The Great Bag Sale! ~ The Paw Printz Bags

Finallyyyy.... say hello to "Paw Printz" 

I had been driving my mother crazy to revamp her website and start using it for her products. She finally obliged, and now I can guide you to her website which can be found here.

If you love Facebook more, you can even check out her Facebook Page! 

In case you're wondering what you should expect from the website & FB page, here's a brief preview of what you can expect. 

These are called Kindergarten Side Bags. Aren't they cute? 

                              Hand Marbled Jewelry Bags - multiple chambers to keep your things in place!

Hand Marbled Pencil Bags... which I can guarantee will fit all your pens and pencils..even if you have twenty different ones!

Checked Side Bags... Move over, mono colors... Colored check is the new thing in town now! 

Hand Marbled Side Bags...of which one has already been sold! 

Checked Single Chambered Toilette Bags... A cute thing to fit your stuff into...

Multi-Chambered Hand Marbled Toilette Bag 

If you liked this preview, I urge you to place your orders with Paw Printz today! 

Just shoot them a mail & they will get back to you at the earliest...

Paw Printz T-Shirts: 

Some of the hand painted t-shirts Paw Printz had made in the past... right now they don't have this in stock. But the collection is being worked on. You can take a look:

And you're most welcome to book your t-shirts today - along with preferred color & size!

So, do leave me comments on what you thought of the products so far....here's hoping you like the venture, and warm regards from our mascot:

Creative Time: Name Plates

So lately, I got into the habit of drawing again...and this time, it is name plates...

And as you can see, I didn't finish my whole name... I was merely experimenting then. With sketch pens and color pencils.

Then my friend and fellow blogger, Swarnali, asked me to make her one as well. When I asked her if she realized it was handmade, she replied in the affirmative. I was a bit worried people would think I was generating it from the computer. But I think the mismatched letters are a bit of a giveaway...

I made Swarnali this one, and she was over the moon with it. Currently she's using it as her cover picture and honestly, I feel so honored because of it.

This last name plate I made today, for a friend. Mostly because there is a 'U' in her name, and I wanted to draw the unicorn.

Ah well, I can see that this is steadily growing into one of my hobbies now. I am quite fond of drawing, and making name plates IS a lot of fun. For now, I think I'll hunt for unusual names. 

If you have an unusual name, please feel free to tell me. I would've to try and make a name plate out of it. But in return, you'll have to follow my blog. :P

In other news, guess who just joined the blog world? My mother! If you wish to read her blog, you can do so, here. 

I hope you all join me in welcoming her back to the blog world. Don't forget to comment!!! 

IndiVine Post: The Character

Taking your cue from the versatile characters in Jacob Hills, flesh out your own protagonists and antagonists to win 20 limited edition Hobbit Diaries. There are special prizes for the best illustrations, poems and character narratives!

Source: Google Images

This would be my 150th blog post, and what a wonderful way to celebrate it. Writing about the thing I love the most in the world: creating characters. Before I begin with explaining my protagonist and antagonist, may I simply ask my readers to let their imaginations flow a little? Because you see instead of creating run-of-the-mill characters, I wanted to come up with something refreshingly different.

Hence, I decided to set my characters in a fantasy land, called Arpelia.(Name courtesy: Fantasy Land Name Generator)

THE PROTAGONIST : Princess Zoya 

The Protagonist: Princess Zoya, 17

 This is Zoya.
"Princess Zoya," she likes to correct, anyone who mistakenly calls her by her first name.
She is seventeen years old, soon to come of age.
Zoya is a sweet-natured and fun loving girl.
She is extremely loyal to her friends, places her family above everything else.
Zoya knows that the responsibility of her kingdom would soon rest on her shoulders. And she has mixed feelings about it. For on one hand, she wants to lead a normal life. On the other, she knows her people are counting on her.
Her normally even temper is tested when her life crosses paths with Prince Arvind's.
They're always at loggerheads, and won't even agree to disagree.
When the Elders propose a marriage between the two, since 'a young girl cannot be entrusted with a kingdom', Princess Zoya vows to go to any lengths to prove them wrong.
She is very bubbly and her thirst for knowledge is unquenchable. She questions her tutors in exhaustion, and every single reason placed before her needs to be justified. Or she simply cocks her head to one side and asks, "Why?"
Although she looks like a Princess out of a fairy tale book, with her dangling ear rings, her off shoulder pale blue dress and her crookedly placed tiara, she has the heart of a lion and the kindness of a mother bear.
Princess Zoya is a very modern day Princess - respected and loved at the same time.

THE ANTAGONIST: Prince Arvind 

The Antagonist: Prince Arvind, 19

Prince Arvind lost his parents when he was fourteen years old. Though he let the oldest male member of the family take the throne, Prince Arvind is the one running his entire kingdom. He is presently nineteen years old, and has come to Zoya's kingdom on her father's request, with his guardian.
Prince Arvind is brooding and has a dark humor.
When he laughs, his beady black eyes glint with malice. His shock of jet black hair has refused to settle down quietly on his head so far.
Zoya has come to believe he doesn't have a heart and he never tries to correct this notion of hers.
He resents it when the Elders propose that Arvind and Zoya should be betrothed to each other, but realizes that it would be a good expansion of his kingdom. So he agrees.
Zoya does not. He is not even bothered by the "silly challenges" the girl keeps coming up with.
Rather he is mildly amused as he keeps emerging victorious every single time.
Arvind is also scowling and seems unapproachable to everyone.
He's just embittered by the twin deaths of his parents, and vows to avenge them as soon as he figures out the mystery of their deaths.
He keeps to himself. Doesn't talk much, and is very guarded about his life.

So, the framework goes thus...

Princess Zoya wants nothing better than to rule her kingdom by herself and become the Queen.
Prince Arvind wants to make sure he is the King of that land.

He is the biggest obstacle in her way, and he knows he needs to make things more difficult if he wants to win...

Princess Zoya is the protagonist in the story, who wants her kingdom.
The antagonist, Prince Arvind, will go to any lengths to keep her from fulfilling that dream.

The Antagonist & The Protagonist of Arpelia 

So, who would your Protagonist and Antagonist be? Tell me in the comments section below! Or take part in this wonderful contest...

This post is a part of The Character contest by IndiBlogger, taking a cue from Jacob Hills on Amazon.

Blogger Contest: The Mia Woman In My Life by Tanishq

For women, work is a form of their self-expression. We are struck by the beauty of such women,by women like Megha in the TVC.

Tanishq invites you, bloggers, to write about one such woman who makes her work beautiful. For whom, it's a lot more important to love what she does, therefore taking work is worship to this worship is fun! Who zings up her presentations with her imagination and colours.This woman could be you. Or she could be from your office, your home or your class-room.

Mia from Tanishq is for such women whose every work is a little nit of her. Light and unflashy, Tanishq's Mia collection suits her to the T. Mia, adds on an already complete, beautiful woman.

Write 2 paragraphs on the above theme and tell us who that Mia woman is in your life:

L: Me with Mummy 1990, R: Didi with Mummy, 1984

After watching the Mia video by Tanisqh, which features, Megha, the only woman in my life who fits the perfect description of the Mia woman is my mother: Indrani Brahma.

She truly is one of a kind, putting her daughters (my sister, Roopsha and I) before everything else. She used to be wonderful in sports and she still loves watching cricket matches (something I have not inherited from her though!) But from her, both my sister and I inherited a lot of lovely qualities. Chief one being able to draw and color our drawings with enthusiasm.

L - Cat Tee painted by my mom, R (Top) my sister, 5, fancy dress made by mom,  R (Bottom): Eagle Tee by my mom.

The cat and the eagle t-shirts which I am wearing in the pictures were not printed, but painted by my mother so lovingly. Because she is a natural born painter but the call of family duties have prevented her from pursuing her dreams. The little girl wearing the white dress and the green crown is my sister, when she was four - five years old. My mother had made that for her overnight, when she needed to be dressed as something in a fancy dress competition. Needless to say, she did win. The little fairy. You can even spy the wings behind her dress. Imagine leaving all these talents behind, just so that she could raise her daughters well.

My mother's two dolls, sitting with the rag dolls made by her.

My mother keeps saying that she loves the two live dolls better than the ones they're cuddling. Would you be shocked if I told you my mother actually made these dolls? Aren't they cute? They were called rag dolls. She did promise to make me one of my size (when I was six), but I guess life got in the way.

Pictures of my mother's window garden, and pictures of us taken by her.

Picture courtesy: Indrani Brahma, My Mother

Two of her other hobbies and passion include looking after her beloved window garden. She does love nature but since we live in the first floor, there's not much scope for gardening. The other one is to take pictures. No wonder my sister and I have two thick picture book albums dedicated to our baby years. Even now, my mother insists on being behind the camera, rather than in front of it!

Besides being a lady of many talents, my mother is the best human being I have seen. She taught me to be brave, she taught me to hope even in the depths of despair. She taught me to sacrifice so that someone I love, could be happy. She did not go to work when we were younger because she wanted to ensure we were well looked after. When she did start working (I was in the eleventh standard), she was a life insurance agent for Max New York Life. She loved her job, and was dedicated to it...and she also bagged awards there.

But now once again, she's a stay-at-home mom. And we all know that being a mom IS a full time job. One of the reasons she's passably under house arrest is also because of Pippo, the cat. My mother is allergic to cats, but because the homeless kitty had come to us in his hour of need, my mother did not turn it away. Now it follows her around like a faithful puppy, and loves posing for pictures she takes.

All pictures, except the one with mummy, were clicked by her. Say hello to Pippo.

My sister and I are very lucky to be born to a woman who really wanted daughters and raised them with the belief, that they could they could achieve anything if they put their minds to it. Perhaps that is why today, my sister is a researcher in the National University of Singapore, and I am pursuing my MPhil degree from Jadavpur University. She never let us think that we were not good enough. She inspired me to volunteer for the NGO, Hope Foundation, where I tutor the kids of the slum dwellers thrice a week.

She is the reason, I keep looking for things I can work on, make better and say, "I might not be that talented, but if I try I can do it." She taught me to never give up on my dreams, and she keeps posting inspiring quotes on my Facebook wall.

Sketch by: Aniesha Brahma. 

Perhaps the reason, why I could draw the sketch above, is that I inherited 5% of what she is.

Mummy... (Top) with my sister, Roopsha & (Bottom) with me!

Long time ago, I had made her a video...and today, I think that video is the perfect tribute, as I end My Mia Woman post.

Mummy, I love you..... In every life, I want to be your daughter. 

Watch, Megha, the beautiful Mia woman in this video: 

This post is written as a part of the Blogger Contest for Mia by Tanishq: http://mia.tanishq.co.in/

IndiVine Post: The Dream Destination

If you could take your family or friends to any place on the planet, where would that be and how would you make your trip the happiest one ever?

For me, my dream vacation would be in Singapore. Not only is the country one of the safest places in the world, but because it is where one my most favorite people in world lives: my sister, Roopsha.

If had to take just one person along with me for the dream vacation, without a doubt, I would choose the one person I love the most in the world: my mother, Indrani.

I have been to Singapore twice before. Once, all on my own, and next time with my mother and aunt. And being there for two weeks and twelve days, respectively, made me believe that this could be a dream destination for me.

The advantage about already knowing the place you're going to visit is that you can plan ahead. You already know the places where you should go in order to make the trip the happiest and the most memorable. Supposing I was to take my mother on a trip to Singapore for a week, here's what we would do:

Day One: Sleep In, Eat Out 

From experience, I know that the first day, even though we reach Singapore around eleven in the morning, we are far too tired to go on any real sight seeing. So it's better to just sleep in that day, and eat at some fancy place outside. Singapore has a lot of places for that to offer.

For example: My sister and I had dined at a place where their specialty was fishes. I do not remember the name of the place, but I do remember it was inside the West Coast Mall.

Day Two: Visit Jurong Bird Park 

If you are fan of nature, then Jurong Bird Park would leave you impressed. Well it certainly left me impressed. With the talking parrot, Amigo, who can sing in three different languages. He can also count up to ten in both English and Chinese. Imagine that. The birds can be downright little showoffs. I still remember the owl rotating its head 360 degrees, in order to impress the spectators. 

What would clearly attract anyone towards Jurong Bird park are the two shows they put up: Birds & Buddies and The Birds of Prey. They are both informative and extremely entertaining as well. The best part is, these shows are not charged. You only need to pay the entry fee to get inside the Jurong Bird Park.

Since I have seen both these shows twice, I can say that they keep improvising all the time. Especially The Birds of Prey show. 

Roaming around, and exploring the different birds in the birds sanctuary would ensure that half of your day gets spend there. After this, I doubt anyone would be up for anything else, except tucking into a good meal and going off to sleep.

Added Bonus: They even let you interact with the birds that perform in the two shows.

Day Three: Sentosa 

Now that you've spent your previous in the world of Birds, be prepared to spend the next day in the company of fishes and dolphins. Oooh, and not mention, seals. And like the Jurong Bird Park, even in Sentosa there is a show where the sea otter and the dolphins show off. You are going to actually want to jump into the swimming pool where the dolphins perform since it is so breathtakingly beautiful. Words cannot describe the magic the trainers and their dolphins create during the twenty five odd minutes of show time.

And you can walk through the tunnel...or rather standing the moving platform, which lets you see the fishes swimming in their natural habitat. Imagine that! You can actually walk in the belly of the water body, where the fishes are kept. After seeing these beautiful creatures, most of us non-vegetarians would have a sudden desire to turn veg. ;)

The only dolphin I had seen with my own eyes before this was Flipper. I was extremely overjoyed to watch this particular show, and I know that my mother, who loves all living things, would simply enjoy this show. Even though we have seen it before...there's something completely bewitching about it!

A closer look at the dolphins at play: 

And can you imagine, that this is underneath the water?? You can stand there and observe the fish in their natural habitat. Now, who wouldn't call this a dream destination! 

And we should not forget the very cute sea seal:

Then we'd come home, very happy and exhausted, and fall asleep...dreaming that we've turned into the Little Mermaid and are living very peacefully in the Under Water World.

Day Four: Shopping!!! Followed by The Night Safari. 

We shall take a break from the sight seeing on the fourth day, and go for a little shopping. Singapore is known for its pretty clothes and wonderful junk jewelry. The best part is, most of the things come in attractive deals...and one of places to shop at in Singapore, in my opinion, is the Bugis Junction. 

If you keep your eyes open, you will surely spot clothes which look really inviting and nice. Most ear rings shops here have a deal that you can take eight ear rings for $10. And they can be of any shape, size, length, color...just $10. People who love clothes and accessories are surely going to go crazy in this place... 

Then after a quick trip to dump off the newly purchased things, we would head off to the Night Safari. If you are going to be in Singapore, this is one place you should of course go to:

There are two trails in the Night Safari, and in my first visit I was misinformed saying that the trail that you have to take by the train, is the same as the one (the leopard trail) we take by foot. They are actually two very different trails... The Night Safari, especially the trail on the train, makes you feel like you've entered the heart of Africa. With the elephants and hippos, and the rhinos and all kinds of animals and with your guide rattling off more information than you can keep in your head! It really is a wonderful experience. And just like the Jurong Bird Park, they have a show called "The Creatures of the Night, which is very enjoyable. To prove my point, here's a map of the place -

A trip to Singapore without a visit to the Night Safari is going to be incomplete. So, we will be sure to visit the place, and make many happy memories....

For obvious reasons (no flash allowed on cameras) you can only take pictures of the human beings here, and take pictures of the creatures of the night in your head. Another sure way to never forget the memories made here.

Day Five: Trying Something New...

Lunching in Arab Street is definitely going to be on one of the days. They do serve the food unique to the Arab culture, and the food is good. Anyone with an interest in trying new food, would like this place.

Don't the clean plates tell you, how yummy the food is there? ;)

I don't know whether this will be my mother's cup of tea, but when I had gone there, I'd quite enjoyed it: The Mind Cafe. They serve you drinks along with letting you play board games. Of course you pay for those vouchers that they have, like 2 hours of board games plus drinks. Just check out the link, if you would like some information for yourselves. I am not sure if there are such game cafes in Kolkata, but it seemed like a very innovative idea to me. That's definitely something unique, and would indeed ensure a very remarkable and happy trip.

Day Six: Universal Studios 

How can trip to Singapore be complete without a visit to the Universal Studios? A theme park of sorts, anyone who loves movies, would love this particular theme park. Especially the show they put up to demonstrate how they depict a thunder storm in New York City. If I am not mistaken, the show is called Lights, Camera, Action.... 

Doesn't this look familiar? It's the icon for Universal Studios of course. This wonderful theme park also offers rather heart racing rides as well. My sister had coerced us into taking a ride called, "The Return of the Mummy". My mother later dubbed that as "The Death of the Mummy." Pun intended. The ride wasn't so bad. In hindsight, I think wolfing down this amazing lunch, was the real problem:

All in all, visiting Universal Studios is really worth every penny...and you even get to take your picture in wonderful settings:

Day 7: Time To Say Goodbye 

The best part about the flight back to Kolkata, India from Singapore is that it's usually at night. Which means you go off to the airport in the evening...and you still have almost whole day to do all the last minute things you wanted to... 

You also spend it relaxing, with your feet up. Taking a break from holidaying happily, and from your daily life by just keeping quiet and remembering the joyous six days.

Now wasn't the trip lovely? 

Even though I have been to Singapore twice, I have my own Wish List for the next time I visit the country:

• To visit the pool on the 57th Floor of the Marina Bay Sands Resort in Singapore:

• To visit Orchard Road: 

• Spend more time in the East Coast Park:

In this list I would added going on the giant wheel, and the rope way, but being scared of heights, I think I'll pass those attractions up!

I have always had a nice time in Singapore...and more than the attractions, what I love best about the place is that my sister lives there....and it is thanks to her, and her husband that I know so much about this country. 

Thank you both! 

You made it so much enjoyable for me to dream up a vacation to Singapore with mummy in tow... 

Happy Holidays to us. 

P.S. All pictures watermarked with anieshabrahma.blogspot.in are property of Aniesha Brahma. Other pictures are courtesy Google Images, and What The Fuck Facts. 

This post is a part of the contest 'Creating Happy Travellers' by http://www.yatra.com/