In which Necessity is demonstated to be the Mother of . . .

I realized recently that my handbags keep increasing in size, and my ability to find anything in them keeps decreasing. It is like a black hole or a Bermuda Triangle--things go in and settle at the bottom and I finally end up dumping everything out of the handbag to get to my pen or my lip-balm or my USB. So I made a purse organizer from a placemat I had lying around.

The process is simple. First fold the placemat in half, so that you can see a crease in the middle. Then take the top and bottom sides and fold them so that they meet at the crease. Now line up the items you use on the top and bottom folds and pin in between so that you are creating a series of pockets. Sew along the lines made by pins. Then fold down "backward" along the middle, so that the pockets are back-to-back, not facing each other. Your pocket purse organizer is done! You can add a button and a strip of elastic to bring the ends together, if you like.

I have to say this thing works like a charm. I downsized to a smaller handbag because I can find things easily now.

Cuckoo in the Kitchen

So I finally got around to finishing my daughter's challenge--to add my own captions to Anne Taintor-style 50s housewife images. I did it and added a challenge from me to myself-- get free sounds online, choose a sound effect appropriate to the video, and add it to the movie. DONE! Yay!

Gods Gone Wild

"Gods Gone Wild" is my latest effort, inspired by the work of Anne Taintor. My daughter challenged me to re-do Taintor's images, adding my own original captions. But my process went the opposite way. As I looked through Taintor's site, my mind started bringing up the images of gods and goddesses that I had seen in Indian calendars in response to some of the captions on Taintor, and only then did "original images+captions" happen. Funny how creativity works. As Steven Johnson says, ideas are not like light bulbs turning on; they are more like balls on a pool table, colliding and bouncing off each other. They are born from association and collaboration.

22 Faces

SunSigns and KeyWords

I created this video after making a series of 12 Wordles--one for each sign of the zodiac-- using keywords for them and the Wordle app. I added an icon identifying the SunSign for each Wordle  and selected a color for the background that is tied to the color associated with that SunSign.


This is pretty basic, though. I just found a video tutorial on using Wordle in a more powerful way, and when I have time, I am going to tweak these Wordles. There's a lot more one could do.

Zap Zone Wordle

I love to read the astrology blog by Mystic Medusa. I have my doubts about astrology sometimes (the words "Confirmation Bias" "Confirmation Bias" "Confirmation Bias" float before my eyes) but even when I am most skeptical, I continue reading Mystic for her irreverent, amusing insights and the interesting community that has come together in the comments on her site.

This is a Wordle I made using the language from three of her posts about the Zap Zone (for those who aren't reading Mystic, the Zap Zone is a particular period of time in which the planets transiting the Cardinal signs square each other.) The Wordle turned out better than I expected-- and the best part is: I sent it to Mystic and she liked it too!

Adventures in Amdavad

 This is a map I made for Nate and Salli's website, They Draw and Travel. To my astonishment and delight, it was published on 22 July 2011 in Travel+Leisure Magazine.

Dessert for the Wolf

Of course, you know what the wolf had for dinner-- Grandma-- but what DID he have for dessert? Little Red? Apple slices with peanut butter and marshmallows? Who knows?

They Draw and Cook had a contest for which this illustrated recipe--"Apple Smiles"--was my entry. The entry that got the prize used the same recipe, but was pretty and cute, not cree---eeepy like mine. However, I am sure older, edgier kids would prefer mine --don't you think? 

Tam Brahm Life: Leaves on the Family Tree

Translation for non-Tam Brahms:

"Tam Brahm" = Tamil Brahmin

"Mylapore" = Suburb in Chennai, Tamil Nadu

"Reception line" = wedding guests standing in line to congratulate the bride and groom

"Theriyalai?" = What? Don't you know me?

"Periappa" = Father's older brother

"Ammanji" = silly goose/dork -- BUT it also means "mother's brother's son"



Anyone who thinks I am exaggerating the complexity of relationships and their names in Tamil culture should read this post in which the writer refers to "the wife of my mom's mother's brother's son" and this comic from TamBrahm Rage (this blog has been the inspiration for my Tam Brahm comics!)

Hansel and Gretel: Uprooted

I am told that "Hansel and Gretel," had a huge impact on me when I was a child. I was affected by the story to the extent that it made me cry, gave me nightmares, and had me clinging to my parents whenever they had to leave me home and go out somewhere.

I don't remember all of this, but I think the story must have left a mark, because my illustration is rather nightmare-ish. The fear is not just in the forest, but the in the children who are like uprooted trees, and in their tears, falling like leaves.

Coconut Chutney: A Tale of Blood and Strife

This is a recipe for coconut chutney that I made for They Draw and Cook. I enjoyed learning to use online tools for making a comic.

Grated coconut is now available--thank God-- in the frozen section of Indian grocery stores. You don't have to play the Rock, Hammer, Blender game I mention in the comic.

Seattle: Just Add Water

I am head-over-heels, truly-madly-deeply-and-forever in love with Seattle. What can I say? The trees, oh God, the trees, and the green! "Annihilating all that's made, to a green thought in a green shade." --that was just a line from an Andrew Marvell poem, until I saw Seattle.

"I Believe You Have My Stapler"

The Apple Pachadi: Not Just "How" but "Why"

When Jack Had the Magic Bean Snack

Machado's Map

This is my visual translation of Antonio Machado's poem, "Caminante, No Hay Camino." Some things cannot be mapped. 

Goldilocks and the Three Bears: She's a Cat Burglar, But She's Cute

Tam Brahm Life: Teenager Thiruvilaiyaadal

Translation for non-Tam Brahms:


"Saar" = Sir (the orthodox way of addressing an adult Tam Brahm male)

"Thiruvilaiyaadal" = a famous Tam Brahm movie classic; it contains a scene with a Q-A session between a priest and the God Shiva, in which the god provides spot-on (though sarcastic) answers to the priest's questions on life, the world, people, etc.

"Pirivadhu yenna?" = What are two things that are always in opposition?

"Piriyaadhadhu yenna?" = What are two things are always together?"

Curry Up

Tam Brahm Life: Milestones

Translation for non-Tam Brahms:

"Tam Brahm" = Tamil Brahmin

"kutti/paapa/kunju" = endearments: baby

"kapi" = coffee

"pavadai" = long ankle-length skirt

"dhavani" = an abbreviated saree

"pudavai" = Tamil word for saree

"akka" = Sister

"maami" = Auntie 

Jack and the Beanstalk: The View from the Window

Tam Brahm Life: "Recycling, Tam-Brahm Style"

Translation for non-Tam-Brahms:

"kanna" =  an endearment, like "Sweetie"
"Chitti" = aunt (mother's younger sister)
"Atthai" = aunt (father's sister)

The situation I have described is exaggerated--but not that far from the truth. As a child, I had to make do with "used textbooks" --I can hear you thinking "So what? Students do that all the time!" But it wasn't just textbooks; I had to spend a few days erasing older material in my notebooks from the previous year, so that I could use it again for my current classes! Yes, the money situation was that bad.

On the plus side, I got so sick of writing stuff down and then erasing it, that I began to memorize things. I built a great store of poems, quotations, facts, theories, ideas etc in my head this way-- even today, I have the memory of an elephant.

O is for Obama