Vedasri Siddamsetty

A. Age: 24

B. Bed size: Double. Hardly 1 year old, precisely six months old. Hardwood with a little grill design.

C. Chore you dislike: Doing the dishes! Got myself cheerful yellow gloves to make it tolerable. It does work, the color that is.

D. Dogs: Had 2 pomeranians who I had to leave behind in my parents home after marriage. Hope to have 5 dogs someday. A beagle and a st bernard in the list!

E. Essential start to your day: Weekdays, turning on the The primetime show. Weekends finding my running shoes!

F. Favorite color: Yellow!

G. Gold or silver: Gold, loopier the better 😉

H. Height: 5’7″

I. Instruments you play(ed): Passed the grade 2 in piano ABRSM exam of the Royal school of music! Hoping to do the rest, all in good time.

J. Job title: Architectural Coordinator.

K. Kids: Someday!

L. Live: Singapore. The (is)land of aplenty!

M. Mom’s name: Mommykins!

N. Nicknames: One. Veds.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Zero – I’m very lucky!

P. Pet peeves: Extreme, unrelenting negativity. It gets you nowhere!

Q. Quote from a movie: Its more like a passage but I quote, “Relationships-there are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up a lot of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you, you love, well thats just fabulous.”

R. Righty or lefty: Am righty and contrary to popular belief the right side of my brain is more polished 😉

S. Siblings: My little brother! Who is not so little anymore as he towers over !!

T. Time you wake up: Between 7 and 8 most days. Its hard at times but I love early wakings.

U. Underwear: Always cute!

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Bittergourd!!!

W. What makes you run late: Changing clothes.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Dental!

Y. Yummy food you make: Ahem! My best should be my Indian fanfare or maybe my Italian.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: Giraffees….or dolphins! I adored them as a child!!!

The latest India-Pak match at the 2011  world cup was a friendly one, in more than one way.

The D-day as a lot of Indians would like to call it was one that brought out the patriotism in me. After explaining painstakingly to my Malaysian colleague about the two warring nations all afternoon I headed down to Boat Quay to catch the match with some friends. Boat Quay was packed! So to say the least. I had never previously seen so many Indians in Singapore at one time. Or rather Indians and Pakistanis. The atmosphere was buzzing so to say the least. Watching from Singapore it was the first time I got to see the tensing match with Pakistanis on the next table. Indians painted their national tricolor on their cheeks while the Pakistanis wore their team jersey with much elan! Here we were cheering and it was a match worth watching, we won.

The next innings I saw at a family friends house. Not so fierce the cheering I did here was much lady-like. The first cricket match Ive seen in a long time and so much fun. The players seemed to be having fun too, after all the pressure the smiles were really endless. 🙂

There is a restaurant chain in Singapore by that name. And the food there is stellar. As I took my first bite I was enticed, the second I was teased and by the third I was floored. The vegetable seekh kebab roll is awesomest. Something that I would recommend you all to try.

The roll got me thinking.

26th January 2011 was a special day. The husband and I were invited to the Republic Day Celebration hosted by the Indian Embassy in Singapore. I can probably never forget the feeling upon entering the Banquet Hall in Shangrila Hotel,  Singapore. For company we had the creme de la creme of Singapore, the affluent Indians in Singapore and most importantly the Indian Foreign Services officers. The atmosphere was completely buzzing with achievement and positivity. Conversations moved from India’s new revenue policy to the possible expansion of the Indian art scene in Singapore. Here were a bunch of people who talked ideas. Going by the look of it all, they all seemed ingrained in ideas. Great people indeed talk of ideas. The visuals and the music in the background did little more than produce goosebumps. Needless to say I felt marvellous. Business leaders, entrpreneurs and industrialists were all there making impressions on India’s premier officers.

Then on a humbler note, at the recent International Contemporary Furniture Fair. I take great pride in observing that people paid more attention to the fact that I come from India. The eyes of most people literally light up at the mention of India. The severity of race classification may still be there but one cannot miss the spark in the eye. At lunch I noticed more than one instance wherein a meeting between Indians and foreigners was on. In office I cant help but smile as our Managing Director tries so hard to impress land developers from Bangalore. The receptionist was swiftly instructed to arrange for Jain vegetarian food for the entourage. So much so she came to check with me if cheese was alright. For a company so large and connected it was so endearing.

There are bound to me more such instances. A colleague of mine remarked that he would love to work in India, two others joined in the chorus. Is it just me or is the world suddenly turning Indophile? Commonwealth fiasco we think, but the world doesnt seem to care. Once again they are seeing potential where we refuse to see. There are concerns, they seem so superficial. For whats not to conquer with fire in the belly? I can almost hear the rolling of the drum beats!

Writing in from Singapore, I feel, for everyone out there.

It really is the time to Go India!

Some things are better left to gut feeling and instincts. If not for others, for mine definitely works.

I have always felt so rejuvinated after writing/talking, that when I came across a blog pushing my case I was impressed, with myself.

What do you think?

http://ontechies.com/2011/01/26/blog-more-it-is-good-for-your-health/

Its literal translation is till today and is the name of a News Channel broadcasting from Mumbai, India. The point is that I have never seen or heard another news channel like it till today!

One has to see to believe. A simple overcast cloudy sky will be linked to Nostradamus, his predictions. A genuine case of forgetfulness will be linked to Alzheimer’s, and how! The string of news-hosts on this channel, with their dramatised expressions and versatile tones cover everything happening in, out and around the country.

The descriptions are enough to make your day and the stories are to keep you in good spirits.

Watching MediaCorp’s channel 5 in Singapore and their simple broadcasts I miss the sensations that Aaj Tak managed to create. So much that as I saw the bland forecast of the pick-pocketeer of Singapore a dramatised version with the hardhitting words was running in my head. I couldnt help smiling.

We, the Indians love spice. In everything!

The Indian Freedom struggle harps on the magnamity of the leaders who drove the country into liberty.

By the turn of the 21st century there have been dozens of movies made and an even more stunning number of books written about the freedom struggle and its offspring, our independence. So much so we are forced to believe in our freedom.

An uprising is what India is witnessing every day. Be it in the homes of the average Indian, in all domesticity or in the dense jungles of our many states. At a distance, the many nations that are a bridge between the east and the west. The idea of freedom is so elusive that even when a man has freedom he doesnt truly believe so.

At this juncture am forced to think, are the extremists of today, freedom strugglers of the future? The silent uprising in Cairo is an antonym of the brewing war in Tripoli, are they telling the same tale? Fighting others wars seems to be big brother, America’s strategy to beat unemployment in their own country. Never must have a career in the army seemed so appealing to the enterprising and hard-working lot. So many countries still left to fight for. At this rate the army need not worry unemployment for several deacdes.

This isnt to belittle any body’s effort to bring freedom. But do these soldiers oops saviours ever realise what their fighting for?

Living in burqas are frowned upon by many, class distinction are frowned by even more and let me not even get to arranged marriages. At lunch the other day my friend with wide and concerned eyes asked me, “You dont have even that much freedom in your country?”. It probably is all a matter of perspective. Burqas are a cultural phenomenon in most countries, women seem to not mind them at all. The middle-eastern women, each nothing short of a greek goddess, lives a full-life, and in many cases a much better life than her european counterparts. One off cases of abuse should definitely be ostracized but at the moment am talking for a collective whole.

Correct me if you think I am wrong. But I have come to believe that freedom like happiness comes from a sense of being. The British took Indians as slaves, they abused Indians, they humiliated them, they were a nightmare! But really were they? Lets go back and see how it happened? I analyse that the trade/industury is one of the most important driving force of a culture. If trade is good/business is good then “all is well”. The British came in through the trade route, conquered the industry and then never looked back. So did India lose its freedom by giving in to the British trade completely?

The people in Telanagana, Andhra Pradesh would have never dreamed of a seperate state had in not brought with it monetary rewards! Really is it money that rules the world? And in turn affects the “freedom quotient”? A woman is considered independent and free if she earns well. The greater the earning the “freeer” she seems to be.

The word freedom is defined by the the ability to make choices. So well in a nutshell that explains it all. How good the choices are is well secondary. But its the fact that we get to make a choice irrespective of the consequences is what freedom is all about. India is free today, probably telangana will be free tomorrow and whats not to say Libya will be free in the future.

The point I try to drive at in the above ramble is that we are all really really free. Given that at any point of time anywhere in the world the basis of freedom is that which is born from the freedom of thought. And the best part of freedom is that it comes with absolutely no responsibility. And thats probably why its misused.

We are therefore, only that much free, as much we want to be.

Hence I seem to see little sense in the “freedom struggles” of the “middleists” or the “extremists”.

And its so very important for history writing to be factual and unbiased.

If successful will Osama beat Obama in the race to be the “Father of the World”? I guess it all depends on which side of the fence youre on.

The above three images are postcards designed for the Singapore Marine Week.

The design ideation is to convey socially responsible messages using a basic geometry, in this case the rectangle.

Words are used to supplement iconographic designs that are open to interpretation.

Each post-card carries on it a tag-line.

My love for long walks often assists in discovering places and finding surprises. This blog is about one such of my walks.

In Singapore I decided to wander in China Town. Expecting an overdose of red and lots of buddhist temples I started off with my camera and sketchbook. As I walked along I clicked my memories. The temples were absolutely not dissapointing. The simplicity, calmness and moreover the depth of the being surmounted all feeling. After the thousand-Buddha temple as the locals lovingly call it I look the path of the heritage China Town. It looked swanky more than heritage considering the commendable restoration work the architecture had gone through.

After a long steep climb up a hill I reached a very quaint street off the main road network. The shops lined in the heritage quarter were those of furniture, design and interiors. Undoubtedly the shops were all pretty so to say the least.

Strangelets was one such shop.

The curios in the shop are not out to save the world. But they capture the spirit of design so damn well that one is left in bemused wondrousness.

On further research (consisting only of Google!) I found the shop listed as a New York Times pick for shopping in Singapore!

Good work is usually never unnoticed I think. Kudos to these guys. All you design lovers out there :

http://www.strangelets.sg/

A click away for you all to see a sample!

 

Thought for a life. 🙂 Cheers!

Architects are creative and creative is fun.

The annual D&D at our company was just that. Creative and fun. The dressing up resulted in a lot of whimsical characters thanks to literature. We practise architecture by the day and patronise literature by the night!

Here I was with my colleagues who dressed in the Harry Potter theme. I portrayed Bellatrix taking on Hermione. Then there were the Adams family in full attendence, Fiona and the Red Riding Hood. Mr Willie Wonka came, saw and conquered!

The experience reminded me of our more than active creative side that adds so much ‘tense’ to our existence.

My first blog to my delight is a review of the recently held World Expo at Shanghai. The world expo was held from May to October 2010 and its key focus was innovation. The following blog sums up 3 of the pavilions that I found to be brilliantly innovative in its own right. The “BIG” ideas of these pavilions written about stole the show at the pavilion.

The most striking thought that came to me as I worked on this exercise is that the esscence of architecture has been very well captured in the expo. Because architecture, or good architecture goes way beyond skill and is all about the Big Idea. I strongly believe that ideation is the seed of architecture.

Ref : http://www.arup.com/Projects/Denmark_Pavilion_Shanghai_World_Expo_2010/DenmarkPavilion_duringexpo2.aspx

The above image is of the Danish Pavilion.

Ideated as I may say by Bjarke Ingels Group the idea seems to be to showcase the use of bicycle as a transport system in Denmark. The mermaid, of national importance and the clear water add to the serenity of the space. I found the idea very interesting and exciting. The use of a bicycle that allows people to reach the top and feel the space is very engaging. The point is made. Extremely well at that. The simplicty in thought and the beauty in execution makes this pavilion utterly remarkable.

Ref : http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mC8VIyzjh9g/S9z9nsTqLWI/AAAAAAAACGc/Z-_Skrja6WM/s1600/dzn_French-Pavilion-15.jpg

 

The above image is of the french pavilion.

The latticed vertical greens remind me of shafts in a building. Shafts are probably of the most important and visible connections in a building that span through the building. And the french certainly know the golden rules of beauty. Effortlessly they engage one in an already existing building dynamics by only tweaking them here and there. As the lattices float they add a sparkle to the feat called French Engineering. I love it for its elegance and non-chalance. So typically french~

Ref : http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_HeovJezDvSc/TCAQe2lHwaI/AAAAAAAACDU/tC1RZQWJY60/s1600/IMG_0633-787846.jpg

 

The above image is of the British Pavilion.

My first reaction on beholding the British Pavilion eas OH MY GOSH!

The structure in itself resembles a very modern and striking light bulb. They are infact long LED tubes that light up on the outside and house seeds from the Royal Botanical Gardens on the inside. What a stark effect they create and what a feat they achieve. The idea is not simple and nor is its execution. Britain is said to have spent a hefty amount on the construction of the pavilion. I believe Britain last achieved a feat like this and garnered a spirit of mastery of similar stature when they last built the “Crystal Palace” in the 17th century. (Check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crystal_Palace) I believe the idea was whimsical but the execution of sheer brilliance. The pavilion deserves an applause and London deserves a pat on the back for proving to be a force to reckon with despite a glum market. The husband, a through and through accountant, nods his disapproval though.

 

Portfolio – 2010