Both things are very stylish & very functional, a great combination that's not easy to find. And I decided that these photos, taken during an outfit post shoot for my style blog are the perfect way to show you. (hop on over there to see my monsoon-friendly outfit!)

The Camera - Fujifilm Finepix X100 (Buy- USA | India )

This is my newest digital camera. I had infact prepared a lengthier explanation for why I chose this camera, but I erased it because I don't have to justify new purchases to you guys right? I ordered online & was a very impatient, nervous wreck till it arrived. (safely, I must add. Thank you flipkart for giving me place to order online when I'm too lazy to wander in search of a camera shop that stocks it.)

Anyway I'm in love with the image quality & retro styling & the capabilities of this camera constantly amaze me. It's been forever since I've had a new digital camera (I'm not counting upgrading from a Canon EOS 1000D to 550D as new, only because much of the controls were the same). If you read reviews of the X100, you'll know that the menu can be slightly muddled. Also I'm having a bit of trouble using auto focus correctly. But  the light rendered by this camera is unlike any other (& since it's a fujifilm camera, it has 'film simulation modes'  to imitate colors  & tones of three of their most famous films- Astia, Provia & Velvia.
This is going to Delhi with me & you will be seeing a lot more photos taken with this camera on here.

The Camera Bag - Georgia Nautical Bag from Jo Totes

As much as I loved the first camera bag I bought it 2010 with my first salary, I noticed several flaws in it that we become quite the hinderance - I didn't enjoy coming home from a day trip in the city to very bad shoulder & back pain. Plus, it was old so I was definitely in the market for a new one. I am not the kind of person that needs to be dressed stylishly all the time (far from it, actually). But having or wearing pretty things is an instant mood booster. I was very excited to receive this bag from Jo Totes (I've talked about it briefly before).  It looks & feels absolutely lovely, comes with three adjustable dividers (in the photo below I've put just two) & it just the right size for me. Not too large, but roomy enough to hold everything I need. Also it has a removable shoulder pad, so the strap is quite comfortable even if you really load up the bag.
There are two pockets under the flap great for cell phone & makeup, the main compartment is obviously for cameras but there's a little zip pocket in there where I store my LensPen(very nifty tool to clean camera lenses) & an extra pack on instax film. Also business card holder, notepad & pen.
And lastly, there's a zipper pocket at the back that will fit the iPad!

I couldn't be happier with both these things & I'm definitely going to be carrying them around Delhi.

Love,

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F l a s h b a c k

After some of the negative stuff mentioned in an earlier post, life has suddenly taken a turn for the better. First my mom found a ton of vintage photos, right from the time I was born (mom was pretty shutter-happy back then! ☺) & then I wore my new rain boots for the first time & got showered with complements (Who knew I could get that much positive feedback with wellies?) & finally I met a cousin after a very long time (at least 6 years!) & it was more fun than I expected.

Today I'm sharing just two Diana Mini photos from last September in Goa. Only two, because after two or three photos taken (on a new roll) the camera jammed up & on forcing the advance know, we heard the film tear. Heartbreaking. But my friend was rather resourceful & managed to save the already exposed film bit. I gave it to the lab & these are the two images I got... the pretty Anushree snacking & me with my famous red jeans.

I leave for Delhi in just two days! I have a backlog of photos to share, so I'll be scheduling posts for a week so I don't have to blog after all of the daily roaming around & stuffing my face that I hope will be happening (I'll still be available via email, & active on twitter & instagram).

Love,

Gateway of India in Black & White

These photos may not be particularly great but they hold a bit of sentimental value for me - they were taken in late 2009, very soon after I got my first dslr.

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Baking with Ramekins I : Easy Peasy Crustless Onion Pie {Recipe}

Here's the first post in the baking with ramekins series I talked about in earlier.

I know I promised dessert but I decided to start the first post with something savory, & when I chanced upon this recipe for pie I knew it was right.
I've been have a spot of bad luck recently. First, getting royally screwed over by Maple, then my dad breaking several things that were important to me with his divine aura of clumsiness.
But these still aren't very big things, I know there are a ton of people having worse problems than me. I've been making this pie very often in the last few days, comfort food (in moderation) never fails to cheer me up. The pie is crustless so it's really quite easy & quick, & when you're making this for the second time I'm sure you won't even need to refer to the recipe.

The quantities in this recipe are exactly right for the Devnow Ceramics 18 x 9 cm Ramekin so if you're using a different / bigger dish you'll have to increase accordingly(I was happy to see that Urbandazzle has added some new ramekins, including square!)

Easy Peasy Crustless Onion Pie (adapted from here).
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons ghee (or butter)
1 cup coconut milk (or regular dairy milk)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tespoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Melt the ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together coconut milk, water, eggs, salt and pepper until well-blended.

3. Preheat oven to 276 C / 350 F. Spread the onions over the bottom of a well-greased, deep dish pie plate. Pour the coconut milk/egg mixture over the onions, then sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the surface.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the pie is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to stand for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes:

1. In the ingredients list, stuff is brackets are possible substitues. For example, ghee is best in this recipe but if you don't have it, you don't have to run to the store & buy it, butter will work fine too.

2. Though it's not mentioned in the ingredients or directions, feel free to add some herbs (dried or fresh) in the mixing bowl during step #2. I added some dried oregano.

This time I took some photos while assembling the pie (before popping it into the oven). I think we can all agree that I most certainly do not have food stylist / food photographer as a possible career option, & I almost wasn't going to post these. But whatever... it's tasty, you know! And you don't have to take my word for it. Try it & see. 

I'm quite the expert at caramelizing onions but I got distracted this time & so the onion got a bit burnt. Yours should look brown but not black. But this recipe is so nice, it tasted perfect even with my slightly burnt onion.

It's completely normal for the pie to rise in the oven & then sink as it's cooling.

I've made this twice already, we all love it, especially my dad who keeps asking for more. If you have any questions regarding this recipe, feel free to ask in the comments section & I'll be happy to reply.

Love,


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Why Maple Digital is the worst Apple Authorized Service Provider in Mumbai

In the past few years I've tried to cultivate this blog as a happy & positive space. Sorry I have to break that for one post. I've had such a horrible experience getting my Macbook Pro serviced at Maple Digital Technology (Apple Authorized Service Provider) in Mumbai, that I had to share this here in hopes that it will help anyone else in Mumbai who needs an Apple product fixed to make the right choice.

After my experience with Maple digital,
this is the new banner I think they should adopt.

I've had my Macbook Pro since April 2009. It has worked like a charm since then & I couldn't have been happier with making the switch.

Sometime last month (June) in the middle of working my mac randomly died. It turned back on but the battery indicator now had an x mark on it, if you clicked it, the message 'battery not available' would come up. It worked only with the power cable & would die immediately if the power cable was unplugged. I figured that the battery had died, after two years two months of using it as much as I do (a lot) I wasn't to concerned. A new one was on the cards so I figured that I could safely use this one at home with the power cable only & maybe get the battery replaced later (I wasn't under warranty or a care plan).

At this time that battery behaved quite erratic. Sometimes when I switched it on the battery would show & behave normally, at other times it would go back to the x mark & say battery not available.

After a week of this, the problem became a lot worse. Even with the power cable connected, the mac would just spontaneously switch off. This started to get a lot more frequent, to the point where it would shut off within a few seconds after starting (still at the apple screen) & later it would just not start, even with the power cable plugged it. This seriously worried me, because most of my stuff was not backed up (silly me!) & so I knew I had to get it fixed ASAP.

Here in India we do not have Apple stores, just Apple Premium Resellers (imagine / iStore / maple) & they are Apple Authorized Service Providers too. The imagine website was quite annoying, I filled a service request form on the iStore website (they promised they'd contact me within 48 hours but never did) & finally decided to take my mac to maple because it was relatively convenient.

I took it to the center on 27th June & explained the problem (the clerks at the counter were friendly but didn't seem too proficient). My mac was listed as 'battery needs to be checked' & I was informed that I was going to be charged Rs 1700 (about US $30 due to the week Rupee & all). Fair enough.

The next morning I got a call from their technician, Bhaskar saying they had diagnosed that my battery was dead & I would need to have it replaced. At this point I wondered how fixing the battery would fix the mac switching off all the time but who am I to argue with a trained technician at an Apple Authorized Service Provider, right?

Their policy entails that you have to pay for the battery, then only they place at order at Apple & the battery arrives within three working days (oh & their non-working days are Saturday, Sunday & Monday) The new battery would cost Rs 9600 (approximately US $171). Went in that very day & paid for the diagnosis + battery. I got the mac back the following Tuesday or Wednesday (3rd or 4th July). When they asked me to check it at the store, the battery still wasn't working but they assured me it needed to be charged fully.

Within one day I was having the exact same issues as before. I was very disgusted by the whole thing but didn't really have the time to take it back right away. On the 7th my dad came home with my new mac so I tasked myself with backing up everything from my old mac, amid multiple shutdowns. At this time I tested my old mac with the new power cable to rule out something being wrong with that, but it was the same. I got an email survey from Apple to rate the quality of service received, & I of course said that even though they communicated well, the service was completely ineffective.

The next day itself I started to get calls from Maple apologizing for the inconvenience but asking me to bring it in. Finally took it in on 17th. Got a call on the 20th asking for my password, they hadn't even touched it for 3 days.

And finally yesterday I got the verdict (from Bhaskar, again) "We checked & your battery is fine. It's your motherboard that's spoilt. And a replacement costs Rs 35,700" (US $637).

I am not crazy to replace the motherboard for that much money on a mac that's already old. The big problem I have is with their useless engineer who first diagnosed it as a battery problem. And I'm not trained in this kind of thing but it's obvious to me that the battery was not at fault. If they had diagnosed it properly the first time I would have cut my losses but now I spent Rs 9600 (US $171) to get the battery replaced & took so many trips to their store to replace a battery that I will never get to use unless I pay a ridiculous sum to replace the motherboard too.

I wanted to blog about this yesterday but couldn't really type through all the anger. I know my rights, have all the receipts & will look to take Maple consumer court after I get back from Delhi.

I still maintain that Apple products are kickass but the service for those products in India is so dismal. Apple India, if you're reading this, please step your game up!

I shudder to thing of the time when I'll need some kind of service for my current mac. All I know is that if you live in Mumbai & own an Apple product that needs servicing, DO NOT TAKE IT TO MAPLE. They are in the business of robbing people, nothing else.

The Surrealist Art of Fab Ciraolo

Yesterday I discovered this surrealist art by Chilean artist Fabian Ciraolo. His work is about blending the old with the new & he's created numerous stunning pieces featuring pop culture icons in a more modern & sometimes risqué setting.

It all started with me stumbling on the image of tattoeed, badass looking Frida Kahlo wearing a Daft Punk t-shirt, & very soon I found myself immersed in the rest of Fabian's work... the ones I've featured here include Elizabeth Taylor, Che Guevara, Judy Garland, Frida Kahlo, Princess Diana, Johnny Depp, Pablo Picasso & Coco Chanel & Karl Lagerfeld (styled like the Michaelangelo's Pietà!)

He also has a series of comic book super heroes done in a similar way. You can find his work on his blog.

Love,

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The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

I'm just back from watching The Dark Knight Rises & it literally figuratively blew my mind. (The only way I could literally have my mind blown is if I was a senior scanner up against Revok, really).

So this is not so much a serious review post, more of a post appreciating how amazing & flawless all aspects of the film were (with no spoilers!) - the acting, writing, dialogues, stunts, cinematography, film score & all that. Even I, with my super critical eye found just one continuity error. There were a few plot holes too but we can all forgive that because it's a superhero film right?!

I had goosebumps on my legs for a large part of the film - the twists are amazing too. I've been a fan of Christopher Nolan since I saw The Prestige, & I don't think anyone could have handled the Batman series better - thank you for making such a non-campy superhero trilogy.

Also I'm always one who hates seeing films in the cinema due to those few boisterous people who pass comments loudly & are overall annoying, but here seeing it it a packed theatre really added to the whole experience.

Ok I'm going to stop gushing now... have you seen the film? Do share your (spoiler free) thoughts in the comments.

Love,

Lately #1

It's about time for another instagram post, right?

The first two were taken at Bandra Bandstand. The third is my new camera- The Fujifilm X100. I've had it for for a very short time & already love it. You can see some photos I've taken with it here. More on the camera soon! Also I have The Dark Knight Rises tickets for this evening. I love Chris Nolan & am beyond excited for the film (I've been avoiding reviews for the film, even the spoiler free ones. I want to form my own opinion about the film).

This could have been a my week in pictures post but it isn't because these weren't taken in the same week! Yes life has been slow & I'm not complaining... I really needed this; though I'm still pretty sleep deprived from my odd sleep patterns & staying up all night watch rare David Bowie videos on Youtube.
As I've decided that I find freelance photography a rather exciting thing to do right now, I've started working on an online portfolio & it's nerve wracking, I tell you. Blogging is relatively easy but here I really have to obsess about putting up my best work. And I'm quite a poor judge of that because I'm very sentimental & hence partial to certain photos as well as easily distracted by pretty things in photos rather than the photo itself. Drat. I give myself 10th August to get it up & running.
From August onwards I'll be using a new web portal to sell my sidebar ads (it'll be easier for my sponsors & me, more transparent plus there'll be stats!) I've giving away small ad spaces free in August!  (Total 6) Keep a 200 x 70 pixel image ready if you're interested in snagging one. It'll be first come, first serve basis. The giveaway post will be up here on 9AM IST August 1st.
I'm taking a trip to New Delhi in 11 days for a work + fun (multitasking is awesome) & I'm pretty excited. I've never been there before & I'm putting my negative feelings aside for a bit & hoping to have a good time with loads of sightseeing, shopping & eating & of course a ton of photos. I'm going to be staying at Apartment 18 in Greater Kailash area & I'm asking for your recommendations - cutesy cafés? Great places to eat? Unique street shopping? Let me know! ☺

Love,

The road trip photo bucket list: the photos you must take on your wide open road adventure

So you’re heading out on a road trip, armed with snacks, maps, your friends, a playlist of tunes, and, of course, your camera. But what’s the best way to document your travels in a photo diary? Skip the “camera-half-stuck-out-the-window” photos and the photos of yourself through the rear view mirror – here are some ideas on how you can take amazing photos on the road.

Nature, tamed

We’ll start off simply. You won’t need any high-tech gear for this one, and you probably won’t have any, because you’ve had to pay for your entire road trip. It’s time to sharpen that photographer’s eye – you can never get too much practice! Looking for lines in nature can be difficult when you’re in the city, but when you hit the road, you can keep an eye out for things like bushes standing in a line and making fences, or branches of trees interlocking overhead to create an archway. Look out for times when wild nature is subdued, and you’ll have plenty of beautiful photos to show your friends when you return from your road trip.

Picturesque reality

Photo from my instagram: @magali_c

A recent development in digital photography has been the use of HDR, where multiple exposures of the same image are combined to give you an image rich in depth and colour. The result? You’ll end up with a gorgeous, picturesque photo which looks more like a painting in all its detail than the original source. It’s a great way to capture that larger-than-life feeling that all road trips invoke.

Captured motion

Night times in the city are excellent opportunities for you to take photos. Look for busy roads or intersections, set up a tripod, turn down the shutter speed, and let the life of the city paint a picture of itself: the glaring red brake lights of cars rushing home, or the ghostlike blurs of businessmen striding home. With high exposures, you can capture the essence of the city in motion. Compare your photos from city to city and look for the subtle differences and beats of each as you go along on your road trip to really understand where you’ve been.

Bursts of memories

Sometimes the things that you remember most clearly aren’t clear images at all. With bursts of colour from bright lights against a dark background captured by your wide aperture lens, bokeh is a unique way of documenting your road trip. While the details aren’t clear, they don’t have to be: you can fill in the gaps yourself, even if you have to exaggerate a little!

By now, you’ll be brimming with ideas and excitement for your next road trip – take photos like the above, and you won’t have to end up with saying, shamefully, “You had to be there...”, because your photos will take them there.

Peter Brown is an avid photographer who loves taking his camera out on the road. His enthusiasm for cameras has led him to a bit of a tight financial spot, which is why he often turns to bad credit car finance institutions to make his dreams come true.

LC-A in Goa, 2011

As promised in yesterday's post, here is the first ever roll from my Lomo LC-A taken back in September 2011, as well as a little backstory about the camera (& why I ♥ it so much).

I started shooting film actively from May 2011. But for a few months I only used toy cameras (like the Golden half, Actionsampler, Fisheye 2, Diana Mini etc.) It was fun for quite a while, but then I really wanted more from film (such as shooting indoors, in dim light etc) & none of these cameras could do that. I knew an SLR would let me shoot better & I had my dad's Olympus OM10 but back then I didn't know what I know now, & was quite intimidated by the thought.

So I decided I wanted an LC-A+. I know that Lomography has built a cult around that camera, but after reading a lot about it I figured it was actually quite a good camera, & not to difficult to handle either.

The big problem then was Lomography wasn't retailing locally yet (they are now ☺) & placing orders with them for film had resulted in me paying absolutely ridiculous customs fees (I paid about 90% on one order!) so ordering it online was out. So that is when Akshay suggested that I buy a vintage LC-A instead. As I mentioned before, I was sort of appalled by the thought of having an old camera (oh how things have changed!)

But I really wanted the camera, so I took a couple of weeks to make my peace with the idea & then started to scour eBay. I zeroed in on one that was unused (showing no cosmetic signs of wear was important to me) & tested. After a couple of hours of tense bidding, it was mine... it arrived a couple of weeks later. (I mentioned it here).

It being new to me, I obviously wanted to test it but I was leaving for Goa with a couple of friends very soon (first time without my folks, I was pretty excited) so I just took it with me, I didn't even carry a digital camera on that trip.

It was easy enough to use - guess the distance, point & shoot! I came back home, gave my film to the lab & hoped for the best.

And here are the results... (these were from a cheap local lab scan, at that)

Lomo LC-A x Lomography CN400

Today these results may not seem so fantastic but they were a real AHA moment for me when it came to film photography. These trumped anything I had got with a toy camera & paved the way for a lot more experimentation with film as well as a lot more vintage camera shopping. That's why this camera is so special to me & will remain my favorite compact film camera.

Love,


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