Gratitude Journal: Week 25

Posted on June 24, 2019

It finally feels like a home out here. Cinco has been doing well with his aunt/human. I get complaints that he found multiple patrons who feed him and let him into their homes. Well, that kid knows his way around human hearts. I envy them all. I thank them all for taking care of him.

The door knobs around the home for helping my clothes dry till my line dryer arrives. The movers haven’t got here. The lack of stuff has become a normal. We are living out of a carry on. We cook, clean, do laundry, go on bike rides, exercise, eat a plant based diet, tend to our plants, ….. Life has been good. Can I really live this way ? Its quite liberating to know that I am capable of finding joy and being productive without “the” stuff.

This book for making me more empathetic to women in general. Patriarchy is not going to un-do itself by itself after all.

Materialism :

This sweater.

This pink mug.

These shoes.

Reading :

Hermann Hesse, On Trees.

I want to grow up to be like a humpback whale.

A first : Asian woman driver.

Cobblers teaching us about quality of shoes.

Infinity of small things, not scrapped minimalism.

The engineers arrive on Tumblr.

Women Ft Strength.

This podcast on forgotten women from our history.

Buy Till You Die, models to assess your consumerism.

One woman’s experience dressing up in the tech industry.

Gratitude Journal – Week 23

Posted on June 8, 2019

Source : “Mama tried” series by Hobbs Photography.

We moved and are recovering from the ordeal. We thought we made it easy on ourselves by hiring packers and movers, but they messed up. We wont get our things for another 15+ days. Sleeping on the floor and living out of a carry on hasn’t been easy. I packed some shirts and jeans. To my surprise, the work place has a business casual dress code. Everyone is really well dressed – which should have made me giddy with joy, but has been making me a stand out for the wrong reasons. The silver lining to all of this – is that I get to order some new second-hand workwear clothes so that I have something to wear till our boxes get here.
Leaving Cinco behind has been breaking my heart slowly and steadily. I doubt if there is a silver lining to this story, but to know that he has moved in with his aunt next door who adores him, has been a source of comfort.
I am very tired. I get to sleep it off over the weekend.

Materialism :

This bee hotel.

This monkey.

This ‘boys can’ poster.

Reading :

Leave it to the Onion to say it.

Plant blindness.

This travel journal.

Are we masters of our destiny ?

Sustainability, is no longer enough. We need regenerative.

“The wealthy — when not focusing on enhancing their wealth and extremely high-footprint consumption — generally appear to be overwhelmingly more interested in elite disaster preparedness than fighting climate change.”

Should I tell my employer that I have automated my job ?

This interview of Sushmita Sen, my role model growing up.

Gratitude Journal – Week 21

Posted on May 28, 2019

We are celebrating our last weekend in California. I have 17 humans + 1 cat staying and sleeping in my home currently. The chaos aside, it’s been emotionally charged. I usually don’t like large gatherings. I like intimate conversations and introverted gatherings. This one is an exception. To have all these folks willing to sleep on my living room floor, community cook and be zero waste for the weekend, made me very happy.
I am leaving the Silicon Valley. There is wealth here and with it, comes material excess. While I can point fingers, I also owe it to the disposable culture for feeding my second hand shopping habit. I picked up a second-hand vacuum cleaner and room heater to take along when I move. Thank you for decluttering your possessions and letting me have them.
I decluttered a little, to help me get ready for the move. It forced us to hold every single thing we own and ask “why do we need this? ” The subtractions always give me a temporary high, a sense of relief and a feeling of lightness.
I finished cataloging the garments in my closet. Seeing, touching, photographing, writing about them – helped me find some peace. I usually always want something. Or am looking to get rid of something. Making a catalog helped me find a state of stillness. It helped me find contentment.
Banksy’s Venice in Oil. I am forever thankful for the art and artists in my life.

Materialism :

This bamboo lamp.

This green cremation start-up.

This mending project.

Reading :

Little house on the Prairie.

How to create a serene home.

Meet Youheum. When Spirituality meets minimalism, a human like her arrives on this planet.

Holistic commitments to sustainability Vs superficial tweaks : On Greenwashing.

An Epicurean life. ( This video is a good 101. )

Forgotten role of the women who studied at the Bauhaus.

Earthworms accelerating climate crisis ?

Carbon

Too Small to Matter : #11

Becoming a Herbivore…

There is no skirting around it anymore. It is time and I am ready for this transition. I used to be vegan. Why ? My baby sister committed suicide and the sorrow drowned me. Every time I saw leather / meat / animal products, it reminded me of the suffering. I got the true taste of death for the first time. I did not want to impose death upon any living creature and derive pleasure out of it. I quit cold on that day. That phase lasted for 3 years. I think I eventually started craving chicken biryani and became an occasional meat eater. I want to become vegan again. This time, I want to do it for sustainability. Some information first :

Going vegan is the best choice. I can’t do it today. But with gradual improvement, I can get there. As a start, I am blacklisting the following :

With sea food, here is some information :

I would like to black list the following.

A transition period ?

2 meals per week or less, that contain meat. Aim for zero.
Eat for health, not to satiate the animal impulse. Between impulse and response, there has to be choice.
Re-assess in 2020.

These are achievable targets for me. I have been at it for a while now. Other than my weekly chicken biryani, I haven’t been eating meat. I dislike dairy in general, except for ghee. I sometimes make myself a fried egg if I am low on energy to cook. All in all, I am no longer afraid. I have hid under the umbrella of “less meat” for a long long time now. “Less” allowed me to do what I please, compare myself to the hyper-consumers around me and pat my back for making meager adjustments. Mathematics is the language of the universe. Numbers hold the truth while words can offer a refuge. I would like to honor the goals I set out for myself.

Gratitude Journal : Week 20

Posted on May 20, 2019

“A quiet sculpture in my precious place. When you turn your eyes on there, nothing to do with what happens around your body or the movement in your mind. The outside world is shut down and time to face yourself.” I am forever thankful for the existence of art in my everyday life.

Finished a few chapters of Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life. Mark Twain once said, “It’s not what we don’t know that gets us in trouble. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so”. Thank you dear book, for existing and being accessible to me.

Got to try out a hybrid between beer and sparking fruit juice. It was so bad that it was good. A group of adults grinning after every sip – is priceless.

How we treat our earth is in line with how we treat our women. Extracting resources from Earth that she can not bear, is in line with making a women produce offsprings against her will. Made a donation to ACLU. Am thankful for folks defending my right to choose.

Materialism :

This haori coat by Atelier Delphine.

Illustrations for book lovers.

A forest chapel.

This hand grinder.

Reading :

Thoughtful, Refined, Simple.

Seasonless fashion.

Plant based replacement to fossil fuel based styrofoam.

The poem MS Merwin wrote for his death.

Farewell to A Détacher.

American presidential candidate Jay Inslee’s climate plan.

Norwegian Sweater Detective.

All the fanzines by Fashion Revolution dot org.

When an astrophysicist turns his gaze upon coffee.

Taking Stock : Coats

Posted on May 18, 2019

What do I know ?

I used to write another blog. In one post, I once singled out a coat of mine and declared it the toastiest coat ever made. I even went ahead to give advice on how to layer for the winter, to my readers. This March, I wore it to the East Coat and was cold. Looking back, what a joke !! Give me a year in New England, and I will have enough to say about winter coats in general.

Double wool coat, black, Celine.

“I have two advanced degrees, a job that challenges me, a man I love, an elderly dog and a Celine coat. I have everything I desire. I can die now but want to wear my coat for the next decade.”

This is what I said out loud when I got my bid accepted on Vestiaire Collective. ( That place is a treasure trove for the ones who want to dig. ) I used to read a lot of advice from French Women on how to build a closet. One article said “spend as much on your coat as you would on a car. This is what you will wear for the next 10 years.” I think I took it all too seriously. Incidentally, when my car got totalled after an accident last year and I sold it, I think the French Ladies prophecy came true. I made exactly the same amount of money as how much my coat costed. I would trade a car for beautiful clothes any day and walk + take the train everywhere ! There, now you know me. It served me well for the maximum winter, California has thrown at me.

Mauve wool-cashmere blend, Stella McCartney

Sans le bein le beau n’est rein.

The strides Stella McCartney has made in the field of sustainable fashion is impressive. Makes a beautiful thing even more beautiful. She makes clothes for women who don’t have boyish figures. She grows her own sheep for the wool and uses recycled cashmere and puts it together in solar powered factories. She has got my heart.

Mauve is my fav accent color. It pairs well with the blacks, grays and blues in my closet. This color was my ex-navy blue. 8 years ago, I only wore mauve and black. It’s now my ex that I am in good terms with and can handle in small doses.

Cotton Trench, Stella McCartney

This is my everyday cardigan.

Why this catalog ?

Sustainability is the art of living a glorious life while staying within your planetary bounds. To know if I am staying under, I need to be comfortable with numbers and the science.
I have been browsing winter coats like an animal on prowl. I quite don’t know what I need since I haven’t experienced the harsh winters yet. If I buy my coat in the summer, it’s cheaper. But if I wait till the winter, I will have the time to know more about the location. All in all, I think I should buy one puffer coat on the second hand market.
Gratitude. To have these many good things, is a privilege. And hey, I found them all second hand in black-swan-ish bidding accidents !!

Gratitude Journal : Week 19

Posted on May 13, 2019

Seeing the plants thrive. This is the magic of adding home made compost to the soil and watering it with gray water from washing rice/sink. How did zero waste benefit me, you can ask. On the surface, it’s made my life harder. Embracing the normal would have been the path of least resistance. But seeing the natural world around me enter into a symbiotic relationship, is worth it all. “Mottainai feels like sacrifice at first. Then it feels like the only way to live.”

I made a rice pilaf for dinner. He really liked it. I didn’t. When asked, I was honest about it. His reply : “my wife put so much effort into making this food and it’s delicious. You wrote it off in a second. I wish you didn’t”. This man practices gratitude in reference to me and our relationship. Perhaps romance should be measured in these sentiments, not the jewels, the words or the grand gestures.
I discovered a mending community on the blogosphere. They are necessary in my slow fashion journey. There are the antidote to every marketer who tells me that I need more stuff to find happiness and success.
My ex-roommate Jo and I set up a video chat date for every Saturday morning. Due to the climate crisis, we decided not to fly to make the rendezvous. The next best thing ? Teleconference regularly. I am going to do more of this with all of my friends.

Materialism

I am in a love hate relationship with a pair of burgundy oxfords. The “hate” comes from boredom. There is always a shinier pair of shoes that I want on my feet instead of these ones. This pair refuses to age. I can wear them for the next five years straight, without needing another pair of shoes. But I want other shoes. This is a case of investing in quality but not valuing the dividend. This is a case of growing food in your backyard but not wanting to harvest the produce. My goods are made in tune with slow fashion but my mind is still in attuned to fast fashion. The “love” comes from realizing how gorgeous and well made they are. I put them on, and it’s love. I take them off, and I wish I didn’t have them. Then, came along a style muse. Her name is Carolina Ventura. Why do we have style muses ? My answer : To re-invigorate the joy one gets from ones personal style. To provide inspiration when you are in a style rut. To give ideas on pairing clothes you have but got tired of. To help you see the extra ordinary in the garments that you own, but have become ordinary to your eyes. I see how she wears her pair. Its made me want to wear my pair more often.

Our chess set. Keeps a healthy competition alive between him and I.

Reading

Enrolled in this course.

This free course on Permaculture.

Olive oil soap.

The image of a revolution.

Soil, not dirt.

Dealing with mental health issues from the climate crisis.

What is a minimalist fashion brand ?

Love.

“… nothing has threatened our ecologies more than affluent consumer culture, by which I mean us: the flying and driving, the eating of meat, the buying of things that we don’t need”. Scientists now resort to begging the 10% of population to let the rest of us live. How am I supposed to feel gratitude ?

Taking Stock : t-shirts

Posted on May 9, 2019

T-shirts are a recent style addition for me. I only wore shirts on top of pants for the last decade. Why ? Not sure. I managed to convince myself that t-shirt made me look sloppy and unprofessional. Maybe they did. T-shirts belonged on the off duty models and their prototypes with boyish figures – I ruled. Two years ago, I moved to California and this land changed me. I like the laid back and effortless vibe. It changed my idea of beauty in general and the beauty I owe the world. I DONT ! I can wear what ever I like, in-spite of how it looks in the mirror. But to me, design and fit matters. Most t-shirts don’t makes the cut. I have my constraints :

They should not be too slouchy but they shouldn’t be fitted like those baby doll t-shirts either.

They should not be oversized.

The sleeve length should be no more than half the length of my arm. It should never hit the forearm. It’s too sloppy if it extends into the forearm.

To me, the cut of the sleeve is a salient feature. It shouldnt be fitted. It should skim the arm.

The flattery factor of a t-shirt is relational to the proportions of ones upper body. It comes down to the size of your bust, tone of your arms and the flatness of your stomach. Square cut shoulders make tshirts look good. The more rounded the shoulder gets, the more sloppy the t-shirt starts to look. This is the reason I always thought you needed a lot of natural beauty to pull off an ordinary and simple t-shirt. I always picked out clothes with more interest and detail for this reason.

Structured t-shirts have their advantages. Soft and broken in t-shirts have their advantages too.

Holes add to the charm of your t-shirts. When they become the right size, have the holes reinforced, so that they dont get a life of their own and eat up your shirt. I am waiting for mine to gather their holes.

Stripes, polka dots and floral print t-shirts are welcome in my closet. Unfortunately, they are very hard to find.

Band t-shirts, are not for me. I really really like them though – on other people. My husband has a Hans Zimmer t-shirt that I adore on him. I saw the coolest Pink Floyd tshirt in the Alameda flea market last weekend. It was washed black with subtle pink graffiti. It was 5$. In that moment, I wished it was my style.

Activism slogans / brand affiliation tshirts, are not for me. I don’t like people reading off of my body and immediately making assumptions about my views.

In the future, I would like a tshirt made of hemp.

My colors : navy, pink, red, army green.

Accessories to wear with t-shirts : My first choice is nothing. I like the simplicity of it all. With striped t-shirts, I like how they look peeking under a jacket or a sweater. My second choice is a neck scarf. My third choice is a single bangle. My fourth choice is a pin of some sort. I like the #resist pin that I see on Berkley women. I have attended sporting events with my team’s pin worn on top of my clothes.

Some details of my garments :

Left : Size M. Right : Size S. Both fit very differently.

Left : white dyed indigo. Right : Pink in need of a dye with avocado skins.

I didn’t start wearing t-shirts till I found ones that fit me in Everlane. Its incredibly hard to find the right one for your body. Once I did, there was no going back. One by one, they started coming home. Size S is good for layering under a sweater during winter. Size M is the right sort of fit for me. I have both. The fabric is pima cotton and is idea for hot summers.

Uniqlo U does a great structured and sturdy t-shirt. This is the kind I can wear without a bra underneath. This is the kind that softens over time and becomes vintage. This t-shirt gives me smooth lines. There is no fabric clinging over the curves and lumps. The Everlane ones will be worn out in a few years. They are not worth reinforcing when the holes appear. It’s not that kind of cotton. They will become cleaning rags someday. But the Uniqlo ones will stay in my closet for as long as they shall fit me.

Stripes. Neither of these fit me the way I want a t-shirt to fit. One is too short. One is oversized. Sometimes, imperfections need to be embraced because its the need of the hour. They work with high waisted karate pants I own. They work as under shirts. They work. I don’t meet many stripes that are as subtle and low in contrast as these ones, often. This scoop neck tshirt is on my wish list.

Edit : After I made this post, I let go of the t-shirt that is short.

Why this catalog ?

A way to have ‘before’ pictures to record wear and tear of garments as they age.

Writing this got me excited about warm weather outfits.

I am always looking for an excuse to show your guys my indigo tshirt.

I quit wearing t-shirts a while ago under the pretext of “It’s for undergrads. Not for professors”. Any reversal of attitude needs to be celebrated.

A gratitude journal. To have all these good things, is a privilege.

Patina : 4 years, 500+ wears, ~100 washes.

Posted on May 8, 2019

We have entered the Anthropocene era. New environment, new values. I wanted to be the first women’s style blog who celebrates aging of the garments. But as it turns out, the frugal living community beat me to it. They have been wearing the same clothes forever, to save money. The sewing community beat me to it. They have been doing this all along and flaunting their mends. The folks who understand wabi-sabi have beat me to it too. The folks who practice simple living have been doing it too. The folks who practice kintsugi have beat me to it. The folks who wear vintage with pride, beat me to it. Menswear blogs do this sort of thing too. As it turns out, I was reading the wrong blogs and following the wrong influencers. I am reminded that a majority of the human population live a sustainable lifestyle. I want membership into these communities. Introducing my first documentation of wear and tear :

Composition : 98% cotton, 2% elastane. Light weight summer jeans.

Upkeep : Never seen the inside of a dryer. Washed every 4-5 wears.

Worn : Once a week during the warm months. 3 days a week during the colder months.

Status : The fabric has thinned out considerably. They used to be skinny jeans. They are stretched out and no longer meet my idea of good fit. They are currently my lounge wear / yard work wear / cleaning day jeans.

Lesson learnt : These are the best jeans I ever had and currently my fav pair.

On learning to live the 1.5 Degree lifestyle

Gratitude Journal: Week 25

Posted on June 24, 2019

Materialism :

Reading :

Gratitude Journal – Week 23

Posted on June 8, 2019

Materialism :

Reading :

Gratitude Journal – Week 21

Posted on May 28, 2019

Materialism :

Reading :

Carbon

Posted on May 23, 2019

Too Small to Matter : #11

Posted on May 23, 2019

Becoming a Herbivore…

A transition period ?

Gratitude Journal : Week 20

Posted on May 20, 2019

Materialism :

Reading :

Taking Stock : Coats

Posted on May 18, 2019

What do I know ?

Double wool coat, black, Celine.

Mauve wool-cashmere blend, Stella McCartney

Cotton Trench, Stella McCartney

Why this catalog ?

Gratitude Journal : Week 19

Posted on May 13, 2019

Materialism

Reading

Taking Stock : t-shirts

Posted on May 9, 2019

Some details of my garments :

Why this catalog ?

Patina : 4 years, 500+ wears, ~100 washes.

Posted on May 8, 2019