La Tour Eiffel et moi – Take 2

Wait–wait! Before you jump to the wrong conclusion let me just break the news to you all.

YES!!! I am obsessing over Eiffel Tower alot but no I am not in love with any French guy to come to this point of insanity. I am simply having awesome free time at hand and a blessed season to do anything I like and want. My mind is BOOMING with creativity! And out of the many things that I am doing these days for fun, this tops the list.

Ya-ha-hoo! I am drawing and creating my honest version of art. Mum thinks I’m dying over La Eiffel tower, trying to get the sketching right but I think am just trying to live my dream of travelling the world and city of lights through these sketches, that I do daily. I cant explain in words, the joy I feel inside while doodling. Its like I am actually there, the details of the picture, the angles, the turns, the measure, the colors. It all makes me feel like I know this place. Like I am there. Alive and kicking!

Ahh! I wish I get to travel the whole  world Universe. Till then, Let’s enjoy this newly found hobby.

I created this miniature Eiffel Tower first thing in the morning. 

Then I ruined it accidentally by introducing colors in the picture : ( I just wanted to look it elegant but I forgot I am good at bizarre art only. Elegant and neat sketching is not my cup of tea with biscuits made of chocolate.

I went ahead and classically ruined the piece more. Giving it multiple dimensions.  Artist’s mind, you know.

And then I did the most amazing thing. I actually created something good out of the sketch of sole structure. Thankfully, I had scanned the sketch of the miniature Tower before using water colors on it. So After epic-lly failing at color scheme. I transformed my Eiffel Tower sketch with a bit of digital magic using Pic Monkey.

Tada! I created this !!!!!

 Amazing, isn’t it!  So amazing. Alhamdulillah! The way we can play with sketches using software and the way we can learn to create more new things and grow more in the field of arts. Its amazing. I am actually personally in love with this version of the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to add something more but then could only find these birds cum chicks to settle on the trees.

I feel like I can turn it into a post card – both digital and print form – with some extra doodling. What do you guys think?

Oui?

Eiffel Tower and me

Minus the tensions, It’s a lovely day. Rain is pouring down. I’m loving the weather. And I have grown fond of drawing.  I love. Love. Love drawing things now to ruin the perfect architectures with my  tilting lines. Here’s my first ever sketch of Eiffel Tower. And I am kinda proud of it you know–given the case history of horrible sketching of mine.

 Please ignore the top antenna thing which is absent. I ran out of paper space for that. Enjoy the rest of the structure. It was pretty technical but easy to draw. The hardest part was to sketch straight lines here.  Pray I get better at it.

However, the really great progress has been on my hand writing. It has got slightly better or should I say , “READ-ABLE!”

 

And I had to use picture monkey to draw some digital hearts and fireworks with this.

Typically, Paris-ish.

Outdoor Cafes in Lahore & Around the World

Outdoor cafes are fun. 

Cultures of  various famous cities and the specific feeling attached to their environment is what attracts tourists towards them from around the world. Whether its Venice , the city made on Island or Paris, The city of Love. These are just two names I gave you. Of course there are plenty of different places you visited or plan to visit , or just dream about due to their specific nature. 

Let me tell you what I’m interested in when am thinking of a journey. Street food. And Outdoor Things. Yup!I dig for streets. Architectural beauties, Buildings and monuments are also of course significant for any fantastic place but let’s just say, cleaner streets and the vibrant walls of the city is what makes me go mad with awe. Definitely because that’s what I usually don’t get to see in here. That’s right. I meant Lahore. It’s about Charming, artistic and attractive Environment! It shouldn’t be like you have to eat in 5 stars always to value and praise the city and actually like its food and living quality. All the charm a city has to offer to tourists and its own citizens even, must be out there in the streets. Right there! Not in PC’s Bukhara or Avari’s  Buffet.

We have a phrase that goes like, “Jinney lahore ni wekhya O jamya e Ni” Loosely translated as If you haven’t seen Lahore, son! You haven’t even been born yet. We have a food street that’s dedicated to food and even though its a great thing but I never felt comfortable there. In fact I have some issues. Some things are super expensive there because that’s the only food street in Lahore. Secondly, It gets congested at times. Well more like all the time. Thirdly, Women usually get teased there. I mean, its more like a family oriented place. Its not a place where you can hangout with friends or hangout with even your brother. Plus The business there is opened at nights only I guess. No morning dining or fun. There are also come cafes I believe which are great to look at but way too expensive and confined to only areas like M.M Alam road, DHA and Gulberg etc. Moreover, they are hardly outdoor ones.

What I’m saying is, Why such beautiful food active street  is confined to one big area. Why can’t we have outdoor cafes and restaurants all over the city? They might not work in Summers but hey, they can be fantastic during winters season! So….!

Dear people who plan all these city things,

Please upgrade the city to a fine food friendly and outdoor dinning one. If the government is buying Turkish dramas, regardless if they promote Asian Turkish Muslim side or European Turkish Muslim living styles, please pay attention to what’s really healthy for us Pakistanis and can be adopted as a cool living pattern. I mean, Outdoor cafes for instance. It would make people indulge in nice recreational activities, help them develop a taste for a “zauq dar” life, Enjoy food and who knows it may also develop a sense of cleanliness in them. I mean if they like it, they would at least stop throwing garbage on the streets and keep it clean.I have visited Istanbul and they have the coolest outdoor cafes which are not only economical but also make the streets , the bazaars, the entire city look so beautiful.

Look at that! Such a tiny congested outdoor sitting setup but hey! Look how beautifully they are making use of the tiny space and giving you an opportunity to enjoy food in open air.

Simply beautiful. Good place for any newly weds or even an old couple to enjoy an affordable romantic meal. (Why should only 5 star places provide romantic space?)

Okay! Now that may not look like a romantic space but it’s at least still reasonable and pretty.

And this one’s a beautiful place. You can look at the Eiffel tower standing tall at the left side. I wonder how lucky those people are who sat right there on those white chairs and enjoyed a beautiful evening, right beside a world famous Tower. Ahhhhh!

Vibrant ! Mesmerizing ! Pretty !

Note: I donut own the pictures presented in this post.

The Problem with the world is “Me”

I don’t know where to begin where to end. After long moments of Joy — comes silence. Then hits Remorse. Grief. And finally nothingness before a new beginning. It’s still the same. The cycle is same for me. I feel my heart sinking.

This morning I woke up with a frenzy. A madness to visit Paris. Am all excited for the trip but then I don’t know, Like it’s God’s way of balancing the things by creating chemical imbalances in our emotions. My excitement is squeezed down to shame all cause I saw one picture — this picture of a small boy getting beatings from the cruel men. And I am left sulking in my corner – by the lamp shadows — feeling guilty for the crimes of others. Can we enjoy ourselves, go our ways and spend money on extravagant trips when there’s so much more productive work we can do, help we can offer to those deprived? I know the world has its order , poor — rich! All created by God in design but I don’t know. I’m feeling guilty for the crimes of others. As if I’ll be judged and questioned, where and why was I partying when the other half of the world was dying.

The City of Love.

 

Sometimes I think about Paris … and wonder why do people think about it at all.