Took my @me_meraki saddlebag to the Botanic Gardens this morning for a test run. Only a mom of toddlers can appreciate how great it is to have a hands free, no fuss yet beautiful and artisanal bag to run with.
Since moving to Singapore I’ve enjoyed discovering local brands (Singapore and Hong Kong based) with a subcontinental heart. I resonate with @me_meraki mission to revive and sustain traditional Indian folk arts through their hand painted bags and clutches. (They also have vegan offerings!) Check out their evening clutches: they are pieces of art.
‘Memeraki’ is inspired by the Greek word ‘Meraki’ which means to do something with utter devotion that leaves a little of your soul in your work. This alludes not only to the founder, but the India based artists who put their hearts into hand painting the bags.
With slow living and sustainable, ethical fashion a TOP of the mind priority, I pledge to support and highlight the work of more brands like @me_meraki that foster and represent the move towards greater ecological integrity and social justice, while producing one of a kind products to can cherish.
Mask @photophactorysg
Out of the cage. We’re on a roller coaster but screaming in our hearts. Screaming for Lucca, Tuscany. A walled city for people who cannot stand to live anywhere else.
Ti ricordi?
“Artists are some of the most driven and courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day to day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. Every day, artists face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get ‘real’ jobs, and their own fear that they’ll never work again. Every day they have to ignore the possibility that the vision to which they have dedicated their lives is a pipe dream. With every passing year, many of them watch as other people their age; achieve the predictable milestones of normal life – the car, the family, the house, the nest egg. But they stay true to their dream, in spite of the sacrifices. Why? Because artists are willing to give their entire lives to a moment – to that line, that laugh, that gesture, or that interpretation that will stir the audience’s soul. Artists are beings who have tasted life’s nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic, God and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes.”
— David Acker
Image : @studio_medium
I’ve realized being a crusader for happiness is not only not realistic but not entirely truthful and can be harmful to your mental health. I choose acceptance. I’d rather be a crusader for acceptance of the entire confusing, beautiful mess.
Image @itsmieltara
MUH @makeupandhairbychandnisahu
First shoot in months. I thought I’d be rusty but shooting author headshots with @itsmieltara was breezy. And it was a pleasure to meet another cancer survivor, Mumbai transplant, all round sweet soul and creative talent @makeupandhairbychandnisahu here in SG.
Thanks ladies! Of course we shot in my home, and since we all have delicate immune systems, proper protocol was top of the mind. Cheers to more camera time and conversation as COVID cases hopefully flatten and we slowly leave the circuit breaker phase in our rear view.
Don’t tell me you’re not having a whiff of nostalgia? In deconstructing the past, we see there’s something moving and flowing, and something that’s just present. Can you feel it? That stillness remains as we cycle through all our selves and experiences. Make friends with that.
Image from one of my favourite shoots for @bazaarindia
Shot by @colstonjulian
MUH @aclairebeauty
Swan lake. This morning.
#botanicalgardensingapore
Place your hands on your heart and repeat:
.
I’m really here
.
To be the way I am
.
To feel the way I am
.
I allow myself
.
To not have all the answers
.
To not have it all figured out
.
It’s just me today
.
Imagine
.
There’s nothing wrong with us and we were the favourite children of existence
.
Courtesy my teacher @nithyashanti
The girl of twin beliefs is a totem goddess who combines sameness and difference. Past and present, she mediates between human and spirit. She is a restorer of singularity, revealing answers through dreams and visions, making things and people whole.
What’s your soul dream?
Text via @_airdrome_
@kochibiennale @preetasukhtankar
Balloon artist? Yes, it’s a thing. I love this Portland based guy @blcksmth so I guess this is a homage to wisdom and hot air.
Feeling a bit topsy turvy? Me too. ‘Lil pick me up arrived today from @biodermaindia @biodermasg
Thanks for topping up my skin care needs at a time when my skin is dry and irritated by excessive air conditioning. Particularly excited for the #sensibioh2o makeup removing micelle solution that’s paraben-free and soothing on sensitive skin. I know how well this product suits my skin both on and off set. Fragrance free and hypoallergenic means it’s easy on your whole system.
#Bioderma #Sensitiveskin #atodermintensivegelmoussant #atodermultranourissante #photoderm
I tried water skiing once in the Caribbean but couldn’t manage to stay up for even 3 seconds so while my way cooler (and more competitive) friends sped away on foamy waves, I got into a conversation with one of the boat men about tax havens and how no jet lag is the mark of a good conscience. (Which doesn’t say much about me.) I had a lot of time to ruminate on these things while the sun set, as unbeknownst to me, my free wheeling friends had already docked and were ordering rum at an expensive bar.
This is one of the many ways in which I’m not cool, but emotionally deep and rarely embittered by being left behind. Because, you know, sunsets and stories are my thing. You can keep your keto’d quads and SeaWorld moves for yourselves ✌🏼💕
Life was so much more romantic before I had a credit score. Still haven’t filled out a single excel sheet thus far and that’s my enduring badge of honour.
#putthatonyourcv
Form might not be perfect but hearts in the right place.
Also, I’m so cool.
Taken in one of the 18 homes we’ve lived in over the past 4.5 years.
#nomadicnomad #unfetteredbyearthlyconventions #evendiplomatsdontmovethismuch
Don’t tell me you’re not having a whiff of nostalgia? In deconstructing the past, we see there’s something moving and flowing, and something that’s just present. Can you feel it? That stillness remains as we cycle through all our selves and experiences. Make friends with that.
Image from one of my favourite shoots for @bazaarindia
Shot by @colstonjulian
MUH @aclairebeauty
Don’t tell me you’re not having a whiff of nostalgia? In deconstructing the past, we see there’s something moving and flowing, and something that’s just present. Can you feel it? That stillness remains as we cycle through all our selves and experiences. Make friends with that.
Image from one of my favourite shoots for @bazaarindia
Shot by @colstonjulian
MUH @aclairebeauty
Betting the weather will hold out until I finish walking through the Healing Garden. Sometimes you need to walk into the storm not away.
#Singapore #strongmedicine
Words travel. Living vicariously through #ClosetotheBone
Have you heard? Close to the Bone will be published in North America by @doubledayca
Click the link in bio to pre-order 🙏🏼
Repost from @amituckeredout using @RepostRegramApp – Internationally acclaimed #performer #philanthropist #author and #publicspeaker @lisaraniray does not shy away from a challenge. With a career that spans three decades and several continents, this #trailblazer has a reputation for taking on issue-orientated films with courage and grace.
The two of us get a chance to play catch-up after 18 years (I basically was a #chaiwallah 🍮 on her movie set) and talk about it all. From her first taste of public attention, to working in #bollywood in the 90’s, to how serendipity has really played a major role throughout her career.
We talk about how all the unexpected turns in her life, including her #multiplemyeloma diagnosis, led her to completing her memoir @closetothebone.book (preorder now👏🏼), and her plans to continue writing in the future.
From #motherhood to breaking it down with #govinda to pet names for our hubby’s, we pretty much cover it all. Let me tell you guys, I would be a chaiwallah for this fascinating woman any day.🙏🏼
Episode 25 out today! #subscribe #rateandreview #youcandoityaar
#closetothebone #memoir #author #southasianwomen #trailblazers #bollywoodhollywood #indiancanadian #topchefcanada #4moreshotsplease #arrahman #water #kasoor #actress #model #activist #motheroftwins
Thank you @thehonestcritique for sharing your thoughts and review of @closetothebone.book
This is a celebration of my talented new friend Namita Moolani Mehra of @indianspicebox
Her gorgeously produced cookbook decodes masalas and everyday Indian cooking along with her personal insights and stories. It’s a casual, fresh, sassy and warm spin on traditional recipes, like Namita herself. A beautifully packaged spicebox accompanies the recipes and she pays it forward by partnering with organisations in India to feed kids.
Namita is another third culture kid whose perspective is informed by living in Nigeria, the UK, India, the US and now Singapore- I’m sure that’s why we get along so well. I also love that she left a successful corporate career to pursue her passion.
@indianspicebox #femaleentrepreneurs #futureisfemale
Repost from @labelpratham using @RepostRegramApp – |An exhilarating moment
•
Arrival of a scintillating red packet twirled around it, a beautiful note and a precious gift, a book named “CLOSE TO THE BONE” by Lisa Ray, an actor, author, supermodel, philanthropist, social activist, television & theatre personality and not to forget a warrior.
An unflinching and a deeply moving journey of a brave woman.
•
We would like to Thank you, @lisaraniray for bringing a smile & ray of hope in our lives, which would surely inspire us fight and survive the current pandemic.
•
A must read for all..
Welcoming my first @s_e_h_e_r_s
I’ve admired her work for years. Thanks to an artist led charity auction (#InItTogether) to support relief efforts during COVID-19 in India by @fica_india I’m pleased to be the custodian of this enigmatic woodcut monoprint, until I can pass it on to my daughters or for others to appreciate.
In this time, I’m reassessing my passion for art and collecting. I feel it will evolve into something more inclusive. Just not sure what shape it will take yet.
