Eventful November!

November loving!

If there is anything like a favorite month in the year, undoubtedly its November for me. And so I decided to do a post dedicated to this beautiful month of fall hues! The reason I call it my favorite is because it's my birthday month. I know that sounds quite a cliche and yet its true. 

This year, my birthday month decided to get pretty eventful. With Trump's (unexpected) triumph in the US election and the MODI'fied currency situation in India, clearly the change has been bigger than just leaves switching color this season. 

On a personal note, this month has been quite an exciting one!

As one of my bestie preps up to tie the knot later this month, another BFF made me aunt to an adorable baby girl last week. I know both my friends will make for a gorgeous bride and a doting Mother. I couldn't be happier for them. 

In the middle of all the exciting news, new phase in my friends lives and being witness to political news that will go down in history, RJ popped the question about how I wanted to ring in my birthday this year? 

After pondering over the question for sometime, I realised that the idea of "birthday celebration " has definitely changed for me this year. From doing something fancy and over the top, it has boiled down to spending quality time with loved ones. I think its a part of growing up and I'm happy I am starting to feel that way. 

Its been a month of change - for me, my friends and the entire world! With that said - November is, and will always be my favorite month!:)

Have a happy rest of your November!

Shine bright like a Diamond!

They say diamonds are a girls best friend, and when you get to try them on while indulging in some bubbles and sweets, how can one resist!

Brown Girl Magazine hosted its last event of the year: Shine Bright Like a Diamond with Sanghavi Solitaire. It was an evening of pure luxury, as I tried on some stunning and extraordinary pieces of jewelery by them.  Cant wait to share pictures already!

Elegance wrapped around my wrist. Three words for this diamond bracelet- Simple, Classy, Stunning!

Meet Nafisa - The whooping 5 carat rock! It was love at first sight.

Had my heart on these rose gold danglers.

With Vinit Jobanputra - President,  Sanghavi Solitaire Inc
and Trisha Sakhuja - Editor-in-Chief, Brown Girl Magazine

Love posing with this beauty PriaVanda Chouhan - Owner at Desi Galli and brand ambassador for Sanghavi Solitaire.

Lovely meeting Jasmin - owner of Jasmin Rehman Makeup Artistry.

Lastly, some treats for my sweet tooth! Those were some really delish cupcakes by KareenaKakes

Famous Fridays | Sonya Gill

Sony Gill - Founder, Take My Sari

From being a Social Media Consultant, former ad agency owner, author and a fitness model,  Sonya Gill claims a lot of titles under her belt. She truly defines woman entrepreneurship to its essence. Today, we are here to throw some light on her newest venture - Take My Sari

I first met the very energetic Sonya at the launch party of Take My Sari. The event was hosted by Neerja Public Relations, couple of days back in NYC.

Take My Sari - an app designed for the South Asian market that allows us to sell our "closet treasures" we no longer wish to wear, but are too good to be discarded. 

Bravo Sonya! I think you hit the bull's eye with a concept like that. Lets hear all about it from the mastermind herself.

Tell us all about the conceptualization of Take My Sari

I came up with the idea almost 2 and a half years ago alongside my first business when I went back home to Vancouver for my sisters wedding. My mother who was fed up with the amount of clothes, jewelry and shoes we already had asked if she could just give it all away to Goodwill or The Salvation Army. And that is when the idea conceptualized.


What sets this fashion app apart, from its counterparts?

The user friendliness of it and that there is an entire e-commerce platform built in for individual vendors so they can treat it like their own shop. There is also an option to make money on top of the sales you make monthly. So for example, if you sell up to $1000 a month, we will give you back a percentage of Take My Sari sales. It is called the Profit Sharing Program.


Where do you see Take My Sari in future?

I see a lot of vendors and exclusive designers using this app and I see it revolutionizing the way that South Asians shop. Renting is not something that was always done so openly, but I feel our community is finally ready for it.


Share you fitness mantra with us.

I’ve been working out since I was 15 and fitness for me now has just become a regular part of my day. I simply cannot start my day without getting a workout in first thing in the morning. I started competing in fitness shows last year as a way to challenge myself and I absolutely fell in love with it. I have learned so much about my body and what it is capable of and how much of what and HOW we feel has to do with food!

My next competition is in April of next year, but leading up to that, I typically keep a high protein diet, and start my mornings off with fasted cardio mixed with heavy weight lifting sessions.  My biggest fear is getting soft. So the minute I start to feel soft, I know that I’m enjoying myself too much or not lifting enough. It’s enough to get my a** into gear.


Your favorite Indian ethnic wear?

I love saris. They are just so beautiful. Always reminds me of a classic 50’s hindi movie.


A piece of advice you'd like to share about Startups.

Startups are not for the faint of heart. They are a LOT of hard work and if you don’t have thick skin and the drive to persevere, I wouldn’t recommend it. However, they are also a lot of fun. Knowing you can build something from scratch to execution and in some cases, IPO’s and acquisitions is exhilarating to say the least. You can look back on something and say, not only did I survive, I thrived.

Thank you Sonya for gracing my FF page today! Wishing you lots of success in your new endeavor.

With Sonya at the launch party of Take My Sari

Pumpkins and Diyas

This year was quite a coincidence. Since Diwali and Halloween were just a day apart, we landed up celebrating both over the same weekend. Between shopping for pumpkins and decorating the home with diyas, it felt like in true sense my Indian girl-American world were merging together. Though we celebrate Diwali each year, Halloween was my first!

A week back RJ forwarded me an email. It was from our building management regarding a Halloween pumpkin carving competition. My first instinct was to ignore, sitting and carving a huge pumpkin in the middle of all the Diwali preps? It didn't sound so convincing... Later, after giving it some thought, I realised that it wasn't just about carving the orange fruit. But an opportunity to be a part of an age old tradition. I decided to give it a shot!

Sharing few pictures of our Jack-o'-lantern! Instead of candles, We used Diwali diyas to light it up. Let me know what y'all think of this spooky (Indian) pumpkin:) 

Our pumpkin - 2nd from the left. Ready to be judged!

I must admit, the excitement while waiting for the results, made me feel like a child again. And guess what? We did win!:) Don't these pumpkins, trying to compete with one another, just look so cute together?

New phone, Newer ME!

This weekend was an exciting one for me. I made a trip to the mall to collect my much hyped and much awaited iPhone 7. I'll be honest with you guys. As a previous iPhone 6 user, I don't see a vast variation in its successor. However,  I have my own reasons to be happy about a new phone!:)

Two years back while vacationing in Miami, I forgot my phone at a restaurant. As soon as I realised and ran back to get it, obviously it was gone! The guilt of losing a brand new phone filled me with deep regret. Therefore I decided to use an old phone that hubby RJ had discarded. Buying a new phone just didn't seem right after my irresponsible behaviour. Using an old phone was my way to compensate for the act.

I'm happy I waited this long before treating myself to a new one. I know I value it far more today. Oh and did I mention how glad I am that I can start clicking awesome pictures again! Something I really missed doing all this while...

Buying a phone wasn't just it. Since my previous phone wasn't backed up, it meant manually adding all the stuff into my new gadget. As I sat to download all the apps one after the other, surprisingly, the process became more refreshing than cumbersome.

This brand new phone of mine was beginning to make me feel like a brand new person.

A state of relief as if I hadn't just discarded an old phone but also a lot of personal baggage along with it.

It felt like an opportunity of clean slate. A Fresh start! Therefore, with all this positivity, here I am! Posting on my blog once again, and using my (new) phone to do so.

Who knew, that in the midst of upgrading to a new version of a phone, I'd simultaneously be upgraded to a newer version of ME:) Totally worth it!

P.S. The picture at the beginning of this post is of the case I ordered. Society6 has some really cool iPhone cases. You can check them out here. I love mine and its on its way!:) #lovewins #truethat

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