Tag: A-Z Blogging Challenge (Page 2 of 2)

Precious Lapidary!

April 13, 2023 / / 0 Comments

I am hoping against hope that none of my readers ever heard about Lapidary, especially if you are from India. (I am being extremely preposterous! It is better to teach something new and unique, which, lesser number of people have heard of, than talk about stuff people already know.) If you are a Geologist or a person who takes particular interest in stones, then you might know what Lapidary is about.

Without much ado, let’s get into L for Lapidary.

Lapidary is the art of shaping stones into Cabochons or even faceting precious stones . Lapidary involves cutting, grinding and polishing stones or gems.

Cabochon Gemstones – Dome shaped at the top and flat at the bottom

If you are a fan of any kind of diamond jewellery and if you especially love diamond solitaires, you probably know that there are different kinds of diamond cuts. Each diamond cut has a different number of facets. Who makes the cuts? A Lapidarist does!

Diamond cuts and different facets

The best kind of diamond cut is the Round Cut. It is also the costliest cut too, since the shine of the diamond increases manifold, thanks to the round cut.  The second best is the Radiant Cut.

***Flash back begins***

The state of North Carolina is famous for its Amethysts. During our stay in Charlotte, Mr.Bee , I and D (Mr.Bee’s friend) went mining at Emerald Hollow Mine, during a weekend.  I should say, that was the most fun I ever had. What with Geology and anything related to stones,rocks or gems being my favourite. Each of us bought a bucket of dirt taken directly from the Emerald Hollow Mine. We were given tools, we sat near the sluice and had fun washing away the dirt in water to reveal beautiful gems. I found myself a number of tiny Amethysts and a 3 inch Agate.  There is also an in-house Lapidarist and I got myself a silver Amethyst ring made (they shipped it to my address, after a month or so) and an Agate Cabochon.  That’s when I came to know about Lapidary.

***Flash back ends***

If you ever go to Gem stone mining areas and if at all there is a Lapidarist nearby, do go and shop for your heart’s content.  That is what I did at Chimney Rock, North Carolina. I got myself a beautiful blue Topaz ring. (I swear by gem stone rings. I collected quite a few of them during my USA stay. Gemstone rings are popular there, unlike in India, where we mostly run after gold and diamonds alone.

Do you love Lapidary so much? If so, why not buy a Lapidary Bowl? (In India, you can get these from Jaipur, the unofficial Lapidary capital of India!)

Rose Quartz Lapidary Fruit bowl

P.S:

  1. The other hobbies starting with L are Landscaping, Listening to Music and Letter Writing.
  2. While we were at the Emerald Hollow Mine, I could only find tiny Amethysts, but the ring I got made was from the Amethyst Mr.Bee found. The Agate Cabochan was made from the Agate I found.  Yay to me, for getting two gemstones!
  3. Russian Lapidary is mostly about huge bowls made of rocks. Inlays done on stones also comes under lapidary. Go ahead and check it out, if you want to know more.
  4. Till the next post, cheerio!

Flying Kites

April 13, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Do you like flying kites? Have you ever wondered who invented a kite and when!

Let’s learn more about K for Kite Flying.

Kites were invented in Asia and kite flying and kite fighting are both good hobby ideas. There are many benefits in kite flying, one of them being, we get to spend more time outdoors!

A girl learning to fly a kite

Usually, the kites with a long flowy tail is used for kite flying. But if you want to win in a kite fight, you need a kite, who has no tail and whose control line is abrasive (called manja), so that it can cut the control lines of other kites.

Manja and kites for kite flying

The above said kite fighting takes place mostly during Makar Sankranthi, as most Telugites know! (Sometimes, there is also music in the background, snacks overflowing on the terrace, when two gangs from opposite terraces have their kite fights, trying to cut each other’s kites off.  Youngest in the gang will generally be the chemcha, carrying the Manja reel around, for the main kite flier)

Makar Sankranthi – A kite flier’s dream festival!

There are many different kinds of kites.  The octagonal Bermuda Kite, bow shaped Bowed kite, box kites which can also be used as flying lanterns and man- lifting kites.

Types of Kites

Man lifting kites are the ones mostly used during para gliding and para sailing.

Para gliding and Para sailing

What are you waiting for? Go ahead, get into some kite fights during the festival season. If not, go to a tourist location and use the man lifting kites and enjoy para gliding and para sailing!

P.S:

  1. During our January 2018 trip to Gujarat, a kite festival was underway at Ahmedabad. The two wheeler drivers had special contraption on their vehicles to stop the manja kites from getting their necks! At first we didn’t understand its usage. But then the cab driver enlightened us of its uses and that is one hell of a jugaad technique!

Avoid Manja – Jugaad

Manja of the fighter kite tend to cut deep and cause severe injury and in rare cases, death. The contraption is a brilliant add on for the two wheelers.

2.  Though Hot Air Balloon rides don’t come under kite flying, it is still a pleasant experience. Mr.Bee and I flew in gas balloons twice. Once at Pigeon Forge,USA and  our second was at Hunter valley, Australia, when we flew above valley full of Kangaroos.

3. The other hobbies starting with K are Kayaking, Karate, Karaoking and Kick Boxing. Till the next post, cheerio!

Sculpting the Ice

April 9, 2023 / / 0 Comments

As you must have guessed, this hobby post I am blogging about has little relevance in India, thanks to it being a Tropical country! Only the people at the tip of the Northern India have any semblance of continuing this hobby! But there is no harm in learning more about Ice Sculpting.

So, let’s check out, I for Ice Sculpting.

Ice sculpting is all about sculpting naturally formed or artificially made ice. It is also one of the most temporary kind of art form (Ice melts away, isn’t it?)

Ice sculptures made of clear ice look like crystal, more like Swarovski crystal!

Cupid ice sculpture

The ice sculptures made of clouded ice look something like this, resembling snow.

Ice sculpture-China

Ice sculpting requires tools like chisels, hand saws and hair dryers and is mostly taught at culinary institutes and schools. Clear water ice, which is free from impurities is used for sculpting. Frozen rivers are generally cut into blocks of ice and used in the sculpting.

The sculptor must work at top speed if the sculpting is not being done under cold climate.

International Ice festivals and sculpting competitions take place around the world.  Basics of Ice sculpting are sometimes taught at the Ice Festivals.

Ice Sculpting is also a part of Winter Olympics, not as a sport, but for showcasing the talent.

Wait! Did I mention Ice Hotel, in Sweden? Yup. If you ever visit Sweden, go ahead and check out the Ice Hotel where you can even stay for a night or two! (There are around 20 such hotels around the world. I just mentioned one of the oldest.)

What a beauty!

India also boasts of an Igloo Stay at Manali. Why not plan a night stay?

P.S:

  1. Ice Sculptures are also used as decorations at wedding receptions. If you are not happy with just ice decorations, why not go the Phoebe Buffay  way and marry during a snowfall! (A silly FRIENDS fan here!)
  2. The other hobbies which start with an I are also related to Ice, they are, Ice Skating and Ice Fishing.

Till the next post, ta-ta!

Let’s go Hula Hooping!

April 9, 2023 / / 1 Comment

If you are into fun filled entertainment along with exercising the body, Hula Hooping is a good choice.

Let’s start about H for Hula Hooping!

A Hula, which can be made of anything from plastic or wood or even pvc pipes for that matter, is the main component of Hula Hooping as the name implies. The hula is twirled around the neck, torso or limbs, like wheeling. It can be a good hobby for both children and adults.

Kids – Hula Hooping

In olden days, people from circus would do most of the hula hooping. Now thanks to the ‘fitness revolution’, it can be done by anyone. The most important advantage of hula hooping is that it strengthens the core, which naturally leads to a slimmer waist and also hips.

I was always interested in watching Rhythmic Floor Gymnastics and that was where I also saw hoop being used as a prop , apart  from balls, clubs and the ribbon (which is my favourite). Thanks to the rhythmic gymnastics, hula hooping is also an Olympic level hobby!

Girl performing rhythmic gymnastics with hula-hoop

For the more adventurous people, there is also the fire hula hoop variation! Although I am not recommending it for people who have no proper knowledge of the risk involved and the safety precautions that need to be taken. 

Fire Hula Hoop

 

Are you looking to start hula hooping already? Check out the post about the Hula Hooping beginner’s guide.

P.S:

  1. The other hobbies starting with a H are Hacking, Horse Riding and Hammocking!
  2. You may have an idea about Hacking, because most of us have had atleast our FB profile hacked, it is advisable to try ethical hacking! I am not advising you to be hackers, who go against the law! There are ethical hacking courses too, for interested people.
  3. I initially wanted to blog about Horse Riding, because it is one hell of a stylish hobby to have, thanks to English shows like Bridgerton . You can even go for polo matches and all.
  4. Wait, I forgot to mention what Hammocking is! It is the hobby of the lazy souls of the world. It is the act of setting up a hammock at every possible location and resting!
  5.  As usual, I take no credit for the images in the post. Till the next hobby post, cheerio!

Gardening with Gusto!

April 7, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Do you have a young child or toddler at home? Do they love playing with water and manage to drench themselves wet? Do they also like playing with mud and don’t mind the occasional insect they come across? Good!

Gardening is an excellent hobby for such tiny tots.

So, for G let’s go with Gardening.

Gardening is the process of laying seeds, watering the plants and taking care of them either on ground or in pots. Gardening is a useful hobby to have, because no amount of cooking is complete without herbs and growing your own herbs can be so gratifying.

If you don’t have enough place for gardening, you can at least install a Herb wall in your kitchen or utility area like this…

Herb Gardening on the wall

If you are more invested in this than an average person(and have deep pockets), go ahead and get yourself a smart monitoring technology for your kitchen garden inside the cabinet! Something like this….

Smart Monitored Kitchen Herb Garden

Look how stylish the good old gardening has been given a makeover.

So what do you say? Are you up for some gardening experience?

P.S:

  1.  Gardening should be part of the school curriculum, just like that in Western countries. I wish we had something like this during our school days! (I don’t take any credit or the images in the post)

Ms. Appleberry with her students Cody, J.J, Rico, Nina, Cece and Bella – The Cocomelon Gang

2. Although gardening is therapeutic, it comes with its own set of problems, like the insects which keep ‘guest appearing’ in our tiny gardens. It is upto us to march them out of our plants!

3. I know a couple of doctors who swear by gardening and grow quite a lot of plants on their terraces and balcony gardens.

4. The other hobbies which start with a G are Geology (my favourite subject of all) , Glass Blowing, Gymnastics and Graphic Designing. Wait for the next post, cheerio!

Start Fencing!

April 7, 2023 / / 0 Comments

If you have always been interested in movies about fierce kings and competent queens, who fought for their loved ones and their kingdoms, if you loved watching the epic sword fight sequences in movies, then Fencing may be the right hobby for you!

Let’s learn about F for Fencing.

Fencing is a combat sport, which involves sword fighting and is also an Olympics recognized sport. Although it is not popular or widely known in India, it is an interesting sport. You will need safety gear and a sword for Fencing.

There are three types of fencing swords and the target areas differ for each.

There is also a French connection with Fencing, since most terms used in the sport are French. (I only know Touche, Allez!) I have come to love the sport, thanks to the Korean Drama Twenty Five Twenty One, where the main female lead is a world famous fencer.

If you have a new found interest in fencing, why not try watching some old Olympic matches to learn more about it. Or better yet, go ahead and watch the K-drama too! (It is an absolute favourite of mine. It has my favourite Korean actor Nam Joo‑hyuk as the male lead.)

P.S:

  1. India has a lone fencer, C. A. Bhavani Devi, who represented India in 2020 Olympics. I hope the sport gains more popularity.
  2. In Tollywood, during the Golden Era of superstars, there was an actor  who was famous for his sword fights in movies! He was Katthi Yuddham Kantha Rao. In almost all his movies, he would surely have a sword fight scene with the main villain. (He acted mostly in fantasy movies, with kings, Naga Kanyas, magical super villains etc)  Kantha Rao and Rajanala sword fight sequences were very popular in early 1900s. This has little relevance in a post about fencing, but I wanted to give Kantha Rao an honorable mention, because he was under rated in the industry.
  3. The other hobbies which start with F are Fishing, Flying Kites and Figure Skating. But I picked Fencing for obvious reasons. Till the next hobby post, cheerio!

 

Entomology

April 6, 2023 / / 3 Comments

I hope you have read the Hound of Baskervilles, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson? If not, go ahead and read. If you have, you may know what entomology means! The prime suspect and the villain from the Hound of Baskervilles is an entomologist, Jack Stapleton, who collects butterflies in the novel!

Let’s learn more about E for Entomology!

Entomology is the study of insects. It is a branch of the more popular Zoology. (Zoology is not going to be the topic for Z, I have something else planned out.)

Although Entomology is listed as a hobby here, it can be taken up as a serious profession because, entomologists also solve crimes! (Only see the video below if you are not disgusted by insects.)

The most common way to pursue this as a hobby is participating in insect identification.

Mr.Bee and I had visited the American Museum of Natural History, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and walked till my feet were sore on the way back to our hotel. It is one of my best memories of our stay at USA.  Even in the  National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., United States there is also an Insect Zoo.  Both are worth a visit.

Many might not know, but entomology frames are also sold, for people who like collecting insects, like butterflies. (Don’t roll your eyes. Different people have different interests)

Entomology frame of real butterflies, preserved through taxidermy

In the broader sense, entomology is also related to bee keeping,  to study the bees and how they act as pollinators. Now with the near extinction of bees, this has become an important part of entomology studies.

Although looking at insects and studying them for long may not be everyone’s cup of tea, studying insects does help a lot. Have you ever wondered where the scientists get ideas from?  Doesn’t a centipede remind you the functioning of a train? Doesn’t a dragon fly show you the similarity between it and the planes during the initial days of aircraft invention?

A fast flying dragon fly inspired Aircraft design

Go ahead and study the insects, if deducing the secrets of nature is your point of interest!

P.S:

  1. The first time I ever saw an entomology frame of butterflies was in a game called Seeker’s Note, where we need to search for some objects before the time runs out. Even simple games teach us new stuff, you just need the eye for observation!
  2. Since this is a post about insects, I didn’t want to gross out the readers who are sensitive. So I have refrained from posting any questionable pics, except for the video, for which I have already given a fair warning! By the way, the opinions and deductions in the post are mine alone.
  3. The other hobbies starting with an E are Elephant Polo, Endurance Racing, Equestrian sports, Embroidery and Engraving.

Till the next post, ciao!

Charming Decoupage!

April 6, 2023 / / 0 Comments

If you really really really really love anything that looks remotely vintage and classy, then the French sounding Decoupage is the art for you.

Let’s go ahead and get acquainted with D for Decoupage!

Decoupage, is the art of decorating any boring and plain object or furniture, with paper and applying layers of varnish, (more than the thick makeup some actresses apply!) to make the layers of paper seem like it has been painted on!

An example will explain it better….

Design transfer

Do you have old steel boxes or wooden boxes ? They can look something like this, after decoupage!

Old boxes look like heirloom after decoupage – Done by S

Since my post is only about A-Z hobbies, I don’t go too deep into the topic, but leave it for specialists. So if you want to learn the art, check out this website for more ideas.

If you are sick of old glass jars or even mason jars, go ahead, decoupage and reclaim them as pieces of art worth showcasing!

Mason jar decoupage

All you need are some beautiful designed rice papers, old objects and some mod podge. Get ready for decoupage!

P.S:

  1. If you would like a little more challenge in your life, go ahead, combine Candle making and Decoupage to make beautiful decoupage candles. They look something like this…

2. All the images that have my logo on are the ones I got from my sister, who is into decoupage too! (She has all her fingers and toes in number of pies. Its a given thing, to most creative and artistic people!)

Decoupage on old glass jars – Done by S

All the images which don’t have beeafteryou written on them have been freely lifted from different websites and they are not my own.

3. In pottery too, we have a technique called design transfer which is similar to decoupage. We can transfer beautiful designs onto freshly made pottery, before sending them in for firing. I have never tried this though!

4. The other hobby ideas starting with a D are Doodling, Dancing and DJing.

Till the next post…cheerio!

The Art of Candle Making

April 6, 2023 / / 1 Comment

The life span of a candle is less than a day, in spite of that, candle making is a time taking and painful art form (if you are into handmade stuff,  with unique shapes).


So, C for Candle Making.

The process is quite easy if you are making a plain candle. The wax (is sold either like chunks or granules) is melted on a stove through double boil technique, wax crayons of different colours are added for the required colour, moulds are well greased, wick is placed and molten wax is filled into the moulds. Voila, you have a candle!

Pillar candles and a flip flop floating candle made by my sis.

Proper precautions need to be taken while boiling the wax, as it is a safety hazard. Even breathing the fumes can be dangerous for people with delicate constituency, so proper precautions are required.

Chunk candle – Made with chunks of coloured wax

The art of candle making is vast and it depends on ones creativity.

Rose shaped floating candles – handmade

So, the next time you want to gift, why not try some aroma candles? Your friends will thank you.

Scented and coloured gel candle

P.S:

  1. In olden days, Candelabra was used to hold candles. Even now they are used, but for special occasions.

2. Candle Making and Carpentry are the two hobbies starting with a C and even though I tried my hand at carpentry thanks to my  Engineering background, I am blogging about Candle Making, thanks to my sis S, who learnt it in her college and is still pretty serious about making candles.

3. The other hobbies starting with a C are Calligraphy(one of my favourites) , Canoeing and Cheese Making. Until the next post, ciao!

Baking is fun!

April 4, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake baker’s man,

Bake me a cake as fast as you can,

Pat it and roll it and mark it with a ‘B’,

Put it in the oven for baby and me!

so goes the rhyme….that is how much fun baking can be, if you put your mind into it!

B for Baking….

If you search the net for the definition of baking, you will know that, baking is a process in which cooking is done using dry heat, like that in an oven or cooking on hot stones or even hot sand. (I remember when my mom used to make yummy Osmania biscuits, which she baked on hot sand and fed us poor souls! She loves to cook, so I have tasted many varieties of dishes and that has made a picky eater like me into a complete foodie. Thank you Amma.)

Thankfully, baking doesn’t only mean cooking in oven or on hot stones and sand, it can also be done through steam, called steam baking and our own pressure cookers are the perfect examples of that. You can even buy Steam Oven if you are invested in cooking healthy!

But it is difficult to talk about baking and not to mention French Bakers and their breads.  While we lived in Charlotte, NC, USA, Mr.Bee and I used to visit a French Bakery Amelie, which always had a heavy inflow of customers, coming for their chocolate eclairs and croissants. Although I didn’t mind eating there, I still missed the curry puffs from our Desi bakeries, back home! I love their bread, though. Never seen so many different shapes of bread and I found heaven on earth. (Bread makes me salivate!)

Anyway, baking is a good hobby. I managed to bake a cake on GBee‘s third birthday, during peak COVID lock-down, with the help of Mr.Bee. I decorated it with crushed Gems, because GBee loves them, like a lot!!

The cake may not look like it, but it was yummy. We made it with bourbon biscuits, thanks to my friend K. (Even Marie biscuits can be used to bake a cake. They are Indian alternate to Graham Crackers)  Even though the cake had a wonderful taste and vanished into our mouths an hour after our baking, GBee hardly had a spoonful. He hates cakes. Even now, he only eats the chocolate flowers or balls which are used on top of a cake for decoration, but leaves out the main cake!

Now that I think about it, Mr.Bee baked me a cake, a year into our marriage.  He made it from scratch, moulds, multi purpose flour, whisking, baking in oven etc etc. (we were in USA then) I think it was a chocolate lava cake or something. Thank you Mr.Bee, once again!

Mr.Bee made the cake, topping it with my favourite fruit, strawberry.

So, have you even tried baking as a hobby yet?

P.S:

  1. Cooking in a Tandoor (clay) oven to make naan comes under baking.
  2. The French bread that I love is the Wheat Stalk bread, which I had at the Venetian, Las Vegas. (That might be because I loved the place as well!)

3. I love watching MasterChef Australia. It taught me so much. Although I don’t cook most of what is shown in the series, I enjoy watching chefs exhibit their creativity.

I also love a webtoon, Gourmet Hound, which taught me so much about French Baking!

Let me add Li Ziqi in the mix! She is a Chinese vlogger, whose videos I watch, which promote healthy traditional way of living.

4. The other hobbies starting with a B are Barbecuing , Badminton and Body Building. I have a long list of hobbies to post, so there will be a windfall of posts this month. Till the next hobby post, cheerio. Oh, do check out all the links in the post, if you want to go deeper into the topic. Au revoir my French bread loving friends!

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