Thinking about false memory

I have recently been thinking a lot about thinking.

The thing is, last Friday when I was leaving work, I kept reminding myself to take my laptop with me, since I had to work remote the Monday after. Then comes Monday morning, I open my bag and there it was – nothing!

I panicked....

I had this vivid memory of me putting the laptop in my bag before heading out of work, so, I searched the entire home inch by inch:  in the fridge, under the beds, in the closets, in the bathroom... (well, I have a little one, so things might end up in places that you wouldn’t have imagined, and not always by him!). When I found nothing except forgotten toys, I was pretty sure that my bag was nicked without me noticing...Meanwhile my husband kept asking me to call a colleague to take a look at my desk to see if it is there or not. Finally I did it, only to prove him wrong…and u can guess what happened. Right? My colleague said it was there, sitting on my desk!!!  

Has this ever happened to you?

This whole embarrassing event got me thinking: then why I had that false memory? Is there something wrong with my brain? How can a memory be false, when it appears so vivid and detailed?  What other memories do I have from my life that might be false?!! (This one is actually frightening, so I try not to think of it much!) Is there a way to improve my memory and to detect or eliminate false memories?

It got me so fascinated that I am now taking the online course of “The Science of Everyday Thinking” thrue edx.org hoping to know more about our brain and thinking abilities. I am going to share some of the interesting things that I learn along with an artistic twist. Hoping you can enjoy it too.

XO

Supplies for Watercolor painting

This is a watercolor sketch of some of the tools and supplies i use for my watercolor paintings.

The palette shown above is an old plastic palette filled with tube paints from different brands of watercolor; Van Gogh, Reeves and Cotman paints. When using this palette, I mix my paints with water on a few white dinner plates which are dedicated for this purpose.

Colors in this palette are :

• Cadmium Yellow
• Camium Lemon
• Yellow Ochre
• Golden
• Indian Red
• Cadmium Red
• Red Ochre
• English Red
• Carmine
• Madder Lake red light
• Raw Sienna
• Ultramarine
• Blue
• Cobalt Blue

Free Facebook Covers

Instruction to download:

1. click on an image that you like
2. It will open a new window
3. "right click" on the image in the new window
4. choose " save image as ..." 
5. click on the folder that you want to save the image in 
6. click "save" button
7. Please don't forget to mention my blog and this page when using the images :) 
8. Check this page frequently and my blog for updates.

Have fun...

Drawing and sketching - Journal Page

It's been a while that i wanted to give these markers a try. I have seen lots of amazing works using them and wanted to try them my self.

I did this sketch during a lunch breaks. I'm glad i made my lunch time productive.

Struggles of an artist mom

Hi, 

Its been a long time since i posted anything although I never actually abandoned this blog,but just wasn't able to find the time, spirit or energy to paint or post anything.

My life has been chaotic for the past few months; I started working full time again after my maternity leave was over. Unfortunately, the job turned out to be a nightmare; it was in a family run & operated company with no defined hierarchy of authority and very hard to fit-in if one is not part of the family, and I wasn't. 

On top of work stress, i was trying to find a good daycare located close to my work or my husband's, with reasonable waiting time & fee structure and cheerful but attentive staff which seemed quite a mission impossible.

In an attempt to stay sane and positive, I quitted that horrible job but didn't quit looking for one and continued my search for a good daycare. I was at a point that I decided and started preparing to open a home daycare, but then i received a job offer from a company that I wanted to work in for a long time. And surprisingly  within a couple of days I also found a good daycare; Jackpot!

It was (and still is) a home daycare located close to my husband's work so he could pick-up and drop off my son. The lady who runs it is a lively middle aged woman living in a house with a huge backyard that has a swing set in the middle and is in walking distance to a library. Besides, she lets the kids go anywhere in the house with her (not confined to a basement or a single room for the whole day!)...I think, she is one of the few people working in childcare industry that still genuinely cares about children. 

I had just started the new job and was dealing with beginners' stress but then my son started getting sick back to back. When my little boy gets sick it means no sleep for anyone for few days, plus my husband and I had to alternatively take off from work to take care of him and it was taking a toll on both of our careers and mental health.

After a few months of this roller coaster, my husband changed jobs and that daycare was no longer an option. This time I wanted to try my luck with getting a nanny, so Interviewed a few applicants, and one of them had great references, a compatible personality and expectations that I could meet and on top of that my son seemed quite comfortable with her during the interview and few days of trial.  

My son likes his nanny very much; they go to community centres or libraries, do variety of activities, take walks outside, she makes him yummy lunches or snacks and spoils him to an acceptable level ;)  

Now with spring upon us, the weather getting warmer and a new cell phone with bigger screen, I can blog on the road or during lunch time. Only if I find sometime to paint too, won't that be just amazing?!

How do you squeeze art in your day?