DIY: Ceiling Light from Car Air Filter

 

I replaced the air filter in my car sometime ago as part of a minor renovation. I was going to throw the used one away but held on to it as I figured the circular shape with the holed patterns would make for an interesting DIY project.

I finally got around to working on it this weekend.

The first job was getting rid of the filthy paper filter. I removed it with a sharp paper cutter and cutting pliers. It took a lot of effort to get this done as the cloth/paper material was not at all easy to remove. The sharp edges on the cylinders weren't helping.

 

After removing the paper, I cleaned the whole unit thoroughly with a brush and some alcohol. I also gave it a nice sanding to bring back the shine but this would later prove to a be a waste of time. 

  

After I noticed there were too many imperfections on the surface and the leftovers of the paper filter were all over the place, I decided to give the whole thing a coat of matt black spray paint.

And oh, the grill I used in the middle came from an unused exhaust fan. I cut the grill to size and secured it to the air filter assembly using loads of glue.

 

 

Finally I installed the bulb assembly and a yellow 15w bulb from my bedroom and here are the results:

 

 

 

 

That Salary Question!

So a close friend asked me how much I earn in a month. I gave him a rough figure and he immediately converted it into the local currency of the country he's working in. He concluded I was being paid a pittance and that I'd be "worth a lot more" if I gathered the courage to go abroad. Another uncle did the same. Then another cousin.

This forced me to take a step back and think: Am I really underpaid and living a sorry life here in India?

NO.

I have a decent IT job and I earn enough to let me pay the bills, send money home, drive a motorcycle and a car, spend on decent clothes, invest time(and money) in my hobbies, and also do charity work.

And the icing on the cake is I get to do it all while staying close to my loved ones.

The only downside I can think of is I have absolutely no savings. But that has to do with me not spending my money right. My collection of cameras and other retro stuff is partly to blame here.

A close friend pointed out that even if I was employed in another country my savings would still be null. I agree with him!

At this point in career with 4-5 years of experience, a lot of us think "Onsite" for that savings push. I don't have any such aspirations....at least not yet!