Saturday, 20 April 2013

…. Candid


In days of pen & paper, and when the blogging and/or Microsoft Word bug hadn’t bitten me yet, armed with a green Add Gel, I had written this one…..
Thankfully, I have an incessant habit of writing the date, time and a slight encrypted/abbreviated reference or starting point for things I scribble. Thus, what you read below is written by me on an idle Monday morning at 10am on the 25th of February, 2008. This was the morning after my conversation with a friend who spoke about the fear of losing her real self while trying to put up appropriate façades.

And one more thing before you read on….. Pardon my amateur style… it was years ago!!

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The Masks I Wear………..

I have a lot of faces, 
Don’t remember which one is true..
I bring them out one by one,
So life can get me through.


There’s bravery, and cowardice, and malice, and strength,
All of them tucked in a box..
I reveal them by turn and occasion,
But within me they’ve now begun to tox.


I’ve forgotten what I would be,
Had the faces not been around..
Got no idea in my head of who I am,
Inside there’s no light or sound.


The masks are beginning to wear me off,
I’m scared I’ll lose control..
Have lost myself somewhere,
I don’t know what shall stay galore.


I now try hard to drop the shield,
But not before I’ve paid a price..
I’ve lost all that I cared for, and was mine…..
Now all that’s left… are my Masks and my Lies!!



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P.S. I’m very shy of sharing my very personal thoughts; hence, the blog-post title.

Monday, 15 April 2013

.... Shimmer, Shine, Sparkle !!!

Bow-led

Swoo-oo-oon

My D-I-Y Project Inspiration for Xmas 2012

Jodhpur Chronicals

When Beauty meets Grace meets Strength

Birthday Sparkle :):)

Elec - Eclectic

Shimmering & Bubbly

What's not to love about Miu Miu's ?!

The Lavender

And a Glowy Bride......

Skip a heart-beat & bow to these Manolos

Eye-catcher

Rings a Spark

Beats

Cannot miss something so peach and lovely na ;)

So not scared of heights!! Some glitter for the Lady, please.

TLE - Xmas 2012

Shimmery, Shiny & so beautifully Sparkly

SATC Love <3
Ever since Lakme came out with the tagline of "Shimmer, Shine, Sparkle!", it stuck in my head... I fell in love with the words, their ring, and the meanings they carry. These beautiful pictures are my take mostly on glitter and shimmer, 'coz in my opinion, shine and sparkle mean so much more. (strength, intelligence and triumph.... Don't you think?)

A lot of pictures in this post are from my personal archives; some clicked with my phone camera, and some of things that belong to me.... I'll let you figure that part ;)


Have a sparkling week ahead!! 

Tuesday, 2 April 2013

…. The Fool & The High Priestess


I always find such calm and peace of mind in Tarot.
… And why wouldn’t I? It has such beauty and mystery attached to it. Like an angel with this sense of tranquil.

Tarot happened to me all of a sudden, and kind of like it happens to all – as part of a fun experiment. Now, the point is that I do not take horoscopes, predictions, crystal balls or coffee-cup readings very seriously; and the fundamental behind going for a reading or knowing my luck quotient for the day is simple – if it is good, I feel happy, and if it is not, I forget about it, only remembering a statuary warning, if there is one there, and go on with my day.

A friend knew how to read Tarot cards, and all of us girls were so thrilled to get our readings done. When my turn came, I was completely fascinated by the things I heard – things I would never have told a soul. She also pointed out certain months of the year that have never failed to be horrible and dark (I was pretty shocked at the accuracy of this, and let me add, the run continues even till date), told me how I would eventually shift careers (at that time I was in college… happily-or-not studying engineering), and even as much as defined me as a person.

Believe it or not, I had fallen for the charm of Tarot.

Years later, and once I passed out of college, I narrated this incident to one of my favourite Professors (and a very dear friend). Call this luck, coincidence, or whatever, she smiled and asked me if I wanted to understand the science behind it all, and learn the art of Tarot. Quite obviously, I jumped at it (despite knowing the amount of hard-work, dedication and hours of practice that lay ahead of me).
You know what the most beautiful part of this learning was, I completely understood and agreed with the science and logic involved in it. Having always been intuitive, Tarot agreed pretty well with me. That is exactly and simply what Tarot is – Science and Intuition.

One question I answer very often is: why do people pick certain cards….
Here’s the humble logic behind it:
Now, we are all part of a universe that has celestial bodies, planets, nature, etc with energies of their own. Agreed? Hence, you have an energy of your own; and a sort of aura around you also exists due to this energy. When good things are happening or are about to happen, you have a good aura; when the seas are rough, your aura tells the tale. Similarly, tarot cards are also objects and since they are made of matter (atoms, bonds, energy – remember school?), there is also a certain energy they possess.
Hence, when you are in a happy state of mind, or happiness is going to knock your doorstep, you tend to pick out cards that carry similar energy. In times of sickness, worry, or anxieties, those cards with possibly darker meanings get picked by you (and that’s why one must never go for a reading when unwell).
See? That’s how easy you make it for the Tarot reader to understand your state of mind and predict your future
J

Thus, anyone with this much of basic scientific reasoning can tell you what the cards are saying. Once you have studied each card and it’s strictly “textual” meaning, the next part, and the slightly more complex one (perhaps the reason why every one of us cannot be a Tarot reader), is use of Intuition. A Tarot Reader has to be naturally gifted with strong instincts and be sharp to spot certain things that appeal to him/her. For instance, I was once reading a card that clearly indicated turmoil, struggle, and the probability of a quarrel. Somehow, my eye kept looking at this little antenna like structure somewhere in the background that stood out to me for some reason. Every time I looked at the card, that’s what I’d see first. And then it hit me - that the quarrel could be with a person/friend involved in media.
(Psst… for the record and throwing modesty out the window, that one turned out bang on!! And the person was mentally prepared, and thus calm, during the incident)

Now every time I need to pacify my restless mind and get some reassurance (which happens verrrry rarely, I must add), I open a deck of my favourite cards and just see them. In case the agony in my head exceeds a certain limit, I read Tarot Blogs and take online readings. It gives me such relief and instant happiness. And that is ‘coz (thank God for this…) my end results in tarot always show such brave and joyful cards.

Want to see a few of these gorgeous cards? J






















Sunday, 31 March 2013

…. Blue-ming and Yumm!!


Jodha Rao-ji’s beautiful “blue city” is Majestic. It mesmerizes you with its old world opulence, flavors of authentic Marwar cuisine, and historical monuments that aren't just enchanting but also surprisingly clean!

Jodhpur was such a delight! Despite a delayed flight and a sullen face over window seats (FINE. Judge me, but I lovvvvvve window seats, and sadly enough I didn’t get one. So, I sat on someone else’s and thought I would make the little-smitten-girl slash lost-puppy face and get away with it as usual. However, this lady walked in and said “hi, you’re sitting on my seat”. :| I obviously moved like a measly rat back to my own then. We got talking while on our way out of the flight and….), I actually made a Jodhpuri friend before even landing into their lovely city. All smiles!

With the horrible food we got on our flight (Well, Yes! I eat the food served on flights. Feel free to judge again, for I love free food – and yes, I am aware it’s technically not free!! *rolling eyes*), we were famished, and apprehensions intact, we cautiously ordered some authentic yet safe sounding Marwar lunch. Desert string beans and capers (Ker Sangri) came highly recommended, and bowled us over with its perfectly spiced and tangy flavors. The non-vegetarians gorged on the very enticing looking Red Meat Curry (Laal Maans). Everywhere we went in Jodhpur, the food was to die for. Now isn’t that such a plus for a city that has so much more to offer?

Our very pretty Hotel 

The lovely architecture at Taj Gateway

Taj Gateway - The Property from inside

Taj Gateway - Night view

One of the various exquisite art-works found across the Hotel
Colourful (and soooo comfortable) Mojris!


Mehrangarh Fort, and the gorgeous view of indigo dyed rooftops (traditionally to mark houses that belonged to the upper caste of brahmans, and now to give Jodhpur-waasis the much needed cool during  scorching summers) both couldn’t have gotten better without the “audio guide” we opted for. It was not just very informative, but also added so much color and music to our time travel. An absolute must for history lovers……. and a lot of fun for even those who like briefly knowing about the places they visit.

Mehrangarh Fort - Scale Model 

Feeling the blue? I love everything about this picture - the city, horizon, the soaring eagle, and the fort guarding it all

Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai had blue/green incorporated  in every frame (watch it again if you missed it ;)). Mehrangarh had something similar about it. Love how blue makes an appearance in every shot we took here....

... And one more


Spot the lake?
Truly Royal, right?

One of the ceilings at the Fort

....Some Gold up the ceiling Madame?

.... For the King and his Knights....

The Pearl Room - That's where the King heard his ministers on stately matters

Clicked from the Queens courtyard

What an end to our tour - Watching this squirrel in action :):)


Even our visit to Mehrangarh did not adequately prepare us for the spell that Umaid Bhavan would cast on us (Also famous as Naomi Campbell’s chosen destination for her boyfriend’s birthday bash, and Arun Nayyar and Liz Hurley’s wedding venue). I was really tickled by the thought of Maharaj Umaid Singh-ji’s successor Maharaj Gaj Singh-ji’s sheer presence in the residential section of this palace turned part hotel that we were dining at, (told ya, I am the smitten child). We dined in style and lovvvved the food. While the veggies gushed over and relished the traditional offerings in their thalis, the non-veggies thoroughly enjoyed their a-la carte fare that comprised of authentic takes on chicken and meat. One would expect it, but the servers were well-informed, utterly hospitable and so eager for us to understand and fall in love with their culture and cuisine (which we obviously did. Did I mention, the broccoli preparation, the very Rajasthan jaggery-with-pure-ghee, and their Ker Sangri were lip-smacking delicious. Actually I don’t recollect if a single thing on our table was not that..... A(h)MAZING!!)

Umaid Bhavan - Day View

Scale Model of the Umaid Bhavan Palace exhibited at the Museum Section in the Palace
Now I want to own this!!! Loved this the most from amongst the fabulous other exhibits at the Museum

Courtyard within the Palace


Umaid Bhavan - The Hotel section that retains the elegance of the rest of the Palace


That's where Maharaj Gaj Singh-ji still celebrates his Birthday :)
Night View of the gorgeous Umaid Bhavan
Are you in love too? :)


From looking like ever-famished Ras-mallai addicts, laughing endlessly at each other, to taking in the vibrancy of their Mojris and Puppet-shows, Jodhpur was so much fun. (Of course, all thanks to the company I keep :):):) )

Before I forget, a sure shot and special mention must go to the infamous Pyaaz ki Kachoris that Jodhpur specializes in. This blue city and its various delights took us on such a lovely royal mirage.

And yes, one last thing…..
We. Loved. The. Food.!!!