tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55448489361847088642024-03-26T23:37:43.339-07:00Sold-for-shoes-overweight-intellectual-dancerSoumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-80396783093477612322016-06-05T03:19:00.001-07:002016-06-05T03:19:17.254-07:00Shoe Saga...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This was no ordinary torn, worn out shoe abandoned near a central Mumbai suburb. In its glory days, it had been an elegant pair of leather boot hailing from an expensive Italian brand, to be found to settle only around respectable feet with the slightest inclination toward the kind of flamboyance so characteristic of the 80s Mumbai. Despite the blackened edges, it still retained some of its previous glory and struck an odd sight near the contrasting green garbage bin.<br />
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I was to wait for my morning auto just a few feet away from the bin. While covering my nose to get rid of the disgusting stench, I could never stop myself from taking a quick glance at the shoe - surprised how it stood out everyday, despite my knowledge of it being there.<br />
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Thanks to my romantic self, I would spend the better half of my morning trying to imagine the life it might have seen before being dumped here. The warmth of its wearer's feet during the infamous Mumbai winter, the beads of sweat mixed with the smell of his socks during the humid days, the times he had flung it out of passion while making love to his woman, the times he had slowly and methodically tied its laces to get over the humiliation of rejection, the fervent tying and untying and retying of its laces before an interview and the last time he put his feet in it - grateful for the companionship it has offered him over the years, pained at the realisation of its inevitable end and yet excited about the possibility of buying a better and newer and probably more expensive pair. I wondered what this pair might have felt like when it was dusted one last time and hung on to the rack, never to be touched again. I wondered how it must have felt being a mute spectator to the new member of the rack acquiring its place with absolutely no history with its owner. I wondered if it shared with its successor how its owner made a squashy sound the first day it rained in the city, catching him unaware and forcing him to walk down muddy and water - logged streets in his favourite leather boots. And the darkest secret of his sniffing his socks and the boots every once in a while when he didn't have company and wonder what it'd be like to be made to go down on his fours and have the socks stuffed into his mouth, the lace tied around his neck and tugged at every now and then and the other pair being used on his exposed buttock for his alleged insubordination. And how he would weep throughout the night once the dark moments of fantasy gave way to the scary awakening of his senses.<br />
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I wondered how it came to be here, near this bin, out in the open to die its natural death. I wondered whether it was left there as unceremoniously as it's surviving now or there were silent tears or even better, a grand farewell. Or maybe during the riots of 1993, when the rest of the country was struggling with the ugly face of natinalism gnawing at the very definition of unity in diversity this country is so proud of, a Parsi gentleman was being chased by the faceless goons one fine evening and his favourite leather shoe slipped out of his feet while he was running for his life. Maybe a few feet down the road, where my auto takes a turn toward the main road is where he was finally put to rest - bloodied, bruised and without a shoe. And his favourite shoe, a few feet away from his lifeless body, stood a silent witness to a shameful history.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqFh0-CnYaavzsPN1DUD3moRR-09MOITQFoY-TYTxD0Q0k8yV-iC9AnI9kpz5pjBnAYpYkqwQ8p4D1uQlFWt9x73zf8wCbKD82MMf72z2NXIrDiULUujHmxsOarBIGWOYYCiXPXDsOwY/s1600/Viv1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqFh0-CnYaavzsPN1DUD3moRR-09MOITQFoY-TYTxD0Q0k8yV-iC9AnI9kpz5pjBnAYpYkqwQ8p4D1uQlFWt9x73zf8wCbKD82MMf72z2NXIrDiULUujHmxsOarBIGWOYYCiXPXDsOwY/s400/Viv1.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dress - Linking Road, tassel neckpiece and sliders - Colaba, lipstick - Arresting Pink by Colorbar</td></tr>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-47972165609820320752016-02-07T03:31:00.000-08:002016-02-07T03:31:04.585-08:00Love is in the air(sic)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Come the month of February and the world paints itself in a nauseating shade of pink and red. Every morning, social media accounts seem to be full of notifications for some '<i>day</i>' or the other. Rose day, kiss day, teddy day and what not. And then comes the mother of it all - Valentines' Day. <i>It's a day when one is supposed to hold hands with their loved one(s) and let them know how much they are loved by taking them out for romantic dinners, giving them fancy gifts or signing up for expensive massages or dance classes together to strengthen their bond and fall in love with each other all over again.</i><br />
Much has been said on this blog about the origin of this celebrated day and how it is abused by our materialistic generation. I have also written numerous posts about how feelings, whether love or hatred or fear or respect should never be restricted to one day and should be celebrated every moment through our actions. Another common theme on ze blog around February every year happens to be celebrating all the single souls who brave this red and pink circus without self - pity. However, seeing a very close friend struggling through separation this year made my focus shift to those who, unfortunately, choose to part ways with their partner when the rest of the world is busy showing their togetherness off. It's easy to be single, it's easy to accept the fact that your perfect one never happened to you and there'd be no one to take care of you, offer you a gentle kiss on your forehead when you are unwell as you slowly age. What is really difficult is coming to terms with the fact that what you had perceived to be love was nothing but an illusion and what you had invested years in, is about to fall apart, leaving you empty, alone, defeated. Getting married is a brave decision to take and I have immense respect for those who have had the courage to walk down the aisle. I have more respect for those who had their dreams of a perfect married life crushed to death after a few months of marriage and still refused to come out of it just so that their children don't have to go through the trauma of growing up in a broken family. However, my highest respect is reserved for those who were brave enough to admit that they had taken a wrong decision and chose to free the other person as well as their own selves from the bond that served no purpose, knowing very well that they'd have nothing to fall back on other than their empty couch once the final call is taken.<br />
So, this Valentines' Day, when you see a colleague smiling politely and giving an excuse of being overworked when asked about their Valentines' Day plans, please spare a moment to wonder what they are hiding behind that painful smile. This Valentines' Day, when you celebrate the passion you and your partner still have left after six years of suffocating togetherness, consider toning it down so that the man next door, who comes home to a strange musty smell and hidden, torn packets of contraception behind the kitchen sink can take a deep breath and pour himself another scotch while watching his beautiful wife sleep. This Valentines' Day, shed a tear or two for all the love gone awry, all the dreams shattered and celebrate those brave souls who rose from the ashes of their failure and chose to live instead.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLN0GniE5JwcomoN9K3j-wHy5nTOzfiA7gXolvuVNPA6E7C9hFQM1fV5XVeU9pEgg-JU_jx7XTVBZsaq6u7MIDP6Hic4vW5Ejg9CucyosNrrNyXFgb2bmpDb9gGGPWkIW3eKb1NeqmTk/s1600/Pune1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLN0GniE5JwcomoN9K3j-wHy5nTOzfiA7gXolvuVNPA6E7C9hFQM1fV5XVeU9pEgg-JU_jx7XTVBZsaq6u7MIDP6Hic4vW5Ejg9CucyosNrrNyXFgb2bmpDb9gGGPWkIW3eKb1NeqmTk/s400/Pune1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dress - Vero Moda, oxford - Simpark Mall, earring - New Market, lipstick - Red Plum by Colorbar</td></tr>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-83000657865143393622016-01-24T02:52:00.000-08:002016-01-24T02:52:03.122-08:00Dreams born out of fear...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm a firm believer of dreams. Dreams, if believed in and strived for, do come true. Even with the excessive exposure to television and video games these days, I'd like to pass on the pure, unadulterated gift of dreaming to my next generation. But do we ever wonder how our dreams are born? Do we dream of becoming someone or doing something because we really want what we dream or because we are scared of becoming someone else or doing something else that we loathe? I found out the origin of my dreams and it didn't turn out to be delightful. If there's one thing that I've wanted since time immemorial, it would be independence. Independence didn't mean only being financially independent. I always dreamt of being empowered enough to take my own decisions and own up my failures. Whoever saw me as a child still talks about how my games were always about going to work carrying my mother's "vanity bag", teaching, treating patients, refusing to get married and spend my life doing household chores...However, on further introspection, I realised how this idea of independence appealed to me simply because I didn't want to end up being like my grandmothers - asking for money from their husbands for every need, quietly accepting the humiliation of being explained how hard earned money should be spent if their husbands don't consider the expenses justified, not being able to speak out if they don't want to get pregnant any more, not being strong enough to walk out of a toxic marriage, putting up with abusive fathers for years...I didn't have a very coherent idea about being independent. All I knew was that I didn't want to grow up to be one of them.<div>
Set Theory in Mathematics explains a beautiful concept called Complement Set using Venn Diagram. If all Sets are considered as Subsets of a Universal Set U, the Complement of a Set A would be U\A which includes everything under the sun other than A. My attempt to escape the life my grandmothers have had has forced me to become everything other than what they were even if I didn't originally have the taste for some of the things I have done during this attempt.</div>
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The sudden and painful realisation of not having an original dream of my own, independent of others' influences hit me hard. Would I be a robot without dreams if the persons playing an incidental role in forming my dreams simply cease to exist?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pants, jacket, midi rings, loafers - Linking Road, thrifted tank top - B.K.Market, lipstick - Red Plum by Colorbar</td></tr>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-50916904681943573942016-01-03T03:39:00.000-08:002016-01-03T03:39:19.447-08:00Another year, nothing more, nothing less...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I stared into the midnight sky lit with the crackers from New Year's Eve, I couldn't help suppressing a chuckle. People making merry, watching popular actors dance and crack jokes in the idiot box, drinking and passing out in shabby hostels... celebrating is a diverse exercise indeed. What would remain unchanged on the very same day after a year is the desperate attempt to leave the failures of the past year behind and pretend, even if for a few days that everything would be all right in the coming year.<br />
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I, for one, belong to a different school. The burden of things that should have been completed in the year gone by weighs me down every time. The oh-so-familiar sensing of mistakes that would be repeated once more scares me. And the sheer boredom of the year ahead tires me even before the year has actually begun. And, just like my all time favourite poet Plath, I too keep wondering then,"is there no way out of the mind?"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurta - Colaba Causeway, ripped denims - Jabong(and DIYed by my love <a href="http://www.projectcurve.in/">Debi</a>), rings and earrings - New Market, silver kolhapuri - Shreeram Arcade, bindi - mom's, lipstick - Wicked by Colorbar</td></tr>
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On a more cheerful note, I turned 26 and realised that I quite like the idea of slowly turning into a lonely old lady with an opinion. In order to celebrate ageing, I chose to go ethnic with this kurta I had bought during one of my random Colaba trips and never wore later. With age, the effort associated with accessorising is also proving to be tiresome. Hence, I go minimal on most of the occasions these days. Having no winter here in Mumbai doesn't help the layering lover in me though.<br />
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How did you usher in 2016? Lonely and unceremonious like me or grand and blurry?</div>
Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-45457003910790671462015-11-29T03:21:00.001-08:002015-11-29T03:21:34.764-08:00Memories unsold, stories untold...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the flinching light, I saw.<br />
I saw traces of memories<br />
from last night,<br />
unpenetrated by the harshness<br />
of morning reality,<br />
strewn about the floor<br />
like virgin jasmines.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIdZ2iSCHVkBbR52GAAPNGSWzFqkk9p5E2VETgvN5_yeNw8p3kOUBziR9-H-7mw4kB_fBwd0uNjnjfADHPY45RHnxTWT-kgJfTForIdmos_nONI1i5cvGpQWitqy9Jl2B2qugmzIiuWA/s1600/Dreams1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIdZ2iSCHVkBbR52GAAPNGSWzFqkk9p5E2VETgvN5_yeNw8p3kOUBziR9-H-7mw4kB_fBwd0uNjnjfADHPY45RHnxTWT-kgJfTForIdmos_nONI1i5cvGpQWitqy9Jl2B2qugmzIiuWA/s400/Dreams1.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maxi Dress - Sudder Street, cuff - New Market, neckpiece - Linking Road, shirt - Nuon, lipstick - Passionate by Colorbar</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoMi8cv1tGJKLxKgJkqLmkQMAbU4FmFwrP9ltWydVRe9d-zzTAaNYEpVDUNC8xCF9CGltm9EKLhLg7RNNnFsuq2mXL7Fc-8QDkfq9hvt4QgptRQNWPVN-iL8aAGOzVGF6iKeo9pLgQNc/s1600/Dreams2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoMi8cv1tGJKLxKgJkqLmkQMAbU4FmFwrP9ltWydVRe9d-zzTAaNYEpVDUNC8xCF9CGltm9EKLhLg7RNNnFsuq2mXL7Fc-8QDkfq9hvt4QgptRQNWPVN-iL8aAGOzVGF6iKeo9pLgQNc/s400/Dreams2.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YlBCUZXVif9IkMORYjb8c0mxZ4AnhNuMyxbi3Q-StYNhsZ3jD_UJNg5xG8H_v68Btqrkrlknn1kzqezGAFXDaMCxS0bPiSfJk2HOU1_bZed5jy5jMXC0ffSN4KzJaw6hPksuK20Gdxc/s1600/Dreams3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YlBCUZXVif9IkMORYjb8c0mxZ4AnhNuMyxbi3Q-StYNhsZ3jD_UJNg5xG8H_v68Btqrkrlknn1kzqezGAFXDaMCxS0bPiSfJk2HOU1_bZed5jy5jMXC0ffSN4KzJaw6hPksuK20Gdxc/s400/Dreams3.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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It's an understatement to call this maxi my go to piece of clothing. Bought from a random shop in Sudder Street during a lazy afternoon walk with a friend on a marijuana hunt for some 250 bucks, I have worn this maxi at least thrice in the past two years on the blog itself! Same goes for the cuff that has been my staple accessory for the past four years. And even though the neckpiece is no more alive, thanks to a wild encounter one Saturday night, it has served me well for the past six months.<br />
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I'll be back with my 'oh how I miss Kolkata winter' posts but till then, take care and like I always say, keep it stylish.<br />
P.S. If you are travelling from Kolkata to Mumbai any time before February, you can also get me some <i>nolen gur</i>. *Wink*</div>
Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com1Mumbai, Maharashtra, India19.0759837 72.87765590000003618.5957917 72.232208900000032 19.556175699999997 73.52310290000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-73153003617316597732015-09-27T04:55:00.001-07:002015-09-27T04:55:24.916-07:00Setting priorities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A considerable part of my childhood was spent making plans on things to do once I get a job. Buying all the books under the sun, going on a shopping spree and signing up for expensive, day long dance classes topped the list. It hit me the other day that working has only taken me far, far away from the person I had aspired to become once I start earning. I've not been able to pursue my hobbies as much as I used to while studying, let alone more. I kept wondering whether it was worth it. Sure I love my job, I love living in the fastest and arguably the biggest city in India, I love being independent...I love it all! But with every passing day, I lose touch with my true self a little more. I wake up every morning - fresh and beaming with energy, ready to take on the world but what about the early morning newspaper I used to read till 12 p.m. before researching more on the topic the editorial that day was written about? What about the leisurely breakfast I used to make myself and wonder if it'd feel this satisfying even when I'm eighty? What about the hawker I used to chat with every afternoon irrespective of whether I buy Popsicle from him or not?<div>
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Life is cruel. It lures one with promises of things they have always fantasised about and then takes even their bare necessities from them. I've learnt it the hard way and therefore, decided not to let go of the few principles I've, the few people I care for and the few things I'm passionate about, come what may. I decided not to give up on my early morning exercise, reading a few pages at least once every week and talking to my parents everyday. Putting my foot down and taking this decision not only made me feel empowered but also a lot lighter. Setting our own priorities is important in order to stop disappointing ourselves everyday. What are your priorities? How do you ensure you don't compromise on them?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pleated maxi skirt and tan tote - Jabong, tussled crop top - Max, black oxfords - Simpark Mall, silver neckpiece - Linking Road, lipstick - Arresting Pink by Colorbar<br />Picture Courtesy - <a href="http://www.styleprism.in/">Anu</a></td></tr>
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These pictures were rotting in my draft for almost a month. Crazy working hours and hectic travelling(and a laptop that's obsessed with crashing) didn't help. But I finally showed them the light of the day! Looking at these also reminded me of the super, super fun evening I spent with my best friend during her Mumbai trip for Lakme Fashion Week almost a month back. This skirt has been my go to piece of clothing for almost a year. The crop top was a gift during my recent Hyderabad trip. Together, they make for such an effortless, chic look even though I wish I had enough energy to take better pictures.</div>
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These days, I've also been introspecting a lot regarding my blog. More on that later though. Meanwhile, if you are in Kolkata at this moment, do let me know how the <i>kaash phool</i>(the nerds tell me that they are called saccharum spontaneum but I find it very difficult to believe) looks now and if the <i>Dhaaki</i>s have already started beating their drums. Oh how I miss this pre - pujo madness!</div>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-59305514383288312242015-06-14T03:56:00.000-07:002015-06-14T03:56:13.416-07:00Unequal Role Perceptions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was fifteen when I had told a friend that I want to be a single mother because "I don't want to share my baby with anyone else." I told her that I felt my mom was capable of doing everything that my dad does if she wants to but my dad can't do the same. So, I can imagine her bringing me up on her own but the idea of growing up with only my father scares the shit out of me. I also admitted that I like boys but I'm not sure about sharing things I love with them(chocolates and books being my obvious choice back then). My friend was horrified and even though she didn't tell me, I'm sure she thanked God for not being my daughter. A decade has passed but the story remains the same everywhere.<br />
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I'm not a staunch feminist. In fact, I have chosen to call myself "not a feminist" for at least the past five years. So, the idea of some people perceiving women as weak, fragile and dependent doesn't annoy me, it amuses me. Yes, I have seen women who always need someone to fall back on but I know for sure that I can bloody well protect my child in this big, bad world and provide for them as long as I have a job and I'm physically fit.</div>
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On a related note, I was reading an article the other day about male rape victims finding it difficult to share their pain and seek medical help because being raped isn't "manly" and trying to carry on with their so called normal life despite the regular bleeding and the pus-covered anus. A little more research on the same topic made me throw up and cry. I kept wondering what purpose such skewed role definitions of our society served other than alienating people and breaking their hearts. Putting your wife through indirect mental torture because she earns more than you do is as bad as leaving your husband because he is a rape victim. Forcing your son to go for Cricket coaching instead of Odissi classes is as bad as not letting your daughter go to school. When would we accept human beings as human beings? I see so many brave, intelligent, powerful women wasting all their energy on the eternal I-can-do-it-better-than-you fight with men instead of trying to find out what it is that they are originally good at and focus on being the best at that instead of always trying to be better than someone. If one always strives to be as good as someone at something, the person would never be able to rise beyond that someone. I should aim to be my best. If I end up being better than a few people in the process, that's only an added bonus. Is it that hard to achieve? I dream of a society where sex would be just as menial an information as someone's blood group on a form which is meant to be used only in case of emergency. I dream of a society that welcomes both a masculine woman and an effeminate man with an open embrace. I dream of a society where I won't be judged for being a single mother and my son won't be called names if he finds my <i>aanchal</i> comforting even after the age of eighteen. I dream of a society where I'd be a human being first and then a woman.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpij_hrcj8okG-7qgO-I9FSSZV6NtmqeJ1VOv447Vylx2iOXuXOY2hQ5JlWJBEEC1Vx8zhyQvS0wZejIVLY1osXkMoTS1wjFYwKCRuiIjxN4DfhDkUELrRF2GT2kRnLkk5efaZ17Oqfo/s1600/C1%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpij_hrcj8okG-7qgO-I9FSSZV6NtmqeJ1VOv447Vylx2iOXuXOY2hQ5JlWJBEEC1Vx8zhyQvS0wZejIVLY1osXkMoTS1wjFYwKCRuiIjxN4DfhDkUELrRF2GT2kRnLkk5efaZ17Oqfo/s400/C1%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maxi dress- Emami Market, cuff and rings- New Market, silver kolhapuri- Shreeram Arcade, lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5mgo1DTBzIn3tWhN4ClP10vg422IeGNI9BENDHPqCm-6UgBu7UvHOTybXdf1_-1iylrwRK0bLaZuU9Z-4NYUC3vh5fpIT0rO4uB6G3OLDD-mDyc7eV6Y3Mva8F9sDPUF1YQ49LR0kFE/s1600/C2%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5mgo1DTBzIn3tWhN4ClP10vg422IeGNI9BENDHPqCm-6UgBu7UvHOTybXdf1_-1iylrwRK0bLaZuU9Z-4NYUC3vh5fpIT0rO4uB6G3OLDD-mDyc7eV6Y3Mva8F9sDPUF1YQ49LR0kFE/s400/C2%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-83327994229701229352015-06-01T01:03:00.001-07:002015-06-01T01:25:39.415-07:00Inspiration - Muse-ment...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oh, happiness is not what I seek.<br />
Give me the saddening Summer creak.<br />
And the Autumn sand.<br />
Also, the contraband<br />
of wars going on inside<br />
where despite my best efforts<br />
the devil wins bona fide.<br />
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When I pass by<br />
your place while<br />
being on the sly;<br />
for me, shed a tear<br />
or two as I welcome<br />
like a tired child, my fear<br />
and look it in its eye,<br />
resigned yet calm,<br />
kissing our dreams goodbye.<br />
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After almost a year long phase of being able to imagine only in Bengali, inspiration happened quite by chance. Dreaming, imagining and writing only in Bengali was extremely satisfying but among other things, Bengalis are also famous for being "truly bilingual". As one of my favourite authors Kunal Basu puts it, "...Because we, the Bengali intelligentsia...are this rare species on earth that is truly bilingual...Bilingualism doesn't mean being able to read street signs or being able to read newspapers in two languages. It means having two streams flow inside our consciousness. And being able to dip into one stream without abandoning the other. The educated Bengali actually had their toes dipped in both these streams. They read Samar Sen with a passion which was no less than the passion with which they read Sylvia Plath." So, being the true Bengali that I'm, not being able to pen down my thoughts in a few coherent English lines was painful and I was elated when inspiration came in the most unusual form - a few lines scribbled by fellow blogger <a href="http://ifeltthis.blogspot.in/">Kshipra</a>! And there it goes! My creative block(in English)coming to a pleasant end. And in order to celebrate it, I took the new cape out for a spin. Mixing prints is an absolute personal favourite while monochrome and stripes happen to be my ultimate solution to any fashion crisis. And that's how this outfit was born.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygalrpXq0bgFB_F496PppY5efOZe_c1-yQb54YGJUo9eDsA9j9-I60JYaCRwa10tKiiI8lxs_SJZoagGzBnvlx9IsGpCNTV2kZ0BDx9thGpD-DdtqjqcyepADZcT5Nl7qjhDctpF-ULQ/s1600/Thane4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygalrpXq0bgFB_F496PppY5efOZe_c1-yQb54YGJUo9eDsA9j9-I60JYaCRwa10tKiiI8lxs_SJZoagGzBnvlx9IsGpCNTV2kZ0BDx9thGpD-DdtqjqcyepADZcT5Nl7qjhDctpF-ULQ/s400/Thane4.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shorts- B.K.Market, shirt- Colaba Causeway, cape- <a href="http://www.myntra.com/">Myntra</a>, brogues- Simpark Mall, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline</td></tr>
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I'll be back with my Summer staple- maxis and a painful journey I keep fantasising about. Till then, take care and like I always say, keep it stylish.</div>
Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-84457684258975874082015-05-19T22:51:00.000-07:002015-05-19T22:51:33.076-07:00Summer Stories...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Summer is officially in full swing, fellas! And for some reason, this year, I'm hating it less than I usually do. It might have something to do with the evening breeze here in Mumbai or the weekend beach outings though. Humid as it is, there's no denying that Spring-Summer shouts out 'bright' and 'happy' loud while my favourite season Winter can't really escape the 'dark' and 'gloomy' tags. Given my obsession with layering, I try to find ways to layer even in this heat. Back home, Summer used to be about <i>kaal-boishakhi</i>(Nor'wester) followed by post-storm raw mango collection, <i>shorbot </i>(sorbet is close but not quite the same)made with <i>gondhoraj lebu</i>(a variety of lime available only in Bengal), <i>himshagar aam</i>( again, a variety of mango available only in Bengal), staring at the scorching sun during lazy Sunday afternoons while reading and wondering if life, too, is as unforgiving at times. Things of course, have changed quite a bit here but it has been a welcome change, to say the least. The clock is ticking and with every passing day, the dreadful moment of leaving Mumbai and going back to my least favourite place is approaching closer. But this time, I'm on a mission to be happy and enjoy myself till the doomsday arrives. On that note, say hello to my daylong semi-sexy tan and my current obsession with this denim shirt!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtN4he9dHtR2TkHZBGCK_nbhonmMmA3fG4kSd50iCw4BlZYkubcNmv4VLtU1237fhfyEAazQzn-sXk6OLn2HTyeLWulaOr6LG0QrWzPa5ml2rq1tWGxoAEEFQuj9wicMlWxdgCdQGTok/s1600/IMG_20150514_104626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtN4he9dHtR2TkHZBGCK_nbhonmMmA3fG4kSd50iCw4BlZYkubcNmv4VLtU1237fhfyEAazQzn-sXk6OLn2HTyeLWulaOr6LG0QrWzPa5ml2rq1tWGxoAEEFQuj9wicMlWxdgCdQGTok/s400/IMG_20150514_104626.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXf8MLFfdcXM7rGzWCNibhGfiAia-hD_8Y7H_02RaQ9NjgOzY2X5ox0UmmeiTd9_zSRZX4eyoJiAXOHONKyNWW2Mav76DPW4eG5qJA-pxmUJZ82OfWdN-UXbwESekXuqZlzxAa-qIZsC4/s1600/IMG_20150515_121350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXf8MLFfdcXM7rGzWCNibhGfiAia-hD_8Y7H_02RaQ9NjgOzY2X5ox0UmmeiTd9_zSRZX4eyoJiAXOHONKyNWW2Mav76DPW4eG5qJA-pxmUJZ82OfWdN-UXbwESekXuqZlzxAa-qIZsC4/s400/IMG_20150515_121350.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over-sized denim shirt, eagle ring- Colaba Causeway, maxi dress(worn as a skirt)- Sudder Street, earcuff- Linking Road, jooti, cuff - New Market, lipstick- Arresting Pink by Colorbar</td></tr>
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I'll be back with my third obsession stripes(denim and monochrome being the other two)hopefully before leaving. Till then, take care and like I always say, keep it stylish!</div>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-43276544626262259612015-04-06T11:02:00.000-07:002015-04-07T21:33:10.170-07:00The City of Dreams<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You know how some people say the entire concept of a place having its own distinct vibe is overrated? Well, let me tell you they are ABSOLUTELY WRONG and I'm a living example of that. If you are a regular reader or connected to me on social media, you'd know about the slow and dangerous depression that started taking over my life ever since I had moved to Indore. I tried embracing the place- exaggerating the quality of <i>dahi</i> at <i>'Joshi ke dahi vada' </i>and extending the time in the gym but with its not-so-charming small town vibe, closed people living in an age where women are supposed to do all the household chores and keep quiet if they are harassed on the streets, banners and hoardings urging people to quit drinking and eating non-veg or be hanged if the non-veg happens to be beef...Indore just never worked out. I was slowly turning into a person I didn't know- introvert, pessimistic, cynical, irritable and snappy. I also kept falling sick often and the experience of going to a doctor and describing my problem in Indore had been so bad for me that I preferred gulping medicines down day in and day out and stay indoors instead.<br />
As they say, after every dark phase, there is a silver lining. In my case, it was an intimation from the Management regarding my temporary posting in the Mumbai office. Even though I was still recovering, I was elated and couldn't wait to leave! And then came the much-awaited day when I could finally say goodbye to Indore even if for a few months. I woke up the next morning, somewhere near <i>Sion</i>, already feeling the infectious positivism I find Mumbai synonymous with. I could already smell the fish and seafood, see the bustling <i>vada pav</i> stalls, feel the sand and water under my feet, hear the <i>Colaba</i> hawkers calling out to me in my mind. The City of Dreams represents the undying, indomitable spirit of life to me. People do everything they can here to earn themselves a livelihood. And despite poverty, inflation and all other common problems(other than safety of women) Mumbai shares with the other Indian cities, the people in Mumbai just refuse to let these get to them and make them unhappy. Every person has different sides to their personality and each place uncovers one of these. I'm no exception either. The moment I arrived in Mumbai, gone were the depression, the urge to lock myself in a room and cry for hours, the withdrawal symptoms and everything else I had been struggling with. When I ordered my first <i>vada pav</i> in two months at a roadside stall near <i>Chandivali</i>, I was a happy soul and it hasn't changed since then. Small, small things make me happy in this city- a long walk all alone post 11 p.m. without the fear of getting groped, watching people rushing about in one of the local railway stations during the peak hours, looking at the street lights and the cars whooshing past them when I wake up after a rare nightmare(traces of Indore I'm slowly and methodically getting rid of), the city talking to me when I stick my head out of the auto to embrace the fresh morning air on my way to gym early in the morning, the <i>vada pav wal</i>a near <i>LnT</i> crossing who never forgets to make my vada pav with extra green<i> chutney</i> and no sweet <i>chutney</i>...and all I feel coming out of my heart is gratitude. Gratitude towards life for giving me a chance to be happy again, to get my dreams back in exchange for the nightmares I had been dealing with for the past few months, to live...<br />
And since this city has healed me so soon and so perfectly, here goes an outfit as a tribute to my second favourite city(Kolkata would be Kolkata and hence, my favourite city always, no matter what)-<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhouVrGvjbznvIlBWEIQIrZ1pIpgvZ24a3k__VMFiohabKDq_bd0ENunoK6QTxPW2mBPYXHjZ7XJxlyAgdg5s1fBX-1Yua4p7QpaWTzuYS08tBr-tk_wSh1bdhwRrwFRK8oC0InKjwLWUY/s1600/aksa1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhouVrGvjbznvIlBWEIQIrZ1pIpgvZ24a3k__VMFiohabKDq_bd0ENunoK6QTxPW2mBPYXHjZ7XJxlyAgdg5s1fBX-1Yua4p7QpaWTzuYS08tBr-tk_wSh1bdhwRrwFRK8oC0InKjwLWUY/s1600/aksa1.jpg" height="356" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DIY distressed denims and crop top- <a href="http://www.jabong.com/">Jabong</a>, satchel bag, ring and spiked loafers- B.K.Market, waistcoat- Colaba Causeway, shades- <a href="http://www.myntra.com/">Myntra</a>, lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LTpniYvleF33ndEUCtnsmHS3gscw5kjrofvWTyTGs-xxVJsK-LXuI1rieHlmg0UJX0rcqaMCUTz7M4L8W6XodrbOJlbkS1PpGBpdeOk9JcQ0fcYG_kG-0Tuyn74Pqrw49GT3anILc8w/s1600/aksa3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LTpniYvleF33ndEUCtnsmHS3gscw5kjrofvWTyTGs-xxVJsK-LXuI1rieHlmg0UJX0rcqaMCUTz7M4L8W6XodrbOJlbkS1PpGBpdeOk9JcQ0fcYG_kG-0Tuyn74Pqrw49GT3anILc8w/s1600/aksa3.jpg" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
Ever since <a href="http://www.projectcurve.in/">Debi</a> distressed this pair of denims for me, I find myself reaching for it at least once every week. And since my love for layering refuses to die even in the humid Mumbai weather, the waistcoat had to find its way with the crop top. The serene beach, the wind in my hair and the sand under my feet took care of the rest. I'll be back with more florals, pastels and everything girlie and meanwhile, you take care and like I always say, keep it stylish. </div>
Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-21180534589499522272015-03-14T01:24:00.000-07:002015-03-14T01:24:03.163-07:00Pushing yourself too far?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sorry for the absence on ze blog, people! After almost a month long sickness and a week long stay in the hospital, I'm slowly getting back to normal life. Well-wishers everywhere have been reproaching me for pushing myself too far, for continuing with my grilling schedule despite being very unwell. And that's when it struck me. We, the so called independent women today, often struggle with striking a balance between being tough and neglecting oneself. Managing everything from household chores to working for at least nine hours to sweating it out in the gym on my own taught me valuable lessons. It taught me to value my health. It taught me to be grateful for being strong enough to take care of myself. It made me nostalgic for the home-cooked meals I had grown up with, the smell of turmeric-cumin-coriander wafting from the <i>aanchal</i> of my mom's <i>saree</i>.<br />
Speaking of <i>saree</i>, I wore this beauty by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/howrahbridgebyadg?ref=br_tf">Howrah Bridge</a> for the grand wedding of the designer herself. The royal colours, the traditional <i>atpoure</i> drape, the heavy jewellery...everything added up to the grandeur of the evening otherwise known as my bestie's wedding. Those five days of eating like a starving soul, dancing like a drunkard on loose and crazy, crazy fun ensured I survive the coming dull months(thanks to my empty pocket)without a complaint.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saree, blouse- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/howrahbridgebyadg?ref=br_tf">Howrah Bridge</a>, earrings, hand chain, bangles- Vardaan Market,bindi- local shop, lipstick- Passionate by Colorbar, wedges(not in picture)- Metro Plaza</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the groom</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And with my favourite bride under the sun</td></tr>
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Summer is officially here! So are the happy florals, pastels, shorts, maxis, evening breeze and delightful fruity concoctions. Go indulge into a few poolside parties flaunting your skimpy shorts or flowy maxis depending on your preference while I nurse myself back to health and hope to start working out soon. Till then, take care and like I always say, keep it stylish.</div>
Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-42912524195349332292015-02-14T22:24:00.000-08:002015-02-14T22:29:43.307-08:00Angry Lover's Valentines' Day Look<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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With my Valentines' Day gone as unceremoniously as every year, my sincere apologies for not painting ze blog with all the red and pink fest most of the fellow bloggers have indulged into. I'm not much of a believer in this 'Day' culture whether it's Indian or Western. However, when <a href="http://www.dailylook.com/c/Little-Black-Dresses/3/4125.html">Dailylook</a> asked me to be a part of their ' Style your own LBD Look' initiative, I couldn't help lusting over their gorgeous collection to put up my LBD Look.<br />
Now, LBD or Little Black Dress is a must in every girl's wardrobe. Some prefer to go the feminine route with soft makeup and dreamy curls. Some prefer to go bold with red lips and some prefer to neon it up with a pop. I, however, chose to design what I call an Angry Lover's Valentines' Day Look. The fuss-free LBD with its edgy leather feel and pockets, the fringe purse and the intricate oxford make for a 'I am too tough to be broken by the heartache you caused me' vibe. The blingy blazer scream out 'I am perfectly capable of having a life of my own' and the oh-so-in marsala lips make for a bold statement without going the mainstream red way. The gun metal ring set and spiked earcuff add to the 'Do not mess with me' feel. This is an outfit I consider perfect for all those strong, independent women who have been struck in the face but refused to back down, those who have been left scarred again and again but never shattered. This is women power at its fashionable best!<br />
So, what are you waiting for? Go shop this look <a href="http://stylesets.dailylook.com/sets/188534">here</a> or put your favourite outfit together from <a href="http://www.dailylook.com/">here</a>! Trust me not to exaggerate when I say you'd be spoilt for choices.<br />
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<img alt="Beautysets - Angry Lover's Valentines' Day Look" src="http://stylesets.dailylook.com/system/products_sets/images/000/188/534/original_background/Beautysets_BB_Dakota_BB_Dakota_Marius_Dress_in_Black_XS_-_L_DAILYLOOK_188534_1423980306.jpg?1423980306" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />
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Angry Lover's Valentines' Day Look<br />
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I'll be back with bestie's wedding shenanigans and more. Till then, take care and like I always say, keep it stylish.</div>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-31423628908425641532015-02-07T21:55:00.003-08:002015-02-07T21:55:53.777-08:00Shop till you drop with the latest Winter Fashion Trends(Guest Post)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Wondering what to wear in this cold weather? Shop and buy some of the best Fashion Trends this Winter. Catch all the latest Winter Fashion Trends and tips that would leave you in awe.<br />
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Is there any woman on earth who does not love playing dress up? Since the Winter season is here, searching for the hip Winter Fashion Trends for this weather could be quite a tedious task. There may be plenty of style statements and tips doing the rounds, but you to need to choose the best among all. Make this Winter merrier with Classic Winter Wear outfits, accessories and Fashion Trends inspired from all the Fashion Capitals in the world.<br />
So before you get thinking, here are some of the best takeaways this season:<br />
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<b>•Flaunting soft and peppy colors: </b>‘Tis the season to be jolly’ is the line hummed by all. So, in keeping up with a happy theme, bright and white pastel shades are dominating the Fashion front. Contrasting colors are not far behind when it comes to the buzzing Winter Fashion Trends. Undertones of gray and black have found a great spot in terms of party wear and red carpet outfits. Right from hues of olive, maroon to chocolate brown, all earthy shades seem to be the ideal colors you need to watch out for. Snowy shades too make for racy Fashion Trends this Winter.<br />
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<b>•Maintaining that mane:</b> Gorgeous tresses with stylish cuts and highlights are raging this year. Why should you be left behind with styles that have faded out? Opt for classic and bold celeb styles right from shoulder-length bob cuts, bangs, and layers. Even funky hairstyles like fishtail braids, waterfall braids, plaits, poker straight and soft wavy curls are among the top favorite fashion trends this Winter season. Another crisp look is tucking your tresses into your Winter clothes like tops and wrapping them with mufflers.<br />
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<b>•Donning the right hat: </b>All hat lovers are in for a pleasant surprise. One of the hottest trends in winter wear that have caught peoples’ attention is hats. Pair large knitted beanies or Moroccan hats and large hoods with your warm fuzzy outfits to keep you all warm. Choose from a selection of elegant French bow hats to classic mascots and ball caps that will work wonders and add class to your overall ensemble.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Qf9U5gfK3TRfcnTIWYrC164192YjkI6lihI963D47usY_zRjxAjOPn4UemAPU-6yt4FdyurB8nrEpy5RwTUPCUWTyNh3ITdwgO5ClXMi915ZPJ-A3BmYTetkjjP8SgVSMtILYNCI0aA/s1600/Manisha_Beanie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Qf9U5gfK3TRfcnTIWYrC164192YjkI6lihI963D47usY_zRjxAjOPn4UemAPU-6yt4FdyurB8nrEpy5RwTUPCUWTyNh3ITdwgO5ClXMi915ZPJ-A3BmYTetkjjP8SgVSMtILYNCI0aA/s1600/Manisha_Beanie.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>•Wearing coats that make the cut this winter: </b>Soft and thick fur coats that with tousled sleeves and funneled collars are among the most sought after Winter Fashion Trends. Over-sized jackets and faux fur coats create a bold appeal for parties, work functions, and events. Lightweight wool or reworked cotton form the fundamental base for all trendy designs and Winter Wear creations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnu7vGYU36bhvy4-ifHb-bP0Qkc5ahhIdZ9tudqGbXtinnfofos3k5SXUg1FTCMJWX1zbhVBXAfA3fCO6cpBj9cQgwYF_Td4ab1TcOLmeM2F6bzC5IGQ1Rw2STKZkCe8T4Uatk3CLsdns/s1600/Manisha_Fur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnu7vGYU36bhvy4-ifHb-bP0Qkc5ahhIdZ9tudqGbXtinnfofos3k5SXUg1FTCMJWX1zbhVBXAfA3fCO6cpBj9cQgwYF_Td4ab1TcOLmeM2F6bzC5IGQ1Rw2STKZkCe8T4Uatk3CLsdns/s1600/Manisha_Fur.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>•Wrapping scarves and mufflers: </b>This style accessory is a worldwide favorite in Winter. Coordinate them with any outfit. Available in classic colors, animal prints, neon and earthy shades, these small and large sized mufflers and scarves protect you against the cold weather as well as create a chic look.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8Prc1FUasPAowIpSQ9J5zP_R14AW_5W21GkBkgCw1Cf7uvpOjtOhVArvXab64TXXByxfkxaQaeLaTLSNLfNa1kJcUwzC165ZLu7oSHZfIQejDKBf1ap0robqlYPPT-UqHtTtmynS1SE/s1600/Manisha_scarves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8Prc1FUasPAowIpSQ9J5zP_R14AW_5W21GkBkgCw1Cf7uvpOjtOhVArvXab64TXXByxfkxaQaeLaTLSNLfNa1kJcUwzC165ZLu7oSHZfIQejDKBf1ap0robqlYPPT-UqHtTtmynS1SE/s1600/Manisha_scarves.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>•Walking around in the best shoes: </b>The classic high-heel boots are never going to fade away in the world of Fashion. Be it ankle-length or knee-length, boots are majorly responsible for stealing glances from passers by. The comfort and warmth that they provide make them a sure shot winner and get them scoring on the list of the most happening Fashion Trends this Winter. Transparent laced slippers and ballerinas lend a Cinderella effect. Be very sure to pick up the right size and color as per the length of your outfit. Dazzling pumps and sandals are soon catching up and creating a trend. Wear them with laced stockings and furry Winter clothes to create a retro look.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxO1jBhdr5be-Ua_mqU2ozMmp7IpBr_VwVm757gf-sfuDlUcsC4poqLMtmRo-V6SVUxCNBtZSQ9rmFcPAlbINMr_vgmJ7R2-eJ_xniy310wrYnyx3a5Sq31b3oKIiNSMJgMk60m3dCjWo/s1600/Manisha_boots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxO1jBhdr5be-Ua_mqU2ozMmp7IpBr_VwVm757gf-sfuDlUcsC4poqLMtmRo-V6SVUxCNBtZSQ9rmFcPAlbINMr_vgmJ7R2-eJ_xniy310wrYnyx3a5Sq31b3oKIiNSMJgMk60m3dCjWo/s1600/Manisha_boots.jpg" height="320" width="176" /></a></div>
<b>•Playing with makeup shades and sparkling chunky jewelry: </b>Gold and silver shimmering hues of eye-shadow create a dramatic effect along with your Winter clothes. Colored eyeliners and cherry red lip glosses too create a mystified glamorous evening look. Sport some chunky imitation jewelry like cufflinks, colored nose rings, snowflake pendants, large broaches and dangling mistletoe earrings.<br />
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<b>•Creating effects with fabric designs and textures: </b>Layering outfits and pairing them up with denims bring about tangled effects. It is important to blend looks and not stick to one particular look the entire season. Be more versatile with cashmere wools and mohair fabrics that protect you against the strong winter breeze. Color shaded denims of different cuts and styles add a casual appeal to the pleasing bunch of winter fashion trends. Skinny jeans and high waist denims look adorable when teamed with funky tees and oversized coats. Try as much as possible to not stick to one color. Instead of matching everything in one single shade, experiment with your shoes, Winter clothes, and other accessories in a variety of primary and secondary color palettes.<br />
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So what are you waiting for? Pick up your shopping bags and head towards local stores or designer boutiques as per your budget and grab some of the best deals. Create unmatchable Winter Fashion Trends to be the most sought after Fashion Goddess in town.<br />
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P.S. Say 'hi' to <a href="http://blog.myskin.com/insights/get-gorgeous-superfoods-for-healthy-and-glowing-skin/">Manisha</a>- the first guest writer on ze blog! Other than being an avid follower of this space, <a href="http://askricha.com/13-health-tips-for-working-women-dos-donts/">she</a> has also written articles for various brands. Read one of her very helpful articles <a href="http://spotlightxoxo.com/skin-remedies-winter/">here</a> if you haven't chanced upon it already, that is.<br />
Meanwhile, I'll go give my wardrobe a much-needed Spring-Summer makeover.I'll be back with some Wedding Wows and more. Till then, you take care and like I always say, keep it stylish.</div>
Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com1India20.593684 78.962880000000041-8.580994 37.654286000000042 49.768361999999996 120.27147400000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-14263228855509281002015-01-10T23:37:00.000-08:002015-01-10T23:51:17.151-08:00Winter Lookbook-2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Winter happens to be my favourite season for more reasons than one. And for a layering lover like me, it's the ideal time to dress up. Even though I haven't been my dressy best this Winter, thanks to the work pressure and lack of occasions to dress up for, the collaboration with <a href="http://www.ebay.in/">ebay</a> made me go through my archive and these are the three Winter outfits from 2014 I chose for the Lookbook-<br />
<b>Girls' Day Out</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYQKkuDncsnARn4ft7TI9MHN9lTNkpECJYBK41axq7m1zurOhM8Ju-OkXlJTtgMQOTGxbabDRTTCA8KzKRYJ2H4A9PCfltrMY6iSSpdGlVslbXEQWzRRPJW_fcfUIseIPK8Y0GqJcAFE/s1600/Gangtok16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYQKkuDncsnARn4ft7TI9MHN9lTNkpECJYBK41axq7m1zurOhM8Ju-OkXlJTtgMQOTGxbabDRTTCA8KzKRYJ2H4A9PCfltrMY6iSSpdGlVslbXEQWzRRPJW_fcfUIseIPK8Y0GqJcAFE/s1600/Gangtok16.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1zTUcIpBGlySkWjwHf2W-Zd6xeKSWvum0mQ7HiKFd2k48e5uW9TP6U5RRRd-Hdsk-mJjaXBRHw4f88e3T1htF33BkGPIg6A-B6yYsgwSWHLHXmfj5Xh0Ek8Qu-_mMIkQrPuJXf7ELrI/s1600/Gangtok3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1zTUcIpBGlySkWjwHf2W-Zd6xeKSWvum0mQ7HiKFd2k48e5uW9TP6U5RRRd-Hdsk-mJjaXBRHw4f88e3T1htF33BkGPIg6A-B6yYsgwSWHLHXmfj5Xh0Ek8Qu-_mMIkQrPuJXf7ELrI/s1600/Gangtok3.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheer shirt- Nuon, black peplum- thrifted, floral pants- B.K.Market, Jacket- Talking Threads, Metro Plaza, oxfords- Simpark Mall, beanie- local market in Gangtok, aviators and stacked up bracelets- borrowed from <a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.in/">Anu</a>, lipstick- Passionate by Colorbar<br />
Picture Credits- <a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.in/">Anu</a></td></tr>
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I wore this outfit on a day trip to north Sikkim with two of my best friends. The abundance of grey and black in this outfit has been balanced with the happy pink and I chose to layer with my accessories too, thank God for friends who don't believe in travelling light. *Wink* This outfit is appropriate for a day look when the mercury has dipped significantly.<br />
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<b>L(o)unge Forward</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Aq6IzFsOEnAjqEHsXd8dVZgDI4iQtS35T5p1wN_2us5MnuSFgzDgEqE45gnXg6YiPNjxZnlLyhOC1WuGoptzGU15p19W2I25tbBfwVNF-lRqOjIWsJEvqqzx-qd8fdlJtQDDqkTM2wE/s1600/Gangtok2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Aq6IzFsOEnAjqEHsXd8dVZgDI4iQtS35T5p1wN_2us5MnuSFgzDgEqE45gnXg6YiPNjxZnlLyhOC1WuGoptzGU15p19W2I25tbBfwVNF-lRqOjIWsJEvqqzx-qd8fdlJtQDDqkTM2wE/s1600/Gangtok2.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palazzo, denim button down and metallic ring- borrowed from <a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.in/">Anu</a>, lace booties- B.K.Market, lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar<br />
Picture Credits- <a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.in/">Anu</a></td></tr>
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This outfit is perfect for one of those less chilly evenings you want to go clubbing. The warm palazzos and the button down with a tank thrown inside take care of the nip in the air. The metallic ring gives you the edge and the happy yellow well, makes you happy!<br />
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<b> All That Glitters Is Gold</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdK0pcktxfitXqQ8ngpwiW8-UZA3yh2ZQNmEJ_q51u3-4c16Z8fXciYlz8k164tpgP0cuY4EtByUGolsjUFuG8O9h2ZC9pS-SwPwL-zjJFtUJgn2DKOkEc_2B02u5keaWxS_tjF5AQ5A/s1600/CM1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdK0pcktxfitXqQ8ngpwiW8-UZA3yh2ZQNmEJ_q51u3-4c16Z8fXciYlz8k164tpgP0cuY4EtByUGolsjUFuG8O9h2ZC9pS-SwPwL-zjJFtUJgn2DKOkEc_2B02u5keaWxS_tjF5AQ5A/s1600/CM1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skirt, belt, pumps- B.K.Market, striped shirt, midi rings- Colaba, bag, red jacket, tights- New Market, pearl earrings- Chandrani Pearls, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKYg03UFrqNMI7oMPC8DLhF8gbc1M4BAhuvu4MX_JIWxrUKs4M2naj93GqgKR6qXZVz1H8fYsalwpJF0yibx6GHLNutJYKqTJyLGAV7bSdqVRJC_XZYXDmInZpciSuyL0n8sYNy01NmY/s1600/CM3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKYg03UFrqNMI7oMPC8DLhF8gbc1M4BAhuvu4MX_JIWxrUKs4M2naj93GqgKR6qXZVz1H8fYsalwpJF0yibx6GHLNutJYKqTJyLGAV7bSdqVRJC_XZYXDmInZpciSuyL0n8sYNy01NmY/s1600/CM3.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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This look is for your glam evening in Winter. I've been digging monochrome and metallic hues for quite some time now. Stripes happen to be my another favourite. The striped shirt added a little drama to the otherwise boring black skirt-shirt-tights look and the hint of gold in the midi rings and the pumps balanced it perfectly. A glam evening is synonymous with red lips. But you could go adventurous with oxblood lips too.<br />
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2015 promises to be an exciting year for ze blog with a lot of travelling and collaborations coming up. Meanwhile, go take a look at <a href="http://blog.ebay.in/fashion/">the Fashion Blog of ebay</a> because I can't seem to have enough of it! Also, the new year collection is live on <a href="http://www.ebay.in/">ebay</a>! Go shop to your heart's content before someone else buys that piece that you have been eyeing forever on a super discounted price! I'll be back with Indore Diaries and more. Till then, take care and like I always say, keep it stylish.</div>
Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-39141023009462775722014-12-07T11:25:00.000-08:002014-12-07T11:25:12.900-08:00New beginning or the means to an end?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There can't be a better time to talk about new beginnings than December! Of course talking about new beginnings has special significance for me this December with the move to Indore. But then again, without taking any credit away from the new for all its positivism, why don't we talk about endings? How do we start something new if we don't end the old? This year has been a year of changes in more ways than one. I've changed so much throughout the year that I barely relate to the person I was when 2014 started. Most of the changes have come with heartbreaks in one way or the other but I learnt to be thankful for what I have instead of complaining about what I had to let go of. 2014 has been a year of disappointment, liberation, failure, self-realisation, loneliness, passion and of course, love. These are the things I'd always remember 2014 for-<br />
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<li>Girls' Week Out- I've never been much of a traveler. Most of the times, I didn't have money, I didn't have anyone to travel with, I was stuck in my monotonous and hectic schedule...excuses are aplenty but this year, I finally took a trip to Gangtok with two of my best friends. And it was so liberating! Three girls travelling together, facing challenges of every kind and getting over them all, it was an experience I'd never forget.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUb9DV9pVxu7cQchoTOeRO9arAz_606H8Qu47m_wNsBjDw2NjFicB7D9GEzF5pZ4ZZiQVnWFADhWcH9tLbOekr3GgwFFalg7JIJ-o-OiW6PBsJKW_9frkPIqD4wswsOljyc7j_BllwBM/s1600/Gangtok1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUb9DV9pVxu7cQchoTOeRO9arAz_606H8Qu47m_wNsBjDw2NjFicB7D9GEzF5pZ4ZZiQVnWFADhWcH9tLbOekr3GgwFFalg7JIJ-o-OiW6PBsJKW_9frkPIqD4wswsOljyc7j_BllwBM/s1600/Gangtok1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This trip in itself deserves a separate post and I promise I'd get back with it without further procrastination.</td></tr>
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<li>First job- Well, it's over-hyped, it definitely is. Specially for someone who is working in an organisation that is far from her dream company , life can be pretty difficult. In addition to that, it doesn't even translate into a lot of money. But then, being able to pay your own bills gives you a sense of confidence that nothing else can match up to.</li>
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<li>Moving to a new city- For someone so blindly in love with Kolkata, moving to a new city, that too, a city I've hated during my week-long stay there was pretty much unimaginable for everyone who knew me. Even I've surprised myself the way I handled the entire relocation. Guess it's easy to be calm and realistic when one gets used to disappointment.</li>
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<li>Letting go of forever- My younger brother had shared a piece of wisdom with me long back. I was madly in love and since I wasn't in a relationship that had a so called destination, the love brought with it a lot of pain. It hurt him to see me in so much pain and still trying so desperately to hold on to it. So, he had told me that forever is ever changing. If this one feels right, it's not the last. It'd come again. I didn't want to believe him but this year taught me exactly that. Forever would keep coming even though it'd feel different every time. That doesn't make letting go any less painful but it's comforting to believe that this isn't the end of life.</li>
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Now that the end of 2014 is nearby, let me raise a toast to every beautiful moment this year has given me, the way it has broken me and put me back to shape...everything has made me stronger and braver. Thank you, 2014!</div>
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And finally, it's time to unveil 'Sisters of the Travelling Pajamas'! It's a concept that one of my blogging idols <a href="http://www.purple-peeptoes.com/">Karishma</a> had come up with. A group of bloggers from different cities formed a chain and each blogger had to send one piece of clothing/accessory to the next one in the chain and the one receiving it has to style it her way. I was lucky enough to receive her crop top and even though I had great plans to style it really high street with moccasins and oxblood lipstick, due to lack of resources, this is how I finally styled it-<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbQbJnmnDr4dq240HLj0N0Kwjma5ZdOI4NhMfkgUidNm6IIbpxOeEEwjmZEzFephiQGdUDze64577iPNFPL5ziPPOPhKq7cCuWIxonjCHyoZf3rnFo4nq_OXHSYlGCcmROTMaWkcqNpI/s1600/SOTTP1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbQbJnmnDr4dq240HLj0N0Kwjma5ZdOI4NhMfkgUidNm6IIbpxOeEEwjmZEzFephiQGdUDze64577iPNFPL5ziPPOPhKq7cCuWIxonjCHyoZf3rnFo4nq_OXHSYlGCcmROTMaWkcqNpI/s1600/SOTTP1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crop top- <a href="http://www.purple-peeptoes.com/">Karishma's</a>, skirt, belt, shoes- B.K.Market, wristband- borrowed from <a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.in/">Anu</a>, bag- New Market, lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumoSLL3fmGCIpjTyuvgfi6pITj3L9s4lfbr33WuAp5DvXPdBIeOHGiCSkkD-u9HoFZxxs6nj2Fz-3ArCgB3gbTc6I-4bPGz_6uDlcvmN-7toCbwcpV1LQDZqd9Ks1wLKfWtyYlREHkig/s1600/SOTTP3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumoSLL3fmGCIpjTyuvgfi6pITj3L9s4lfbr33WuAp5DvXPdBIeOHGiCSkkD-u9HoFZxxs6nj2Fz-3ArCgB3gbTc6I-4bPGz_6uDlcvmN-7toCbwcpV1LQDZqd9Ks1wLKfWtyYlREHkig/s1600/SOTTP3.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture Credits- <a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.in/">Anu</a></td></tr>
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I'll be back with the Gangtok post and the customary Indore guide post once I get a little time off all the cooking, cleaning, washing dishes and clothes, grocery shopping and all other side-effects of living alone. Till then, take care and keep it stylish.</div>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-17855422383802764882014-11-22T23:18:00.000-08:002014-11-22T23:18:41.754-08:00Never good at good bye...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There's a saying called <i>kupamanduk </i>or <i>kuo-r bang </i>in Bengali that means 'frog in a well.' Being born and brought up in one of the most charming cities in the entire world meant becoming a frog in a well in some sense or the other.I never left the city till a certain age and all my favourites started and ended in the city-my favourite<i> phuchka</i> or<i> dosa</i> or rolls or <i>mishti</i> or noodles or <i>tandoori</i> chicken, my favourite corner to read or think or take a long walk, my favourite place for second hand books, <i>mojris</i>, <i>sarees</i>, dress materials, thrifted stuff, accessories and what not. My city has always provided me with everything I have ever wanted(and more) and therefore, I never felt the need to leave this city.<br />
But life has a way of throwing us off the turf. During my orientation programme, I was required to travel to various locations and among the three locations that I had visited, if there was one place that I hated with a passion, it was Indore. The very vibe of the city depressed me, I hated the food, I had difficulties understanding their dialect, the work culture in the Indore office irritated me to no end and the list goes on. But ironically, I was chosen to operate out of the Indore office for two years by the Management. Given that the fellow Management Trainees were going to places like Haldia, Gandhidham, Mangalore and Patalganga, I was in pretty much the best possible location though. Besides, I don't like coming across as an inflexible person at work. So, there I was- packing my bags and leaving within three days of being back from Haldia.<br />
The hardest part about leaving is having to say good bye. I'm bad at it. My tear glands betray me and no matter how much I swear not to cry, my voice chokes. I'm not a much-loved person but the few people I care for mean the world to me and vice versa. So, this time also, no matter where it took place, I could barely speak, my eyes welled up and before long, I knew I was getting ugly. But it didn't matter because the moment itself was beautiful and this beauty was beyond words. And then it ended. I left the city that meant everything to me and arrived in a new city where I knew no one. Pleasantries were exchanged, strangers were befriended and life moved on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjKrfcaFKhiIz8Io4XmXd_NWCOVfo3M2e7ngPUywF9pvmzibi64flVX0YtSgn0YDxGUKBOHX5e6EE7XASrkPpVID70VQwLVZT_Mz0ZvyzCI_k2xj9C1fO0dqESD0r8vuUwgx4aEth6dk/s1600/Quest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUjKrfcaFKhiIz8Io4XmXd_NWCOVfo3M2e7ngPUywF9pvmzibi64flVX0YtSgn0YDxGUKBOHX5e6EE7XASrkPpVID70VQwLVZT_Mz0ZvyzCI_k2xj9C1fO0dqESD0r8vuUwgx4aEth6dk/s1600/Quest1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheer maxi skirt, crop top, ring- B.K.Market, cuff- New Market, neckpiece- Lindsay Street, gladiators- Shreeram Arcade lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar, nail paints- Pink Champagne by Maybelline</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqzBw_PPmXUHtAh0tgpjcmxe81W2WvFAc2Z-PZJynPKscXwsMaXtpJYNT-Hf1b5exJ9fSSUqW7wviXHREq8vF9hP1AjAliC2vcc_joVSxgnYWbp397xlIZuDtBbv3X1XiJAeiMm1_HoE/s1600/Quest2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqzBw_PPmXUHtAh0tgpjcmxe81W2WvFAc2Z-PZJynPKscXwsMaXtpJYNT-Hf1b5exJ9fSSUqW7wviXHREq8vF9hP1AjAliC2vcc_joVSxgnYWbp397xlIZuDtBbv3X1XiJAeiMm1_HoE/s1600/Quest2.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-77959835850304081772014-11-02T01:52:00.000-07:002014-11-02T02:06:28.929-08:00Saree Saga '14- Part-III<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
And finally, with the festivities over and the damp, cold emptiness taking over all us Calcuttans(even though I'm not going to be one for long), all we are left with are memories. Happy memories, crazy memories, blurry memories...memories are aplenty. And it feels like this annoying hangover that doesn't encompass all your senses but stops you from focusing on anything else. Every time you look at a picture from those few days, you are filled with this bitter feeling of disappointment. You're mad that it got over so soon(but that's a complaint that Calcuttans always have, don't they?) and you're mad that you can't move on. The city is preparing itself for another set of festivities but by then, I'd be sitting in a distant city near Malwa plateau- missing the nip in the air in my favourite city, the monkey caps, the lazy sun, the family picnics, the lights in Park Street and the indomitable spirit of the city that just never, never dies.<br />
Anyway, the Saree series comes to an end with this post. I'll leave you with the pictures while I prepare myself for the journey towards uncertainty.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEiA82T1pY03BI8s5x24L2luN6M5i1FpOdLG7aNbTTi8PCrluueCbqEgyhfhCiWjMm3C5bAjg9_Wc78ggeFCcfwIf1ym6Vp2G0WTWMG1Iq8R80VLV2xBZD8_eW0x22O1VFqryprxB0yJU/s1600/ashtami1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEiA82T1pY03BI8s5x24L2luN6M5i1FpOdLG7aNbTTi8PCrluueCbqEgyhfhCiWjMm3C5bAjg9_Wc78ggeFCcfwIf1ym6Vp2G0WTWMG1Iq8R80VLV2xBZD8_eW0x22O1VFqryprxB0yJU/s1600/ashtami1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saree- mom's,blouse- bought from local shop due to emergency, cuff- New Market, chappal- Shreeram Arcade, earring-B.K.Market, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8UNBaqf2ILoLT2askGmDDETq9BbwG_-t-50cJkGH9tFZlzvzmtvMvfgIQBoWsik_q-jXppmk1NuB6aYjPmLUMnpGo-y3uTjjuEWVYmKURdo5mfYKolGyxAa6PMS8pqrd6H1CmuGPDbo/s1600/ashtami2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8UNBaqf2ILoLT2askGmDDETq9BbwG_-t-50cJkGH9tFZlzvzmtvMvfgIQBoWsik_q-jXppmk1NuB6aYjPmLUMnpGo-y3uTjjuEWVYmKURdo5mfYKolGyxAa6PMS8pqrd6H1CmuGPDbo/s1600/ashtami2.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture Courtesy - <a href="http://dialifestyle.wordpress.com/">Pooja</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJctzZn7O-XwAk6q5OplRiFuH_bQN9OdnjgtAAQ6SWRUm-OAGXy1zwxeqY0pcnA7t3v_Qn4AvGYwt4YAsMszU4tcQvoGOF25wqTubA1kmftpEBDa8payrzkWHZ7VIrC51BOj7aUfgKdRE/s1600/shoshthi3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJctzZn7O-XwAk6q5OplRiFuH_bQN9OdnjgtAAQ6SWRUm-OAGXy1zwxeqY0pcnA7t3v_Qn4AvGYwt4YAsMszU4tcQvoGOF25wqTubA1kmftpEBDa8payrzkWHZ7VIrC51BOj7aUfgKdRE/s1600/shoshthi3.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saree, blouse- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/howrahbridgebyadg">Howrah Bridge</a>, earring, ring- New Market, bindi- local shop, chappal(not seen in the picture)- B.K.Market, lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar</td></tr>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-30763385193883518522014-10-25T10:27:00.000-07:002014-10-25T10:27:07.588-07:00Saree Saga '14- Part-II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The number of hits on the first<i> saree </i>post of this <i>Pujo</i> was motivation enough to write down the second post so soon. Since I'm done lecturing(and boring) you on the hollow side of our <i>Pujo </i>celebration these days(I'm pretty sure I pissed off quite a few in the process), I decided to make it up to those angry souls in this post and talk about the not-so-shallow side of those very means of celebration.<br />
First comes the attire. Yes, no one would penalize you for roaming around in your pajamas during <i>Pujo</i> but draping the beautiful nine yard puts you in the right mood like nothing else. Like they say, one has to look the part before trying to act it. Besides, it's one of the best ways to get to know the rich heritage of our country. There are so many beautiful varieties hiding in quaint little villages in every state and the story behind each <i>Fulia taant </i>or <i>Murshidabad </i>silk<i> saree</i> is fascinating, to say the least!<br />
And then comes the food. Kolkata is a city well known for its roadside delicacies but the frenzy over every <i>jhaal muri-bhelpuri-phuchka-</i>egg roll<i>-biryani-</i>candy floss stall during these four days is unbelievable! And from <i>Ichaapur</i> to Italy, nothing brings a family together like sharing good food. I never watch what I eat during <i>Pujo </i>but if you are even more health-conscious than I'm, worry not. There's something or the other for everyone in the grand <i>Pujo</i> feast. There are a lot of healthy options too like <i>ghugni, bhelpuri</i>, the <i>Ashtami bhog khichudi</i> and <i>labra</i>, to name a few.<br />
And now the famous pandal hopping that we <i>Kolkatans</i> can't seem to imagine life without and people from other cities find difficult to understand. It's beyond the understanding of all my friends from other cities what pleasure one can get out of walking for miles and sweating while wearing heavy make-up and gaudy clothes. Well, for starters, it burns at least half of the extra calories that you have gained, thanks to all the eating! And Kolkata is the only city where you get to see everyone from a CEO to a domestic help dressing up in their best attire and walking down the same street to visit the same pandals. Ever seen a more natural example of equality?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnXvZN9x2mkH2jYop3O9UIQIV_ZvYr2MR5KVBHM-SonPQ7mSey0DR76LdKKuUF4H6uHZkZppSwjPA1v6nKibaWEa_o1JcRgYiMqhLd0YhIP1p89YuUaPvUS0TzQ6fxcVJBTn-N41GmP4/s1600/panchami.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnXvZN9x2mkH2jYop3O9UIQIV_ZvYr2MR5KVBHM-SonPQ7mSey0DR76LdKKuUF4H6uHZkZppSwjPA1v6nKibaWEa_o1JcRgYiMqhLd0YhIP1p89YuUaPvUS0TzQ6fxcVJBTn-N41GmP4/s1600/panchami.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panchami<br />
Saree- mom's, blouse- bought from local shop due to emergency, earring- B.K.Market, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPdzMEMl4aE29Jn4WCNqFKUKV5t1v3zKpF3hp3wJYYeaifAwwLaK5Mimap9kSb6LeBLRUURYDx2bdtQ6b77c2CoWa9iSpCTG8OgDIsMGk-6JZjt62lT5mSdN5OI0EIs2W0yuRyPfGq7g8/s1600/saptami1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPdzMEMl4aE29Jn4WCNqFKUKV5t1v3zKpF3hp3wJYYeaifAwwLaK5Mimap9kSb6LeBLRUURYDx2bdtQ6b77c2CoWa9iSpCTG8OgDIsMGk-6JZjt62lT5mSdN5OI0EIs2W0yuRyPfGq7g8/s1600/saptami1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saptami</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saree- mom's, blouse-<a href="https://www.facebook.com/howrahbridgebyadg">Howrah Bridge</a>, rings- New Market, chappal- Shreeram Arcade, earring- B.K.Market, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline<br />
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Coming to the outfits, since I had no time to shop this<i> Pujo</i>, I had to wear mostly my mom's <i>sarees</i>. I'm not much of a <i>taant </i>person and find it difficult to manage but surprisingly, I was very comfortable wearing them this year. Guess age is catching up after all. Also, if you drape it well, it's pretty flattering for almost all body types.<br />
One more <i>saree </i>post and then I'd move on to the most eventful trip of my entire life! Till then, take care and keep it stylish.</td></tr>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-10924839610621571502014-10-05T08:03:00.000-07:002014-10-05T08:03:51.581-07:00Saree Saga '14- Part-I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Whoever said that celebration cannot overshadow the cause behind it should come and spend <i>Durga</i> <i>Pujo</i> in our city of joy. What must have started out as a solemn week of celebrating the victory of the Good over the Evil has turned out to be the ugliest form of commercialization these days. For most of my non-Bengali friends, this festival is synonymous to wearing sarees, visiting themed pandals, gorging on <i>luchi-kosha mangsho</i>-egg rolls-<i>phuchka</i> and junk of every other kind and of course, the customary bird-watching at Maddox Square. To be honest, my <i>Pujo</i> schedule doesn't deviate much from what I just stated but at times, I kind of miss those innocent days when <i>Durga Pujo </i>used to be about looking out of the windows of our classroom and getting lost into the<i> 'shiuli'</i> and <i>'kaash'</i> flowers outside or squinting while trying to size up the clouds that looked like dispersed cotton balls. Growing up in a middle class family meant counting every hundred bucks and still running short of accessories to go with my new clothes. Themed pandals were very much in existence but I was lucky enough to experience the charm of traditional <i>Pujo</i>s with<i> 'ek chaala thhakur'</i> and the beats of <i>'dhaak' </i>during my childhood. But with<i> 'shaarod shomman'</i> s and packaged <i>Pujo</i> tours ending at <i>Shobhabazaar Raaj-baari</i>, we didn't even realize when the pure spirit of <i>Pujo</i> got lost in the midst of the glamorization.<div>
But then, lamenting over the past would bring us nothing and I personally believe in moving on with the changing times. So, here I am- giving a tribute to our good ol' saree in my own way! I was supposed to be the proud owner of this saree by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/howrahbridgebyadg">Howrah Bridge</a> long back but somehow, it got delayed. But, as they say, better late than never! I've never felt sexier in a saree! And that's why I thought THE saree deserves to be the opening batsman in the saree series I've planned to do on ze blog. Enjoy the pictures while I go back to gorging on the <i>bijoya </i>sweets.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31rGQglCCgrNsCbZIXTbaGBn2Obdj5vMlG42HBAQcD8RcK2-VKu301DbbhPCdOc5w_jK3iWHQkQvuORb_Xpk5q7xRVO-OODf0bx-IjYu4EP0tP8FI0jdVnmpHXm2qhQP6dBzFOhyphenhyphen-UNo/s1600/saree1.4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31rGQglCCgrNsCbZIXTbaGBn2Obdj5vMlG42HBAQcD8RcK2-VKu301DbbhPCdOc5w_jK3iWHQkQvuORb_Xpk5q7xRVO-OODf0bx-IjYu4EP0tP8FI0jdVnmpHXm2qhQP6dBzFOhyphenhyphen-UNo/s1600/saree1.4.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saree, blouse- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/howrahbridgebyadg">Howrah Bridge</a>, earrings- New Market, ring, jeggings- B.K.Market, shoes- Metro Plaza, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1T_0cpievWxLzwlLMUsBCn0fqpDy34s-5y4dVf5fEjmCBsWFm_NkWbmIEgNCCc8Q5LUo1-qXfIynVrFMV1lo4IqmZCRXSEwSSeRozlj9FYk4uLGVemktB5BL9sNCLuQ0-xm3BkzcNpY/s1600/saree1.5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1T_0cpievWxLzwlLMUsBCn0fqpDy34s-5y4dVf5fEjmCBsWFm_NkWbmIEgNCCc8Q5LUo1-qXfIynVrFMV1lo4IqmZCRXSEwSSeRozlj9FYk4uLGVemktB5BL9sNCLuQ0-xm3BkzcNpY/s1600/saree1.5.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture Credits-<a href="http://flysongbird.blogspot.in/">Debi</a>( who has also been sweet enough to feature me on her blog; click on the link and read the post if you haven't already!)</td></tr>
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P.S. This was my <i>Navami/Dashami </i>outfit. Stay tuned for more <i>Pujo </i>outfits and details of an awesome hill trip coming up! Till then, <i>shubho bijoya</i> to all of you and like I always say, keep it stylish.</div>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-19016994094306882092014-09-24T20:28:00.001-07:002014-09-24T20:30:51.832-07:00Fear no fear(or not)?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since time immemorial, children and adults alike are taught to overcome their fear but while going through a post by fellow blogger <a href="http://www.thegirlatfirstavenue.com/">Chandana</a>, I actually started thinking about fear the way I haven't thought in years. Since Bukowski, Ginsberg and Plath happen to be my all time favourite poets, I, personally have always been a believer in fear. Fear, in my opinion, is the rawest emotion one can have and even though the die-hard romantic in me would like to think otherwise, I've strong reasons to suspect that fear overrides even love at times. Every human emotion can be derived from fear. Love also, in a way, can be defined as 'the fear of losing the person one can't do without', among other things. The so called 'overcoming one's fear' is also logically null and void. We don't overcome our fears, we avoid acknowledging the fact that we fear a certain person/thing/activity/idea and try to look at that particular person/thing/activity/idea as something different(and doable, if I might add). But none of the 'overcome your fear' workshops I've seen had taught the victim to admit their fear and then dealing with it. They are always told that there's nothing to fear which, in essence, is trying to avoid the idea of fear altogether and also, challenging the victim's sanity.<br />
How about using fear as motivation instead? Fear isn't our friend and most of us are in agreement in that case. So, the next time we have to go river-rafting, something that many of us are scared of, instead of thinking that there's nothing to fear and then rediscovering it like never before mid-river, how about we admit the fear of river-rafting and then decide to go because we refuse to allow fear more power over us than it already has? I myself am very clear about my fears. Like most of my friends, I'm shit scared of cockroaches, spiders, snakes and all their creepy crawly cousins. But whenever a cockroach presents itself in front of me when I don't have help nearby, I try to remember how scary it'd be if I can't kill the cockroach now and it gets braver and ends up on my shoulder and trust me, it always works. I have almost a 100% record of hitting cockroaches with my first spray. Fear no. 2 is going back to my (grossly) overweight days. It goes without saying that this fear motivates me to eat healthy(with cheat days once every week of course) and work out on a regular basis. The biggest fear in my life is not having my loved ones with me, physically or emotionally. Even though this might not sound like a real fear to some people, trust me I've spent sleepless nights imagining how life would be without the ones I consider to be my closest. I'm yet to get hold of a full-proof way to solve this but I'm reaching there. What are your fears?<br />
Moving on to the outfit, you must have got an idea that I'm in a full on monochrome mood. So, you are going to see this maxi skirt on the blog pretty frequently. And I love how <a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.in/">Anu</a> makes my Saturdays ever since the misery called work has taken over! Even though I try not to miss her exhibitions, most of the times I can't turn up because of my hectic schedule. Since I was working this Saturday and my office happens to be close to The Park, I knew this isn't an exhibition I'd like to miss out on. Given the dress code and the weather, this was pretty much the best I could do. Of course even a conservative(read matronly) outfit like this one drew enough glances(and complaints later) from people at work who were wondering whether sweeping the floor has also been added to the duties of HR or not and how I lost my other 'earring' and if I'm wearing a clip-on because I don't have my ears pierced, to name a few but then, having a gala time with <a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.in/">Anu</a> and <a href="http://fashion.eastgradcreative.com/">Deepa</a> is worth every awkward (and annoying) question answered(or ignored).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maxi skirt-Jabong, shirt- Simpark Mall, ring- New Market, shoes and earcuff- B.K.Market, bow tie-<a href="https://www.facebook.com/howrahbridgebyadg">Howrah Bridge</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0jeH40tloN-pgpaiU3dUSOwWdknjSs699jHGd0-0-wX6w4F90KgOOH_IS1YPmR4xc9zgszKF1xVWrH-zKldksQyhK4W-ycNfytOgIP6Fr94HmTULgi9IcYNh_9TqS5OLiRgJt0bwdaM/s1600/Park7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0jeH40tloN-pgpaiU3dUSOwWdknjSs699jHGd0-0-wX6w4F90KgOOH_IS1YPmR4xc9zgszKF1xVWrH-zKldksQyhK4W-ycNfytOgIP6Fr94HmTULgi9IcYNh_9TqS5OLiRgJt0bwdaM/s1600/Park7.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture Courtesy- <a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.in/">Anu</a></td></tr>
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The biggest festival of us Bengalis- Durga Pujo is just a week away. Even though I have mixed feelings about it this year, the energy in the city during this time is infectious. So, expect a lot of ethnic pictures on ze blog when I come back. Till then, take care and keep it stylish.</div>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-35957890885246927632014-09-08T03:18:00.000-07:002014-09-08T06:56:55.934-07:00A pampering experience by Green Trends Salon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As they say, there's no better solution to bad mood than a self-pampering session. So, an invitation from the PR person in <a href="http://www.mygreentrends.in/index.html">Green Trends Salon</a> to participate in a beauty and skincare talk with their hairstylists and skincare specialists where we can avail free services as well sent all kind of feelers to my soul. Ever since I started working, pollution, sweat, humidity, irregular schedules and depression have been a part and parcel of my life. And what better way to cheer myself up than a pampering session like this?<br />
Now, other than the above-mentioned problems, working poses another difficulty. One has to reach office(in time, if I might add). So, an event like this being held on a weekday, that too after 12 p.m., makes it difficult for poor me to attend itself. And the venue being Saltlake doesn't help either. Half of our time went in roaming about the alleys of Saltlake- asking clueless pedestrians for directions.<br />
When we finally reached the venue, sadly, the event had already started. But we made ourselves comfortable and joined the discussion in no time. After the Q&A session, we were asked to choose the services we'd like to avail from the array of options they were offering. Again, since poor me was in a hurry to reach office before EOD(End Of Day, silly!), I opted for the quickest and easiest option- nail art. I wanted something in black and white with a hint of floral. They wanted to do an iridescent pattern first but since that'd have also taken a lot of time, we finally did white floral patterns against black background. My luckier friends, of course, got to get their pedi-mani and facials done along with haircuts and hair smoothening. Anyway, I know I'd like to go back there and get a haircut done as soon as I save up a little, what about you? If you are scared of Saltlake like I'm, no worries. They have branches at Bangur Avenue and Golpark also. So, suit yourself. Also, DO try out their hair treatments for controlling frizzy hair. The way they transformed my friend's hair from frizzy to Rapunzel-ish, I'd highly recommend it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhLye4Qu8i7YPySfKua7LFgvo8HADNr11ZSQb0OhzTCtkkZw623mfB02BZBI0jvdBK1ktWXUpUM1hlMVwARzY7laqwsPdT5M-qqVq8ILyWZ9fR5IajC65RP9fNlIYHWNvp1O1Zcp0M1c/s1600/GT4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhLye4Qu8i7YPySfKua7LFgvo8HADNr11ZSQb0OhzTCtkkZw623mfB02BZBI0jvdBK1ktWXUpUM1hlMVwARzY7laqwsPdT5M-qqVq8ILyWZ9fR5IajC65RP9fNlIYHWNvp1O1Zcp0M1c/s1600/GT4.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The setup for the Q&A session</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnlzoztQIJOaLvao-alui3DG90mm2hnWwB17sTIun6WDnsVt4n7Db3nd8G3-6mIH4knflKlZariVlyN550oC_E2e1M7H4IX7eZecdKq-05ByHi1_84qFNLDnZoaYADlD2LeITauHdWNs/s1600/GT5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnlzoztQIJOaLvao-alui3DG90mm2hnWwB17sTIun6WDnsVt4n7Db3nd8G3-6mIH4knflKlZariVlyN550oC_E2e1M7H4IX7eZecdKq-05ByHi1_84qFNLDnZoaYADlD2LeITauHdWNs/s1600/GT5.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the products they use</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTt3aOOhVGXfSYZcOkEXTmUhtj4N8GvScQ1X40eInM9GfEPpV4jN99IXvmLteMWsTB_pXgvwSz1viBf0MPZ-6E8pGI_IaDeMWbY7nohxUHmZLUHc5CVKBAiUusVbqsGVT_CLsFjfjcDPs/s1600/GT1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTt3aOOhVGXfSYZcOkEXTmUhtj4N8GvScQ1X40eInM9GfEPpV4jN99IXvmLteMWsTB_pXgvwSz1viBf0MPZ-6E8pGI_IaDeMWbY7nohxUHmZLUHc5CVKBAiUusVbqsGVT_CLsFjfjcDPs/s1600/GT1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I tend to be a picture of concentration personified when I get my nails done since I'm exceptionally good at ruining it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5-qgvZpOtAMKyP5jOlmB7vW06fYBhyphenhyphenK3FLjqmlPifbwftJ_-6AMnGtGbaHC7fTgZukDTVUH_wPGiPbmoOIogvosgDzkQaDNYMLLnV6mgm4Ux8zGpV37gqNpPKYrD_Y6n7Fyyj3yr074/s1600/GT2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5-qgvZpOtAMKyP5jOlmB7vW06fYBhyphenhyphenK3FLjqmlPifbwftJ_-6AMnGtGbaHC7fTgZukDTVUH_wPGiPbmoOIogvosgDzkQaDNYMLLnV6mgm4Ux8zGpV37gqNpPKYrD_Y6n7Fyyj3yr074/s1600/GT2.jpg" height="400" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUht2HRIONdrpujB_O_XWAP-kTOuweYnelOqSxnxJlVwgdOVRwkgNunsP-7MlAFrgePhnscUKfsCbzTbzk9P8Anbmk07Iq7939BC3ZjRU6vLcnncR6JkG_qwJS_jJt4EW49ecjdPFJ99M/s1600/GT9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUht2HRIONdrpujB_O_XWAP-kTOuweYnelOqSxnxJlVwgdOVRwkgNunsP-7MlAFrgePhnscUKfsCbzTbzk9P8Anbmk07Iq7939BC3ZjRU6vLcnncR6JkG_qwJS_jJt4EW49ecjdPFJ99M/s1600/GT9.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work in progress...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2EfmHFCH4wfOq02BlesohpgjO5-a0ArRZl64s5JWkU8FluQNjwrvP7bVWcq12vwqY-_khfk9yCpJc1ZH4CWAhtHGkesQJeCGlFjLAtHSKUtnOPQ3VpFj99QQk36RhDtrA_sGi5oC238/s1600/GT10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu2EfmHFCH4wfOq02BlesohpgjO5-a0ArRZl64s5JWkU8FluQNjwrvP7bVWcq12vwqY-_khfk9yCpJc1ZH4CWAhtHGkesQJeCGlFjLAtHSKUtnOPQ3VpFj99QQk36RhDtrA_sGi5oC238/s1600/GT10.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ting!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3jaiFpt_U1_7HpYb9LYKtOHC1qJF0dnWFJxdV6We8WnGzEi9ZicmAktQzA6-sYF-eet6jnwaQZFv3nV5GUgZ0GNd6QrtltaUCSJGi6FrifQejuSWcG3ixlGIMkWvdE67bt8XGsd7b58/s1600/GT11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3jaiFpt_U1_7HpYb9LYKtOHC1qJF0dnWFJxdV6We8WnGzEi9ZicmAktQzA6-sYF-eet6jnwaQZFv3nV5GUgZ0GNd6QrtltaUCSJGi6FrifQejuSWcG3ixlGIMkWvdE67bt8XGsd7b58/s1600/GT11.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The maxi-hitchers and the like... :-P</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgifCed4Ij6_us72aCdE4Ud63Wi9CRL123YvCD4OepdRJ0fK-RrNty5nSK3Ppv9dD4F5i6aPvj3RgLk2nibKftpRmQ0jvyOSrdnEmFVlxmlMIMizdsrQF1k9UNG4zfxTxD1i_G0LYJUPhA/s1600/GT8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgifCed4Ij6_us72aCdE4Ud63Wi9CRL123YvCD4OepdRJ0fK-RrNty5nSK3Ppv9dD4F5i6aPvj3RgLk2nibKftpRmQ0jvyOSrdnEmFVlxmlMIMizdsrQF1k9UNG4zfxTxD1i_G0LYJUPhA/s1600/GT8.jpg" height="288" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the royal posers... :-D</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVZp03uxkR-bfLli8qdvtqHdt8WLVvSP8ewKwiLh0RGVUpQ51XcIAmzZzOArDL52MNcdk4JcvblErDGyQEyTiDlEbWqsO5CgbHkpzFEnzQAqpi2noWdiWAyaKv9d-zp0av1LkqcgWpJw/s1600/GT7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVZp03uxkR-bfLli8qdvtqHdt8WLVvSP8ewKwiLh0RGVUpQ51XcIAmzZzOArDL52MNcdk4JcvblErDGyQEyTiDlEbWqsO5CgbHkpzFEnzQAqpi2noWdiWAyaKv9d-zp0av1LkqcgWpJw/s1600/GT7.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the mixed reactions!<br />Picture Courtesy-<a href="http://presentedbyp.blogspot.in/">Poorna</a></td></tr>
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I'll do an outfit post on what I wore to this event very soon even though you can see most of it. Call it my undying love for this blazer if you want. Till then, take care and keep it stylish.</div>
Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-26326914428511713032014-08-25T05:06:00.000-07:002014-09-02T09:24:20.871-07:00Rebel turned disciplined?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
All my life, I have been a rebel. The art of discipline never appealed to me. I always enjoyed breaking rules instead of obeying them. Therefore, all my friends thought I had gone mad when I told them about my disciplined lifestyle these days. And my family was pleasantly surprised.<br />
One of my closest and most special friends had told me something long back that I couldn't appreciate fully. He said everything(or most of the things at least) holds their charm only when they are forbidden. Once the ban is lifted, one would hardly crave it. According to him, the key to the success in relationships lies in this simple fact. As long as couples can come up with ideas that make their relationship feel forbidden and illegitimate(and adventurous), the fun would be there. The moment both the persons know that they are supposed to be together and they love each other and nothing can separate them, they'd have no passion left and it'd be the death of the relationship(feel free to draw parallels with 'Death of poet' in this context).<br />
I've mixed feelings to his theory for various reasons best left unsaid. However, if I apply this same logic to my lifestyle, it perfectly explains my painstakingly disciplined lifestyle these days. Back in my childhood, rules were all I was taught to adhere to. There was a rule for everything-when to wake up, what to have for breakfast, what to wear, who to play with, when to do my homework, when to watch TV, what all channels to watch, how long to talk over phone...and of course when to start dating and how far to go with the boyfriends. In the presence(and enforcement) of so many rules, all I wanted to do was rebel. But as I started growing up, my otherwise rigid parents(to my relief and surprise), started loosening their grip and I got to do exactly what I wanted. I believe it was partially because of the regular fights at home and partially because of my mom's belief that teenagers adopt the right values if they are given freedom in small doses. Nonetheless, the result was delightful. All throughout my student life, most of my friends were envious of the freedom I got from home. "No curfew hours?","Your mom knows that you drink?","Your parents would let you go on a trip with your friends?","You talk to your boyfriends in front of your parents?","Your parents allowed you to move out?" were some of the very few questions I used to be bombarded with by the zealously protected rich kids in class.<br />
To be honest, I had my fair share of fun. Despite financial constraints, the kind of liberating experiences that I've had in my age would be rare to come by, I dare say. However, after ten years of no rules, being a rebel didn't seem to be as glamorous as it had when I was a kid. I secretly wished my parents made angry calls every time I was staying out late instead of a somewhat worried but supportive "it's okay, take your time, come safe". I found myself feeling guilty and irritated at the same time when everyone in class was scolded for performing poorly in the exam while my parents said nothing. I wanted to be the good old protected child again. Life seemed to be so much easier when someone else makes the rules for you!<br />
But, one can't have the best of both the worlds. And since my parents weren't about to turn into overprotective monsters overnight, I decided to make rules for myself. I got the first taste of a disciplined lifestyle while I was doing my first internship. I used to wake up at 5 a.m., make my pre-workout meal and lunch, workout for an hour or so, come home and make my breakfast, catch the 8:50 Volvo, read the morning newspaper on my way to work, work till at least 8 p.m., come home back and make my dinner, watch TV while having dinner, put my facepack on and go to bed. I went out with friends during weekends but I didn't drink or eat out more than once in a month. I also made it a point to note down one stimulating thought every month. I continued this lifestyle during my next internship despite going through a very emotionally difficult time. And I'm back to the same lifestyle now that I'm working(the only concession being a maid for making the dinner, thanks to the salary at the end of the month). And I can't tell you how satisfied and rejuvenated it leaves me! There's a certain feel good factor associated with sticking to a routine and it helps me fight all the frustration in my personal life. There are days when I don't cry just because I'm supposed to be arranging my fresh clothes from laundry at that point of time as per my routine. And pushing the tears away for the sake of something more important makes them go away at least for the day and I couldn't have been more thankful for that!<br />
Speaking of being thankful, I wish there were a single person to thank for the emergence of maxi dresses and skirts. They are an absolute life-saver and I absolutely can't do without them! They are chic, comfortable and super stylish! What more could a girl ask for? Yes, a phaatugraphaar to capture them in their maxi-mum glory but then, I have even that! I truly am a lucky girl!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4vikUNr5ZhjI53uzSIGNOG_nVFlHp1SaBRZiIGSVqcetHVmbnV2lf13p5OA1FbHz7WtHXhtb8QBSYiyxDuet-Nz23VHHu_O0ARRVe05DcjvWifYeuPHd00fGBkgLWTrT-cP6cLjGggw/s1600/IMG_20140825_210547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4vikUNr5ZhjI53uzSIGNOG_nVFlHp1SaBRZiIGSVqcetHVmbnV2lf13p5OA1FbHz7WtHXhtb8QBSYiyxDuet-Nz23VHHu_O0ARRVe05DcjvWifYeuPHd00fGBkgLWTrT-cP6cLjGggw/s1600/IMG_20140825_210547.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maxi skirt- Jabong, dress(worn as a blouse)-B.K.Market, gladiators- Metro Plaza, cuff- New Market, rings- B.K.Market and Park Street, sling- Simpark Mall</td></tr>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-521140804051381852014-08-15T00:06:00.000-07:002014-08-15T00:06:28.976-07:00Being truly independent...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Independence is easily one of the most abused words in today's world. We use it to justify literally everything we do(or don't)in our daily lives. While saying hurtful things to others, hurting someone else's sentiments, harming animals or nature aren't things that we should do just because we are capable of doing them, everyone should know what being independent means for them. As a woman, the only aspect of independence that had been emphasized to me throughout my life was financial independence. Coming from a family where most of the women had to ask for money from their husbands even if they wanted to buy their children a candy, the women in our family, specially my mother, always wanted to make sure that I don't commit the same mistake that they had, years back. I've a job today that pays enough to cover my expenses and maybe a little luxury every once in a while but am I independent? Definitely not. I still freak out if I have to book my tickets, go to the bank, talk to the bored and hostile officials sitting at various Government offices,kill cockroaches and spiders, move my furniture around and so on and so forth. There are a hundred tasks required in our daily lives that I'm not good at. Therefore, I depend on my near and dear ones to do these for me. So, despite being financially independent, I'm definitely not independent in its true sense. Also, should we call someone independent if they have a job but only because others forced them into it and given a choice, they'd rather pursue their hobbies that didn't pay? This is an issue that one of my all time favourite bloggers <a href="http://www.tanvii.com/">Tanvii</a> brought to my notice for the first time. Pursuing or not pursuing a so called career should be a conscious choice for all of us. And the decision to take care of the household instead of sitting at a cubicle in front of a computer deserves an equal amount of respect because we should have the freedom to choose whether we want to be employed or not. Ever since I started looking at things this way, my approach towards the so called housewives has changed drastically.<br />
There's another aspect to independence that we often choose not to explore. Being a citizen of a free country means we have the right to take personal decisions until and unless our decisions go against the law of the land. Yet, how many of us are brave enough to embrace our true sexuality? How many of us are comfortable talking about their curiosity towards everything sexual during our adolescent years? Our body is a mystery on its own and not acknowledging its complex behaviours only shows our desperation to run away from the truth and nothing else. Calling a broom anything other than a broom won't change its true identity. Likewise, if parents choose to have an open discussion about the sexual curiosity accompanied with adolescence, many of the unhealthy sexual habits people grow as teenagers can be prevented. Topics like masturbation, unprotected sex, sodomy, homosexuality, incest, erotic fetishes and BDSM(to name a few) should be clearly discussed with teenagers instead of leaving it to their imagination. And who can be a better teacher for a child than his/her parents? I, for one, was always very clear and vocal about my body and its desires and considered myself sexually independent. However, despite my best attempts, any discussion with the elders regarding this always ended in a fight. I used to take things personally even five years back. These days, I'm wise enough to come out of the discussion after giving them the required information instead of turning it into a nasty fight. But the scores of homosexuals trapped in heterosexual marriages or forced to live a life of tired loneliness tell a different story.<br />
So, this independence day, instead of hoisting another national flag and singing the national anthem once more, think about what true independence means to you. List down ten things you'd have done had there been no societal rules and no inhibitions. Then ask yourself why you aren't doing those. I'm pretty sure there'd be at least five things that you can do any day if you stop being so afraid. And if all of us end up doing five such things every year, we'd know that we are heading towards a truly independent country.<br />
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And now, say 'hi' to one of the most independent girls I've ever known! If you have been following ze blog for a while,<a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.com/">Anu</a> is no stranger to you. She happens to be the best and most inspiring fashion designer, a surprisingly observant amateur photographer, a celeb content writer, the most dedicated fashion blogger and my greatest source of inspiration. She has always lived life on her own terms. She has never done one of those so called rebellious things, true but she has broken almost every rule our society tries to impose on women in her own way. Studying Fashion Designing despite being a Science student(I'm sure the prospective doctors and engineers spared her no sneer), quitting her job to start her own brand, not succumbing to peer pressure, continuing with equal jest even when her dreams didn't exactly find wings to fly...I can talk about how she inspires me all day long! So, what better time to show you how she breaks the myth of not being able to be cool in ethnic wear? She rocks it and how!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWEyJaPIsjSGAAPJlh0fcHO2MEoL1n0cGEcl1EP9WW9UKu7YI719uZZ1ObtdFsVHepqiK3J2eH71TDJpZov5nu42l3jHhr5b0AGi_aIV4YOzgGCXJFktWjgKm1PX57m13LUXCkb0y1x8/s1600/Inde1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWEyJaPIsjSGAAPJlh0fcHO2MEoL1n0cGEcl1EP9WW9UKu7YI719uZZ1ObtdFsVHepqiK3J2eH71TDJpZov5nu42l3jHhr5b0AGi_aIV4YOzgGCXJFktWjgKm1PX57m13LUXCkb0y1x8/s1600/Inde1.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tunic- Max, leggings- Shoppers Stop, chappals- Linking Road, Bandra, watch- <a href="http://www.dresslily.com/">Dresslily</a>, ring-Dilli Haat, neckpiece- New Market</td></tr>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-27348192438132600582014-08-06T10:26:00.001-07:002014-08-06T10:26:51.725-07:00The wanderer's musings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The wind on my shoulder,<br />
the aching muscles ponder,<br />
was love a blunder?<br />
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After a hectic trip to Mumbai-Indore-Gandhidham-Mumbai, I'm back home! Home is where the heart is but home is also where my favourite phuchkawala resides. Home is where I can smell the festive spirits a little more with every passing day. Life is anything but what I had expected it to be. Getting paid is kinda cool but doing things that one hates to no end in order to get that money pretty much sucks. Meanwhile, I'm busy trying to remove the layers of charcoal from my skin, thanks to the purposeless plant visits and shopping for PUJO! The past one month hasn't been easy and hardships won't slow down before at least three more months. My body is close to giving up and I haven't been this sick in years! But I'm also trying to focus on whatever positives I happen to have in my life. And the memory of this day is one of those. And the theme Roaring 20s of course helped. Let the pictures do the rest of the talking while I cuddle up under the sheets with a book.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maxi dress, kolhapuri- Emami, bag- New Market, neckpiece(worn as a headgear)- Chandrani Pearls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture and hair Courtesy- <a href="http://stripesandpolkas.blogspot.in/">Anu</a></td></tr>
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Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544848936184708864.post-47901189586766555232014-06-18T02:24:00.000-07:002014-06-18T02:24:11.967-07:00"...Some rain must fall"(First guest post on ze blog)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It’s monsoon time, girls! And it’s time to put away those shades and take out your umbrellas. That’s right, it’s the gloomy season but don’t let it get to you so be the savior and brighten it up! Be the one to bring in colour and fashion to the rainy days! Here are a few must-haves you should embrace this season-<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kG38D7XBC-LOO5kUSVoIOZ7CPL62droEbvptQSxzusELenLI1AaUWcUQls19pBVxsxiWIgyBQXRoYtSxsGBV6b-4ZT9iZHiiCozUJZKJXVvfBghyphenhyphencxrkBrUKaiKH-50sCVCNVCLsCeY/s1600/dealstan1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kG38D7XBC-LOO5kUSVoIOZ7CPL62droEbvptQSxzusELenLI1AaUWcUQls19pBVxsxiWIgyBQXRoYtSxsGBV6b-4ZT9iZHiiCozUJZKJXVvfBghyphenhyphencxrkBrUKaiKH-50sCVCNVCLsCeY/s1600/dealstan1.jpg" height="400" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy- <a href="http://www.glamcheck.com/fashion/2011/08/03/monsoon-accessories-women/">Glamcheck.com</a></td></tr>
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Coats</b>: Well, this only counts for those girls who live in places where it gets really cold during the monsoons. It becomes so cold that you’re shivering, so it’s best to get the layers on. Wear a sweater or a coat. But brighten it up by wearing some bright coloured jacket with jeans or shorts, whichever you’re comfortable with. Find some great ones at Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Tradus, Yepme with brands like Arrow, Wills Lifestyle, Fort Collins etc.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXg9Dcc1GGPb992cV9gQ6qEVUaJefJ3OWJks-8H_BptLdC6zmrYY3VY58Ugas7selzWUK-_dHljggleqzW-EDW-2nKN2Gl3hn-25vhBy1Y0FH_l2cfEerWhDUfGMFYsMFp978rk3YhFJs/s1600/dealstan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXg9Dcc1GGPb992cV9gQ6qEVUaJefJ3OWJks-8H_BptLdC6zmrYY3VY58Ugas7selzWUK-_dHljggleqzW-EDW-2nKN2Gl3hn-25vhBy1Y0FH_l2cfEerWhDUfGMFYsMFp978rk3YhFJs/s1600/dealstan2.jpg" height="333" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy- <a href="http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-wholesale-2012-fashion-women-s-chic-brand-rain-boots-snow-boots-design-thick-faux/669883159.html">Aliexpress.com</a></td></tr>
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2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Flat Boots</b>: NOT leather ones, leather does not fare well in the rain, so don’t take those out of the closet no matter how great they seem to look with your outfit. If you don’t have boots, then wear sneakers. They are your go-to shoes and you can wear it anywhere. Make sure they have rubber soles to prevent your fanny from hurting when you are hitting the pavements. Find some great ones at Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Tradus, Yepme with brands like Alberto Torresi, Carlton London, Steve Madden, Clarks, Shoedeal, CAT etc.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPH49yo_Pl7g6V4ic2d_eCTjNyA54z8BszkSrbkmJHKabM5OiD2ipQAXfZ_ZIntvVkUKfpBLBasX__eF0rFZT_PjsmDSjHD2ewPp0_nhmTxSDitWiKvZb9MhnEELJAfX-ilQAo4MQspA/s1600/dealstan3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPH49yo_Pl7g6V4ic2d_eCTjNyA54z8BszkSrbkmJHKabM5OiD2ipQAXfZ_ZIntvVkUKfpBLBasX__eF0rFZT_PjsmDSjHD2ewPp0_nhmTxSDitWiKvZb9MhnEELJAfX-ilQAo4MQspA/s1600/dealstan3.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy- <a href="http://blog.yebhi.com/monsoon-magic-all-about-colours-funk-and-style.html">Yebhi.com</a></td></tr>
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3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Shorts or Capris</b>: This is a time to protect the lower half of your body from getting wet, so wear your shorts or capris when you step out. Wear dark colours to give you warmth or bright colours to make you happy. Either way, you’re not going to escape the puddles, so wear whatever colour you’re comfortable with. Find some great ones at Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Tradus with brands like UCB, Global Desi, People, Only etc.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnCLYELnpeYKl_BQBdAO2zNqqkJRIhWAyYbpyn-e7HSDsf3LM0FewjTK0YpJIuCf9p9B_1B6LVaj6fnswBWeYI5G30aDCY4hR7EwSbtqEKpkF-g-xretCTqdivwrqMG8Z-TxBQzhF40w/s1600/dealstan4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnCLYELnpeYKl_BQBdAO2zNqqkJRIhWAyYbpyn-e7HSDsf3LM0FewjTK0YpJIuCf9p9B_1B6LVaj6fnswBWeYI5G30aDCY4hR7EwSbtqEKpkF-g-xretCTqdivwrqMG8Z-TxBQzhF40w/s1600/dealstan4.jpeg" height="400" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy- <a href="http://www.lyst.com/clothing/splendid-mixed-media-shirt-monsoon/">Lyst.com</a></td></tr>
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4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Shirts</b>: Wear loose and big shirts because if you get wet from top to bottom, then god help you from the pervs on the streets. Wear some awesome graphic tees with your shorts and sneakers! Find some great ones at Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Tradus, Yepme with brands like UCB, Vero Moda, Chemistry, UCB, People etc.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm8cpyBt661ub6cTc84tG-YbKPr3VWC-R9Cnj_baAFELWP8mDZ6apFUMYkTy-bXh2ubR3VFcOwGUpYk238MQrJ53IDUtS5s7i6fe1grYJjudIz85KNCEhORd5RafydFM6WZ7KpNBnmOU/s1600/dealstan5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm8cpyBt661ub6cTc84tG-YbKPr3VWC-R9Cnj_baAFELWP8mDZ6apFUMYkTy-bXh2ubR3VFcOwGUpYk238MQrJ53IDUtS5s7i6fe1grYJjudIz85KNCEhORd5RafydFM6WZ7KpNBnmOU/s1600/dealstan5.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy- <a href="http://www.mec.ca/product/5026-831/mec-monsoon-jacket-womens/">Mec.ca</a></td></tr>
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5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><b>Hoodies</b>: Hoodies look great with jeans or shorts. And it’s best to wear them when it’s just drizzling and you know it’s going to continue like that the entire day so you don’t have to carry an umbrella, just wear a hoodie over your shirt, put the hood on when you step out and you’re finished! You look cute too! Find some great ones at Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Tradus, Yepme with brands like Campus Sutra, Espirit, Yepme, Puma, Lee etc.<br />
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All these sites have great discounts, especially during the monsoon season! So make haste when the season arrives! But if you want more discounts, coupons and offers, then check out <a href="http://www.dealstan.com/">this</a> and find your ideal price with deal of the day!<br />
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Disclaimer-This is NOT a sponsored post. I came across <a href="http://www.dealstan.com/">Dealstan</a> and quite liked their collection, specially paired with their unbelievable prices! If you have been following ze blog for a while, you must know how broke I'm. So, when I suggest a website for great discounts, you know it's the next best thing to getting it for free. So, what are you waiting for? Click away!</div>
Soumihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16680006221782756857noreply@blogger.com2Kolkata, West Bengal, India22.572646 88.36389499999995721.6350005 87.073001499999961 23.510291499999997 89.654788499999952