Balle Balle! Noida to Memphis

If there is one thing in my life that I have consistently enjoyed- it would probably be reading. In my current stage of unemployment, move to a new country and scarcity of friends- I have become lot more closely acquainted with books. As in its not that my taste when it comes to books has improved tremendously but definitely the volume and urge to experiment has increased. A surprising number of non fiction books have also made it into my collection in last one year though my first love still remains fiction.

If there is one book which consistently ranks high in reading lists of women across the world- it would be Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. A much oft repeated of story of Bennet sisters and their almost insaningly idiotic mother. Now this is one book I must have read of tens of times till date and still end up searching for different versions of the book by other authors. Much as most of us have nursed crushes on Mr. Darcy and found his and Liz's love story almost perfect- haven't you always wondered about
- what happened to Liz and Darcy after their marriage(afterall both of them were such strong characters). Was it actually an "and they lived happily ever after".
- why is it that two maternal figures(I think only two) in the novel are such shrews and maddening characters. As in is there more to it?
- what happened to self righteous Mary, mousy Anne de burough, sensible Charlotte Collin nee Lucas
- also what happened to Mr Wickham and Lydia after their marriage- did Lydia gained some sense and finally saw her husband as what he actually was or did she become "Mrs Bennet" part 2(offcourse Wickham lacking Mr Bennet's wit and character- they having children similar liz and Jane in character had the possibility of slim to none).
While offcourse we can weave our own stories and imagine what it was like going forward in the story but its always more fun to read others imagination.

Another type of fiction that I have started reading more is thriller/investigative series. Thanks to my husband who made me watch Bones, Body of proof etc plus being goaded into reading Girl with the dragon tattoo series few years(interestingly being a true blue sales person I had goaded atleast half a dozen colleagues into reading the book before I did)- I wanted to read some more of this kind. Some how the next many I must didn't really live upto the genre and I had almost given up when I came across another Swedish Camilla Lackberg. Offcourse it was a chance encounter in the Barnes and Noble while looking through rack of discounted books. I started with extremely low expectation but it turned out to be good read and thus I got addicted to the entire series. In next two weeks I read through the entire series and loved every bit of it. Main protagonists are relatable and so are their woes but what really distinguishes them is persistence and sharp thinking. Offcourse I love the fact that one of them is a woman- its just that crime thrillers have been a male bastion for way too long barring a few memorable characters like Miss Marple.

I am also trying to bring back my fitness regime back on the track. My disciple seems to be wavering too often now a days- and that has resulted in a gain of couple of pounds. I am hoping watching "Dancing with the Stars" would be a good motivation(all the choreographers on the show are so damn fit). Yesterday I had to literally goad myself in the last ten minutes on the treadmill- to ensure I finish my 30 mins course. Anybody who would have seen me(thankfully our society gym is devoid of any living souls around noon) would have declared me insane without thinking twice. "Bhatura...bhatura..." was what I was muttering to myself while working out to remind me what we had on the menu in the evening(thanks to a guest coming over). Aah things you have to do to ensure you can still fit in the clothes bought with much love.

Woes...of cooking type and my mantra for safe dressing

what do you do if your husband is a far better cook than what you can hope for in your even most optimistic dreams. As in I have never proclaimed to be a great cook- it was always a need based activity for me. I cooked only when I was close to dying due to starvation. My mom and sisters totally spoiled me most of the life- to the extent I would get my food literally in my hand and sometimes in my mouth. So after getting married and moving to the states- and considering the fact I wasn't working any longer I was all of a sudden the appointed cook for the house. Thankfully my husband was super-helpful- first few times showed me how to cook a few dishes which are cooked often and then I was the incharge. Now offcourse I already knew the art of boiling rice and lentils but it was the preparation of vegetables which trumped me. I made all the rookie mistakes(like putting too much salt or going too liberal on red pepper powder) but apart from that I did okay(atleast I think so). Still I have a long way to go before I become a master chef in my house because all the fancy stuff  like biryani's, chole masala, matar paneer are still made by my husband. Its not that I haven't tried making them but they never turn out as good as when my husband cooks them.

Enough of my cooking woes- I am hoping to start working in states by the last quarter of this year but till them I have plenty of time at my disposal. So for amusement sake I tend to frequent a few Indian fashion blogs once in a while. While the intentions are good but somehow they tend to forget that everyone doesn't have the same spend allocated to shopping binges and all clothes no matter how much they are in trend do not suit all body types. As in I am a shopaholic too but I have always been a safe shopper. I always bought good quality branded clothes- mostly ones which could withstand momentary trends and were evergreen. Then the idea was mix and match and even with that I followed a few basic rules(the ones which would rarely go wrong)
- you can always match bold colors with neutrals
- pink and black in most cases don't go together and have a tendency to look garish(unless offcourse you work for a fashion magazine)
- you can liven up mostly neutral ruled formal with a nice colorful handbags or in winters with a nice colorful cardigan or a sweater(picked mine from Zara during the off season one in every possible color) or a scarf.
- prints go with well with solid(print on print is fun but needs to more put together and can also be a faux pas)
- with shoes follow the simple funda you can pick up your casual flats from the local shoes but the formals and heels should be picked up from trusted shops and brands. You really don't want to spend entire day in the office dragging your feet because the heel came off(super embarrassing) neither do you want to kill your mood during a evening outing with a heel that's killing your feet. Vanity is fine but comfort should come first and you can find good heels for reasonable prices from a good brand(i think the key word is the right time or sale season).
- with denims go for good brands and materials because they are perhaps our most worn pair of clothing. Everybody has their comfort clothing- for me it was a well fit dark wash jeans. One mistake which I have seen more often in India then in US is with the fit. Now I know skinny is in(most of the time) but the fit should be decided based on our body type. If legs are not probably your best feature perhaps going a bit easy on the skinny would be good- perhaps a bit flared bottom fit would look better on you. Also interesting denims can also be worked up and down- with a nice white tee and dark denim jean you are good for your fun day outing or shopping expedition and for the dinner in the evening just wear a nice jacket and pair of heels n your good to rock any party.
- cut and fit are probably the most important aspect of an outfit. We seem to somehow I kinda glide over the aspect- too loose or too tight never does any favors for us. I know once in my foolhardiness I had picked up two tops in different colors but similar style which had one distinguishing factor that they were really loose and had space for two of me. I thought they look great on me till a colleague of mine who was expecting asked me where did I pick them up from(she said they would be perfect for her current condition). Offcourse I never wore them again. So please pay attention to cut and fit- sometimes its a function of style and sometimes even a function of brand. I know for a long time I had this issue with levis jeans till the time they came up with "Curve ID". Similarly buying dresses was a big pain for me- till the time I discovered Ann Taylor their dresses, tops fit me like a dream.

These rules generally worked well for me- and I always got compliments and the best part was I didn't spend hours putting together a particular look. While I love dressing(and am vain in small portions) but when I was working time was a precious commodity and apart from being decently dressed(or to be more accurate appropriately dressed), priority was to keep focus on your work and deliverables.

Okay this is it for now- I hope to be back soon with a new post(hopefully) till then take care and have fun.

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