Category: Deal with it

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Why go to China for a great wall?

The wall art you pick personifies you and by extension, your home. Here’s a handy guide to what’s new in the world of wall art.

The chicest homes are those that add deft touches to the décor such that each room and each element in it makes sense in conjunction with each other. A lot of this has to do with visual symmetry – and most of the flourishes you can adopt come from wall art.

Here’s taking a look at five of the hottest wall art trends you could consider for your home:

1 Geometric shapes. There’s something young and quirky about geometry, isn’t there? Imagine a framed wall art piece featuring nothing else but concentric circles, or a line of squares. Apart from lending quirk to the wall, the piece becomes a conversation starter (‘Oh, that’s…interesting,’ ‘Yes, we love having random triangles on the wall…’) and a focal point for the room. We suggest leaving the rest of the wall bare if you have a big bold geometric print up there – the print can get overpowered by competing patterns in the vicinity.

2 Bohemian designs. You might want a more free-flowing wall art to reflect the boundlessness of your own personality. Have you considered buying an unframed canvas with floral patterns, or wavy coloured lines or even the picture of a cute little girl clutching an even littler puppy? Bohemian chic was a major talking point last year, and we anticipate that the trend will continue this year.

3 Wallpapers. Before you cringe and say, ‘People are still doing wallpapers?’ you might consider that when we say wallpapers, we don’t mean the shiny ones with the cloying patterns on them. You can get wallpapers in a matte finish and you can also have them customised. Just imagine an awesome bedroom with all the walls papered to show floor to ceiling bookshelves. Or one wall that is a montage of your favourite family photographs.

4 Paintings against black walls. Most people wouldn’t paint their walls black, but then most people wouldn’t know the stark beauty that black walls provide. A matte black wall becomes the perfect backdrop for a brooding painting or even a cheerful photo frame. It lends an air of sophistication and mystery to the room, though you might consider painting just one wall black instead of all of them.

5 Stripes. Striped walls were a major trend about two years ago, but the style has now evolved to bold blockish stripes inside large framed wall art. You can break the pattern with a photo frame or a wall clock – this accentuates the stripes even more. Try this: create a pattern with stripes and intersperse with photo frames. This can become an interesting element in the living room. Plus, you can buy both the framed wall art and photo frames online at great prices.

(Featured image courtesy https://www.hipcouch.com/magazine/6-amazing-benefits-wall-art-home-interior-didnt-know)

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Why your furniture isn’t working properly, and what to do about it

It’s a problem every household around the world faces. Over time, the furniture in the house acquires a dull patina that no amount of cleaning and sprucing up can banish entirely. The upholstery becomes dull. Wood furniture loses its sheen and acquires scratches. Laminate comes loose in shutters, drawers neither open or shut efficiently. It is time to take stock of the ills that plague your furniture and decide the next course of action.

Why your furniture doesn’t work like it used to

It doesn’t do to merely be disappointed about how the furniture in your home is coming apart and/or refusing to operate like it should. It’s time to find out why, and what to do about it.

* It has outlived its shelf life.

Every piece of furniture has a certain shelf life. Some items of furniture last longer than others, such as cabinets and cupboards. But couches and bed sets, among others, will begin to sag and creak due to regular heavy use. Not every piece of furniture will last long, and you cannot expect it to.

* It needs new fittings.

The most common reason for furniture not operating smoothly is that its inner fittings have malfunctioned. This happens mostly with inferior fittings like unbranded brass hinges, ordinary drawer channels, metal rollers that rust over time, and so on. If the furniture in your kitchen is not backed by superior kitchen fittings, shutters and drawers will not operate properly and you must spend extra effort in opening and shutting them. They may even remain ajar and cause accidents and injuries.

* It is overloaded.

Apart from malfunctioning kitchen fittings, do check if you have stored more items in your drawers and cabinets than they can take. Drawers, especially, have a particular load bearing capacity based on the dimensions and material of their make. If loaded beyond this point – think of drawers sagging beneath the weight of heavy pots and pans – then the runner systems operating that drawer begin to misalign. The bottom of the drawer develops a sag and may interfere in the working of the drawers under it.

* It has become corroded due to undetected dampness, pests, etc.

Corrosion and spoilage due to leakage and moist walls is most commonly seen with wood and metal furniture. Water is a highly corrosive element that causes irreversible damage. The damage can go undetected for years if the damp walls are hidden by heavy wardrobes and kitchen cabinets. Rotting wood and rusting metal can impair the furniture’s operational abilities to a dramatic extent.

What to do about problematic furniture

The most obvious solution is to junk whatever furniture is beyond repair or restoration. Indeed, repairing it might cost you more money and time, as compared to buying new pieces entirely that might be of a better quality, thus promising a higher shelf life overall.

Old furniture also imparts an ancient air to your home – this is not ideal, unless it’s a look you are actively aiming for. If you are not, then it is best to do a complete overhaul with new modular items that are more in keeping with new trends and your personal design ethos.

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A helpline for frazzled parents in Mumbai

This unique initiative aims to provide counselling for parents of 2 to 12-year-old children and discuss solutions to behavioural issues.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Raising children in today’s world is nothing short of a challenge. With children more and more entranced by technology and drifting away from their parents, it is becoming impossible to find out if one’s child is battling some private issues or if he needs help in any way.

That’s where a new pilot project aimed at helping such harried parents in Mumbai comes in.

Parisar Asha is a 33 year non-profit registered public trust committed to serve children through a unique learning approach ‘ESAL’- The Environmental Studies Approach to Learning. It was founded by the late Gloria de Souza, an Ashoka fellow with a mission to provide a joyful, holistic and child-centric environment-based quality education to empower children to be creative, sensitive and successful global citizens.

After working in the field of education for the past 33 years, Parisar Asha has realised that parents are also an integral part of the school space and it is also important to look into their well-being for the sustainability of the mission. Numerous close encounters with the parents have helped certain common problems come to the fore, oftne expressed in such terms as “I don’t know how to handle my child”, “I get a lot of complaints from the teacher about his non-performance in the class”, “It is always a tussle to meet our needs but still understanding the importance of education, I somehow manage my resources to send him to a good tuition class”.

These are few of the examples of parental woes that Parisar Asha’s CEO Aarati Savur talks about. She says the list is endless. “So we decided to extend support for these troubled parents by providing them with a helping friend who is always a call away. This will help resolve their problems and provide them with solutions. This unique initiative is known as ‘Positive Parent Helpline’. This is a pilot project, in which Parisar Asha’s expert counsellors provide free and confidential telephonic solutions to all child related issues between 2 to 12 years.

Abnormal behaviour has become a common phenomenon among children who are reared in normal family conditions and this is causing panic among parents. Continuous interaction with children and parents have led counsellors to deduce that often parents’ behaviour towards their children determine the children’s behaviour.   Additionally, environment plays an important part in moulding an individual’s behaviour and one’s personality gets carved based on his/her interaction with his/her physical, social and emotional environment.

The ‘ Positive Parenting Helpline’ is a free and confidential online and telephonic service which can be availed by parents to seek help for their children between age group 2 to 12 years. This service is available between Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Parents can call or send an sms at 8828233443. All queries will be resolved by expert counsellors. Parents can also email their queries at info@parisarasha.org / pahelpline@gmail.com

(Picture courtesy ldforumforschools.in. Image used for representational purpose only)

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How to be a good colleague

Being a good colleague at office has a positive effect on everyone around you, and by extension, the higher ups.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

We have all experienced the effects of obnoxious colleagues. They are rude, brash, uncivilised, miserly and rarely say a good word about anyone. In contrast, we also hold a special place in our hearts for those who are the exact opposite – sincere, affectionate, humorous, and compassionate. Everybody wants to have a good office colleague who can, in time, even become a good friend. But how many of us are able to achieve this level of ‘goodness’?

It is not that difficult to be a good office colleague; fundamentally, it is possible only if you are a decent human being to be a decent colleague, or else you will just come off as insincere and pretentious. Here’s how you start:

Be a team player. We are all employed to do a certain job and earn our salaries. However, it doesn’t help to be so rigid in our thinking at work. We must certainly finish our daily tasks first, but isn’t it nice if somebody asks if we need help when we are lagging behind? Be sincere in offering assistance or taking on someone’s workload if you have finished your own work and have time to kill. If nothing else, help a team that is racing to finish work against a deadline by getting them coffee and snacks at their desks so that they don’t have to interrupt their work. It is nice to help others without an ulterior motive – it puts you in a good frame of mind and your colleagues will love you for being supportive in times of need.

Be generous with your time and resources. Nobody likes a stingy colleague, who doesn’t contribute money for a common cause (such as helping out a colleague who has met with an accident or to get a present for somebody). People also hate those who never pitch in to buy the occasional treat for the office, but who line up to partake of the feast. If you are unable to contribute money for some reason, contribute your time. Volunteer to put up the decorations, or write out messages, or coordinate a small party. The key is to become a part of the team, not remain aloof.

Don’t claim credit for a team project. It may happen that you pitched an idea or gave an input that ultimately helped a project get on the right track. When the project finally succeeds, you should never remind anyone that it was your good idea that helped the process. Be modest when others compliment you on your talent and skills, but don’t jump in and agree with what the others say. The less you say about your own achievements, the more people will appreciate you for your modesty.

Plan new things for the group to do. We all lead very stressed lives, with most of us spending a majority of our waking hours in the office. In this situation, it is very important for each of us de-stress. If not daily, there should at least be a weekly activity that helps the office relax and laugh. If the office doesn’t follow a policy of regular team lunches or movie outings, initiate an activity that everybody will appreciate. Plan a film outing on a Friday evening, or an impromptu snacks and soft drinks party. If nothing else, keep an hour aside after lunch and play some really silly games that everybody will love participating in. People naturally gravitate towards bonding activities, and they will appreciate you for bringing a much needed stress-buster in the office.

Always take the high road. This is easier said than done, but it has huge long-term implications. If your boss yells at you in front of everyone, don’t argue but don’t be apologetic about his or her bad behaviour. Tell them calmly that you would like to revisit the issue once he or she has calmed down, and not before. This may shame the person into behaving better next time, and they might grudgingly even admit that you handled the situation with poise and maturity. The same applies to fights with colleagues. Sometimes, you may even argue with your best friend at work, but don’t engage in shouting matches and arguments in front of the others; but take it outside in a neutral environment. If somebody sends you a string of nasty or threatening messages or emails, do not respond to them till you are certain you can handle the situation in a mature way. Think twice before reporting somebody to the management – remember that obnoxious behaviour is sometimes just a cry for attention and can be swiftly tackled with understanding and firmness.

(Picture courtesy www.pamper.co.in. Image is used for representational purpose only)

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City police chief unveils security gadget for women journos

Zicom has created an alert that the user can press, generating real time location info and photos that will be immediately analysed.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Women journalists face many threats in the line of duty. Added to the list of late nights, rounds of courts and police stations, going to unsafe places to report a news item is the threat of predators. In the recent past, there have been incidents of women journalists in Mumbai being targeted and attacked while on duty.

The electronics security company Zicom has now launched a security alert system, Ziman, that acts like a ‘personal bodyguard’. The device was launched at the hands of Mumbai Police chief Javed Ahmed in the city yesterday.

Explaining the need for the device, Zicom’s Managing Director Pramoud Rao said, “The job of a journalist is really commendable. They accept great risk to unravel the truth and get the story for people. But they need to travel at odd hours and go to unsafe places to cover a story, which puts their life at risk. There have been several unfortunate incidents of attacks on in the recent past. The device gets to work when there is a risk. All the journalist needs to do is trigger the alert installed in her mobile phone and our response team gets in action.”

When the trigger is activated, the mobile phone starts sending pictures and videos to the Zicom Command Centre which is immediately analysed. “We alert the family at once and even contact the authorities and the emergency services if needed,” Rao adds.

Javed Ahmed added, “On several occasions, even if we catch the culprits, there is no proof against them. With this device, the pictures and videos of the attack taking place are immediately captured. Not only can the attack be prevented but immediate action can also be taken.

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Deal with it

Resolution for Diwali: Stop preparing for imaginary guests

We have so many items stashed away for ‘when guests will come’ that we have forgotten to enjoy our own possessions.
Pooja Birwatkarby Dr Pooja Birwatkar

The pre Diwali mood has already set in all over the city. Everyone is busy sprucing up their homes, cleaning out their wardrobes, throwing out broken items and washing their curtains.

Cleaning is therapeutic for many of us. It is an amusing activity that makes us see how much stuff we have hoarded all year, how many items we had misplaced and overlooked. Diwali cleaning is especially disturbing to those who are compulsive hoarders. Most of us cannot resist sales and bargains, where we buy things in bulk and never even use them.

We also have a strange habit of buying things and then packing them away for ‘future use’. Be it beautiful crockery, bed sheets, towels, carpets, glassware, perfumes, silverware…we don’t use them, but preserve them. Rooted deep in our psyche is the philosophy that all expensive items must be used only for special occasions, when guests arrive. This means that we wait our entire lives for ‘important guests’ to arrive and give us the chance to use our cherished possessions. In the meantime, we sleep on ragged linen, eat in old plates, drink juice in steel containers and use threadbare towels…despite all the excellent stuff we have hidden away, unused.

Then Diwali comes and we realise that our expensive leather bags have wrinkled away, we are too large to fit into that costly dress, mould has gotten into the bedsheets we bought. Life has passed us by while we waited for people to show up.

Our desire to show off to our guests stops us from living for ourselves. We spend all our lives working hard – what stops us from enjoying the fruit of our labour? We base our entire lives on how people will perceive us, and so our material possessions define our reality. If you think about it, our houses in Mumbai are not even large enough to accommodate guests. The guests themselves are too busy to notice that they are wiping their faces on expensive towels or sleeping on silk sheets.

This Diwali, let’s pledge to use all the things we have stacked away. Give away the things that you have not used for over six months. The next time your child wants juice, unpack that beautiful glass tumbler. If you want, unwrap those new sheets when you make your bed today.

Let’s celebrate Diwali for ourselves first.

(Picture courtesy blog.at-home.co.in. Image is used for representational purpose only)

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