Keep that phone away

I hate it when you are having a conversation with someone and he/she is not even looking at you. This is however in a social scenario, I cannot even imagine this behavior in the professional world and business meetings. When you take out your phone during a conversation with someone it shows :

• Lack of respect. You consider the information on your phone to be more important than the conversation at hand, and you view people outside of the meeting to be more important than those sitting right in front of you.


• Lack of attention. You are unable to stay focused on one thing at a time.


• Lack of listening. You aren’t practicing active listening, so no one around you feels heard.


• Lack of power. You are like a modern-day Pavlovian dog who responds to the whims of others through the buzz of your phone.


• Lack of self-awareness: You don't understand how ridiculous your behavior looks to other people.


• Lack of social awareness: You don't understand how your behavior affects those around you.

Shoes: Steve Madden

Jeans: Abercrombie and Fitch

Top: J crew

Sweater: J crew factory

Jeans: American Eagle

Shirt: J crew Factory

Jacket: Gap

Shoes: Dsw

What the health: part 18 - How to stay healthy continued ...

This is part 18 of ‘What the health’ series. You can find earlier parts here – part1, part2, part3, part4,  part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8,  part 9, part 10, part 11, part12, part13, part14, part15, part16, part 17

3. Sleep (3)

How do you ensure a good night’s sleep -

• Shutdown your computer, cell phone, and TV at least an hour before you go to bed. No gadgets on the bedside.


• Save your bedroom for sleep, rather than work, dining or entertainment.


• Create a bedtime ritual. It's not the time to tackle big issues. Instead, take a warm bath, meditate, or read.


• Stick to a schedule, waking up and retiring at the same time every day, even on weekends.


• Avoid eating heavy meals and alcohol close to bedtime, which may cause heartburn and make it hard to fall asleep. And steer clear of soda, tea, coffee, and chocolate after 2 p.m. Caffeine can stay in your system for 5 to 6 hours. I stopped drinking coffee completely for the last 2 years.


• Turn out the lights. Darkness cues your body to release the natural sleep hormone melatonin, while light suppresses it.

I do have sleep issues - I am oversensitive to sounds, any small sound wakes me up and if I wake up in the middle of the night I have a hard time going back to sleep again (mostly thoughts keep in awake). So the thing that helped me the most with my sleep issues is the app InsightTimer - it has loads of guided sleep meditations/ hypnosis. I absolutely love it, Glenn Harrold’s meditations are my most favorite. Whenever I am having trouble sleeping I play his sleep hypnosis and sleep like a baby… no more sleeping pills for me.

to be continued...

Dress: Esprit

Sweater: Nordstrom Rack

Tights: DSW

Shoes: Steve Madden

What the health! Part 15 - How to lose weight and stay healthycontinued...

This is part 15 of ‘What the health’ series. You can find earlier parts here – part1, part2, part3, part4,  part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8,  part 9, part 10, part 11, part12, part13, part14

Diet (4)

9. And last but not the least Alcohol - Call me uncool if you had like, I really don't care - but DO NOT drink alcohol (I know it is for some reason considered a status symbol these days), some people drink wine every day saying it is good for the heart, it sounds ridiculous- there are so many better options for the heart like running for example - opt them and not wine.

Alcohol affects the acid levels in the body, it affects the quality of sleep, it can cause many health conditions like heart ailments, it affects the liver and pancreas, it also increases the risk of cancer (throat, mouth, esophagus, breast, and liver). Cocktails and hard liquor are loaded with unwanted calories that you just wanna avoid piling on.

I am high on life and I don’t understand those who are dependent on alcohol to do that job and those who drink do not understand how can one be high on life… some people come under social pressures and drink to give the company, I don’t do that (not anymore). I have been asked many times at parties that if I don't drink alcohol or carbonated beverages then what do I drink. Stupid question. I drink many things - tea, coconut water, lime juice, freshly squeezed orange juice, turmeric milk, buttermilk, and mostly water!

I am not a fun bob (someone who needs to be inebriated to have fun, loose inhibitions or enjoy life). I enjoy life even when things are painful or not going so smoothly. Accept that hardship is part of life. Pain, sickness, and sadness is as much a feeling as healthy and happy - embrace it, sooner the better - it is useless to be afraid of the existence of unhappy feelings and to forget it getting numb (and dumb) under the influence of alcohol/drugs.

Food and water are an important part of a balanced diet, yes, we are what we eat…. and drink.

Jeans: Abercrombie and Fitch

Shoes: Steve Madden

Stripes Tee: TjMaxx

Jacket: J Crew

Modern Romance

My new post 'Modern Romance' is available here

Jeans : American Eagle

Stripes top : tjmaxx

Sweater : J crew factory

Shoes : Vaneli

Belt : Target

Back!

Back to blogging after almost 10 months of a break! I have started a new Pinterest board for this personal style blog, you can visit it here

Skirt  - Modcloth

Top - white house black market

sweater - Nordstrom rack

Shoes - Circa Joan and David

More ways I wore the stripes skirt:

Reduce, Recycle and Reuse

A materialist concentrates on accumulating things and a minimalist thinks of how to get rid of things, ultimately both are focusing thoughts on stuff. We accumulate stuff and then think of ways to purge it out of life (this is the First World Phenomena).

Owning more than what we need is consumerism, I think we all are consumerists in that sense. All I can say is don’t have a lifestyle of mindless consumerism, don’t be an impulsive consumer be a mindful one. The more realistic thing to do is donate things that you don’t use than giving away things in the name of minimalism. Know what is in your drawers, cupboards, fridge, and corners. Donate anything that is not used for a few years. Ultimately have things that you utilize and utilize what you already have!

Denim Skirt: Banana Republic

Shirt: J crew

Sweater: Tjmaxx

Tights: Hue

Shoes: Vaneli 

Using Timer

A lot of personal style bloggers get help from their friends/family to take pictures for their blog. Any professionally taken/edited pictures make the outfits look better than they actually are. I never use any outside help for taking my pics, I use a timer.

When I started taking pictures for this blog it took me some time to figure out the lighting/camera angle/ setting etc. - lack of sunlight in Seattle makes it a little challenging. Once I figured out the basic things now it takes me 5 minutes top to take pictures. The only thing I need to make sure is when the timer goes off I am standing still, otherwise, the picture is all blur and at times it does catch me when I am adjusting my hair or something (as in pic 2).

In case you are interested Here is a good 101 that I liked on using a timer for style blogs.

Silk Blouse: J crew

Sweater: J crew factory

Denim: Banana Republic

Shoes: Nine West

Vaneli

I started with red shoes but then wore the good old Vaneli, I like the second look better.

Vaneli are the most comfortable high heeled booties that I have ever used.

Sweater: J crew factory

Black Denim: Abercrombie and Fitch

Booties: Vaneli

Scarf: Express

Big Magic

My new post 'Big Magic' is available HERE

Jeans: 7 for all mankind

Sweater: J Crew Factory

Scarf: Esprit

Shoes: Nine West

Avoid These People

My new post 'Avoid These People' is available HERE

Jeans: 7 for all mankind

Sweater: J crew factory

Scarf: J crew Factory

Shoes: Nine West

Happy new year

Happy new year! May your days be filled with wonder and your nights a thousand stars.

Jeans: American Eagle

Gingham shirt: J Crew Factory

Sweater: J Crew Factory

Shoes: Blondo

Wind and wander

Willingness to wind and wander, to take missteps that lead us to places we couldn’t have known to go, I guess any creative process is rarely a straight path.

Jeans: American Eagle

Shoes: Nine West

Top: Ann taylor

cardigan: Calvin Klein

New Post

My new post 'Personal Style Blog' is available HERE

Jeans: American Eagle

Boots: What's what

Sweater: J Crew Factory

Time

In this age can we give ourselves the most precious gift of time? Is that even possible? Can we pull ourselves out of the chores, errands, commitments to others, just for a few moments each day? 

It should be permissible to give ourselves something luxurious that we may want, like time to read, daydream, meditate, take a nap, do yoga, whatever it is we want but ruled out for more pressing matters? 

Time. Wouldn't you like some slowly moving, luxurious time set aside just for yourself?

Dress: Banana republic

Sweater: Forever21

Tights: Target

Shoes: Circa Joan & David

Winter at the doorstep

I am not smoking in picture 2, it is condensation. 

Over the years I have learned to let go and enjoy change of season. Much needed warmth is provided by loads of layers. In the next few months let's have fun with sweaters, jackets, boots, scarves and stalkings.

Pic Then: See Here

Pic Now:

Dress: Mark and Spencer

Sweater: Forever 21

Tights: Hue

Shoes: Circa Joan and David 

Endless possibilities

What I want to provide on this blog are the endless possibilities of recipes that can be put together with just a few ingredients in the closet.

Dress: Promod, India

cardigan: nordstrom rack

shoes: Ellen Tracy

tights: loft

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

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

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

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