Close to nature!

I'm a little hesitant today as I sit to write after a gap of two months.. Its a big step in itself that I decided to get back to my blog. Incidents happen and make you question a lot of things. It makes moving on or getting back to normal seem like an unnatural process. A very dear blogger made me realize how I shouldn't give up on writing. My friends gave me the strength, to not turn my back on something that I found so liberating. And so, here I am doing what's best for me.

Lately I have been observing nature closely. All I can say is that it's brought a lot of peace to me.  The kind of peace that money can't buy. The kind of peace that clears your mind. The one that helps you heal.

Watching the sunset as I sit by the lake in all quietness, evening strolls that bring the freshness of spring to me! Observing the pretty buds blossom into flowers, spending a weekend close to the ocean breeze! All of this, has made a positive difference in past few weeks.

We have humans! Our friends, our family and our loved ones who are always around when we need to talk or share our sorrows. And then, there are few other blessings from god, whom we can't communicate verbally with...but help us move on nonetheless. Nature of-course is truly one amongst them.

When was the last time you felt close to nature?

Beautiful Bebo!

Less is more! That's exactly what Kareena proved at her sister in law, Soha Ali Khan's wedding. The simple, understated and minimalistic look is carved to perfection and is already making headlines. Well deserved I say!

The champagne pink sari by designer Manish Malhotra goes well complimented with her emeralds and diamonds. But her glowing skin and gorgeous smile truly sets her apart! Brownie points for sporting the sindoor. Bebo/Begum alongside her Nawab couldn't look more adorable. 

Let me know what you think of her look! coz I'm totally lovin' it!:)

PRETTY IN PINK!

                               

Photo credit: The Indian express

Coming home!

I'm incredibly happy these days! Excited like a little kid who is waiting for summer vacation to start. Something similar has had me counting days too:))

It's been a great start to the year. Some resolutions are being kept while some flew out of the window. Never mind! I decided to travel a lot this year and I'm glad to be kicking it off with a trip back home. Twelve more days to go and I'll be in India.Yay! The feeling of being home fills me with joy I cannot really measure. After getting married and shifting to the US, trips to India are something that I've always looked forward to. 

My last visit was a year back. The effects of which are beginning to wear off on me. It's just the right time to visit again and recharge myself with a good dose of being in India.

Coming home to mom and dad, coming home to ghar ka khaana, coming home to old friends and everything else that I love doing in my motherland. I can hardly wait.

It won't be too long before I start blogging and instagramming photos of my escapades in India! Will keep you'll posted, I promise:))

Do you also have a travel planned in this new year already!? Some place you can't wait to go? Let me know:)

Sometimes....

Sometimes I fall short of words...

Sometimes I pour my heart out like a free bird.

Words and feelings,

They have a strange connection together.

Sometimes the feelings translate into words...

Sometimes they get buried deep down to never be heard! 

Love for mugs!

I love my morning cup of tea. Its not just about tea but also what i'm drinking it out of. More like loving the fancy wrapping as much as loving the gift. There are so many options of mugs available online. If it were for me I would buy them all and drink out of a new cup everyday! Just this morning I ran into a beautiful mug that stole my heart. 

 A 2-carat ring mug! Now that explains why it stole my heart.

Would love to wrap my fingers around this bling while sipping on tea!

Here is the best part.. It comes packed looking like a jewelry box!

Fred & Friends

This website has some really cool everyday products but designed to look so much more cooler and quirkier. If you like to indulge in buying unique products, check the website at your own risk. There are chances you might want to buy everything!!!! :)

HaPpy Shopping! 

Making life easy!

Online shopping has been such a boon ever since I've shifted to the US. The joy of shopping from the comfort of our homes. It took me while to make the switch. I am more of a touch and feel experience kind of shopper. But now I am kinda used to it. Clothes, cosmetics, shoes and almost everything we need has a better deal online. So why not!?

Last week, a friend introduced me to this website where I could buy Indian groceries online. I was pleasantly surprised. A website for Indian groceries meant no more standing in the long queues at the store. It sounded too good to be true and I couldn't wait to give it a try. 

This website has just about every product found at the Indian grocery store. It's user friendly too. Like any other website click and choose your items, add them to the cart, make the payment and you're done.

I ordered few groceries this morning and had them delivered at my doorstep by the evening. Neatly packed and rightly picked. Life is so much easier with this kind of service. 

The struggle of finding a parking spot, waiting in long queues, lifting the multiple shopping bags filled with groceries and getting  them to the apartment especially in this brutal cold. Thank you Urban food bazar for saving my life!

Happy to be at home!

I was in some unknown territory. A jungle that was dense. So quiet not a single sound around. All I could hear is the whistle of the wind passing through the woods. The night was dark and I was all alone. How did I even get here? I was so confused. I needed a way out. I looked up at the sky. The dim moonlight and the twinkling stars were my only hope. Please guide me back home. Can someone at least let me know why I got here? What did I do? I am really scared now. Please save me from this darkness! I just need to escape and be back home. My lips are getting thirsty, and my throat is dry. Please god I don't wanna die. I think I am gonna faint. I can feel my eyes shutting. I neither have strength left in my body or any control over my senses. I could feel myself surrender as I lay there unconscious on the ground.

Suddenly I felt a jolt. There was sweat all around my neck. The fear had gotten inside my every bone.  I opened my eyes and remained in the bed. Daring not to move or switch sides, just hugged on to the blanket tight. Moments later, sunlight filtered through the bedroom window. I stretched my left arm from under the quilt and reached out for my cell phone on the bed side. It was 5:00 am in the morning. I took a sigh of relief and put myself back to sleep. 

That night...I was happy to wake up, and find myself at home!

*This story is a work of fiction. I penned it for a topic on Indispire that had to end with.."It felt good to be back home"

P.S  The scariest thing about a nightmare is that they seem so real! 

Modern Art!

A visit to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), New York

Art is intriguing! Modern art is even more. First week of the New Year is wrapping up and I can proudly say i'm keeping up to my New Year Resolutions. Part of which was my visit to MoMA. This should have been checked off the list long ago, but its never too late!:) 

It was a snowy day. Not the best kind of weather to step out. Never mind! I decided lets do this anyway. Grabbed my winter jacket, wore my boots and was on my way to explore a whole new world of Modern Art. 

The Museum is a melting pot of modern and contemporary designs. Combining a mix of architectural forms, drawings, paintings, sculptures and photography by various artists from history. I am not a connoisseur of art but love anything that has creativity involved.

I must confess the art exhibited was little confusing and made sense only when I read the information on every piece. Nevertheless standing between the works of such talented artists was an experience of its own. It made me a tad bit more insightful about the world of Modern Art.

Here is a collection of my pictures from the museum. There was art all around me, I possibly couldn't capture it all. But below are a few of my personal favorites! Hope you'll  enjoy.

The Paintings at the museum drew my maximum attention. Each had a story to tell. 

In case your wondering its a blank canvas in the name of modern art! Let me clarify its not.

The artist painted the canvas in white oil paint to bring to life the strokes of the brush. Deep right!? Such is modern art. And trust me this particular canvas drew maximum attention from people in the gallery. 

Another similar work of art.

A piece made out of waste. Empty glass bottles and chunks of coal. This particular artist created designs out of waste and natural products.

The fabulous Marilyn Monroe silkscreened on Canvas. 

Light installation.

Windows lined against the black backdrop. A dramatic representation of art!

If you look closely, these black and white pictures depict the streets of Mumbai. A proud moment for me to see Mumbai at MoMA,  I had to capture. 

The colors!

Pop of hues yet again! 

A very unique ball like object made by the artist to play with. Later which was magnified and found a place for itself at the museum.

A chopper suspended from the top most ceiling of the museum looked magnificent. The real deal was its visibility from all the six floors. 

Nature inspired art! Have you ever seen a rose this tall? Me neither.

Which one's your favourite? 

Girl, just be YOU!

                               

Define good girls...Everybody has an opinion about a good girl..so whats yours?

When I stumbled upon this topic on Indispire, I couldn't help but pour my thoughts!

Is she a good girl or a bad!? They see, they judge and then they often put labels based on few preconceived notions. Who are they? It's you and me and anyone who sees and judges and labels! A girl is just a girl. Let her be. Good and bad are extreme ends. Humans cannot be pure white or jet black. We all have within us shades of grey. With which we paint our thoughts, emotions and actions.

Each one of us has a good and bad side. They are merely two sides of the same coin.  It's the circumstances that define which part surfaces and what lies beneath. A girl is judged for how she behaves, the way she dresses, the friends she makes or the type of job she does. There can never be a common ground to define the good or bad in a girl. She has the right to choose and decide and live life at her consent.

As girls we are expected to be everything: Obedient daughters, caring wives, dutiful daughter in laws, loving sisters,  doting mothers etc etc...Between all these relationships it's easy to loose your own identity. But let's not forget, the most important and longest relationship is the one we share with ourself. Let the world judge, meanwhile make time for yourself and just be the girl you really deserve to be!

Resolutions!

New year is the perfect time for fresh beginnings. An opportunity to start with a clean slate. Learning from our mistakes in the past and making amends. And so, people make resolutions at the beginning of each year.  Honestly I never gave it a thought. Each year of my life has gone by without making a single resolution.

I think it was the fear that resolutions bring in pressure. Eventually you give in to the temptation of doing exactly the opposite of what you decide. So what's the point of even making one? But then it started to sound like giving up without even getting started. I didn't want to be that person. So my first resolution was to actually make a list of resolutions for this year .

Surprisingly when I started to list, I came up with quite a few things that I wanted for myself in twenty fifteen! With a list of things written down I feel more charged up to make them happen. I think I have taken the first step and it feels great.

They say resolutions are meant to be broken. Even if that's true it's important we make one. And now that I've made a couple myself, I'd like to believe I will keep up.

Did you make a resolution this year? If not it's never too late. Hope reading this post will help you make one!:)

HaPpY 2015!

New beginnings!

I

The clock is ticking and New Year's Eve is just round the corner. It's time we bid farewell to 2014 and welcome 2015 with open arms. "The year went by so quickly" "time flies" is what we usually say at the end of each year. Strangely for me this year has been different. It went by at a good pace and ended at the right time. Don't know if that's a good thing or bad but just saying!:)

Few years back New Year's Eve was all about celebrations! A reason to party, an occasion to dress up! I feel so differently about it now. Want to reflect back on the year. What it did to me. What I made out of it. Learn from my mistakes. Set new goals. Do a little retrospection of the past and make 2015 an even better year. Part of growing up I guess!

Amidst all this let's not forget the fun part. I've heard the way we spend the first day of the year defines how the rest of the year is going to be. A reason good enough to make it count!:) 

The cold weather of New York doesn't make me wanna step outside. All the bars and lounges are going to be way too crowded. After a lot of discussion we decided to go with the tried and tested formula that never seems to fail. My sister in law and me love hosting parties! So here we are planning and prepping up for a new year bash at our place and have our friends come over. I'll soon post pictures and updates from the party but for now, gotta go.. Lots to do!

How about your plans for the big night!?

New beginnings: part II

So here we are in 2015! And this is my first post in the brand new year. With the change of dates, my blog turns another year older too! yay:)  2014 ended with a bang. Like I mentioned in the earlier post, we had a house party and it did set the house on fire! Bringing in the new year with a close group of friends and family is just what I needed to wrap up 2014. I did manage to take a few pre party pictures and here they are!:)

Balloons are never a bad idea even if the party isn't for kids!

Accessories to dress it up!

Streamers to add the bling!

Food is always the best part!

Munching our way into the new year.

Chocolate dipped strawberries anyone? They are my favorites.

And finally our cupcake tower'2015