Special moments

Yes, After spending some nice moments with someone somewhere, what one can do to keep them alive forever in mind and life? Pictures can't be taken, don't even want pics for that matter....ayi yayiiiyai No flash !!

Yaadein in hindi...souvenirs in french...
There is special beauty in those secret moments which are so personal. Only you know they are so valuable for you in that particular time you are living them. I'm glad I have lived them and I'm living them. Which I secretly admire.

Like a picture perfect. I remember of those moments whenever I see beauty and happiness around.
Colza...Sarson, bright Yellow Mustard fields when I drive back home... After rain beautiful sun rays over washed greens....this is what I like and it fills up my heart with happiness and my eyes with something like morning's fresh dewdrops....! so pure n perfect.

My sweet moments......often unexpected, unknown to others....are exactly like this. It's like I hold a secret almirah inside me. Or I feel pregnant with those memories which make me feel beautiful and make me smile. I love you dear ones.

I hate Postal service

Recently I have been bugged by INDIAN postal service.
I hope I'm not wrong, or I hope I'm.
I have been sending things, greeting cards, parcels to my parents in Delhi from France n US ...but they hardly receive things.....THAT CRIVES ME CRAZY.

Other day, I ordered a TSHIRT for my Dad from Internet. I was so excited, coz I was able to design the T myself, with one of my art works' image on it.
I called him asking Papa..now you should have gotten it, a surprise !!
He says..after knowing what it was, " ohhh, now the Postman must be wearing the 'T' and roaming around happily........" UHHH
I hate that. Shouldnt they deliver things correctly ?
Also from NY last month, I sent G-cards for mom's bday......She didn't receive them.

Sometimes we send emotions with them inside..;one shoudnt play.

PS: updated on 2nd May. My dad received the Tshirts... but my Mom not the Gretting cards :(
Why the postal service sooooo slowww ?

Boredom/ Reasons to do things

I was getting bored, was unable to concentrate on what I wanted to do. So thot I will share with netizens, why I came to France.
haha, interesting topic, n'est ce pas ?

Si , my art work was taking inspirations from European impressionists and expressionist artists. I needed more and more to learn about few of those artists, while I was in College of Art ,delhi.
I had a teacher who had been to Paris, a french art school. And I read about many other Indian artists, who were glad to have been a student to French art College ( ecole de beaux arts). Who would not want to go to Paris- a haute fashion city, at the age of 22 , discover culture of wines !! Do I need more reasons.
Now question came, should I ? Will I ? What do I need ? ...etc
Well, learning a foreign language is never a harm. So I started learning french in 2002. Where as the envy to go to France to study started in 2000. While learningfrench too, there were competitions at Alliance Francaise, which I used to win, due to my capacity of writing poems or create things in french and art. So that encouraged me and gave chances to reahc at a good level of french ...for almost free :))

At the end of my BFA in 2004 , I got a scholarship by Spic Macay, who promote Indian art and culture to specially youngs. I worked under Smt Anjolie Ela Menon. She also had to be a student once in France. Now I was more and more sure. I got a positive result from French ecole. Things were going positive in all directions... I got encouragements from my dear family and professors around. I had to miss my friend circle for that...! Nobody around me in my Art College was in any of art colleges abroad. So I feel really privelidged and lucky :))

i.e. I applied to US , UK , France for Masters in Art. I was accepted in US and France. Then decision ....? France came to be more economic and was always my focus.

Yeppppp zooomm...boom baramm PARISSSSSSSSS !!

Also I knew a french guy / artist known to me since 2000, who lives in Paris. Who was a kind of a correspondent for me from India. Thanks to him :))

Away from home

changing a place, going for some reasons, out of your home country.
all alone.
imagine cultural differnces, social differences, inter-personnal and relational differences, formalities, language, food and climate......etc

to adjust to all that takes time and a voluntary effort.
there r alwayd gud and bad experiences during this voyage .
kehte hain na : thokare khane se hee insaan seekhta hai .

from quite a some time, I have been having trying to understand the word' friend', which we tend to use so often.
Expectations, needs, differences, attitude, lifestyle...........!
all that is about life !!
will post more , later ;)

My First Timers..............

Alors,....
Enjoy my First timers, meaning, experiences for the first time, but would remember for the life time ,lol ,and as we say, there is always a first time for everything.

- Got hair cut very short after 8 years..in 2008 .Was carrying long hair since 2000...or more. Lets c if it will harm my Bollywood buisness, hehe kidding !

- Sat beside the director of Ecole d'art in his car,alone with him (lift). Would NEVER do that again ! ( je me retrouvais seule avec lui dans sa voiture)...

- Modelling / posed for children' drawing classes in saree n suits . Their paintings were original,magnifique,they took my heart away.(age 4 to 10 yrs)They never drew and painted 'an indian princess' before( thats what they called me ,seriously ).

- Stayed so far, n longer from my parents. emotionnal challenge.

- Cooked Dal chawal in my Ecole's canteen, which was run by students. (n earned sum pocket money)

- Have an American jeeju.

- Yoga teacher for international students in french.

- First Indian to join my Ecole d'art of Cergy :))

- First secret love affair at the age of 14 :))

- Played a side role in a french feature filM ( with Monica Bellucci, Depardue, Islid lebesco... )

- Had so many Rendez vous' in my Life. (appointments n meetings,agendas..) I felt in demand and responsible.

- i still remember my first conversation in full french with a lady on telephone( i could understand and make her understand myself). I gained confidence for french. Quand je venais d'arriver en france.The moment the conversation ended, I shouted loud out of happiness to my friend who was supposed to help me during talk on phone.I did it alone:)

- Found Indians in France on Orkut :( ,lol)

- Teaching bollywood dance for the first time in my life. Never thought before in India. In France, people want to learn indian dance. ( same case for yoga).

- Learnt SWIMMING in France, without a professional guide, in 2005. I learnt through Friends only in Two days. bRavo à these girls !!

- Have an apartment (while student) with a Balcony :)

- I have been modelling too for photographers......what gr8 fun !
www.swati.jepose.net

Everyone passes by this state of mind, when one feels lonely, needs to be assured and told that is loved...
and then I was listening to songs, and came this one : yeh safar bahut hai kathin magar, na udaas ho mere humsafar ! film 1942 love story.
Cheers !

Masala

I love cooking ,it has started since 2 years.
For myself, friends and...check out !
I have cooked for around 25 people in my College canteen/Ecole d'Arts in france!
in case u wanna come and try my food. Menu : dal chawal , lentilles !

j'en ai marre des epices Madras hot curry !! why m i saying that frustrated ?
I bought a masala in Indian street : gare du Nord, ( south indian quarter)
it said coriander...means Dhaniya in hindi? ? I used it for cooking ,dal ,aloo sabzi etc. Beleive me ,it gave a bitter taste ! Sorry to say, but since then I am afraid to buy any local masala packet from this Market....i think they are meant for Dosa curry ! I dont know how to use this spice ?
MDH masale zindabad, save my life !

Indian uncle jees: Namasté

Why , I dont know !
Each time it happens§ with me here..
This time I was with my cousin bro, showing him around Paris.
There at Arc de Triomphe( resembles Indian Gate), saw many indian tourists.
They heard that i was telling my bro about the timings of monuments and planning day !
One Uncle ji asked : Hello, U know what time shops /shopping close here...
I told them, 6 ya 7 baje tak !!HE was with another Uncle ji.
They both got interested in me , looking over me from the height of 6 +feet..
Then they started shooting. My bro sat aside ,enjoying fresh air under the sun .
Uncle jis asked, so since how many yrs u r here, what do u do here. When i said, Fine arts. Laughingly he said " oh ya ya Of course, That explains why u r here " .
Where u r from ? Delhi,Uncle ji.. Ohh I have been to Delhi many times.
Where r u from Uncle ji : Bombay. ohh ! i see .
D o u know some good indian Restaurants here in Paris.......
I know one here, other here...etc...gave addresses ! (i shud become agent)!
Then He asked ,where in Delhi ?? Avoiding telling, I said : NORTH WEST.
HE guessed right man : rohini.
THEN was the LIMIT. I called back my cousin, saying : come ,we have to go now !!
Then I fought with my bro, having left me alone with Uncle jees.. HE said : I understood when they started asking Qs..that they would not need me at all, but needed you.
(May be I should not continue to answer them...i learnt).And brother's duty to save his sis, acc to Indian traditions ??

Who am I ...

This blog of mine will answer all my questions..like why should i write this bolg, when where ,and how for whom !!!

One thing is there, it is going to be in all the languages that I speak , so pardon me ,if there are few codes !!

Oui, English to French !!

when i was working in Louvre Museum, everyday i left behind me thousands of visitors...
Hearing how well fluent i was in english, a french speaking man, asked me 'vous parlez francais ?' : do u speak french ? In his own country,in the reputed rich french museum the poor guy had to ask that to a employee...to seek help in buying his ticket. i was surprised, so i asked him " who ? me ? yes of course !!"
this is nothing. once i was helping a french guy out with his ticket thing (this time in french ofcourse), and someone called me from behind," excuse me.." actively i replied 'yes?' the same FAQss..!!
Having satisfied this visitor ,then when i came back to this french speaking guy in front of me, i continued with him in ..guess what? !! in english forgetting we were talking in french..
"ya, so Please insert 10, 20 or 5 euros..try these !". man said "yes, i am "..then with a pause of few minutes he asked me " mais pourquoi vous me parlez en anglais ?" ( but why the hell was I talking to him in english suddenly)
ohhh!! Not even aware this silly girl continues..."did i speak english with u ?" Man replied " Oui, vous avez dit ...please try these euros for..." !! Oh i apologized !!I was about to explose in a big laughter, but i controlled. I said "oh je suis désolée , mais ca arrive ". Working all the day with much more of my english brought me to this situation. Actually I was very happy ,after such a long time I was gettig to speak english freely and with Britishers, americans, australians and....Indians !