Memories

Got this idea from my mission trainer MARIE's blog and well thought it was fun, so here goes....Here are the directions:


1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!


2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

Romika's Wedding poster

My good friend and workmate Romila's sister is getting married next month. Hindu weddings are huge!!!! With pre wedding, wedding and post-wedding rituals that can take several days and even weeks to complete. As an onlooker these events are so much fun as there are alot of laughing, joking and dancing.....dancing like Bollywood movies. But it can be very tiring especially for the bride-to-be from heavy outfits, to henna and tumeric.....by the time she finally gets married....the poor girl needs a holiday to relax!
As such the bride's home is decorated with an assortment of things. One of the things needed are a welcome sign that gets put up next to the front door of the the home. This sign (these days like a poster) shows the bride and grooms name.....just incase you forget who the bride is marrying....nah I dont know the full reason behind it....so I had to do one for Romika. Here are picts from start to well almost finished, I had Romila take it home and add more glitter to it before putting it up.

BUBBBLLLLEEEESSSS!!!

Like all kids my daughter just loves bubbles...to the point where I have to buy a little bottle everyweek for her. Why I just dont buy a big bottle?.....no thanks, I kinda like the bubble free week days thank you very much. Plus, when she gets tired of blowing bubbles but still wants bubbles, guess whose turn it is to blow bubbles? Mama's!!!

If Noesheen had it her way, that little bottle of smelly bubbles (good kinda smelly like bubblegum and strawberries) would go everywhere with us!

Here are a few pictures of her having fun with her bubbles.....oh and she figured if she turned on the wall fan, and held the bubble maker right she could get nice big bubbles too....and she needn't bother me for it too! You can imagine I was so delighted at the discovery.

But bubbles are just a great entertainer for my little one..

Gratitude

Noesheen spent most of last week sick, which meant throw-up was in and appetites were out. Nothing scares me more than when my child is ill, but I am so grateful for the power of prayer and the priesthood. I am also so grateful for a child who has so much faith that when her spirit picks up she exclaims, "Mom, Jesus made me better!"
I am so grateful to be mother of a child, who even when she is ill will pray for all her cousins and other members of the family who are also unwell....then she will pause after pleading on their behalf and say, "and bless Noesheen...she is very sick"
Some times I think I am learning more from her, then she is from me. So when she runs around church, won't sit through the entire primary class and would rather sit in the adult Sunday School class and sits facing the back of the chapel instead of the front during sacrament so she can prop her drawing book on back of the pew....I try not to get soo frustrated and remember what my Dad always said...."Each child is different...you need to teach then according to their style"...I just take a deep breathe and say..."thank you for such an energetic, full of faith child"

Sherneez's Birthday!

It was my youngest sister, Sherneez's (or neez as we call her) 16th birthday this last Sunday. We had a little get together at my mom's place and pigged out! I was incharge of the birthday cake, and because I was so busy on Saturday I had one of friends make the main cake while I baked the cupcakes. So what Neez got in the end was a chocolicious experience, a main cake surrounded by 16 choc cupcakes with a candle each. Noesheen had fun as well and suggested that we add stars to the cupcakes and smarties to the cake, which turned out to be a wonderful idea!


















There was method to my mad color combo for Neez's cake...I told her that she should never forget as she grows up about who she is, her roots and what she was raised to do, think and act. I also joked with her that she had to have go on 16 group dates with 16 different guys before she could date steadily! It has been amazing to watch this little girl grow up, she has a unique personality of her own. She is also such a fun aunt, Sheen loves to go to church with her and hang out with her.

Sheen had so much fun eating all the decorations and stuffing her face with cake, like all kids she was made for birthdays! Only one drawback though, my camera went flat...before my other sister arrived and so I missed all the other shots!

But here are some pictures of Sheen, Neez, my mom, myself and my brother's daughter Ciara.

My growing portfolio

Although I studied Fine Arts at College, I feel that part of me has been asleep for the last couple of years...just recently I have felt....."a great awakening" so to speak. As a result my rusty fingers have slowly and honestly quite unsurely re-opened my tool box, dusted off the cobwebs and started to .....close my eyes and let my imagination go! and then i wonder...why didn't i do this before! So this new Simi....the neo-simi! as a part of her awakening ritual is parading...sort of like a peacock i guess...some of my pieces. Some them were completed while I was college and others recently. Let me know what you think. I will keep putting completed stuff on my blog...I think it will help me keep churning out stuff and refine some skills. umm having said that, please excuse the bad photography aye...lighting in my work space is not that fantastic neither is my camera. I am getting these mat framed, afterwhich I am hoping to have my photographers at work can take some clean shots.

This one is called the HEAD DRESS...completed while at College

color pencils on paper

"CAUGHT IN THE HEADLIGHTS"

there is a funny story behind the name...I had a friend enter this in an exhibition, up til that time I had not named the piece, so when she was faced with the dilemna of filling in the entry form, she came up with the name...and well I have used it ever since...lesson...enter your own pieces!

ink on paper

"WAIL"

mixed mediums, pastel and ink on paper

"HAAT" or THE HAND

ink on paper

Completed at college

"THE WELCOME"

When it comes to traditional Indian weddings there are over a hundred rituals, the new brides welcome into her in-laws home is one of them. After topping over a little brass pot of rice she steps into the home and into this tray of red dye and leaves red foot prints on the floor as she walks into the home. Interpretation???? you guess.....

pastel on paper

"WOMB"

mixed medium oil paint and inkk

FUN tiMeS with Sheen!

Not too long ago, my great friend Arti came to visit from New Zealand, and sorry no pictures (I have a memory lapse and forgot to take some), but we had a grand ol time catching up and just laughing at what good times we had at BYU Hawaii.. Before she left she got Noesheen this 3D mould and paint set, thinking that Sheen would enjoy it because...well coz her mom is an artist. Noesheen did enjoy it sooo much...in fact the painting part was her most favorite thing to do. Uncle Simon (my brother) and I would make the little animals for her (she would of course help mix the plaster and pout it into the molds) and Noesheen went to town painting them. I didn't restrict her and let her have her fun, as a result the animals are a colorful splat of colors. This was soo much fun! But alas because all the animals would change their colors everyday, we are out of paint! Now she is eying my set of paints, and it is a little harder to explain to her that there are some paints for kids and some paints only for mommies! Thanks again Aunty Arti for a fun gift!