Why I love Tana French...

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I like reading. I like going through a (self-imposed) meticulous process of finding and researching just the right book for any occasion - be it a long flight, a vacation, or just reading at home. There is a book for all moods. I would also like to mention here that my devil’s advocate in this is this phenomenal app called Goodreads. If you are an ardent book reader and you haven't heard of this app, you are honestly truly missing out. I do not think there is any book, any volume, any series, that I will pick up without checking its rating on Goodreads. (The ratings are user defined and are extremely accurate - so any book with a rating over four is bound to be incredible - by all standards etc.) Anywho, I digress - lets return to Tana French.

 

So I first heard about Tana French from Goodreads (big surprise there :p). She is a Dublin based author who won the 2008 Edgar Award for Best First Novel ('In the Woods') and a series of other awards. And her books have constantly received top accolades from all across the globe. So it goes without saying that I was intrigued enought to put in that request to get her book from my local library. And boy was I hooked!

 

To start with 'In the Woods' is truly one of the best psychological thrillers I've read in a while. (It was so intriguing that I couldn't stop myself from googling for days on end reading spark notes about the story etc.). Tana French has currently written four books all revolving around the chronicles of the Dublin Murder Squad. Let this whole book series thing not phase you out. This isn't about cheesy sequels and continuing love sagas and the rest of the shenanigans that follow most series books. Each of her books is a first person narrative of each of the characters - which brings me to the next point. The characters!

 

To say that she has done a good job with the characters would be an understatement. She has massaged each character, their quirks, traits, and nuances within the fabric of the readers mind. So you'll love Cassey, you'll be constantly amazed by Frank, you'll adore Sam, and Rob - let’s just not say much about him :p Very few authors have such a knack for embedding fictional characters in a readers mind. You cry for their strife, you feel for their pain, you laugh at their triumphs, you get frustrated at their helplessness. Simply beautiful.

 

My second Tana French accolade would go to her writing. Its rare to come across such absolutely beautiful prose - such poetic writing even. She has a way of swirling words and placing them just right so that they come out beautifully and written in a way with such references as one can never imagine. Very hard to describe but if you pick up one of her books, you'll get what I mean.

 

And my third and final tribute goes out to her stories. Simply put, they are wow with a capital W. I am still to comprehend how she came up with the story for The Likeness (her second book). And not only did she churn up an incredible story, but she churned up incredible characters and incredible story writing to accompany that. Talented, much?!

 

So here I am - an eternal Tana French fan - down with her first two books and currently on her third. Already awaiting starting her fourth and have never been more pleased. Hope this motivates some of you readers out there to pick up one of her copies, you will not be disappointed ;)

Ten things that I learned from Sex & the City!

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Today it's been 16 years since Sex and the City first premiered on HBO. The show that forever changed the way we perceive New York and Fashion. The show that made Manolo's and Cosmopolitans a household name. It is also rumored that for a while, all anyone in New York could talk about was what happened on this show. So, as a small tribute to this wonderful wonderful show, I have compiled a list of the top ten things that I learned from Sex & the City ;) This was fun, so here goes, in no particular order -

 

#1 It is better to starve than be deprived of a Vogue.

 

#2 Manolo's are not shoes but an outfit.

 

#3 Brunch is an affair between four girls and gossip.

 

#4  You cannot stay in New York and not go to Fashion Week.

 

#5 Your closet should have at least one Cavalli.

 

#6 A night out is never complete without a Cosmo.

 

#7 Once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker.

 

#8 Everyone needs a best friend like Stanford Blatch.

 

#9 Summer in New York = Hamptons.

 

#10 Wearing your name around your neck is sorta cool.

 

And here's a bonus one #11: It's well worth waiting for your Mr. Big.

 

So I think that's all that I had. Feel free to chime in with things that I surely and certainly might have missed ;)

 

Xoxo

 

 

 

 

Unplugging to Reconnect...

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I have lately started developing an acute sense of being a slave to technology. And what's even worse is that this sense of feeling arises not just from me, but from most folks around me as well. Be it strangers on a bus or folks at a party, individuals waiting for a train or dining at a restaurant, almost everywhere I turn, individuals are hooked to their devices - be it a cellphone or a smart pad.

 

For a while now, I have been considering breaking this barrier, starting with myself. Don't get me wrong - I do understand and appreciate the enormous power of having technology at our fingertips - the massive advantage of having all this information available to us, the unparalleled happiness of connecting with friends on a real time basis, no matter the distance and so on and so forth.

 

But somehow somewhere down the lane, I have started witnessing, within me, a profound sense of losing out on the 'real' things. I almost feel as though life is passing me by, all while my eyes are glued to some 5 by 2 screen.

 

I almost think that, for me, the straw that broke the camel's back, came in the form of a photo I recently saw on Facebook (big surprise there :p). The photo depicted some individuals in San Francisco attending a party in a breathtaking setting. The event venue had been converted into a Bali themed absolutely incredible open spaced area. And what could I see the folks in this mind blowing setting doing? - you guessed it, each one of them was glued to their cellphone. If we cannot communicate face to face even given such an incredible ambience, then something definitely is not right.

 

No more. I vow to not let life pass me by. So here's my conscious decision to indulge in...

 

...Less Whats App, more Whats up around me
...Less Texts, more Talks
...Less Email Subscriptions, more subscribing to life events
...Less Checkin's, more places to check out
...Less Status Updates, more updating my personal experiences
...Less Browsing, more Seeing
...Less phone conversations, more in-person meetings
...Less LOL's, more laugh out louds
...Less Tweets, more Speech

...Less Facebook, more noticing new faces around me
...Less a Slave to Technology, more a Master of my Life

 

Unplugging to reconnect. Wish me luck.

Barre me over!

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I went to my very first Barre class last week. And was completely blown away. It was nothing short of a spiritual experience and so how can I not write something about it? So here goes...

 

First things first, what is Barre? (pronounced 'Bar') Other than being the newest trend and something touted to give you a dancer's body, Barre is basically something that uses Pilates + Yoga + Ballet moves to give you a toned body. It's terribly difficult slow concentrated motions that target everything from your arms to your toes and give your body a complete workout. Basically, lengthen & strengthen your muscles. Also, have you ever seen a fat ballerina?

 

A lot of things went through my mind during my first Barre class. Here is my compilation of some of them ;) I am not shy to workout routines, running etc. but this was a whole new ball game.

 

 

So that's it folks. I can tout this form of exercise all that I want but you really truly have to try it out to believe what it can do for you. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. 

I want to believe...

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I want to believe that we are capable of kindness...
That chivalry is not lost...
That doing a nice thing for someone is not viewed with suspicion...
That sometimes there really is no ulterior motive
I want to believe that folks have a good heart...
That friendship is not just for give & take
I want to believe that scruples are not lost...
That conscience is not dead...
That it's not always about me...
Sometimes it could be about something bigger than you and me...
I want to believe there are angels among us...
To guide us on our path, to help us distinguish right from wrong...
I want to believe that positivity exists...
Not just superficially but really truly honestly
I want to believe a smile is not just a camouflage
For the dark lurking within someone...
I want to believe a hug is meant when it's meant...
And that promises are meant to be kept
I want to believe kindness is not just for display...
And that folks mean what they say and say what they mean
I want to believe genuine niceness is still required...
And that respect cannot be bought nor can dignity be bartered

I want to believe in a good world...don't you?

International Women's Day

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March 8 was International Women's Day. So I thought I'd take this opportunity to list out the top 5 women who's strength and determination continue to inspire me on a daily basis. These are women who's careers I truly follow, who's positiveness and achievements are what I strive to emulate. So here goes...

#1 Ruchi Sanghvi

Ruchi Sanghvi started her career as the first female engineer at Facebook. She since then quit Facebook to start her own startup called Cove. Cove was later acquired by Dropbox. She is currently Vice President of Operations at Dropbox. She is also a vocal advocate for immigration reform in the US.


#2 Indra Nooyi
Indra Nooyi, born in Tamil Nadu, India and studied at Yale. CEO of PepsiCo and fourth on the list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. She was also named CEO of the Year in 2009. Such an inspiration!

#3 Marissa Mayer

She is as smart as she is pretty! Marissa Mayer, current president and CEO of Yahoo! She was also one of the key persons in charge of shaping Google. All this and only 38 years old. Remarkable.

#4 Hilary Clinton

Does she really need an introduction? I would really like to watch her become the first woman president of the United States. Women power!

#5 All the wonderful women in my life
So this here is a shout out to all the incredible women in my life. You are a constant source of love and inspiration to me and I would be so lost without you. This list comprises of my mom and my mother-in-law who really illustrate the true strength of a woman to me, my wonderful sisters-in-law (and other women of my extended family) for making me aware of the genuine kindness and niceness that women are capable of, and for my female friends for proving to me time and again that friends truly can be a second family.

So here's to all you wonderful women out there - there's really no one quite like us - so stay strong & stay fabulous!
 

10 reasons why I LOVED Highway (the movie)

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I recently watched the newly released Bollywood movie - Highway. And was simply blown away. The fact that I could not get this movie out of my head (still can't) should be sufficient proof of how incredible it was. So here is my compilation of the top ten reasons why I absolutely loved! this movie. (Spoiler Alert - In case you haven't watched it and don't want any scenes revealed, don't read this. But do go watch this movie. Pronto.)

 

#10 The fact that this movie made me wanna give up all my worldly possessions and become one with nature. Or something of that sort ;)

 

#9 The fact that I did not check my cellphone even once while watching this film.

 

#8 Alia Bhatt - I like this one. I think she has real potential and was incredible in this movie.

 

#7 The change from the typical Hindi movie love angle. No boy meets girl and somehow they fall crazily in love run-of-the-mill routine. The romantic nuances depicted here were simply remarkable.

 

#6 The completely believable plotline - no loopholes, no gaps (at least as far as I could tell).

 

#5 The incredible scenery of the terrains of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir etc. that were depicted in this film. Reminds you that India is just so beautiful, if only folks were more aware of this fact.

 

#4 The incredible folk music tunes within the movie. Indian folk music is so underrated that when something like this comes up, it is so worth mentioning.

 

#3 The incredible scene where Veera (Alia Bhatt) runs across the open wide space with stars above while trying to escape and is simply overwhelmed.

 

#2  Randeep Hooda. Need I say more?

 

#1 The scene towards the end where Veera (Alia Bhatt) screams her lungs out at her uncle until he walks away. I got goose bumps, I kid you not.

 

All in all, I think a movie like this comes once in a while. Now I have an intense desire to watch it again. I think I might. I just might.

 

The Curious Case of the Chicago winter

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Okay, so first things first. In case you're wondering what that gothic image at the top is - its the infamous Chicago lighthouse on Lake Michigan frozen during the polar vortex of Jan 6, 2014. This should give an indication of how cold this winter has been!

 

I will not go into the technical details or stats of this winter - after all that is all over the news for everyone to read. So instead, I think I'll just recount my experience of what has undoubtedly been one of the coldest winter's I've encountered. Correction - am encountering :p

 

Location, location - I went to school in Buffalo, New York. Buffalo is famous for two things - 1. the snow 2. the winter. But inspite of that, I gotta say that this winter in Chicago has surpassed anything that dear old Buffalo put forth.

 

Wind, much? - Chicago is called the Windy City. That's cute and adorable. But not so much when the wind we're talking about is a 30 below zero.

 

Zero is the new terrible - The subzero temperatures that folks warn about are not exaggerated. Those days, it is indeed unbearably cold. Unimaginably cold. The ideally-should-not-be-out-for-longer-than-five-minutes cold.

 

White land - I have never ever ever seen this much snow in downtown Chicago. Period. Thank God the city's snow budget has still held up and thank God for the wonderful snow plowing folks out there doing an incredible job. They are truly the true heroes.

 

Dig a little deeper - Okay, so this may not be from personal experience but this is for all you folks in the suburbs. Keeping the pathways clean is mandatory, so I've heard stories of endless snow shoveling, no place to put the shoveled snow, and the best of the lot - a colleague building a snow mountain in his backyard for his kids to slide down on. Yes, you can insert your unbelievable expression here.

 

Polar Vortex - Let me stop right here.

 

Greater Appreciation - I now have a new appreciation for the wonderful citizens here going about their daily tasks & regular routines with a shrug of their shoulders and a poof of their hands indicating 'oh well whatcha gonna do'.

 

I would like to stop here and end by saying - Hang in there everyone! One glorious day, this will all be a wonderful horror story to recount over a warm fireplace. A horror story of white evil, of caked ice on the Chicago river, of boiling water turning into snow, of being in a place colder than Alaska. And a story of surviving it all. Well worth it, me thinks. :p

Top 5 Movies & TV Shows with the best Fashion!

How many of us have watched a movie that has completely blown us away with its couture? Or left a lasting impression on us with its style depiction? Or really, both of the above?

So for all you fashionistas out there, here’s a listing of my top 5 movies/shows depicting the best of the fashion world – and why!

#5 Suits

The 2011 law firm TV show, Suits, is famous for its witty dialogues and slick movie-style direction, but in my opinion the show also features some incredible styles for the corporate world. Almost every attire worn by Gina Torres and Meghan Markle is to die for. Here are some glimpses –

Antonio Berardi dress

All Saints coat

 

Donna Karan dress



                                                        Beaumelle Jacket, Cassis Skirt

 #4 Gossip Girl

Ever wonder what the fashion conscious of Manhattan’s Upper East Side dress like? Wonder no more. Be it the pearls or the tweeds, this show has it all.

#3 Breakfast at Tiffany’s

 

This movie truly ushered in a new era of fashion consciousness and almost started a fashion revolution of sorts. Thanks to the incredible style icon that is Audrey Hepburn –

#2 Sex and the City (The show & the movies)

 

Is it really possible to talk about fashion on television and not mention this show & it's movies? Can anyone really forget Carrie’s iconic necklace? –

 Or the epic newspaper print Dior dress –

 

Or the amazing J'adore Dior t-shirt attire–

 

Or the picture perfect Polka dot Balenciaga dress in the Paris episode – 

And let’s not forget the incredible Vera Wang wedding dress –

 

#1 The Devil wears Prada

This has got to be my most favorite movie in terms of the fashion depiction. A famous line from the movie is ‘A million girls would kill for that job’. Me thinks this should be ‘A million girls would kill for that wardrobe’. Because who can forget the incredible thigh-high Chanel boots (third image from the left), or the Cotton Voile Jersey Dress (last image on the right), or for that matter almost every other couture depicted in this film –
 

So that's it - my list of personal favorites! Gotta love style! So until next time, stay fabulous!

The Spirit of Mumbai

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Mumbai - the city that never sleeps! Mumbai - my hometown, the place that I've been away from for a decade. But each time I return, I realize that my city has changed. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. But one thing that never changes is the vibrant, undying spirit of this city.

Keeping that in mind, here are some of the observations from my most recent visit home -

#1 Everyone is vibrant - The energy of everyone around you is seriously contagious. Be it the hordes of folks shopping in malls or eating in restaurants or walking on the streets, there is a vibrancy to it that is really unlike any other city in the world.

#2 Everyone makes money - No matter the heavy traffic to go to work, no matter the bureaucracy at work, no matter the politics at play, everyone makes money. The amount may vary but the fact still remains that Mumbai truly remains a land of opportunities.

#3 Buy that house? - While real estate prices plummet elsewhere, the property market in Mumbai is always at an all-time high. Buying a house in Mumbai is not for the faint hearted with real estate prices ranging more than New York even.

#4 No one cares about your petty concerns - You can honk all you want at that jay walker, you can scream and shout at something that's amiss, no one truly has time to even react to your concerns. Everyone has someplace to go to and something important to do. The age-old adage of Time is Money has never been truer than in here.

#5 The city never sleeps - This is so true. This is truly a city where much of everything will be open all day all night long. Craving your favorite fast food in the middle of the night? - you will inevitably find someplace that's open that serves it.

#6 Traffic, much? - Want to go to a fancy place in Juhu on a Saturday night? Boy, aren't you ambitious! ;) But jokes apart, one has to make sure to factor in the travel time. That is truly the most important part.

#7 New Year's eve? - What's a paltry Rs. 50,000 (that's around $800) for a New Year's Bash package? After all, it's all about having fun - money no bar, eh?!

#8 Miss that American food? - Not really but if you do, there are tons of really nice places that serve the same food that we get in good old Amreeka.

#9 Let's go to Goa! - You or someone you've heard of is almost inevitably holidaying in Goa.

#10 Miss those brands? - Not anymore. Mumbai has everything from Louis Vuitton to Burberry and folks with the clout to buy it too.

Ahh my Mumbai - so different yet still the same. Needless to say I miss you already. So until we meet again, my old friend, do stay amazing.