Diary

In the beginning, my writing was confined in a 100-page diary. I wrote about what I did during the day, what I wore and mostly it was the reflection of all the feelings that I went through. We gaze at ourselves in the mirror once in a while, just like that whenever I get a chance I go through the old pages of my diary, to look for that innocent naive existence of me, it is not lost, I have it preserved - in my diary.

Sometimes an emotion takes over us and then we stop listening to our brain and do what the heart tells us to. That emotion can be anything, love, anger, vengeance or rage. The brain stops functioning logically when the heart starts to rule, and then we start dancing to the tunes of our emotions.

I am a common (wo)man who has experienced the battles between the brain and mind. All of these battles, struggles, fights are witnessed by my diary, and most of the battles end in the diary too. Those white papers have the power to calm me down. Stress at work, at home, my principles or the tangled relationships, thrilling-sad-funny-happy experiences and all sorts of ideas - the diary knows it all.

She bears with my anger and love both with equal poise. She listens. Everyone goes through struggles but she constantly gives me the courage to get up and try again. I am not a quiet person, sometimes I feel I talk way too much and I should let others do some talking too, but with the diary, I speak my innermost feelings. My parents have a big role to play in the kind of person I am today and my diary has a solid part in the kind of person I am not. Because I don't avenge, speak badly, with anger, just because I get to express it to the diary. She is my venting mechanism. Most of the storms relinquish in it.

She also developed a liking for creation in me.

I see the memories of yesterday and the dreams of tomorrow in my diary. She provides me the kind of support I need to be at peace and not just superficially. In real life, I do not abide by the rules of society, and I am the same with my diary... even more so. I have had an inferiority complex ever since I remember but the diary provides me a surge of confidence every time I express myself to her.

There are loads of advantages of writing a diary, even psychiatrists prescribe it to patients going through depression. I highly recommend picking up the habit of writing a journal/ diary, even if it's just 4 lines every day!

Idiot Box: Part 8

You can see the earlier parts here - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

Black Mirror

More seasons of Black Mirror are out and it is at its best, it provokes discussion, though often less about technological developments and more about the fallibility of human nature. 5/5.

Stranger Things

'Stranger things' is definitely the best Netflix original. There are only 8 episodes in each season, it has a terrific sense of mystery, the nostalgia of the 80s is glorious, the casting is superb, humor and thriller is mind-boggling. 5/5.

Dark

Originally a German series that you can watch with English subtitles. There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this show, which is one of the key challenges in the initial episodes, it inevitably sucks you in regardless. Dark is a mystery-box show through and through, complete with secrets and surprising twists and cliffhangers that put a cap on each episode while enticing you to immediately open the bottle of the next one. But at the same time it is a complicated story, just hang in there for the first few episodes and everything will start to make sense. 5/5.

Death in paradise

As with many cop procedurals, there's an element of 'comfort food' about Death in Paradise. You know what you're going to get: the murder, the impossibility, the dogged legwork by the police officers, and then – usually just as it seems the case is uncrackable – the Detective Inspector sees or hears something that sparks a synapse or two… and he knows who did it. Gathering all the suspects in the best way, he explains it all. Chances are pretty good that if you're concentrating, you can get there ahead of the team – the way the murders are filmed nearly always contains some important clue – but even if you're half-asleep, you're led by the hand through the evidence. 4/5.

Planet Earth

This is a must-watch show. Filmed on animals, jungles, rainforests, deserts, and pole to pole, it just makes one realize how beautiful planet earth is and how we are destroying it (I feel Earth will survive no matter what we do, but in the process, it will destroy us, so it is wrong when people say we are destroying Earth, Earth is quite strong and robust to be destroyed, all we are doing is destroying ourselves). 5/5.

 

Indian Superfoods : Rujuta Diwekar

All my life when I looked around I felt a disconnect with the world. Fancy diets, calorie counting, don't eat this/ that, hours-long workouts... I did not understand the necessity of all this. I eat small quantities after every few hours, I eat simple, homemade, Indian and fresh food, I eat ghee, rice, coconut every day, I can not have a salad for a dinner, I can have khichadi for dinner but not salad (as the fad goes). I spend 60 minutes every day on exercise, nothing more than that.

And when I looked around I thought 'my grandmother never followed any such diets, she ate simple and lived simple and didn't have to see a doctor all her life, why are there so many fads, who should I follow? my grandmother/ mother or the world? There are new scientific discoveries, maybe my grandmother didn't know about them, but then I see that she lived a healthy life and maintained an awesome lean figure'.

And then one day I started reading and following Rujuta Diwekar and it dawned on me that my grandmother is and has always been right.  There was no looking back for me after that, I read all of Rujuta's books, she saved me from feeling confused, pulled me out of my quandary. Did Rujuta Diwekar turn me into a follower of my grandmother's lifestyle? No! I always followed it, all I needed was an affirmation that I am on the right path, the path of logic and simplicity, and she provided me with that affirmation.

Overall I feel Indian food is a superfood and in the book 'Indian Superfoods' Rujuta lists the superfoods of the superfood.

I highly recommend her books.

Traveling

One of my favorite things about traveling is people watching. It is one of the most revealing activities. The rhythm of their lives, street styles, office rush hour, lunch break, the observations are endless.

Also, shorts are my favorite outfit when traveling.

Photo1 : short - american eagle, top - american eagle, shoes - Tommy Hilfiger

Photo2 : short - american eagle, top - ann taylor, shoes - etienne aigner

Don’t Talk To Me About Your Past

“Please, don’t talk to me about your past. I don’t care who you were or what you did. I don’t want to know who you slept with or who you loved. I don’t need to know who hurt you or disrespected you. Please, don’t tell me about your mistakes or who almost died for your love. I don’t want to know the words you didn’t say out of fear or the ones you said out of anger. I don’t need to know about the gifts that were given to you or the ones that remind you of certain places or people. As a matter of fact, I don’t want to know anything about you. I just want to know you with me. As a matter of fact, I just want you to tell me what it all means to you without telling me the reasons why. Please, don’t show me who you were, but who you are. I want you to create yourself, liberate, love, laugh, expose and be with me who you’ve always wanted to be because only then, I’ll be able to show you who I am instead of who I was and what I did.”

- José Micard Teixeira

Dress: Promod, India Also worn here

Tights: Target,

Shoes: Ellen Tracy

Sweater: J crew Factory

Top: American Eagle

Jeans: American Eagle

Sweater: J crew factory

Shoes: Vaneli

Wonder

My new post Wonder is available HERE

Denim - Abercrombie and Fitch

Top - American Eagle

Sandals - Impo

Analyze your closet

Most of us hold on to things for years thinking we will need it or fit in it later. The truth is most of those kept away items will never be used.  All we need to do is try it on and ask ourselves: Do I remember the last time I wore it? Did I feel good and comfortable when I wore it last time? and Does this flatter my body? If the answer to any of the above questions is no then why waste any closet or brain space on it? Just donate and someone will happily use it.

Top: Ann Taylor

Cardigan: Forever 21

Shoes: Ellen Tracy

Denim: American Eagle

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

Soulmate?

I love this loose flowery top but I don't like how it looks on those pants. I feel when one meets their soulmate their heart won't pound, hands won't shake, there won't be any ecstasy or agitation. This top needs its calm, its tranquil... I need to help it find its soulmate!

Top: Promod (from India)

Pant: Banana Republic

Perfect Weight?

How much weight is perfect? Well it's definition varies from person to person depending on the level of our laziness and disillusionment.

I referred to this chart - http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html and trying to match the weight suggested by Robinson formula (for my height and age). Try it, it is pretty cool.

Artist Crop: American Eagle
Top: Ann Taylor
Sandals: kensie (from DSW)
Bracelet: Baublebar

Minimalism?

Salute to those who claim to be minimalists and ramble 500 pages on minimalism.

Top: UMM

Capri: Gap

Sandals: Tommy Hilfiger (from DSW)

Bracelet: HongKong Lane, Pune