Indie clothing, indie lifestyle and indie fashion

Gone are the days of telephones and pagers, these days, it’s not hard to find everyone with a mobile phone. Young or old, modern or conservative, a cell phone has become a necessity for most people!

Just take a walk to Etsy and you can find lots of designers selling handmade cell phone covers, pouches and accessories. There are so many styles and phone designs and there’s a group of people who won’t stick to the same cell phone for more than a few months. Changing cell phone brand or style is common, it’s cool and contemporary. You don’t need to be a techie to use the cell phone. People use cell phones for many purposes besides calling or receiving calls. Text message is a fast way to communicate and everyone is familiar with that. Ask any ten year old child and he can probably text faster than you! The trend for cell phones will continue to grow and as we know, the growth of mobile technology is astounding. Smartphones and music mobile phones are so popular now.

With technology moving so fast, I wonder what’s next for the mobile phone platform? What are these manufacturers thinking of next, I wonder?

My son is at that age where he just can’t sit still and he needs lots of activities to occupy him. Whenever we are out in the shops, he will pester me to bring him to the toy store. It’s hard to keep him quiet unless he’s preoccupied with something interesting.

Kids these days are so fortunate that they can have a wide array of games and activities within their reach. It’s easy to spot a child with an iPod or a iTouch. Otherwise, it will be a PSP or a Wii at home. Some of these games are great for fostering the family closeness while some will just isolate the child as he just focus on a single activity. I recalled my childhood where I enjoyed playing on foosball tables with my brother. Though it was more a boyish game but I found it fun and entertaining. There were other homemade games we played with and we even made our own pin ball table!

As I reminisce my childhood, I find myself missing some of these traditional games that aren’t commonly seen anymore. Maybe we parents need to go back to the basics and make our children some homemade games.

Sometimes I wonder why do people feel blue on Mondays. My little child is like that too. He wakes up and acts like he’s having Monday blues… or is this just psychological!

For me, I don’t have the luxury to feel blue. Monday is the start of a busy week every time and it just never ends. There is a full list of things to do and I need to think about the weekly menu for the family. I was supposed to search for some cheap insurance for the home and I’m glad that I can do this online too. I’ve been busy with our move in December, getting quotation from mover and planning on what to bring for the big day.

In the next few weeks, it’s furniture shopping for me and I’m getting excited about choosing my furniture for the future home. Wherever and whatever it is, I’m just glad that we are moving!

Since I’m feeling under the weather, I decide to search online to find out some home remedies for my cold. I was checking this natural health remedies blog and enjoyed reading all the articles on alternative therapies.

In the past, I used to visit the doctor each time when I was ill. But as I grew up, I became more knowledgeable and started seeking for alternative therapies to get well. Doctors are great when you need a diagnosis but I tend to feel uncomfortable with some doctors who like to douse the patient with lots of prescription medicine. Some years back, I had a friend with some serious acne problem and he was searching online for sites such as http://www.blackheadstreatment.org to help him look better. After a long search, he finally came to a conclusion of making some lifestyle changes. Since, his acne problems started to improve.

So if you feel that you have had enough of prescriptive drugs, it’s time to check out some natural health remedies that can work for you.

I am down with a cold and the sniffles is getting into me! I don’t like being sick. I can’t work, I can’t taste food, I have no mood to play and it’s just depressing! With history of skin allergies and rhinitis, my cold tends to last a little longer than usual. It is such a dread!

Those with eczema with understand the irritability you can get when the skin starts to itch. And in case you don’t know, it is hereditary which means if you have it, your children may inherit it. People with skin allergies need to pay close attention to their diets as some foods may trigger allergies. It is best to find out what causes the triggers and avoid those food or environmental problems altogether.

Avoid steroidal creams if you have skin allergies as excessive use can be harmful to your skin health in the long run. For now, I can’t wait to be well and dandy again.

My hubby always think I’m fussy with home decorating but he doesn’t understand that all I was doing was to get things done right. We do have a clash of styles and ideas from time to time. It’s hard to get him to share my love for indie things and to embrace an indie lifestyle. And I don’t blame him.

We went shopping last weekend for some furnishings for the house. I wanted to check out some eco furniture and handmade stuff but he was complaining about how expensive they would be. He picked up some door hangers and placed them back when he found out they were hand made. In his opinion, handmade stuff always come with a price tag. I love supporting artisans and craftsmen so I took a different stance. To me, it’s not just about being indie but to encourage art and an eco lifestyle that I support artistic trade. If no one supports these artisans, it will be a waste of talents. Moreover, I like the way indie artists incorporate nature with their creations.

I may not be a craftsperson but I appreciate such indie products and I hope that these wonderful artisans will continue to share their love for design and spread their passion for a purer lifestyle. When is the last time you support an indie artist or designer?

Everyone I know seems to be talking about social networking tools whenever we come together, especially twitter and facebook. I think I have connected more friends and loved ones over facebook in the last two years. It is amazing!

With the advancement of technology, you get left out if you don’t keep up with the trends. I know there are still many who suffer from computer paranoia but you can’t afford not to learn and experience the benefits of online technology. It’s like, if I haven’t jumped on the bandwagon of online shopping, I would discover so many indie stores online. I mean it’s hard to find indie clothing in the stores these days. Everyone seems to be mass producing so a search online can give me lots of options. Last month, I was commissioned to buy a gift for my uncle. Since he’s a fan of cigars, I managed to go online to search for discount cigar and I don’t even need to get out of the house, if you know what I mean.

So which camp are you in with today’s social media hype and superb technology. Whatever you choose, don’t be left behind!

When I was little, I often felt very embarrassed about being the shortest in class. I would dread to stand in the first row and the ridicule of insensitive friends didn’t make me feel any better.

I believe some of us went through this stage in our lives at some point. We had little confidence in ourselves and sometimes we wished that the earth would open up and swallow us up during those embarrassing moments. Should medical science be more advanced then, maybe I would buy human growth hormone so that I could be taller. I knew of a male classmate who went for some operation to extend his height but it was a painful process.

As I looked back now, my small stature didn’t bother me anymore. I would probably felt better if my family was more encouraging but I supposed not everyone was that sensitive to my feelings. Now that I’m a mom, I would make sure my son doesn’t go through what I went through in my childhood. I must assure him that stature is not the most important thing in this world.

I’ve always love to work with my hands. It all started during my teenage years when I began to make bookmarks and cards for friends which eventually led me to pursue a career in design.

My years in the design school were enjoyable and fun. I recalled those sleepless and late nights of assignment time and it was an amazing journey. Though it was challenging on some days, my inner motivation kept me going all the way. I was so thankful I made it to the final year and graduated with a graphic design diploma. I continued my further studies much later after working for a few years in an exhibition firm. It was then where I started to develop health issues and was seeking for hemorrhoid pain relief. The late nights at work didn’t helped and I finally quit and left the job when my health needed a break.

Though I’m no longer in the design industry, I’m still a designer at heart. I would pick up any quirky thing in the shop and get attracted with anything arty. Once a designer, always a designer. For now, I hope to advance further in my knowledge in design and work more with my hands.

Everyone has their own definition of being indie. For me, it means being individual, personal and ‘free’ without being tied to a particular trend or style.

These days, I have been learning more about living an eco friendly lifestyle. I learn to make my own home cleaner using fruit peels and have been reading about making my own facial masks! It is always interesting to know more about living naturally without harmful chemicals. Regardless of your lifestyle choices, you too can choose an eco friendly one and do your part for Mother earth. You can look for biodegradable household cleaners for your home as they are safer and better for the environment. There are many manufacturers who have opted to go environmentally friendly, just like the Anilox cleaner, which is made of eco friendly ingredients.

So if you haven’t found a definition for being indie, one of the ideas would be to take the path of being more environmentally conscious.