tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480Sat, 26 May 2012 15:15:48 +0000ReviewsSoupDrinksHairOutfitsWeddingMusicDecorMiscMain MealsBreakfastDessertsFavoritesCouture CincoEthicalLinks a la ModeVeganFlowersAppetizersNailsSunday MusingsTravelRamblingsInterviewsFoodHoneymoonFashionBeautyLifestyleTake10VlogRiteshRecipesEventsGiveawayMake-upBreadSnacksSouth Asiahttp://www.leiasdelights.com/noreply@blogger.com (Leia)Blogger451125LeiasDelightshttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-2040092364595613802Wed, 23 May 2012 13:04:00 +00002012-05-23T18:34:14.951+05:30Nails<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7255375938/" title="IMG_2364 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2364" height="470" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7255375938_74521e2263_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>This is what I've been wearing on my nails this week. I used two colors from Essie's 2011 Spring collection - French Affair for all nails except the ring finger which was painted in Topless &amp; Barefoot. I used square gems to highlight the ring fingers - these are so hard to find, though! I desperately need some more.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7255372550/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2362 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2362" height="573" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8143/7255372550_136190a853_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strangely, a few hours after painting my nails, I noticed some bubbles popping up. <br />I've used these colors before so the consistency was not the problem - does anyone know what could have gone wrong?&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7255379096/" title="IMG_2371 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2371" height="549" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7255379096_09381cd077_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-2040092364595613802?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/B_g6qeDr3QI" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/B_g6qeDr3QI/spring-nails.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)7http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/05/spring-nails.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-4952442027590881875Mon, 21 May 2012 04:44:00 +00002012-05-21T10:14:51.246+05:30FashionOutfits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Good morning! It's yet again the start of another long work week... did you all have a nice weekend? Mine has been the perfect mix of busy, productive, and restful: I spent some time reading an amazing book (<i>What on Earth Happened?</i>), swimming, watching BBC's&nbsp;<i>Planet Earth,</i> and organising my work and travel schedule for the summer. Oh, and I've been playing lots of games! I usually don't play <i>any</i>, but Ritesh convinced me to play chess with him (I'm really bad at it) and now he's gotten me hooked onto Scramble with Friends. It is <i>addictive</i>!<br /><br />I also attended my friend Shreya's birthday party. She hosted a fabulous rooftop dinner in a lovely French restaurant (Chéri)... and this is what I wore!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7239126132/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7239126132_7abbe6dd3b_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing ASOS top, Oasis skirt, Kate Spade clutch &amp; oneoneseven flats<br />(I would normally have opted for heels but I couldn't find any that went with the outfit!)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7239128826/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7239128826_365229d729_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not entirely happy with how these photos came out, but I guess <br />that's the difficulty with night-time photography.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7239131484/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7239131484_e1f6756baa_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My attempt at smoky eyes...</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">What did you do this weekend?&nbsp;</div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">&nbsp;Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-4952442027590881875?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/J0Mc_q0HjRM" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/J0Mc_q0HjRM/subtle-sparkles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)8http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/05/subtle-sparkles.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-9042289371944656117Fri, 18 May 2012 12:26:00 +00002012-05-18T17:56:06.987+05:30FashionOutfits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I very rarely share my casual, daytime outfits, because I don't normally have time to take any pictures when I'm going out in the day, and also my trusty photographer isn't usually around at that time to take a few snaps. So, it's no wonder that many of you are under the misconception that I only wear skirts and dresses, or that I'm always dressed up! Of course, I try to look put-together when I leave the house (or even when I'm just at home...), but that doesn't always mean donning a bodycon dress or shimmering in sequins. Lately, I've been wearing lots of casual&nbsp;<i>salwar kameezes</i>, but my latest love has been sheer, loose trousers. They're comfortable, keep me cool (the thought of jeans and 40ºC+ weather is frightening), and perfect for lounging around - or in this case, spending an afternoon with my lovely friend Unnati and playing with her adorable dogs!<br /><br />I think it's going to be a sheer summer -<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7221000262/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2334 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2334" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5325/7221000262_044eeb02b5_z.jpg" width="458" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pardon the headlessness caused by my self-timer!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7220998000/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2332 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2332" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/7220998000_0da2cb81a1_z.jpg" width="576" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing Tom Ford sunnies, top c/o Blue Inc &amp; trousers designed by Mum</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7221001986/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2335 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2335" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7221001986_4fd64b33cd_z.jpg" width="402" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pearls dress up even the most casual of outfits</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">P.S. I recently shut down my Leia's Delights Facebook page. I know a few of you liked messaging me there, but I didn't really have time to maintain or update it. If you need to get in touch, you can leave me a comment here (I try to respond to all questions), <a href="mailto:leiasdelights@gmail.com" target="_blank">e-mail</a> me, or send me a <a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12" target="_blank">Tweet</a>. Have a great weekend! xo</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">&nbsp;Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-9042289371944656117?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/tSqCwVXlYCU" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/tSqCwVXlYCU/sheer-summer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)13http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/05/sheer-summer.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-8634808625326437534Wed, 16 May 2012 04:32:00 +00002012-05-16T10:02:42.244+05:30Nails<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I'm definitely on a multicolored nail kick at the moment, aren't I? Not only is it so easy to do, but I can also refresh it over the course of the week, unlike actual nail art. I've been swimming lately, and every time I leave the pool, I notice that the chlorine has eaten away at chunks of my nail polish (as well as given me dry and itchy skin... ick!), so I've been opting for nails that are simple but interesting. I absolutely love this pastel rainbow - I think it would look great in a rainbow of bright colors, too!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7188682432/" title="IMG_1181 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1181" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/7188682432_204e5a4cd7_z.jpg" width="575" /></a></div>Pardon the poor quality iPhone pictures - I didn't have a chance to photograph my nails with my dSLR.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7188689080/" title="IMG_1183 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1183" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5443/7188689080_71d1da343a_z.jpg" width="591" /></a></div>I haven't got the polishes on hand to give you the exact names &amp; numbers, but the yellow color is by Hard Candy and the rest are M&amp;S polishes, I think. It's quite easy to get hold of pastel nail colors, if you want to recreate this, since pastels are everywhere this summer!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7188694936/" title="IMG_1185 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1185" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7188694936_d3eb810ab1_z.jpg" width="497" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7188704934/" title="IMG_1198 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1198" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7188704934_5fd1f80b38_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>I got this&nbsp;ring over the weekend, and I haven't been able to stop wearing it since!<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-8634808625326437534?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/uEo23LpdDXU" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/uEo23LpdDXU/pastel-rainbow-nails.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)6http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/05/pastel-rainbow-nails.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-5444190087293323100Mon, 14 May 2012 05:46:00 +00002012-05-14T11:16:31.845+05:30FashionOutfits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Good morning, and happy Monday! I'm feeling so refreshed after a weekend of spending some quality time with my family, doing a bit of shopping, and eating till I couldn't fit into my clothes anymore. Now it's back to the grind!<br /><br />Here's a dinner outfit from before I left...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7187755538/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2311 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2311" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/7187755538_84cc78a00b_z.jpg" width="441" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motel Rocks dress, Ferragamo clutch, Nine West heels</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Every time I buy myself an item from Motel, I tell myself it's the last time. Their tops and dresses are so body-con, which makes me feel really self-conscious and uncomfortable! Besides, I'm convinced they're made for girls with long waists and lean figures, making them less flattering on short-waisted girls like myself. But their pretty prints lure me back time after time...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7187778554/" title="IMG_2316 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2316" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7187778554_e383fe3ab9_z.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>Note to self: do not wear a body-con dress for a dinner date! I'm not one of those girls who goes out and picks at her food. I think I had two plates of fried veggie wontons and a big heap of vegetable fried noodles ...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7187771172/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2315 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2315" height="512" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7187771172_2cd331925c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hair has been <i>crazy</i>&nbsp;lately! I think it's a combination of humidity (we've had some stormy days) and swimming. I'm trying to embrace the beachy wavy look that my hair naturally settles into!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7187794466/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2321 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2321" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/7187794466_efd7a3b982_z.jpg" width="352" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*hides stomach*</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7187805582/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2324 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2324" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7075/7187805582_e4eef22f93_z.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*poses only from the side in case tummy shows*</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7194086590/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="photo 1 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="photo 1" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7194086590_29f62d07c9_z.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the restaurant</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Ciao, bellas!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-5444190087293323100?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/lHKMSifaObs" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/lHKMSifaObs/blue-mermaid.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)19http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/05/blue-mermaid.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-8944614732752904533Wed, 09 May 2012 05:45:00 +00002012-05-09T11:15:27.812+05:30VeganMain MealsRecipes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Living in London made me a lazy cook. The vast number of readily-prepared - and <i>delicious</i>&nbsp;- foods available in the supermarkets is truly unbelievable. I could go without cooking for <i>weeks</i>&nbsp;if I felt like it: I'd buy washed-and-chopped greens and pair them with ready-made salad dressing; pick up packets of Quorn sausages and bake or fry them for dinner; or dip freshly-baked pita into packaged organic hummus. The possibilities were endless! One of my favorite snacks was packaged baked tofu, which inspired the recipe below.<br /><br />If living in London made me lazy, living in India has made me crazy. Um, I mean, it has made me <i>extra </i>determined to make the things I love which aren't available here (e.g. over the winter, I "sun" dried my own tomatoes in the oven since I couldn't find any ready-made ones in the supermarkets). One of the items I've been dying to replicate was baked tofu, and I loved the flavor so much that I've been making it regularly ever since! Soon I'll have to experiment with different marinade flavors (any ideas? I'm thinking sesame and ginger next...). As I mentioned before, the secret to making tasty tofu is marinading it in a yummy sauce for at least an hour before cooking, so the flavors have time to absorb.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7162946126/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1158 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1158" height="480" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7071/7162946126_7982d2c275_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apologies for the poor-quality photos - I only had my iPhone on hand at the time</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Mustard &amp; Lemon Baked Tofu</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><br /></i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Ingredients</b></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>Two 100g blocks tofu</li><li>2 tbsp olive oil</li><li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li><li>2 tbsp mustard</li><li>2 tbsp lemon juice</li><li>1 tsp brown sugar</li><li>pinch of salt</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Method</b></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ol><li>Remove the tofu from its packaging, empty out the water, and place the blocks in between some paper towels. Next, find a heavy weight (cans work well) and press the tofu for at least 15 minutes to allow all the moisture to come out. Then, slice it into 1/2" thick strips.</li><li>Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, and salt, to create the marinade.</li><li>Place the tofu in a secure plastic box, coat with the marinade, close the box and mix well.</li><li>Pop the box into the fridge for at least an hour (the longer the better), shaking the box gently once in a while so the marinade is evenly distributed.</li><li>Once you're ready to bake the tofu, preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF.&nbsp;</li><li>Place the tofu along with marinade in a baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through.&nbsp;</li><li>Enjoy!&nbsp;</li></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7162947650/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1159 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1159" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5198/7162947650_9fb118b3ba_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I served it with my favorite haloumi salad</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7162951208/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1161 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1161" height="471" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7162951208_6917b62269_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This would also be great with couscous, brown rice, or in a salad, and leftovers are great for packed lunches!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7162949452/" title="IMG_1160 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1160" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7162949452_1f959018b0_z.jpg" width="413" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Posting will slow down a bit this week because I'm going to be travelling, but I'll be back soon with outfits &amp; other fun things to share! xo</span></div></div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-8944614732752904533?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/qmlCUdCyvHI" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/qmlCUdCyvHI/mustard-lemon-baked-tofu.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)6http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/05/mustard-lemon-baked-tofu.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-2284552762025717094Fri, 04 May 2012 06:39:00 +00002012-05-04T12:09:06.143+05:30FashionOutfitsFood<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Yesterday, I hosted lunch at my house for the first time ever! I've never really cooked for anyone besides my husband (apart from desserts), so I was slightly nervous about how others would react to my food. As readers of my blog know, I focus on simple, healthy, and nutritious when it comes to cooking... and because I love the natural taste of fresh vegetables and fruit, I don't add very much in the way of spices, which makes some people think of my dishes as quite bland (especially compared to spicy and flavourful Indian cuisine!).<br /><br />I had invited over three lovely ladies whose company I always enjoy, and we had a very relaxed afternoon. Since I was busy cooking and hostessing I didn't have a chance to take any pictures myself, so (as usual) I've stolen a few from Kiran! You can read more about the lunch on her blog <b><i><a href="http://www.kiransawhney.com/2012/05/healthy-lunch-with-leia.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FteMQc+%28Fitnesolution%29" target="_blank">here</a></i></b> and <b><i><a href="http://www.kiransawhney.com/2012/05/healthy-lunch-at-leia-2.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FteMQc+%28Fitnesolution%29" target="_blank">here</a></i></b>.<br /><br />The menu was as follows:<br /><br /><b>Appetizers</b><br />- hummus &amp; baba ghanoush<br />- homemade wholewheat bread<br />- carrot &amp; ginger soup<br />- grilled haloumi salad<br /><br />(I wanted to make chickpea salad but this failed when I opened the tin and realised it was butter beans and I was completely out of chickpeas! Oops. Wonder what to do with all that dressing I made for it...)<br /><br /><b>Main</b><br />- couscous with grilled veggies (broccoli, onion, garlic, red pepper, tomato)<br />- side dish of grilled mushroom and spinach<br /><br /><b>Dessert</b><br />- apple crisp<br /><br />Plus, Unnati had made a yummy gazpacho and custard cake with mango and pineapple! Both were absolutely delicious.<br /><br />It was lovely to take a few hours off and forget about work stress, to just relax and enjoy the company of these amazing ladies. I'm feeling so re-energised after our time together, ready to tackle the last day of the working week and a busy weekend ahead!<br /><br />I wasn't feeling particularly glamorous as I had spent all morning in the kitchen and only had time for a quick shower before the guests showed up, so I was entertaining with wet &amp; uncombed hair! Nevertheless, I liked some of the shots that Kiran took in a nearby park (which was luckily deserted at the time - I get so embarrassed taking pictures in front of strangers!).<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7141090705/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="530146_10150695211831746_579136745_9677178_598351801_n by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="530146_10150695211831746_579136745_9677178_598351801_n" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/7141090705_ac7d055c1a_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I threw on this American Eagle dress that Ritesh had given me along with some pearls</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6995003116/" title="528638_10150695212106746_579136745_9677179_496595417_n by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="528638_10150695212106746_579136745_9677179_496595417_n" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6995003116_588a725bed_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6994999438/" title="522498_10150695211496746_579136745_9677176_1342160429_n by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="522498_10150695211496746_579136745_9677176_1342160429_n" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/6994999438_6b9b030546_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now that I know hostessing isn't so scary after all, &nbsp;hopefully I'll have time to do it more often!&nbsp;</div></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-2284552762025717094?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/qpXfJ-5TQEo" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/qpXfJ-5TQEo/hosting-lunch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)21http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/05/hosting-lunch.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-6769669762873864598Wed, 02 May 2012 04:22:00 +00002012-05-02T09:52:28.912+05:30VeganMain MealsRecipes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7134361179/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7113/7134361179_24fa940af9_z.jpg" width="576" /></a></div>You asked for more healthy recipes, so here you are!<br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Last week I told you that we often just eat a salad along with a soup or dip at dinnertime. For the most part, this does actually satisfy us and leaves us feeling full (especially since we follow it with a healthy dessert or some fruit!). However, once in a while I like to change things up by making a big, hearty dinner. I decided to have a Japanese dinner night, which consisted of Japanese cucumber salad, miso soup, and this dish. I'm not very good at making Japanese food but I do love eating it, so I'm slowly trying more Japanese recipes. This one is my own invention, using a teriyaki tofu recipe that Mum taught me a few years ago and adding the rice and veggies.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7134362661/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7134362661_10dded88a6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I know a lot of people cringe when they hear the word tofu. My husband used to, too! It can be very bland. The secret to tasty tofu is either marinading it in advance so the flavors soak in or creating a tasty dipping sauce. Fried or baked tofu is my favorite - the following is fried, but I have a great recipe for baked tofu coming up soon.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7134363329/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="493" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/7134363329_0d8341f379_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Teriyaki Tofu with Brown Rice &amp; Vegetables</b></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><br /></i></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Serves 2-4 as a main course</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Ingredients</b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">For the marinade:</div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>2 tbsp soy sauce</li><li>2 tbsp mirin</li><li>1 tbsp sugar&nbsp;</li></ul><div>For the main course:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1 200g packet tofu, chopped into cubes</li><li>1" ginger, slivered</li><li>1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped</li><li>1-2 spring onions, chopped, with their leaves</li><li>a handful of spinach</li><li>any other vegetable you have on hand: broccoli, greens, etc.</li><li>1/2 cup uncooked brown rice</li><li>2+ tbsp sesame oil, for cooking</li><li>1 tbsp sesame seeds</li></ul></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Method</b></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><ol><li>First, prepare the tofu marinade. Mix all marinade ingredients together. If the sugar isn't melting into the sauce, heat it a bit in a saucepan. Then, toss the tofu with the marinade ingredients, and place in the fridge. You should give it at least one hour, and stir often (I place my tofu in a plastic box, so all I have to do is shake it every so often).&nbsp;</li><li>Cook the brown rice. I like to do this in advance, so when it's time to make dinner, all I have to do is fry up the tofu and vegetables and put it all together.</li><li>Fry the tofu. In a wok, heat a tbsp or so of sesame oil, then fry the tofu till the pieces are evenly browned all around. Remove them and set aside.</li><li>Heat a bit more sesame oil. Add the ginger, garlic, and onion first, then when they are transparent, add the onion leaves and any other vegetables and greens.</li><li>As soon as the greens begin to wilt, add the cooked rice. Stir it around to give it a fried-rice sort of quality.</li><li>Add the tofu and heat everything through.</li><li>As a final step, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and serve.</li><li>Note: you probably don't need to add salt. Soy sauce is very salty, and I normally cook the brown rice with a bit of salt, but of course you should taste test to see if you need to add any.</li></ol><div>Enjoy!</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6988276572/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="591" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/6988276572_020cc5c816_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div>The tofu and brown rice serve as the protein components in this meal. Brown rice is also full of fibre and has a lovely nutty flavor. The sesame provides calcium (and sesame oil really does provide a delicious flavor!). This is a nutritious and filling meal, very easy to make (although requires some prior planning) and leftovers make great packed lunches. Hope you like it!</div><div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-6769669762873864598?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/THj2ymVEkhE" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/THj2ymVEkhE/teriyaki-tofu-with-brown-rice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)11http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/05/teriyaki-tofu-with-brown-rice.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-4681712646321651522Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:46:00 +00002012-04-30T15:16:52.776+05:30FashionOutfits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Have you all had a nice weekend? Mine was busy, as usual! I'm not satisfied until I've made the most of my time off - plus, it's the only real time I get to spend with my husband - so we spent our weekend shopping, eating, running errands, and swimming. Maybe one day I'll let him spend Sunday in his pyjamas watching movies... ;)<br /><br />Lately, I've been in sort of an outfit rut. It's been hard for me to dress for work, because I want to look professional and modest while still staying true to my personal style. Most of the time, I manage to do the first two, and not the third! (Modest because I have some teenage boys as students... enough said.) <br /><br />Usually, when I fall into this sort of rut, I clean out my cupboard and/or buy new clothes. This weekend, I did the latter, but for some reason I've been finding it hard to shop for the past few months. I feel as though all the styles and shapes that are in season are just not suiting me at all: I've been looking for trousers/jeans for the past four months, and while Zara is my usual fallback for well-fitting trousers, everything I've tried on - <i>armfuls</i>&nbsp;of stuff! - has been so tight it feels like my circulation is being cut off. While they fit at the waist and hips, the legs are so skinny that I feel like a hippopotamus trying to worm myself into a hose pipe! So, the quest for every-day trousers continues... and in the mean time, I'm falling back on old favorites, such as this midi. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6981179968/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7115/6981179968_c21d49cf74_z.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7127264867/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7079/7127264867_e0956ae797_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7127270115/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7127270115_a8029a2764_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything is better with pearls!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6981182034/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7130/6981182034_eb5e580202_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breaking out my cat-eye sunnies again...</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7127271755/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7127271755_7c0d182801_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wearing no-label dress, Tom Ford Sunnies, Juicy Couture shoes</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Happy Monday! Hope you're all having a great week. I've got a busy week ahead - so much so that I'm blogging from work! - so I had better get on with it. Ciao! </div><a class="pin-it-button" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#%21/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet,'Trebuchet MS',Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-4681712646321651522?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/tzgQ0KdBcCg" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/tzgQ0KdBcCg/midi-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)12http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/04/midi-again.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-6979607072155512829Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:16:00 +00002012-04-27T09:46:45.893+05:30Nails<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7112619101/" title="IMG_2271 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2271" height="427" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7112619101_1da3060d07_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Sometimes, nail art just isn't very practical (did you ever think you'd hear me saying those words?!). Not only does it require a little bit of time and effort, but those gems and stones that I like so much often fall off during the week (especially when I'm playing piano), and I hate the look of chipping nails. So, lately I've been trying to come up with ways to make my nails look slightly more interesting than just using one color (although I love that classic look, too!). For the past couple of weeks I've been experimenting with multicoloured nails, and so far, my favorite color combination is to use two shades in the same color family, so that only on second glance can you tell that the nails are not, in fact, the same color!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6966526264/" title="IMG_2263 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2263" height="571" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6966526264_f1dd42528c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Here I've used two shades I recently bought; Revlon Red Hot Tamale (the coral shade) and Revlon Love Her Madly (the pink shade).<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6966504064/" title="IMG_2256 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2256" height="427" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5113/6966504064_b987d75551_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7112610989/" title="IMG_2267 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2267" height="508" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7215/7112610989_990977faa9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>What do you think of the look? I can't wait to experiment with more color combinations!<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-6979607072155512829?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/kuURVVcsSTI" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/kuURVVcsSTI/multicolored-nails.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)8http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/04/multicolored-nails.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-2361143463209391942Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:03:00 +00002012-04-25T10:33:56.179+05:30FoodMisc<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6963564758/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1008 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1008" height="300" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6963564758_5d5d487d75_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrot &amp; ginger soup</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Hello lovelies! I'm glad you liked my random post on Monday. The truth is, I've been so busy lately that I haven't really had time to think about and prepare blog posts. Not only am I getting into the swing of commuting for work, but because I work in the afternoon/evening time (after kids get back from school and have time for music lessons), it means I don't get home till 7 or 8 pm. Which gets me to the point of this post:<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago, I was finding&nbsp;it difficult to stay on top of my resolve to eat and cook healthily. By 8 pm, I'm usually so tired and hungry that I can't be bothered to think of something to cook, let alone take the time to wash and chop veggies! I was ending up turning to fast, easy options (which are usually not very healthy), junk food, or eating out.<br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I decided this had to change. I now plan dinners in advance - usually in the morning - because when I'm hungry I simply can't think of what to cook. In the morning*, I prepare a few different plastic boxes into which washed &amp; chopped veggies for dinner are placed and popped into the fridge, ready for the night! Each box contains the ingredients for a different meal component. When I come home, all I have to do is throw all the ingredients together for a quick and healthy meal.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Of course, a <i>few</i>&nbsp;things have to be done at the last minute, but dinners no longer take time or effort or thought - I only have to spend about 10 minutes in the kitchen and I end up with something nutritious for my family to eat.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">* Your meal-prep doesn't have to be done in the morning, of course. This just suits my schedule. If it works better for you, you can have the veggies chopped and ready the night before.&nbsp;</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7109615231/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0345 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0345" height="400" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5467/7109615231_5e47b15099_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown rice with teriyaki tofu and spring onion</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7109604765/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0326 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0326" height="300" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7226/7109604765_52019dd02c_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade wholemeal <b><i><a href="http://www.leiasdelights.com/2011/01/quick-easy-wholemeal-bread.html" target="_blank">bread</a></i></b></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Some ideas for your veg-boxes:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">- chopped cucumber, tomato, lettuce leaves, and other salad items</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">- a medley of veggies, ready for a stir fry</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">- any items that you may need for a soup: onion, garlic, herbs, and other vegetables<br />- you can also boil your rice, pasta, or any other grains in the morning to save time at night</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">- fruit for dessert</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Additionally, because I have time in the morning, I prepare a few other items: for example, sometimes I make dough and let it rise while I'm at work so I can bake fresh bread to eat with dinner, and sometimes I prepare quick dips such as baba ghanoush or hummus. When it comes to meals, I like to have a few different items to pick and choose from, rather than one big dish, so I normally prepare 2-3 items (usually a soup, salad, and dip - I skip the heavy main course because both hubby and I like to eat light at night, but of course you can adapt this to your personal preferences!).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7109623823/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0521 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0521" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5079/7109623823_3b0549ef47_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mushroom wholewheat pasta with sautéed spinach on the side</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you have leftover rice or noodles, these can be incorporated into your dinner too. Just add them to a stir-fry, frittata or soup.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6963560720/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0576 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0576" height="298" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5194/6963560720_fc5f45f9c0_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple crisp</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Dessert can usually be made in advance and eaten for a few days. I haven't been very good about making dessert regularly and we usually just opt for fruit, but items such as banana bread, cookies, ice cream, etc. can be made and kept for quite a few days (I've got banana bread in the oven now!)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you need healthy vegetarian recipe ideas, have a browse through my recipe pages (I've linked to a few recipes in this post as well, in the picture captions). If there's something specific you've seen a picture of and would like the recipe, let me know and I'll post it (I haven't been posting recipes lately because I don't ever remember to take proper pictures with my SLR and also because my recipes are so quick and simple that I think they don't warrant a post! But if you want me to get back to posting recipes, let me know).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7109640327/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1016 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1016" height="412" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7109640327_813b6ab3cc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner last night: sesame bread with <b><i><a href="http://www.leiasdelights.com/2011/06/mezze-platter-hummus-and-mutabal.html" target="_blank">baba ghanoush</a></i></b> (both prepared in the morning), <b><i><a href="http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/01/shamas-daal-vegetable-soup.html" target="_blank">daal soup </a></i></b>with vegetables (onion, garlic, tomato, peas, and spinach), and current favorite dish: grilled haloumi salad</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Happy healthy eating!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-2361143463209391942?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/e1B9BEaLCnM" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/e1B9BEaLCnM/weeknight-dinners-for-working-women-or.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)5http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/04/weeknight-dinners-for-working-women-or.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-1555100844596686153Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:10:00 +00002012-04-23T12:40:33.926+05:30FoodMisc<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />Wearing</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6956309024/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/6956309024_b410c23f05_z.jpg" width="252" /></a></b><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7102376779/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/7102376779_a4a18b6431_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; My new glasses &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bright shades &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7102370797/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="286" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7066/7102370797_3b610679fd_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></b><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6956300240/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/6956300240_12cbfab2b5_z.jpg" width="240" /></a></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Multicolored toes &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Smoky eyes</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Eating</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7102375135/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7102375135_10c344fe3f_z.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6956304468/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/6956304468_f2c2ab0786_z.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Haloumi spinach cucumber olive tomato salad &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Roast tomato soup with grilled mushrooms</div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6956294908/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8004/6956294908_55b1d460e9_z.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />Japanese cucumber sesame seed salad</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Drinking</b><br /><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7105213263/" title="photo 1 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="photo 1" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8024/7105213263_c3465f4029_z.jpg" width="246" /></a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">- cucumber mint lemonade (above left)</div><div style="text-align: center;">- several varieties of iced tea (sugarless of course!, above right)</div><div style="text-align: center;">- iced coffee</div><div style="text-align: center;">- juice (cranberry or orange or my personal favorite, coconut)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Watching</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">- Downton Abbey (I'm a late starter, so I have a lot to catch up on!)</div><div style="text-align: center;">- Movies (absolutely loved <i>Mirror Mirror</i>)</div><div style="text-align: center;">- My favorite TV shows (I'm such a TV addict. I watch them all on my commute to and from work)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Working</b><br /><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7105214687/" title="tumblr_m1kv38LHOD1qm58blo1_400_large by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="tumblr_m1kv38LHOD1qm58blo1_400_large" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7105214687_39b74c355d.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7102358337/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="179" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7102358337_314df1e886_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><b>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</b><i><a href="http://weheartit.com/entry/27034835" target="_blank">Photo credit&nbsp;</a></i></div></div>- on the house, as usual<br />- on teaching all of my students the basics of reading notes and rhythms! most of them have come from other teachers, and believe me, correcting another teacher's mistakes is harder than teaching from scratch<br />- on getting back on track with exercise; still a long way to go before I'm hitting the mileage I had built myself up to, but I'm getting there! Also, I really need some new workout music. Any suggestions?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Loving</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6956298430/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7278/6956298430_1a3050a949_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6959145562/" title="photo 2 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="photo 2" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/6959145562_b1dddfb552_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</b>rainy days, which remind me of home &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;the first mangoes of the season!<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-1555100844596686153?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/MV_YLY6nByg" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/MV_YLY6nByg/lately-i-am.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)11http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/04/lately-i-am.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-4538463393823672852Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:03:00 +00002012-04-18T19:33:04.879+05:30FashionOutfitsSouth Asia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Can I make a confession? I find it really hard to buy salwar kameezes. For those of you who are unfamiliar with South Asian wear, there are two ways to buy a salwar kameez. The traditional method is to buy the fabric, go to the tailor and have it stitched as per your specifications (for me, this is a huge hassle, especially since I haven't yet found a tailor in Delhi! Not that I've been looking...). Otherwise, you can buy them ready-made. This <i>would</i>&nbsp;be a great option, but not all ready-made outfits fit your specifications (I'm not talking only about size, but also about embellishment and embroidery and lace - it's near impossible to find something which suits your specific taste).&nbsp;I do get ready-made, simple, cotton outfits from Pakistan, but haven't been able to find anything like that in India yet.<br /><br />I'm sure some day I'll have the patience/will for tailoring, but for now I'm quite happy to rifle through Mum's closet and steal (or borrow; I'm not <i>all</i>&nbsp;bad)&nbsp;the things which I like. This outfit is one of those - I just adored the fun bright print!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7075666651/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2231 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2231" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5451/7075666651_7f43b9f501_z.jpg" width="419" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've been having the worst hair week <i>ever</i>! In the summer I usually wash it often and let it dry<br />naturally, and this often works fine, but because it's been rainy and humid here this has led to crazy puffiness!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7075667763/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2233 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2233" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7276/7075667763_68f8ec71df_z.jpg" width="619" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I only like this picture because hubby's in it :)&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6929594110/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2232 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2232" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6929594110_fed181a0b6_z.jpg" width="379" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing with my ballerina!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Apologies for the drowsy face - I've been so busy and am so sleep-deprived lately! Between a hectic work schedule and attending a relative's wedding till the early hours, I've barely had any down-time. Hope you're all having a great week!</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-4538463393823672852?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/5Bzwat_a6V8" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/5Bzwat_a6V8/printed-salwar-kameez.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)13http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/04/printed-salwar-kameez.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-5789961236532044717Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:06:00 +00002012-04-16T19:36:03.667+05:30DecorLifestyle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I must admit, I've never really been into interior décor. Even though I spent much of my childhood being dragged around various shops looking for lighting, furniture, wallpaper, curtains, etc., with my mother, I never took much of an interest. It was rather boring, I found! (It was the same way with fashion. Mum used to take me clothes shopping for several years and I always sat in a corner and read a book - it wasn't till I was living in London, surrounded by fashion, that I began to take an interest!) In any case, it's probably because I never <i>had</i>&nbsp;to decorate my own place, and because Mum's shopping stamina totally tired me out, that I didn't take an interest in home décor until recently.<br /><br />When we moved to our apartment in November, shortly after getting married, the dullness of the place started to affect me. The floors (which we can't change) are gray and ugly. Ritesh's old furniture was all beige, and since we don't get much sunlight, the entire house looked dull. I was struck with a fiery passion to brighten it up! And suddenly I understood why&nbsp;it took Mum <i>years</i>&nbsp;to decorate our house: because there doesn't exist a one-stop-shop for everything you need at home! Plus, India doesn't have an IKEA, so we spent all of our weekends going on tiring jaunts, hunting and picking and choosing piece by piece. My focus was on the living room, since it's where I spend most of my time when I'm at home.<br /><br />Even though it took several months to find each item (3 months to buy sofas; 4 months to find the perfect mirror; 5 months to find rugs I liked, and so on), I'm so glad I took the time and effort to carefully select each item. They all come with a story attached, and each one has been individually chosen to my specific taste... and it's such a wonderful feeling to put it all together and feel happy in the space.<br /><br />Last week, my center table finally arrived, and we called in some electricians to drill holes and hang up our paintings. Suddenly, the whole place came together, so I thought I'd share pictures of what I've been painstakingly working on since November! The other rooms still need a bit of work, and there are a couple of things I still want to add to the living room, but I guess it will all come slowly. For now, I'm happy with what I've come up with!<br /><br />Note: the light fixtures, paint color, and flooring were all the landlord's choice, not mine. I desperately wish I could change them! The floor especially drives me <i>nuts</i>.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7072958241/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="503" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5238/7072958241_00306580ef_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">To give you some perspective, here's a before and after:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7072987479/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0044 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0044" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/7072987479_40b13bf68c_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BEFORE (November)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6926884116/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="451" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/6926884116_1ebbf08a02_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AFTER (April)<br />(Still looking for a way to hide the back of the fridge, which is being used to cover the kitchen archway. I'm wondering if a curtain would look nice or if it would be too tacky...)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6926911468/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0045 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0045" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/6926911468_dfaccdd246_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BEFORE<br />(Ritesh's mum covered two storage boxes with fabric to use as stools, and the two tables<br />are antique. I've put the storage boxes <i>into</i>&nbsp;storage, and I'm planning on spray-painting the tables gold)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7072962143/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/7072962143_6af2da0a3b_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AFTER<br />(I wanted a proper TV unit, but thought these shelves would be a good temporary solution.<br />Need to find a way to clean up the wires, though!)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7072960499/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5319/7072960499_0bd0ed8488_z.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beloved piano! The music-themed painting behind it was stolen from Mum -<br />she bought a bunch of these when I was young and I've always had my eye on them ;)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7072963395/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="446" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7072963395_93f21b3349_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6926885988/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6926885988_39d2d6630c_z.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still to do - add diamantes to the centres of the cushions<br />(I bought the blue fabric and had them sewn up - the purple ones were ready-made)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7072962539/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7072962539_8838b7c609_z.jpg" width="420" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Randomly found this gorgeous painting the other day!<br />I've always wanted to be a ballerina...</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6926884930/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="433" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5192/6926884930_c5e0ec5a4a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For months I was desperately looking for rugs to cover up our hideous floors. This one sits in the entrance to our home</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6926883240/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="418" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6926883240_1dc73c8cbb_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adore my new center table - now I just need side tables to match!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6926884508/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5466/6926884508_bb05e5d9fc_z.jpg" width="379" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend Shreya sent over this gorgeous bouquet on my Mum's birthday!<br />The flowers brought such life into the house, and looked great with this <b><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baul" target="_blank">Baul</a></i></b> musician painting</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6926882184/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5034/6926882184_115e076a7b_z.jpg" width="469" /></a></div>I may not have a magazine-worthy house (yet!), but looking at the transformation in the before/after pictures makes me <i>really</i>&nbsp;happy!&nbsp;Oh, and last night, before I fell asleep, Ritesh said to me, "You've made our house so beautiful." Awww... now doesn't that make all the effort worthwhile?<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-5789961236532044717?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/4btaeSKsObI" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/4btaeSKsObI/presenting-my-living-room.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)24http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/04/presenting-my-living-room.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-3573080253772441809Fri, 13 Apr 2012 05:14:00 +00002012-04-13T11:24:01.820+05:30FashionOutfitsSouth Asia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It has taken me <i>far</i>&nbsp;too long to prepare this post, and I apologise to those of you asking me which pieces are still available to buy from my Pakistani salwar kameez exhibition. We only have 15 pieces left! I'm putting them up here and on Facebook, so if you're interested send me an e-mail and we'll work something out.<br /><br />The higher prices are for the heavily embellished, designer outfits. The simpler cotton pieces are less expensive. I noticed in my exhibition that the cotton outfits were the ones that sold the most (my prices for those started at 4,000 rs / USD 78) so for my next sale there will be many more cotton daily pieces.<br /><br />As for sizing, I've roughly categorised them into S/M and L/XL. The kameezes are cut quite loosely since that is the style, so they will fit most people.<br /><br />The following outfits will fit a Small to Medium.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6925094758/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/6925094758_fcb1ed9511_z.jpg" width="474" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7071168913/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5152/7071168913_63d094a4ff_z.jpg" width="284" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7071166513/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7215/7071166513_737d9a9ec1_z.jpg" width="398" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6925087246/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/6925087246_6a652c84c5_z.jpg" width="415" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6925085164/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/6925085164_b899e32d9b_z.jpg" width="391" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7071161293/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5316/7071161293_ce2a1d69ec_z.jpg" width="427" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7071160481/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/7071160481_43cac0d9ae_z.jpg" width="374" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6925082902/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5152/6925082902_c27e438830_z.jpg" width="466" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7071159073/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7071159073_ef8d4f06bc_z.jpg" width="427" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7071158149/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/7071158149_90e86c4f3a_z.jpg" width="344" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7071157381/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7071157381_3f337b205e_z.jpg" width="316" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7071173469/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5323/7071173469_796b7f369c_z.jpg" width="350" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">The following outfits will fit a L/XL.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7071163437/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7071163437_7c08a1c52f_z.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6925085922/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5324/6925085922_f37f3d0119_z.jpg" width="435" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6925093426/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6925093426_edb030fc24_z.jpg" width="386" /></a></div></div>I will be shipping abroad. If you're in Delhi you can send me an <a href="mailto:leiasdelights@gmail.com" target="_blank">e-mail</a> if you want to drop by and try something on. Be back soon, I have lots to share with you, including pictures of my apartment (finally!).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-3573080253772441809?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/eUL0dxzGATI" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/eUL0dxzGATI/for-sale-left-over-pieces.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)2http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/04/for-sale-left-over-pieces.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-6041589553207830406Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:18:00 +00002012-04-04T18:48:53.765+05:30NailsRamblings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Well, I have had a busy week! As I mentioned, Mum has been visiting, and she's not one to just sit around while I catch up on blogging &amp; Internet stuff, so we've been out and about from dusk till dawn almost every day. Over the weekend we attended an engagement (I didn't even have time to take pictures of the gorgeous outfit Mum bought me on the day! But I'll definitely be wearing it again so I'll share it then), and on Monday I spent all day at the exhibition of the Pakistani salwar kameezes I <b><i><a href="http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/03/for-sale-pakistani-salwar-kameezes.html" target="_blank">mentioned</a></i></b> earlier. By the way, it went really well! We almost sold out. I'll definitely be doing it again, this time with a focus on daily wear rather than party wear. There are a few pieces left over, so I'll photograph them and show them to you since some of you e-mailed and mentioned you were interested in purchasing them.<br /><br />Also, yesterday was my first day of work at a music school! I've mostly been teaching privately from home, but I got an offer from a really lovely school that was just starting up, and I just couldn't refuse. The people are so nice and I'm so&nbsp;passionate<i>&nbsp;</i>about teaching, and it's just part time so I'll have a good mix of teaching from home and at school.<br /><br />As for the point of this post... I haven't been able to put pretty things on my nails for a couple of weeks so I decided to take advantage of my morning off and prettify them. I've done similar designs <b><i><a href="http://www.leiasdelights.com/2011/05/psychedelic-nails.html" target="_blank">here</a></i></b> and <i><a href="http://www.leiasdelights.com/2010/07/sparkly-nails.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">here</a><b>&nbsp;</b>- </i>it's a great way to spruce up your nails with minimal effort. I used three different shapes of stones - marquise, square, and round - all in different colors, placed randomly on my ring fingers. If you try this, might I warn you: your rug/sofa will most probably be littered with sparkly gems and you'll probably get a bit of a back ache. But whatever! It's worth it ;)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6898728594/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="456" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/6898728594_5ff7bb5dcf_z.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="640" /></a></div>Also, I've been looking for coasters for <i>months</i>&nbsp;and finally I found these (and incidentally they also match my sofa fabric)! It's from the same store where I bought<b><i><a href="http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/02/pearl-tipped-nails.html" target="_blank"> this box</a></i></b> that many of you loved. And no, not <i>everything</i>&nbsp;in my house is sparkly or mirrored ...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6898729152/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="486" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/6898729152_db7f4d3505_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>... but most of it is! ;)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6898729676/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="455" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5159/6898729676_fb37490e3b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7044821411/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="601" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/7044821411_2751f1a8d1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7044820829/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="495" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/7044820829_9c70f30b52_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-6041589553207830406?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/Ex0getMF0TE" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/Ex0getMF0TE/multi-gem-nails.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)20http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/04/multi-gem-nails.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-4465890290798303159Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:21:00 +00002012-03-30T16:51:56.578+05:30OutfitsSouth Asia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A bit of a different post today - I'm selling some salwar kameezes which have arrived from Pakistan, and I thought I'd share them with you! Many of you have expressed interest in the salwar kameezes that I wear, so I thought I'd let you know that I'm having an exhibition on Monday, April 2nd. If you live in Delhi and would like to drop by to have a look, send me an<b><i><a href="mailto:leiasdelights@gmail.com" target="_blank"> e-mail </a></i></b>and I'll pass on the address. If you live abroad and you're interested in something specific from the pictures below, let me know and if it's still available I might be able to ship it to you.<br /><br />If all goes well, I'll be getting a new collection every few months. If you're interested, you can "Like" my Facebook page <b><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/PakiSuits">here</a></i></b>. I'll keep you up to date with pictures and events!<br /><br />This is only a small selection of what's available. I got tired of trying on outfits! :P If there's enough interest I'll post whatever is left over after the exhibition.<br /><br />P.S. Thanks&nbsp;<b><i><a href="http://www.kiransawhney.com/" target="_blank">Kiran</a></i></b>&nbsp;for encouraging me to post about this!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6881020304/" title="IMG_2186 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2186" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6881020304_6534ef6780_z.jpg" width="394" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6881014806/" title="IMG_2188 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2188" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/6881014806_c90a890f15_z.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6881011488/" title="IMG_2189 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2189" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7226/6881011488_150fb9d7f0_z.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7027107209/" title="IMG_2190 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2190" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/7027107209_1cfde0f3ba_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7027103369/" title="IMG_2191 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2191" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/7027103369_153cf91eb5_z.jpg" width="344" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6881001828/" title="IMG_2193 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2193" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/6881001828_2b28b242f6_z.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7027095429/" title="IMG_2194 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2194" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/7027095429_c212714122_z.jpg" width="394" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6880992662/" title="IMG_2195 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2195" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6880992662_1cb02abcde_z.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7027088567/" title="IMG_2192 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2192" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/7027088567_ec7d99439a_z.jpg" width="427" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Have a great weekend! xo</div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-4465890290798303159?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/oszgCOe2wvE" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/oszgCOe2wvE/for-sale-pakistani-salwar-kameezes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)19http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/03/for-sale-pakistani-salwar-kameezes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-4217544083375933200Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +00002012-03-28T17:30:03.433+05:30FashionOutfits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7022935327/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6102/7022935327_c795d38044_z.jpg" width="322" /></a></div><br />This spring, I'm envisioning myself wearing:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>long, flowing dresses (preferably in floral print)</li><li>natural, wavy, messy, unstyled hair</li><li>sandals</li><li>minimal jewelry</li><li>light make-up</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7022934537/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6042/7022934537_8117cdd1cb_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>I've never shopped in Forever21 before, but one evening last week I walked past it in a feverish haze and spotted this dress in the window. As fate would have it, there was only one left in my size (and it had already been booked by someone but luckily they didn't pick it up!) and I just couldn't resist. It's a perfect slip-on-and-go dress.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6876832460/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6117/6876832460_c7f5622f8c_z.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing Forever21 dress, Furla bag,<br />H by Halston sandals, Gianfranco Ferre sunnies</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7022936019/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6096/7022936019_4c70dc2666_z.jpg" width="427" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">My special visitor - aka MUM! - arrived on Saturday and I've been having such fun with her. We've been shopping (she bought us a gorgeous center table - I can't wait till it arrives so I can finally take some decor pics!), eating, meeting friends and family and doing a bit of sight-seeing. Hope you're all having a great week!&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-4217544083375933200?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/3qqaYgPoWDU" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/3qqaYgPoWDU/spring-florals.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)18http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/03/spring-florals.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-2187535392434975182Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:45:00 +00002012-03-26T17:15:31.885+05:30FashionOutfitsFlowersRiteshSouth Asia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The final wedding event was a reception hosted by my side of the family. Receptions are usually the most boring part of the wedding - all the fun traditions are over so the reception is essentially just a dinner party. In order to keep it from being too boring, Mum made sure to kick off the night with a few small ceremonies: we released two birds from their cages (a Buddhist tradition of "making merit" which is supposed to ensure a lifetime of happiness and love for the couple); we made them look for gold coins in a bowl of rice (whoever finds the coins is supposed to "rule" the marriage - it's just a fun game, really!); we made them step on a clay pot (a symbol of stopping obstacles from entering their lives); and we asked their friends and family members to give a few speeches. All in all, it was quite fun!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6867685544/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7120/6867685544_2f02b6181f_z.jpg" width="279" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wore this sari. Can you see how dark my mehendi came out from the previous night?</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6867685064/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/6867685064_876301267c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I borrowed these earrings from Mum</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6867686162/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7103/6867686162_596da686d2_z.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had my make-up professionally done, again.<br />I loved the result but in some of the pictures it looks<br />like I've used a glowstick under my eyes!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6867687478/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7250/6867687478_ddc2f6915a_z.jpg" width="488" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know I couldn't resist putting in a picture of Ritesh ;)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6867683850/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7063/6867683850_4bf01f1b1f_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of Ritesh, he made this flower arrangement for the wedding...</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6867684352/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7097/6867684352_761a4b7e1e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't it pretty? I love this photo he took.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7013799439/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="ZSC_0001 (84) by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="ZSC_0001 (84)" height="428" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/7013799439_3f586204f8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the stage on which the bride and groom sat for most of the evening</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7013797925/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/7013797925_8cda368df2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, there were fire dancers, too!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7013798709/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="ZSC_0001 (5) by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="ZSC_0001 (5)" height="428" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7013798709_7409ec2314_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here I am on stage. I was the impromptu MC for the evening, and I also gave a speech and sang a song. There is a video... but I'm not sure whether or not I want to post it!&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Back to regular non-wedding-related blogging soon. I've been purchasing dresses like crazy and can't wait to share them all with you - when it's this hot (~33ºC/91ºF during the day) I just want to live in dresses and <i>salwar kameezes</i>. Oh, and it's so good to take a break from sarees and high heels - my feet were <i>broken</i>&nbsp;after three consecutive nights in heels! (Speaking of broken... I tumbled down the stairs yesterday, bruising my arm, my bottom and my ego. Luckily, nothing actually <i>broke</i>&nbsp;but I've got several cuts and large bruises to show for it!)&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-2187535392434975182?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/5c6fv7HlnLw" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/5c6fv7HlnLw/wedding-reception.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)15http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/03/wedding-reception.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-3420891313981280529Sun, 25 Mar 2012 11:40:00 +00002012-03-25T17:10:01.913+05:30MusicRamblings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Doesn't Springtime fill you with all sorts of happy feelings? For me it truly does feel like a new year, full of possibilities and opportunities. Every year, I get hit by the cleaning bug - I want to clear out all my closets and reorganise my make-up and shift around the furniture. I am filled with ideas for what I want to do with my time. I am energetic and happy and all I want to do is go for long walks in the park and bask in the sun and rejoice that winter is finally over! (I'm sure you all get the point by now: I<i>&nbsp;hate</i>&nbsp;winter).<br /><br />In line with all of that, lately I've been thinking a lot about why I blog. Do I really have time for it? Does it add anything to my life? What is the purpose behind Leia's Delights? I thought about what it is that I enjoy about blogging, and this is what I came up with...<br /><br /><b>I don't blog for PR companies to dictate my content</b>. In fact, I delete 99.99% of PR e-mails without even opening them (usually I just mark them as 'spam').<br /><br /><b>I don't blog for free stuff</b>. I think all bloggers go through that phase - especially at the beginning - where they get excited that they are getting the attention of major companies who want to send them free clothes and accessories and they just say yes to everything! But - like many others - I just ended up with a pile of junk that I never used and often had to give away. That was the end of that chapter. I would rather buy and discover my own items, thank you! (Okay, <i>once</i>&nbsp;in a while I accept a free gift, but only if I really-really love it.)<br /><br /><b>I don't blog to be 'famous.'</b> Sure, it's kind of cool to get recognised when I'm out shopping, and street style papped when I'm in London, and have a blog-friend in every country... but I've never set out to make my blog popular or famous. I don't actually WANT hundreds of thousands of followers... I find it quite intrusive, to be honest. I'm really a private person (I know this sounds weird for someone who bares a substantial chunk of her life online) and I'm quite happy to have ~700 page views a day rather than thousands. In fact, if you've noticed, as blogs grow in popularity, the bloggers share less about their personal lives.In fact, they become all pictures and captions and there's nothing that really connects you to the blogger herself (that's one of the reasons that I hardly follow any of the uber-popular blogs). I don't go to random blogs and tell them to "follow me" (I don't keep a count of my follower numbers) and I'm not concerned about "following back" and all that nonsense... I just read blogs that I love, and know that the readers of my blog read it because they enjoy what I have to share.<br /><br /><b>I blog because it is an outlet from my every day life.</b> As such, I <b>really despise it when people from my life discover and secretly read my blog</b>. I keep it hidden from my personal Facebook and refrain to mention it in conversation, ever. I openly admit that I am a different person in real life and on my blog. My blog is the <i>only place</i>&nbsp;where I talk about clothes or post my outfits or share my recipes... in a way, it's easier to talk about certain subjects with an unknown audience. (Of course, family is a different matter. I share my blog with close family members and just a few close friends.)<br /><br /><b>I blog because I love taking pictures</b>. And I love having a place to share them that isn't Facebook.<br /><br />I blog because I love reading blogs. <b>I like to share pieces of my culture</b> because I <i>so</i>&nbsp;enjoy reading about different cultures all over the world. We should all learn about one another, and blogging shows you a different aspect of life than you see in the news or in movies, for sure!<br /><br />Well, that's enough of that. One last thing to share before I leave you to enjoy this glorious Sunday -<br /><br />Lately, I've been going through my old piano books, rediscovering old favorites and trying our new pieces. Here's one piece that I listen to often, but only just started playing. It really gets me in the mood for Spring!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6tkqdOB5bEw" width="420"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">And no, I can't play it half as well as the pianist!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Ciao! xo</div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-3420891313981280529?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/O_Rlwn0xoBo" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/O_Rlwn0xoBo/sunday-musings-hello-spring.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)15http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/03/sunday-musings-hello-spring.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-2672671248518268440Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:06:00 +00002012-03-23T17:36:50.348+05:30MiscRiteshSouth Asia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I always think that the mehendi and haldi ceremonies are the most fun. The bride decided to have a traditional Bengali-style mehendi, and as it was my first time participating in something like that, I must say it was really fun! I'm not very well-versed in the tradition but I'll share with you what I learned ...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7007964085/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Two fish dressed up as bride and groom! Love all the details that Waheeda Hussain added... the cell phones, lipstick, mustache, sunglasses, etc! by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Two fish dressed up as bride and groom! Love all the details that Waheeda Hussain added... the cell phones, lipstick, mustache, sunglasses, etc!" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7007964085_9e991ea1dd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the day of the mehendi, two fish are bought by the groom's family and dressed up as the bride and groom. Note the lipstick, sunglasses, cellphones, mustache, and clothing!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6861848110/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7233/6861848110_6649e740c4_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, and don't forget the cigarettes! It's customary for the youngest sister of the groom (me) to deliver the fish to the bride's family, who then clean and cook it&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7007964827/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Flower jewelry! by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Flower jewelry!" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7007964827_6a5c8ef79a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Bengali villages, most brides aren't able to afford the heavy jewelry that is traditionally worn on weddings. Instead, they wear fresh flowers. I'm not wearing it in the customary way in this picture: they usually wear a headpiece, necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, and armbands made out of flowers!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7007965091/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Lily chandelier - created by Ria by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Lily chandelier - created by Ria" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/7007965091_cfc0afd51c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bride had bought <i>plenty</i>&nbsp;of flowers. We had a big bucket of lilies and didn't know what to do with them, so my cousin hung them on this chandelier. I think it looked really cool!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7007965465/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="The spread by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="The spread" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7007965465_149c6a3f55_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a glimpse of the bride and groom, sitting on the stage strewn with florals. During the haldi ceremony, the family gives the bride/groom some money and then smears their face and body with haldi (turmeric). This is said to be good for the skin - it makes you more beautiful for your wedding night! Guests also feed the couple a bite of something sweet, and give them a leaf filled with oil, ubtan (a herbal paste which is meant to be good for the skin), supari and a few other things.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7007965865/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/7007965865_01e18fd13d_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mum handing a dried coconut to the groom</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6861849868/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Zara's mehendi by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="Zara's mehendi" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6861849868_48d5916428_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, the girls enjoy putting mehendi on their hands, too! My niece Zara is showing off her pretty design above</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6861850214/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7071/6861850214_ebe11e4f31_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers everywhere!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6861850628/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6861850628_cb89516f27_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ritesh wanted to get in on the flower action too (okay, I guess it would be more accurate to say that I attacked him with a flower garland...)</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6861851062/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6861851062_77cf534c40_z.jpg" width="568" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rusky couldn't be left out, either!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Hope you enjoyed the small glimpse into this cultural tradition! It was really fun taking part and it was probably the most lively and colorful event of the wedding. More soon! xo</div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="text-align: right;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-2672671248518268440?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/J5km5RzkNa8" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/J5km5RzkNa8/mehendihaldi.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)16http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/03/mehendihaldi.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-4258478484104602072Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:22:00 +00002012-03-21T19:52:54.092+05:30FashionOutfitsRiteshSouth Asia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The first wedding event was a reception at a beautiful rose garden palace, hosted by the bride's family. The décor was absolutely stunning and the location was magical! I won't be sharing pictures of the bride and groom or other guests for their privacy, but I'll show you what I wore and a few photos of the location that I've borrowed from other people. Sadly there were no pictures of the white winged horse (I'm not kidding!) but if one surfaces I'll definitely share.<br /><br />This is what I wore...<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7002912891/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/7002912891_a8a54317f0_z.jpg" width="404" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While I was in India, my mum had this gorgeous floral painting done on my<br />bedroom wall at home. I absolutely love it!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6856798616/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/6856798616_9c513aa36f_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7002914083/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7109/7002914083_3f774a4ab0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borrowed these huge rose earrings from my aunt. Can you spot my sparkly nails?</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7002914627/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7002914627_e4b0342801_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If my face looks a bit different, it's because I had my make-up professionally done! I really liked the outcome.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6856801034/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7236/6856801034_55722d2252_z.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full-length shot - my sari was draped<br />by a friend because I am SO bad<br />at putting them on all by myself!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6856800528/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/6856800528_60d4a0508d_z.jpg" width="567" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7002916449/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/7002916449_d112299907_z.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my hubby &lt;3&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7002917001/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="429691_10150603085087001_705567000_9644643_2080708960_n by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="429691_10150603085087001_705567000_9644643_2080708960_n" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7002917001_f638f59897_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous lily-topped cakes at the wedding</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7002917533/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="430172_10150603085672001_705567000_9644646_301492314_n by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="430172_10150603085672001_705567000_9644646_301492314_n" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/7002917533_9f22d3ca6f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stage on which the bride and groom sat</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7002917991/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="418288_10150603091237001_843397217_n by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="418288_10150603091237001_843397217_n" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7002917991_3e8c384ae2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty floral arrangement</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7002929913/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="419983_10150603085917001_705567000_9644647_2094894815_n by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="419983_10150603085917001_705567000_9644647_2094894815_n" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7002929913_023bc8c8c2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The palace</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/7002930237/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="422486_10150603086037001_705567000_9644648_1998698355_n by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="422486_10150603086037001_705567000_9644648_1998698355_n" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/7002930237_31334637e0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tents in which guests sat and ate</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">* colored photographs taken by Ritesh; black &amp; white pictures taken by a professional photographer and guest at the wedding</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hope you enjoyed the pictures! I've been nursing a mild fever and severe allergies since I got back, so I'm off to make myself yet another mug of ginger/honey/lemon tea. Ciao!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-4258478484104602072?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/k9mGI-4w1xY" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/k9mGI-4w1xY/rose-garden-reception.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)10http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/03/rose-garden-reception.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-1350890519966264980Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:23:00 +00002012-03-19T19:09:00.239+05:30FashionOutfits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Well, hello there! I took an unintended blogging break, but now I'm back with plenty to share...<br /><br />For the past 10 days, I've been in Bangladesh because my brother was celebrating his wedding! I knew it was going to be a busy week, but I didn't think that I would (a) not have time to touch my computer for a week, (b) lose all feeling in my feet from wearing high heels for several nights in a row and (c) be almost as busy and exhausted as I was during my <i>own </i>wedding! Now I'm back in Delhi and there's <i>so</i>&nbsp;much to catch up on - I've <i>still</i>&nbsp;got so much work to do on the house, plus as I mentioned earlier I'm working on building up my profile as a music teacher here, and to top it off I've got a special visitor coming to stay with me for a couple of weeks. In between I'll be updating with wedding pictures, so do stay tuned!<br /><br />Today I'm sharing an outfit I wore to kickstart the wedding celebrations at a dinner party. I knew that I would be wearing sarees on the coming days, which I always associate with 'elegant' and 'grown up,' so I thought I'd wear something fun and girly before all the seriousness began!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6850416272/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6092/6850416272_fcd58e2090_z.jpg" width="374" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I've left the dress behind and I can't remember the label, but I'll update the post with the name if it comes to me!</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6850415552/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/6850415552_3815a995e3_z.jpg" width="393" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure why the lighting is so wonky in all of these pictures</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6996539613/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/6996539613_f9cdf390aa_z.jpg" width="514" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I haven't featured Mum here for a while, so here she is! Isn't her leopard print dress fabulous?</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6850417044/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6108/6850417044_1885b2d233_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hate close-ups (and Ritesh <i>loves</i>&nbsp;taking them) - but I posted this one so you could<br />see my dangly earrings.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6996538799/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/6996538799_84000445b9_z.jpg" width="596" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mum and my husband<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">♥</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-1350890519966264980?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/vNKgeGTgTZc" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/vNKgeGTgTZc/black-silver.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)19http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/03/black-silver.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-4730132727376439477Mon, 12 Mar 2012 06:04:00 +00002012-03-12T11:34:50.762+05:30MusicFlowersMisc<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I've been travelling <i>sans</i>&nbsp;camera&nbsp;lately, so I haven't been able to put together a proper post. Instead, I thought I'd share a little snapshot of what I've been doing over the past week.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">* All photos taken by me except where indicated</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6968901809/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7185/6968901809_15666de50d_z.jpg" width="489" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo taken at the wrong angle but I suppose you still get the idea!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Last week, I went to my first <b>Ikebana</b> class. Long-time readers will know that I love flower arranging! I thought that since I've had years of practise with flowers, I would pick it up quickly. Little did I know I was very, very wrong! Ikebana is very structured and there are many rules about placement and angles. In the beginning, there's very little room for creativity - after you master the basics you can play around, but I'm yet to do the former. I wasn't too happy with the way my creations turned out, and I would have picked &nbsp;different combinations of flowers, but I'm really looking forward to continuing classes and learning more about the art so that I can break out and be creative with my arrangements.</div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6822778854/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6822778854_c46fa891de_z.jpg" width="564" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6822779362/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="553" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6822779362_d3c5d2a9da_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My piano studio</td></tr></tbody></table><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6822781642/" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6822781642_194dafa16a_z.jpg" width="368" /></a></div>Now that I've settled down into my new home, for the most part, I've been working hard on building up my profile as a music teacher. I've been working with someone to design business cards and a website, plus I've been advertising myself on a few websites. So, I needed a few pictures of my makeshift "studio," even though there's still a lot I want to do with the space (I'm going to change the curtains, mount a painting on the wall, and our landlord has agreed to change the horrible flooring which I think will make a world of difference! Oh, and I'll put in a little teaching stool which I'm having made). Even though it's far from done, I thought I'd share a few of the pictures we took of the space.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6822781260/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="395" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6822781260_a5a7d2d946_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Ritesh</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6968905283/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="" height="518" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6968905283_56c9d2a602_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Ritesh<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6826364740/" title="IMG_0671 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0671" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6826364740_b0def1f51a_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I haven't bought any clothes or accessories in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>months</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;- I've been focusing all of my purchases on home-related stuff - so I thought it was about time I treated myself. Funnily enough, as I was packing my travel bag on Friday morning, I was thinking to myself -</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i> I wish I could find a new bag... something roomy which zips up at the top so that my things don't fall out while going through security. Plus, it would double as a day bag, since it would be big enough to haul around my notebooks and iPad. </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A few hours later, I was nosy-ing through duty free</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;and came across this bag, which I thought was just perfect! Big and roomy with lots of pockets. I proceeded to dump the contents of my current bag into this one - I just </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>had</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;to use it immediately!</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y4MnpzG5Sqc" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;">And finally... though it's fun to talk about frivolous things like flowers and handbags, let's all take a minute (well, half an hour, really) to watch this video. It has been all over the internet for the past week and if you haven't watched it yet, you need to change that <i>right away</i>. It really struck a chord with me - not only because of the intensity of the crimes that this horrible man has committed - but because it reminded me that <i><b>the news that we are given is an incomplete version of what is happening in the world</b></i>. I have searched high and low to find a newspaper or website or TV channel that tells me <i>everything</i>&nbsp;that is happening in every corner of the world, minus political slant, but this has proved to be an impossible task. Though I consider myself to be comparatively well-informed, having studied International Relations and done thorough research into many wars, I had no idea about what has been happening in Uganda. <b>I am still crying out for one publication that gives us a well-rounded view of what is going on in our world, minus the celebrity trash and the really inconsequential local news</b>. I don't care that X celebrity has gotten engaged to Y - I care that there are people in our world who are being forced into slavery and war. <b>Because we aren't being told, we aren't doing anything about it</b>. I hope this video will help us do something about Kony. <b>But that still won't solve the problem of the other thousands of things we could be taking action upon but cannot, because those who control the news aren't sharing the knowledge with us.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have you ever wondered why evil people such as Hitler or Kony were put on this earth? I believe it's a test. <b>We are being tested to see if we can all band together and fight for one another, to ensure each other's safety and to create a better world for all of us.&nbsp;</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>If we do nothing to help those who are in need, we are failing this test.</b><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-4730132727376439477?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/ZW3GA7E-W1c" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/ZW3GA7E-W1c/this-that.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)20http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/03/this-that.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5752289275831021480.post-6275985876014222050Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +00002012-03-09T10:30:06.970+05:30MiscRiteshSouth Asia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">This year, I celebrated Holi for the first time! As you've probably gathered by now, India is the land of many festivals. Since getting married just over four months ago, I've already celebrated three - Diwali, <b><i><a href="http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/01/lohri.html">Lohri</a></i></b>, and now Holi.<br /><br />Before I moved here, all I knew about Holi was that it was a festival of colors, and that people celebrate by throwing bright paints all over each other. This year, I did a bit of research into its origins. As usual, there is a religious story as well as a seasonal theme behind the festival - both, I've noticed, are common in almost all of the festivals here.<br /><br />The religious aspect: The Demoness Holika carried Prahlad (son of Hiranyakashipu) into a fire, but due to his devotion to the god Vishnu, Prahlad escaped the fire without injury. To celebrate his miraculous escape, celebrations are made with bonfires and by throwing colors on one another.<br /><br />Seasonal: Holi falls on the last full moon of the lunar month Phalguna, which marks the end of the winter season. It celebrates the beginning of Spring, and the colors and paints used signify the bright colors of the season.<br /><br />Other info about Holi: there is a loosening of social barriers during the festival. Rich and poor alike partake in the fun, taking no heed of caste or class - everyone looks the same when they are covered in color! It's also traditional to drink bhang, a marijuana-spiked drink, on this day (although that's definitely not for me!), splash water on one another and sometimes even throw water balloons and eggs. There is an overall atmosphere of fun and frolic - strangers often play Holi with one another and it's perfectly acceptable to throw water balloons and buckets of water and colors on anyone you come across. The streets are stained with color and everyone is bright and colorful - really, it's just wonderful!<br /><br />Now onto the pictures!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6964351797/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="photo 2 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="photo 2" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/6964351797_e8cd775e99_z.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right after I had been smeared with color! I borrowed my husband's t-shirt because <br />I don't own any 'play clothes' - and luckily&nbsp;it didn't get permanently stained</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6964351807/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="photo 4_4 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="photo 4_4" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6964351807_c9879c182b_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing the colors of the Indian flag (sort of)<br />Who needs make-up when you've got paint?!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50294808@N05/6964351811/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="photo 2_3 by Leia-12, on Flickr"><img alt="photo 2_3" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6964351811_272b821145_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Ritesh - why yes, I did have fun throwing colors all over him!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">I had a really fun first Holi experience. Since we didn't play with the 'nasty' things like permanent colors (I did <i>not</i>&nbsp;want to be stained for a week), eggs, oil, or mud, it was really pleasant and easy to get clean afterwards. These pictures were taken when we played with just the dry powder colors - later we went into the garden and threw buckets of water on each other! The result was that most of the color washed away, but we looked like drowned rats - all I wanted to do was come home and have a hot shower, a long nap, and a cup of masala chai.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Have you ever played Holi? Do share your experiences!&nbsp;</div></div><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="pin-it-button" count-layout="horizontal" href="http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/">Pin It</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Leias-Delights/182425111778651"><img border="0" height="55" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_6dtWvg0vvlw/TTVgKdG3s-I/AAAAAAAAADI/fSzF-xK5OpA/s200/098105-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-facebook-logo.png" style="cursor: move;" width="55" /></a>&nbsp;<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Trebuchet, 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1790368/leias-delights?claim=zh4ckumban5" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow with Bloglovin"><img ;="" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wUqtSKDI/AAAAAAAABT8/U2jqDK3YPiU/098109-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-favorites.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a><a href="http://www.twitter.com/leia12/" style="color: #f0c180;" target="_blank" title="Follow Leia on Twitter"><img ;="" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_t5Wvjfo3y5o/S_1wVJ37lII/AAAAAAAABUI/Bo-MQcmpxAo/098177-black-white-pearl-icon-social-media-logos-twitter.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(152, 86, 129); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: move;" width="55" /></a></span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Facebook - Bloglovin &nbsp;- Twitter</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5752289275831021480-6275985876014222050?l=www.leiasdelights.com' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~4/Kh__c19wr50" height="1" width="1"/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LeiasDelights/~3/Kh__c19wr50/holi-hai.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Leia)12http://www.leiasdelights.com/2012/03/holi-hai.html