Waste of time

'You read a lot, looks like you have a lot of time to waste' someone said to me the other day. 

Do we have a constant need to categorize things that we do as productive and unproductive? The heart says read fiction and the brain says 'read non-fiction that is productive'.

I crave to experience those childhood days again when life was innocent, had no responsibilities and had nothing to prove. I would spend hours making paper boats and looking at them move in a pond from one end to the other. I did it goal free and guilt free. No one (including my brain) had opinions on how I spent my time. 

It is amazing to see people who have figured out what 'waste of time' is while I still contemplate what 'time' means. We are all going to die one day so does that mean life is a waste of time? 

Top: J crew Factory

Scarf: Esprit

Jeans: 7 for all mankind 

Shoes: Kelly and Katie

Friends and Happiness

The 'friends' orbiting at the farthest reaches of your digital galaxy aren’t the ones that matter when it comes to your health and happiness. But the people you hug, laugh and lament with are the ones who have the greatest impact on your health and happiness. 

Try to stay away from those who give you stress, humiliation, disrespect, unhappiness and then you will see the difference in your entire well being. 

Dress (worn as a tunic top) : J Crew

Denim: American Eagle

Shoes: Kelly and Katie
Earrings: Charming Charlie

Food

In earlier days human race faced two periods - a bountiful period and a famine. In today's times for all of us every single meal is a bounty with no famine in sight. Does our body really need so much food? If we don't starve it a little bit then it will never get a chance to use the stored fats.

Tunic Top: J crew

Jeans: American Eagle

Booties: Unisa

The Shoe Story

My new post The Shoe Story is available HERE

Top: J crew factory

Jeans: American Eagle

Jacket: Gap

Shoes: Tom's

Belt: Style & Co.

Physics of the impossible

My new post 'Physics of the impossible' is available HERE

Pant: American Eagle

Top: Loft

Crop Sweater: Forever 21

Shoes: Kelly and Katie

Weather Report

These days Seattle weather is too cold for skirts and too hot for tights and booties. 

Top : J crew factory

Scarf : Target

Jegging : American Eagle

Shoes : Kenneth Cole Reaction

Laughter Club

Morning is a rush time for most of us and smiling consciously is the last thing on our mind. When I saw people in laughter clubs at various parks in India I wondered how and why such a weird thing works? Laughing without reason early in the morning? Crazy! I thought. Today I know why these clubs work the way do. 

When I started taking pictures for this blog I didn't smile in the pics but then the pics looked blah so I 'had' to smile just for those 5 minutes. Smiling consciously as the day starts can change the mood of the whole day. There were times when I woke up in pain, agony or was sick but smiling in front of the camera for 5 minutes changed something in me and how my day went, for some reason it recharged me.

Shirt: J crew Factory

Jeans: Banana Republic

Shoes: Steve Madden

Court

My new post 'Court' is available HERE

Top: J crew factory

Jeans: american eagle

Belt: Style & Co

Shoes: Dr. Scholls

Too tired to smile ;-)

Energy

Do we always have great fear of getting tired? Any energy spent is not lost forever. We plan our fatigue the same way we plan everything else. We 'save energy' to work out at the gym, there too we time ourselves, count repetitions, track the heart rate.

These days people wear those wrist bands which shows how much they slept! If you wake up and feel fresh then you slept well... Similarly if you feel like working out in the morning and then again in the evening then go for it! Some days you might have a lot more energy than your already set goal of X steps (which can be set on the wristband) and on some days you might have to drag yourself to take even one step ;-), Why let a machine decide for us how much we should do? Why not just go with the instinct?

We definitely need to stop robotic routines and move around, run, walk, do Pilates; Yoga, go biking, climb hills, jump, dance... There is no rule how many times or how much to do. Just do it as much as you can... because really you can!

Top: J crew Factory

Jegging: American Eagle

Sweater: Calvin Klein

Sandals: Kenneth Cole Reaction

Tinge of India

What is the first thing you notice when you land in India?

Colors! Too bad if you said smell ;-)

India is a brightly colorful country (in every which way). Most of the people in this side of the world wear a lot of pastels, grays, black and whites. Looking at today's picture now I feel it needed a tinge of India!

skirt: Chicwish

top: Charter's Club

Tights: Hue

Shoes: Dr. Scholl's

Muffin Top

Low rise jeans became popular as it makes a woman's torso look longer and possibly thinner. Low rise hip hugger jeans forces the skin and fat around the waist, back and upper buttocks to spill out over the pants. So it is not for anyone with a fat tummy, it simply looks bad. I have made the mistake of buying low rise simply because it is available and popular.

If you own one and are stuck with it now like the one I am wearing in today's picture then try to wear longer and a loose tops on it (In a way it defies the purpose of wearing low rise). The best option would obviously be to lose the belly fat or buying mid/high rise.

When it comes to styling if I had to make a list of what NOT to do then at number one position it would be 'Never sport a muffin top'.

Shirt: Mark and Spencer

Sweater: Gap

Jeans 7 for all mankind

Shoes: Dr. Scholl's

Scarf: esprit

Yoga

Do you know any Yogis - someone who practices Yoga every single day for many years? I am sure you do. 

How many of of them are fat? I do not know any yogis who are fat some look a little overweight but they have toned bodies. Even if you know one or two 'fat yogis' then I would say it is an exception that proves the rule. 

Yogis also have some unique characteristics to their personality because Yoga doesn't just help with weight loss but each and every single yoga posture is beneficial for mental health from feeling calm, reducing stress, increasing concentration to feeling confident. 

Yoga is doable and beneficial for all age groups and even for people with various ailments. You do not need to join gym to do it. There are innumerable yoga videos available on the internet (UNLESS you are attempting headstands).

Dress: Ann taylor factory store ( I was wearing a jacket but by the time I got to taking pics it was hot. that is Seattle weather for you)

Tights: Hue

Shoes: dsw

Scarf: don't remember ;-)

Taking a pic

How does taking a pic each day help me? 

Everyone knows the disadvantages of being overweight but the pictures I took everyday made me realize the superficial aspect of losing weight. Everything looks great on fit bodies, even torn clothes. The pictures I took each day motivated me to lose weight and they still do.

Top: Loft

Jeans: 7 for all mankind

shoes: Ellen Tracy

sweater: Nordstrom Rack

Belt: Style & Co. from Macys

Fun time

Pick out a few items from your closet, mix and match, add some accessories to make it look like a new outfit altogether and then dressing up and getting ready in the morning will no longer remain a chore but a fun creative time.

Top: Gap

Scarf: Target

Jeans: American Eagle

Styling is an art

What I wear is my interpretation of what looks good, it is obviously not the ideal way of doing things. But still you might end up liking something and would be able to mix and match according to your interpretation of style. Styling is an art and that too an abstract one and art is always subjective.

Shirt: J Crew Factory

Artist Crop: American Eagle

Sandals: Tommy Hilfiger

The Americanization

Every time I visit India I see Americanization of the country. Pubs, clubs, music, movies, clothing, dress lengths, influence of English, consumerism... everything is Americanized.

They are all very convenient and easy things that have been accepted by the Indians.

The hard things that need to be ingrained from the Americans would be their work ethics, punctuality, honesty, cleanliness, organization skills, innovation, providing for yourself from an early age and some driving sense.

I wonder when would India be Americanized in a true sense!

Jeans: american eagle

Top: Esprit

Shoes: Guess

Privacy Please!

My new post privacy please is available HERE

Pant: J Crew

Top: TJMAXX

Shoes: Guess

Why do I like style blogs

It may sound ironical but clothes are the last thing I want to spend time on, be it in the morning or when I go shopping. Though I don't want to be all 'dressed up' I want to be 'well dressed'.

No really, choosing clothes and shoes can be daunting even if it is as simple as black and white (as in today's picture).

It has happened innumerable times that I bought clothes which didn't match with anything in my closet, I bought wrong brands, wrong colors and all the money I spent on it was a complete waste as I never wore it. I thought it will be so nice if someone gave me ideas on what I could wear, buy, where to buy, what looks good and what doesn't. 

That's why I started following style blogs. I like style blogs more than fashion magazines as style blogs are more real and relatable.

Top: Macy's

Pant: american eagle

sweater: Calvin Klein

shoes: dsw

bracelet: Baublebar

Why did I start a style blog?

Rather than buying new stuff all the time I decided to mix and match what I already had in ways that I had never done before. I also built a basic closet, things that go well with anything and everything.

Few months ago I started taking a picture everyday before I left for work to send it to my mother who is always curious to know everything that goes on in my life, including clothes.

One day for fun I started posting these pics on this blog.

Photo 1:

Dress: esprit

Scarf: target

shoes: kensie

Photo 2:

Dress: esprit

top: ann taylor

shoes: DSW