Oh heaven!

“Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wake with good intentions
But the day it always lasts too long
Then I’m gone
Oh heaven, oh heaven
I wake with good intentions
But the day it always lasts too long”

Emeli Sande is my latest inspiration in the world of music. Her voice is captivating. There’s such a sense of strength in her voice, a passion in her lyrics and I almost always relate to most of her songs. It’s heartfelt emotion – it resonates with me in a very deep way.

True soul at the heart of her voice. Check out the video here.

Oh and her hair – it’s just…amazing!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The quiver

Parched lips

A slight twitch

That tiny little mouth

And an even tinier smile

 

 

The Tree without Roots

Solitary, with her branches bare

She stands tall, enigmatic

Her leaves were once green – oh so green they were!

But now, all that remains is the brown barkiness

 

She yearns to move

Talk to other trees in distant lands

But she’s rooted

Not with roots but with fear

 

The sun filters through the thin poky branches

Bringing a strange, ethereal aura to her

It’s what happens every day

By night the moon would have cast a silver haze

 

Children playing

Old folks sitting on a bench

The sound of dried crisp leaves crumbling under tender feet

Sights, sounds of everyday

But she doesn’t move…oh no, she doesn’t dare

Why fitness can never be a destination

Like you I too procrastinate on fitness goals. How many times have you thought to yourself ‘today’s gonna be the day when I stop eating junk food, and start exercising’? If this has a familiar ring to it, you’ll also notice how you always manage to find time for a last-minute doughnut but don’t have the time for 15 minutes of exercise. Are we on the same page yet? Fact is, fitness is never about reaching there. It is about the journey, the baby steps we take so we can feel fitter and better about our bodies.

When we look at fitness as a journey instead of the end post nowhere in sight, we look at the bigger picture, we enjoy the changes our bodies go through and that’s when the final goal becomes all the more sweeter.

So the next time you see yourself setting long-term goals on your fitness, stop and think. Pause to think of the many short-term changes you will be making, whether it be diet, your exercise or sleeping patterns.

The turtle was right. The rabbit was wrong. Enough said.

Short hair or long hair?

I’m a short hair chick. I dig short hair. Have had it for most of my life. And I’ve always had girl crushes on celebs like Winona Ryder, Meg Ryan, Kirsten Dunst (in Crazy Beautiful), and more recently Shannon Sossamon. But then obviously these celebs have, at some point of time or the other, had long hair. Somehow, the charm’s not the same.

Like would you prefer Winona in Edward Scissorhands or her in Girl Interrupted?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love her pixie cut in GI, IMO.

Kirsten is gorgeous. Period. Her face is angelic and that’s why this hair looks adorable on her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But then she also rocked the long-haired look in Spiderman and Marie Antoinette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meg Ryan in French Kiss, in You’ve Got Mail and so many other movies. I think the typical shaggy, short hair suits her amazingly well. This is one lady who looks washed out with long hair. Take a look at these pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there’s this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shannon Sossamon is supremely beautiful. She should always have short hair. It’s so her. Take a look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then this. Not too bad but definitely not as cute and spunky as the short hair pics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, what’s your take? Do you prefer short hair or long hair? I’m trying to grow my hair out now but dunno how long this phase will last! Snicker snicker.

Curvalicious ooh yeah baby

Plus-sized, full-figured. These women make well-endowed women across the world feel more confident and happier with their bodies. They say fashion always goes around in a cycle. Things always come round. So, you have the whole ’60s retro look back in style – with a twist of course, else you’d end up looking funny like so and so. Big hair, military jacket, biker chic, aviators, and now the ‘curvalicious’ trend. Shows like ‘Mad Men’ (Don Draper is sooo hot) are super popular right now and women heart the styles and curves of the women on the show. Celebs like Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, Adele have reversed the trend of super skinny, size zero females. Thank God for that! Besides, ask most men and they’d happily tell you they prefer women to be on the curvy side with hourglass figures. I mean, you don’t want clothes to hang over you. You want definition. We’re women for God’s sake! Women are meant to have curves.

But, the thing is you need to dress according to your body type. Check out this picture of Kim. The padded shoulders balance out the proportions making her look sleeker and more slender.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But Kim is known for her perfect sense of fashion. This is one celebrity who always seems to get it right. Take the case of  the Teen Choice Awards where she wore this cute, age-appropriate dress that showed off her tiny waist. Her hair is pulled back into a loose sexy bun while her red lipstick is just right for the occasion. It isn’t too loud or distracting.

Beyonce is one lady who loves to flaunt her curves. And boy, does she do it in style! Check out this awesome off-shoulder gown. The exquisite detailing on the shoulder and the white color of the gown make her look every bit the diva.

Like Beyonce, Kim too believes in wearing a lot of off-shoulder dresses and gowns. Off-shoulder dresses take the attention away from the shoulders and lend more elegance to the garment. Like, in this picture, Kim chooses to wear an off-shoulder black dress with detailing on the shoulder.

And then there’s Adele. This powerhouse of talent has a classic beauty, an understated retro style and always ensures her hair and makeup is impeccable. You’d usually find Adele with her hair tied back into a classic chignon or bun or she would wear her hair loose. In this picture, she has tied her hair back into a classic bun. There’s a hint of a smokey eye and the sheer sleeves of the gown and lovely neckline lend grace to her personality. Plus, since it’s black you can never go wrong with it.

This dress looks absolutely divine on Adele. It’s cute, fun, flirty and yet classic. The neckline is similar to that of the earlier picture and the cute little black belt adds definition to the dress.

Christina Hendricks is one redhead who can pull off most clothes with style. But, she chooses her clothes carefully. You’d usually see her wearing dresses with a deep neckline that shows off her decolletage. Which is a good thing considering she’s well endowed. Like these pictures where the necklines show off her slender neck as well.

                    

The emerald gown makes her look absolutely stunning and the drape of the gown, ruched waist take attention away from problem areas.

Curvy women  make other women feel good about themselves. That being said, every woman is beautiful in her own right. Skinny, curvy or everything in between. God bless.

looks like my ocds are on the rise!

David Beckham has it. That makes me feel so much better! Do you need to have all your Gmail mails read? I do. I can’t stand it if I have unread mails. Why only Gmail? It’s the same with Outlook. Everytime I see a new mail coming in, I need to read it or at least mark it as read. Otherwise, it’s a very uncomfortable feeling. The kind of feeling you get when it itches but you don’t know where the itch started from.  And I’m pretty sure, it’s happened to everyone sometime or the other – the itching bit.

Another quirk unique to moi is that I like to align the cap of a pen to the writing on it’s body. So if it’s the regular Reynold’s ballpoint pen. I’d need to, and I mean really need to align the protruding end of the cap with the Reynolds writing on the body.

This:

 

would be very, very uncomfortable for me. It has to be aligned.

I love reading the stuff written on chocolate wrappers, any wrapper basically. I like to know whet ingredients went into whatever it is I am holding. Never mind if I’ll actually use that data. Oh, and the smaller the print, the more curious I get about it. Like I’m discovering a secret code. Hmm, in fact, I think I’ll start collecting candy wrappers. Fill up a scrapbook with them!

I love smelling my dog – Zeus. Though that doesn’t count as an OCD, does it? Nah. Didn’t think so. Turns out, most dog owners will say they love their dog’s scent. And Zeus hasn’t outgrown his puppy smell. Don’t think he ever will. By the way, that’s him. Cutie, isn’t he? I will be posting more pics of Zeus very soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I need to look at myself whenever I pass a mirror, a window or any glass. It’s instinctive. And I like to see whether I’m looking put together.

I hate turning on the lights when it’s broad daylight. Our house does tend to get less sunlight, especially the kitchen area. But I always make sure to keep the curtain raised so that some light filters in.

If a book’s cover is slightly bent (bad book-handling habits of others), I need to straighten it back up. And I hate it when people don’t read properly.Some people will fold edges of a book’s paper. Why can’t they use a bookmark instead? So much simpler instead of mutilating the pages.

Let me give you an example.

 

 

This guy is clearly enjoying the book but the pages are sure to be upturned once he’s done with it. Not to mention, the finger marks he is going to leave on the pages. Yikes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This isn’t so bad but what this will do is break down the binding on the book. Very soon pages will start to fall apart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this guy’s got it right. It’s relaxed, easy on the hands, easy on the book. Perfect!

 

 

 

 

 

 

a secret fetish

It’s tough letting go…it’s taken me all these years to finally realize that I’m a true hoarder.  It doesn’t extend to a single thing or a particular kind of object. It ranges from makeup to bags, shoes, clothes, stationery, and fancy utensils. And essential oils. And books. Many of which haven’t been opened yet. I mean, I’ve skimmed through them but not read them. I like the warm, fuzzy feeling I get when I am surrounded by the things I have collected. It’s a familiar place. Having all your favorite books strewn on the bed next to you is almost like tabbed browsing. You have all those tabs opened up – and it’s comforting to know you can toggle between the sites any time you want. The information’s all there for you – and no, it’s not going to disappear. I feel secure when I see the refrigerator filled with food and supplies. It’s assuring. Like you do have the option to make A, B, C or D dishes. Like having your purse stuffed with cash. I find it very uncomfortable if I step out of the house without enough money on me. It’s nice to have that extra cushioning, that margin.

Minimalist and zen living? Not me. Maybe someday but not now, that’s for sure. But honestly, I don’t hoard and not use things I buy. I’m quite a good girl that way. If I walk into a makeup store, I’ll be sure to pick up something at least, like a lipstick or a blusher. I am a complete sucker for mascaras. Since I have hobbies (which are forever expanding as I like trying out new things), my stash of supplies seem to demand an extra room these days! Argh, I dread to think of the day when I’ll need to shift – there’s so much stuff in my house! Until then, I can continue hoarding all the lovely things I like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image source: Dumpster Bunnies – http://dumpsterbunnies.com/2010/03/hoarding/

 

Thinking of something clever to say.

Do we always need to be on our toes, trying to be clever? Just so the outside world thinks we are super intelligent? It’s quite nice to have those witty one-liners up ones sleeve but then again, there is something to be said in the art of being mundane. You know – small talk. That’s an art. Being able to strike up a conversation with just about anyone. About anything. I’ve seen people struggle with it, squirm in their seats till it makes them blush red with embarrassment – simply because they are not ‘small talk’ kind of people. They are the brooding, intense souls who would probably love to dig deep into more serious and meaty conversations than just say – what your dog had this morning or that new movie that totally sucked or even generic tips – those precious nuggets of wisdom people  love to throw around in free abandon. Small talk is like that trickling tap that will slowly exhaust all your reserves. Small talk is also like that instant fire-starter when you’re just getting to know someone. Small talk can be salvation and it can also be the end of anything really meaningful.

Does having wit equal being interesting? Remember the nerdy guy who uses a witty pickup line to get the girl? Done to death but always works. Too much of it, like those lame one-liners and it loses its spunk.

There’s no such thing as a bad time to write. Period.

My cousin’s an accomplished writer, so much so, she has her own line of novels and poems. Me being in complete awe of her and aside the fact that I’m a budding writer myself, I asked her for some pointers – pointers on what made a good writer. Basically, what I wanted was that magic trick that would make me an exceptional writer. All she said was ‘Write every single day. Make it a habit. You need to consciously take time out for it’.  At first I thought how contradictory the whole idea was. I mean, writing, in my head, meant spontaneity, being impulsive, writing down thoughts that came into your head. How can I possibly write each day? Creative juices don’t flow that freely every, single day. I mean, come on. Besides, is there really substantial stuff to write about each day? Does inspiration strike so very often? Two very different sides. But I had to try.

This is my first attempt. And I must say, I rather like it. I can already begin to feel a flow to it – like this is a start of sorts. To something more meaningful – won’t say greater – because I really don’t know where this would take me. Cheers to the road ahead!