Thick Paint

I consider myself a beginner when it comes to painting. I hardly took any painting classes, so I don't have any training in what brushes to use or what kind of paint to use. All I know is to pick up the brush and paint whatever comes to my mind.

If you are looking for a quick and easy painting, then this is for you! You need a canvas of any size, two or three of your favorite acrylic colors, and a mop paintbrush. This is a very simple project, so I don't think I need to go into details. Although, before your move on to the steps, you may want to paint a base coat of a neutral color such as orange or peach.

Let's begin!

First, add blobs of your favorite colors in the four corners and in the center like so:

Then, starting with one of the corners, take your paintbrush and paint in circular motions making spirals in any whichever direction you want (i.e. horizontal, diagonal): 

Finally, paint the edges and let it dry. You will end up with a nice showcase of paint strokes. I absolutely love the thick paint sticking out in paintings. This happens when you take generous amounts of paint. (Note: you can sprinkle glitter on the painting while it is still wet to add a sparkly effect) 

Ta da! Done in three simple steps: 

This is going to go on my washroom wall, but you can add it to any room you want! Be sure to try bright colors, contrasts, shades, etc.!

 

Sometimes the least effort transforms into pretty neat results :)

People of India

Visiting India after thirteen years was an amazing experience! I hardly had any previous memories, except that of my house and school from when I left at the age of eleven. I went back with low expectations. To my surprise though, every part of my trip went above and beyond what I was expecting. 

I visited five major cities in 13 days; Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kochi, and Bangalore. Obviously, I met a lot of people! Some people made me feel happy. My cousins who could hardly walk thirteen years ago, were all grown up and going to college. My aunts and uncles had grown old, yet they hadn't changed much. They still loved me and cared for me like I was a little kid. 

However, some people and their way of living saddened me. Such as our tour guide in Delhi, female construction workers in Hyderabad, security guards in Mumbai, and employees of our resort in Kochi. At first, looking at them made me feel like they weren't happy with their lives. As I got to talk to some of them and get to know them better, I realized that they are completely content. 

They are content with their lives; their income, their possessions, their jobs, and their way of life in general. This made me wonder whether or not I am content with my life. Despite having countless blessings, I complain. Do I really have a reason to? 

I think it is time I count my blessings. Care to join me? 

Green Swiss Fusilli

If there is one thing I cannot say no to when it comes to food, it's pasta! I always order the 'Garlic Noodles' at P.F. Chang's or the 'Seafood Alfredo' at Olive Garden. Pasta is a regular meal at our house. 

I usually cook dinner with some kind of meat, but sometimes for a slight change, I stick to my vegetarian dishes. I am not the kind of person that can strictly follow a recipe, so I develop the recipe as I go along. This is just another one of those spur-of-the-moment recipes which turned out pretty tasty! 

I used the following ingredients: 

* 3 cups of fusilli pasta

* 1/4 cup of butter

* 1/4 tsp grated garlic

* 1 green pepper

* 1 red onion

* 6 okra

* 3 slices of Swiss cheese

* 1 slice of cheddar cheese

* 3/4 tsp salt

* 1/2 tsp pepper 

* 1/4 tsp paprika 

* 1 tsp of lemon juice 

* 1/4 tsp orange zest

* water to boil pasta

The quantity of these ingredients may vary according to your taste preference. 

Step 1: Dice the vegetables. 

Step 2: In a pan, melt butter and add garlic. In a pot, boil the pasta. 

 

Step 3: To the butter, add vegetables and sauté on medium heat. 

Step 4: Once the pasta is boiled, drain the water out using a colander. Note: Do not overboil the pasta, or it will become mushy. 

Step 5: Add the sautéd vegetables to the dry pasta in the same pot. 

Step 6: Add Swiss and cheddar cheese. Keep mixing lightly. 

Step 7: Add salt, pepper, paprika, lemon juice, and orange zest. 

Step 8: Give it a toss and serve with some garlic bread. You can alter this recipe with your favorite vegetables and spices. You can add potatoes and tomatoes for more flavor. 

This typically serves 4, but it all depends on how hungry you are! Enjoy! 

Today's Writers

I was reading a book by Kelly Gallagher called 'Write Like This'. It is a great book filled with lots of ideas on writing with a purpose. It is great for high school teachers and college teachers alike. I especially like the section on reflective writing where Gallagher gives great tips on getting your students to reflect.

Gallagher also compares students 30 years ago with today's students. Who were better writers? Are we too wrapped up in preparing our students for the state test while neglecting to actually make them better writers? The answer maybe yes and no. 

Yes. There is more pressure on teachers to have their students meet the state requirements while benefiting their overall school scores. Teachers are so busy preparing their students for the standard tests that they squeeze out the fun from writing. 

No. With so many bloggers on the web and social media as active as can be, clearly, students are writing and expressing a lot more now than ever before. 

I always get inspired by writers who have come a long way from where they have started. All thanks to a good English teacher they had back in school. Luckily, I always had great English teachers. Did you? Leave a comment.

Bookmark holder

Collecting bookmarks is a great hobby if you enjoy reading. I had a ton of bookmarks that I had accumulated since high school! 

I wanted a nice way to display my collection in my home office rather than just dumping all the bookmarks in a drawer. So I went to the local grocery store and bought a dozen mason jars. I thought of organizing all my itty-bitty things in these jars. 

Several decoration ideas came to mind and the following is just one of the many displays. Just using some paint, glue, ribbon, and scrap paper, I put rogether a colorful bookmark holder!

I have always loved mason jars in my pantry, but now I use them in my office too! Which room is next? Leave a comment below! 

Crushing Candy

We have all done it. Some of us got to level 10, some 100, some 300, how many levels are there anyway? 

This artistic image simply depicts how colorful this game is. Personally, I love playing the game because of its use of color. Crushing the candy and hearing the amazing sound effects was soothing at a lot of stressed moments. 

We all need some kind of go-to activity during tough times. Don't we?