Rads Blog-a-Zine

Nothing's a Waste

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:24:00 +0000

The husband and I were having a discussion at dinner yesterday night and he said something that got me to thinking and I started wondering about why I have never babbled about it before on my blog coz it is such a known thing and very commonly known to everyone. So what he said was "Nothing is a waste" Isn't that so true? It all depends on our perception of things and different people have different POVs but seriously nothing in life is really a waste, we just have to look for that one or many ways with which we can make things work. But considering the fact that we live in a world of WYSIWYG, we are too tired of contemplating and looking for ways to make things useful. There is no way we are trying to spend time going in pursuit of mysterious and hidden meaning to the existence of something. We just want everything to be easy and smooth and handed to us on a platter and whatever easy is on the offer or easy to understand we just grab it like a dress in discount sale and find momentary happiness in that. If viewing something in a particular way is easy for us we just opt for that coz it makes living easy for us.

Everything and everybody is there on this earth for a reason, you just have be on the lookout with your minds eye. You might not need something that is in front of you but someone else somewhere might find it useful. Throwing something useless into a waste basket is easy. So if you see something as waste, go look out if someone else needs it, and hand it to them. My mum follows this very efficiently and is a very good example. She never throws anything away, and says that everything has its value and it might be useful some day. She never wastes food, clothes and a lot many other things. She either gives them away to the needy or charity or stores them until she finds someone who can make use of something she didn't need, in a proper way. My mum also always considered herself as a waste of space coz she doesn't earn money like my Dad does and since her education/degree was not being put to use like she thought. But would the charity organizations think that way about her? would me and my brother think that way about her? never! coz she did such a good job of raising us into fine human beings and she is nothing close to being a waste of space. So what I'm trying to say is don't be blinded and selfish, see for ways to make use of everything around you, and you'll definitely find a way to make them work. Stale food might not appeal to you but its a treat to a street dog. And you have become God to that dog by providing it with some much needed food.

Never see yourself as a waste. There maybe some people who consider you a waste of space but maybe you were not born to be useful for that particular pack of people. Maybe you were born to be useful to someone else in a different way. You just have to be open to notice that. There is no way a person cannot be useful for anything or anybody on this earth. God isn't stupid and we were all created for a reason.

When I came to US after quitting my much loved job I only always saw it as a job lost and time being wasted but if I look at it in a time spent well kind of way then I did enjoy seeing a new place, got time to explore some much loved things like photography and graphic art. If I had been stuck in my job I would never have been able to do all this gr8 stuff, so my time was not really wasted, I just chose to look at it in a different and might I add a pessimistic way. Being negative and surrounded by negative people or negative energy does that to you too I guess. So maybe I lost my job for a reason, coz maybe I was meant to find some much useful and important ways to spend my time, like my marriage coz I remember when both the husband and I were working we almost never had time for each other.

My husband says that he has wasted a lot of his life during college and chose a wrong path and because of that he's stuck with a career that he doesn't enjoy much and would never even have dreamed of spending days coding in another life. But he also believes that his time was really not wasted coz he now knows that it was meant to meet someone like me and he wouldn't have traded that for anything. Yeah, maybe the path had been painful and difficult but you wouldn't know the value of something unless you have seen pain, no pain no gain right? so enough with the cliches, all I'm saying is, nobody or nothing in life is a waste and you or anybody has no right to call it a waste. There's always something useful about everything, even time wasted could have a useful and good outcome which you sometimes do not notice.

You might say that storing all useless stuff can be cluttering your life and you want to declutter it but I'm not saying you have to sit on a pile of junk. Just declutter your life in a useful way by passing on the stuff you don't need to someone who needs it or try to make use of things in a creative way, like for example, did you know that you can try making wall hangings with Popsicle sticks? or that pistachio nuts can be used in a piece of art? Yeah, I've seen people doing it. Don't throw the leftover rice during dinner but make it useful by making something with it during breakfast in the morning. Don't fancy the shade of your lipgloss anymore? Just clean the applicator with an anti-bacterial wipe or a cleaning agent and give it to someone who likes the shade.

If you always sit thinking "this is a waste" or "that is a waste" and "this/that was a total waste of time", you will never find or make anything good or useful out of it. You might have spent 3 hours watching a flop movie but maybe you needed that to learn a lesson that you should never watch flop movies anymore and spend that time sleeping instead. So the time spent actually taught you something useful. Many people told me that I'm wasting time with blogging but if I hadn't I would never have met some great blogger friends and I would have missed out on a lot of knowledge sharing. And I chose to think it as time well spent and not wasted. I learnt many useful things through blogging and I consider that as an achievement.

It all comes down to how we perceive things. So make a choice today, don't think something is a waste but go look for ways to make it useful or wait for that moment where you'll realize that it will be useful. My uncle once threw away age old scriptures written by an ancestor thinking its nothing but junk but later he came to know how precious those things were when a museum came asking for them to be placed in one of their displays. So don't just live in the moment and blind yourself to thinking something is useless coz when you realize that it is something in fact priceless you might regret it.

Having said all that, I will now get back to cutting some coupons so that I can go grocery shopping and save some pennies to fill my second penny jar. I might find some use for them one day. A penny for your thoughts?

Winter Must-Have Products

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:31:00 +0000

According to a celebration called Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, its still 3 more weeks to spring. Since winter this year has been warmer compared to previous years, I'm hoping spring's gonna be warmer too, fingers and toes crossed, while I desperately wait for summer. So here are some beauty and skincare products that I think are a must have in order to survive this dry season.

Body Cream/Butter/Lotion: I used to love the Pond's winter cream when I was in India but sadly that wouldn't be sufficient for the brutal Chicago winters, so here I'm loving the Jergens Shea Butter. Applying this once a day all over the body is more than enough for normal skin but for dry and extra scaly skins you can do it twice a day. I just love it and its been working great for me. It is just so creamy and smells so good. I've been using it for over a year now and I like it better than Vaseline or Nivea which I've used previously.

Face Cream/Moisturizer: I have a combination kind of skin on my face with an oily t-zone and dry cheeks and chin, so the regular oily moisturizers don't work for my face. I'm currently using the Neutrogena oil-free moisture cream and its really amazing. It doesn't make your face look like you've applied anything, it reduces all the extra oil in the oily zones, and flakes in the dry areas while keeping the skin hydrated. It is fragrance free and can also be used as a face primer when you're applying make-up. I usually avoid make-up during winters. But sometimes it gets tougher in winters and sadly this cream doesn't work too. I tried replacing it with the Jergens shea butter but it burned the cracks on the skin. The Himani Boro Plus cream that I got from India saved me. Its really greasy but perfect for severe winters.

Lip Balm/Chapstick: I love the Nivea lip balms, and have like 6 of them. They are great for my extra chapped lips during winters. Seriously, when I don't use these for a day, my lips crack severely and I can taste blood on them, that's how dry it gets in winters around here. I also used the Vaseline Intensive care lip gel but I feel its a little too oily and greasy.

Anti Frizz hair Cream/Spray: The static electricity just makes winters that much more annoying. Your hair keeps sticking and creating sparks with everything and anything it comes in contact with. I use the Schwarzkopf got2b smooth operator lustre lotion for this. Since my hair is naturally wavy and more proned to static electricity I apply 2 to 3 pumps all over my hair to keep it calm, hydrated and silky smooth. It also smells great and I use it before flat-ironing my hair. I also used a Fekkai anti frizz cream which I got as a free sample and it was pretty good too but the product is a little on the costlier side so have never tried it after.

Exfoilating Scrubs and Pumice Stone: I really like the Loreal Paris Go 360deg clean deep exfoilating scrub for the face. It comes with a round scrublet which I love. I use the Revlon Pumice Stone to scrub off the scaly skin on feet before applying moisturizer.

Moisturizing Soap/Body Wash Lotion: In India I loved using Pears for winters but here I love the Jergens Mild Soap. I also use the Vaseline Healthy White body wash when I don't feel like soap bar.

Cuticle Moisturizer: I use the elf cuticle nourishing pen and a cuticle tweezer cum pusher coz I have this very bad habit of pulling out dry skin around cuticles and leave them painfully hanging on my fingers. So to keep them hydrated and non-scaly, I need something moisturizing always.

Hand Sanitizer: Winter's the time for bacteria and germs. Its not that other seasons don't see them but in winter they are more aggressive and accumulate more. So I always have a moisturizing hand sanitizer around. Any drugstore brand would do.

Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner: Dry, scaly and itchy scalp is common during winters and using an anti-dandruff shampoo is an essential. I like the Herbal Essences No Flakin' Way Anti-Dandruff Shampoo. I use it with a Head and Shoulders conditioner for dry scalp. Some people just prefer applying oil to the hair at night (especially Indians) which they can shampoo off in the morning so they don't really have to use conditioners. I love my Parachute oil which I got from India and sometimes I just apply that. Also, I've used a Mrs Marino conditioner back home in India, and I really liked it. But sadly couldn't find it here.

And more importantly, drink lots of filtered water and stay hydrated. Enjoy your winter...or not.
Do you have any such favorite products for winter? Please do share in the comments below.

Its Raining Awards!

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:03:00 +0000

So, I've been awarded again but with a different award and this time by Deepak. I'm just overwhelmed by the fact that I'd been considered for so many awards coz I'm totally rained down with blogger awards these days. Thanks so much buddy, I'm so glad you saw my blog worthy enough to award me the versatile blogger award. Its really a great feeling to be appreciated for something you love doing and blogger awards achieve that.

The Rules:
1. Nominate 15 Fellow Bloggers
2. Inform the Bloggers of their nomination
3. Share 7 random things about yourself
4. Thank the Blogger who nominated you
5. Add the Versatile Blog Award picture to your blog post

I wish I can pick more than 15 bloggers coz I really love all the blogs I follow and I do so coz they're all versatile. So I think I'll sit this one out since the rules don't give me much scope. And about the 7 random things about myself, I do not really enjoy repeating myself so you can read them here and here.

Now that I'm done with the formalities, I'd like to thank Deepak again, and I have to say that I really like reading his blog. He has this bold and very honest way of going about things and speaking his mind without fear, I wish I could be more like him. His posts just keep you engrossed and his blog is really addictive. Keep blogging Deepak, and Thanks so much for this award.

11 ThInGs AbOuT Me :)

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:51:00 +0000

I've been tagged by Sujana from Dreaming in December. I've seen this tag going around but didn't think I'd be infected so soon. I was actually planning on doing this tomorrow but I have other plans for the weekend so wanted to finish this first.

The Rules:

Rule#1: Put the rules on your blog.
Rule#2: Every person tagged should tell 11 things about themselves, answer the 11 questions asked by the one that tagged you, tag 11 other people and ask them 11 different questions.
Rule#3: Let the people whom you tagged know you've done so.
Rule#4: Don't tag anyone who's been tagged before.
Rule#5: Really do tag 11 others, don't go all ''if you want to take this tag''

11 things about me:

--> I'm a list maniac and love making lists like this. I seriously have a list for almost everything, not just my blog posts.
--> I'm kind of a perfectionist and don't do things in halves. When I take up a task, I'm either accomplishing it 100% (ok, atleast 90%) or I don't take it up at all.
--> I'm very punctual, in fact more than punctual coz I'm usually ahead of time for appointments, classes, meetings etc.
--> I'm an introvert and I find it easy to express myself through writing and art.
--> I love animation, seriously just about any kind of animation, coz I think its magic and the most creative thing ever.
--> I love abstract art. Give me squares, circles, lines, or duabs of paint anyday over the regular and cliche landscapes, fruit bowls, and flower vases.
--> I'm a gadget freak and an ardent lover of technology. Things like online radio, and electronic picture frames make my day.
--> I think fashion should be aimed at achieving comfort more than covering imperfections.
--> I'm a lipgloss junkie and currently have 17 lipglosses, 5 shiny and tinted lipblams/chapsticks, and 2 lipsticks (one which came as a combo with lipgloss). Yikes! :D
--> I carry my camera everywhere I go, even when I'm shopping or just out to get a sandwich coz you never know when you might find something worth capturing.
--> I hate cooking, so to make it more appealing I try not to repeat myself and am always experimenting with new recipes, thanks to the internet. And when I'm bored with that too, I create my own recipes.

Sujana's 11 questions for me:

1) What's your favorite place?
Wherever there's internet and a laptop :)

2) If you had to marry a celebrity, who would it be?
Hugh Jackman (hot, hot, hot, blushes :)))

3) Do you want a twin?
Nope, I think more than one of me will be too much for everyone around.

4) How long is your oldest friendship?
More than 10 years.

5) What's your greatest achievement?
I'm a jack of all trades and master of none. Meaning, I've achieved a little bit of many things but none really great.

6) If you could only talk to one person for the rest of your life, who would it be?
Mom

7) Socks and sandals- yes or no?
NO

8) Choose your power: Mind reading or invisibility?
Mind reading

9) What's your method of transportation?
CTA bus/train

10) Favorite book?
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

11) Facebook, Twitter or neither? Why?
Facebook coz all my friends are there and twitter is more like unknown territory. I like sticking to familiar grounds.

11 people I'm tagging:

Rekha
Ramesh
Sangeetha
Shalini
Pranita
Ashwini
Amrit
Deepak
Priya
Aparna
Purvi

11 questions for them:

1) What do you like about my blog, coz I know you follow it?

2) What was the last romantic-comedy you saw?

3) Do you dig photography, or abstract art, or both? Why?

4) Do you believe in magic?

5) Do you think Lady GaGa is crazy?

6) What's your favorite electronic gadget?

7) Do you think Apple products are overrated or the most perfect examples of creative engineering ever?

8) Who's your favorite author?

9) Your favorite blog/website, other than mine ofcourse :P

10) Pastries or Cupcakes? Why?

11) What are you listening to or have on your media player right now?

Phew! that was hectic. I hope you guys will carry this forward and make it viral :) Have fun!!

Liebster Blog Award

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:39:00 +0000

Pranita, and Sujana are some new blogger friends I've made and they have been so kind to me by awarding me the Liebster Blog Award, just when I thought bloggers have stopped doing awards and tags. Thanks so much for the love sweeties, I really really appreciate it.

Pranita, I love reading your blog, sometimes its just like you've taken words out of my mouth coz your posts amazingly sound like something I 'd totally say. It is so cute and inspiring to see someone believing in miracles and appreciating the beauty/magic around us coz we can all do with some miracles and magic in our lives, don't we? Thanks so much for the award :). Sujana, I recently found out that we're both writers and hail from the same place, and I'm so glad I found another blogger who's a professional writer, and telugu. Thanks so much for the award :). I never thought you guys really liked my blog so much, it almost makes me dizzy with happiness. Its been really long I got a blog award and it kind of made me gooey and also nostalgic coz I remember the awards I got from some old blogger friends who no longer live on blogger avenue. I respect their choice to not blog anymore but I also really hope they'd get back to blogging.

So about the award, the word's German and it means 'Beloved', thanks for explaining that Pranita :). And, according to Sujana, this award is to encourage all up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. I think that's a great cause; we all love getting more response on our blogs.

The award comes with some rules:

-->Link back to the person who gave you the award.
-->Pick 5 people deserving of the award and notify them on their blogs.
-->Post the award on your blog and spread the love.

I'd like to present this award to:

Kaddu
Preethi
Mythri
Ramesh
Vyazz

I hope you guys will continue spreading the love. This doesn't mean that I love the other blogs any less; I follow a blog coz I love reading it. But the tag prohibits me from awarding any more bloggers. Hope y'all have a happy weekend :)

Art with Words

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:34:00 +0000

Art created with letters and/or typographic symbols is called Typography/Text Art or Word Art. You must've seen it many times coz its nothing new. It comes in various forms like: text/text symbols arranged in a layout, pictures/portraits merged with words using software, images drawn using only words/letters from scratch, or photos containing images of letters put together to create word art.

Word Art created using word/letter photography is where we take pictures of symbols or images that represent a letter and then combine them to form words. These are then put together and framed to form an artsy wall decor piece. Art with words is also sometimes created by cutting letters of different and unique typography styles from magazines and newspapers to form meaningful words or sentences. A lot of you who're crafty must've tried this before to create posters or bookmarks and stuff like that.

Text/Typography Art is the coolest thing ever since typography came into existence. People interested in calligraphy might like doing this the traditional way but I found some unique and easier ways this could be done with the help of internet. Below are some websites that create typography/word art for you:

Wordle: You are given three input options to either enter text of your choice, a url, or a del.icio.us user name. The website then collects tags and words most commonly used and automatically generates beautiful word art. You also have the option to change font, layout, language, and color. The most used words are bigger and bolder compared to the least used words. Although, you need Java environment for it to work, so it might prompt you for an installation if you do not already have it on your computer. You can then print the result or save it as a screenshot. Here's something I got when I entered lyrics to Taylor Swift's - Love Story (I know its V-day, so cheesy):

TagXedo: Another website that creates free word art. Enter your input options, select the font style and theme, and hit submit. You'll require to download and install Microsoft Silverlite if you don't have it. You can save or print the result. Here's what I got when I entered the search term "Valentines Day".

fSymbols: This is probably created by a geeky typography fan. It has some cool text art generators to convert your text into various typographic styles. There's no way you can save or print it but you can copy the result into a word document or notepad and then go on to use it in an image editing software to create an artsy image. You can then use it as either a wallpaper or print it out to create a wall hanging. Here's something I made:

FontImageGenerator: Its an interactive online tool to convert text into cool fonts. You can also apply different backgrounds and effects to it. But you can only save it as a screenshot and the image is too small, a postcard size. Here's something I created:

Textorizer: This amazing website places your text all over the image you upload to create something like this: The website runs a java script so be sure to disable pop-up blockers.

Textographer: Another website that creates or rather merges your photos to create typographic art. They require a closeup portrait, and some text of your choice to create something like this:

I'm guessing this is probably photoshopped, so if you have Adobe Photoshop software and are interested in doing it on your own, I found a great tutorial here.

WordArtPhotos: This website takes your text and converts it into photos containing images that represent the letters. It is however not free and the cost depends on the frame style, the length of words, and the color selected. Spaces and special characters are not allowed. This is how it'll look:

WordArt: This website is similar to the above except that it gives you the choice to pick your own photos of letters from their large collection to create upto a max. of 10 letter words. No spaces or special characters allowed. Cost depends on the frame selected and the length of words. It'll look like this without a frame:

If you're interested in creative photography, you can probably do this on your own, just a suggestion.

Here's a list of images created with words, I don't know how they did this but its so cool! I also came across an exquisite collection of 15 typography artworks while browsing. They're all photoshopped and awesome. You can also download free fonts from websites like UrbanFonts and DaFont and use them to create Word/Text Art with your favorite quote/proverb/song lyrics using software like Photoshop. Have fun! Maybe this could be your last minute gift idea for V-day ;)

Are you a fan of Word/Typography Art or have created it before? What do you think of my list of suggestions? Also do you know of any other such cool websites? Please do share. And before I forget, Happy V-day, hope you're having fun with your Valentine. Enjoy!!!

Shopping at Old Navy

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:09:00 +0000

After having stayed in Chicago for more than 3 years, I think I can now confirm that Old Navy is the best store out there, atleast for extra petites like me. I just love the store coz it has almost everything of my size and shopping there seems so easy compared to malls. I can almost always find everything I want without much hassle. They have new stuff coming in every month and the old stuff is moved to clearance often cutting down the prices to less than half. If you're lucky you can get a good top, or sweater under $10 in the clearance racks. Their prices are not so high and I can always find something good under $20. The stores are well organized too except during Christmas rush hours but who can blame them. So these are my latest purchases from their store, but all of them are available online too coz that's where I got the pictures from. Frankly, I found them cheaper in-store. If you don't mind making the trip, in-store is the better option. You will also find more variety and sizes in-store, in my opinion. Also I can never determine what my right size is so for people like me, trying it out before buying is always more convenient than buying online and then returning it. But if you don't have any such problems then you can go for online shopping, they also have free shipping for orders over $50 everyday. If you sign up for their store card you can get discounts and reward points.

The soft knit sweater in cream:

The peacoat in stripes:

The knit cardigan with navy blue stripes:

The printed cotton peasant top:

I also got two tee shirts, one is a cotton v-neck with 3/4 th sleeves, and the other is of a soft sweater type material with front and back v-neck and full-length sleeves. Sorry I couldn't find any images for them online. I got all of them under $100. I also love Old Navy jeans, they are very very durable.

Have you been shopping for spring? What is your favorite store? Do you also like Old Navy? Any shopping tips? Please do let me know :)

Shit Girls Say & Dating Rules

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:56:00 +0000

No this is not another one of my crazy PsychoBabble posts or unsolicited relationship advice. I've been crazily following these two webisodes and have fallen in love with them so I thought I'd share them with everyone. They are so hilarious coz that's exactly something a girl would say or do most of the times.

Shit Girls Say started on twitter and then they went on to create a 3-episode miniseries which became very famous. I'd say they should have done some more. I have watched it so many times and it is still so effing hilarious. Also there have been so many parodies on it circling around Youtube which are equally funny. This one in particular. If you haven't been watching them already, which I dunno why, then you should do so now. You should also follow them on twitter if you have a twitter account.

Dating Rules from my Future Self is another webisode featuring on Hulu, and it is so cool. Its about a 20something living with 3 roommates in LA, who's stuck in a confusing relationship with her colleague cum boyfriend. She seeks dating help from her friends and mysterious text messages from her future self which go on to save her from a life ruining mistake that she was going to make. If you haven't seen this you should do so immediately. I'm not sure if people living outside US have access to Hulu, so here's a link to their Youtube stream. Every episode is like a girls night out. They have 9 episodes so far and still running. You should also like them on Facebook for some dating rules, relationship advice, and great girly cosmo posts.

Did you already watch them? What are your thoughts? Also do you know of any other such webisodes? Please do share them.

Creative Gesture for V-day

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:05:00 +0000

So its a week before Valentine's and I was thinking how about going creative, using a more imaginative and hands-on gesture for your loved one this v-day? Forget the expensive gifts, dining out and all the other routine stuff that you have been doing every year. Show that you care for the real thing more than the fancy smancy stuff that people seem to associate v-day with. The real deal is that you love one another and you just have to express it by making an effort coz v-day is not an opportunity to spend money and splurge; it is to show someone that you care and love them no matter what.

Ofcourse you care for them and love them everyday but how often do you pause to express it and really make an effort to do it instead of just throwing money at every chance you get. All I'm saying is keep it simple, and sweet with a personal touch. Show that you care and mean it. How hard is it to spend some time on creating a card and write some words of love like you mean it. I'm all for it. If you think this is cheap then there's nobody shallower than you are. Buying a last minute card from a drugstore is cheap, drawing a hurried heart with a pencil on a crushed paper is cheap, and plucking a flower from the garden just before your wife/husband wakes up, coz you just remembered its v-day, is sneaky and cheap. It just shows how little you care and that is not what I'm talking about. If you really care, make it personal and more you rather than a box of Russel Stover candy; its like your v-day is about some guy called Russel Stover who makes candy in all shapes, instead of it being about you two.

How to make it more personal and romantic than candy you ask? well, why don't you make that candy all by yourself? Try this recipe by Nags, it is so easy even a child can whip it up. Its a no-bake, no cook, eggless, no hassle and the easiest chocolate brownie recipe. It looks so yum. Now that is what I'm talking about. You can also add a card like the below picture, to it: all made by you. You can try it here. I drew the basic outline and then went on to process it in my painting software. It took me less than a minute to do it but it could be better if you spend more time on it. You can then print it out and add your message, and I mean your own words, don't copy-paste from the internet, its so cliche. Maybe you could write a story about the day you met.

As for me, along with the card, I'm planning on doing some baking. The husband loves cookies and especially peanut butter, and he keeps buying them from bakeries whenever he finds them. So I thought I'll bake him a batch and surprise him. Lets just hope they'll come out well, fingers and toes crossed.

I think this is the easiest recipe I've come across so far. Just three ingredients and no hassle. Last year I made this and the recipe was from here. Seriously it can be done in 5 min and it was so yummy.

What have you planned for v-day, don't tell me you're buying an expensive gift. What do you think about my ideas? Do you have any more of such ideas? Please do share, I'd love to hear from you.

PS: This is my 100th post. Never thought I'd come this far, what with me being MIA all the time. But I'm so excited coz I did it inspite of everything and this is more than enough encouragement for me to keep going. Thank you all for encouraging me and my blog. Lets just hope this continues.

Kodak Zi8 Mini Camcorder

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:09:00 +0000

Point and Shoot cameras do come with a movie mode but its in the not-so-good looking VGA format and they often don't capture the details well; it might as well be a bunch of blurry shots put together to form a video. So, I got a dedicated video shooter last year to capture moving things that are a never fulfilling challenge when shooting with point and shoots. Fireworks, fish in aquarium, a sports event, dance performance etc., and all other things that fall under the constantly moving and action category can never be accomplished with a simple point and shoot camera, so the idea of a mini camcorder that is easy to carry around and shoots HD (hi-res) video was alluring, and according to cnet reviews the Kodak Zi8 is one of the best budget mini camcorders out there so far. It has been constantly number one for 2 consecutive years, beating the very famous flip mino cameras that introduced the concept of mini/point and shoot camcorders. It has now been replaced by its latest version Kodak Playsport which shoots an almost similar quality video for a lesser price.

After seeing some footage of both the Zi8 and Playsport, around the internet, I still say that I like my Zi8 better and I'm not saying that coz I want to justify what I bought, but because Zi8 seems to offer better color, and also performs better in low light conditions, but that's just my opinion. However, if you're under a budget and want something cheaper then you should go for the Playsport.

Digital video shooting doesn't get any cheaper than this but mind you the performance is not cheap at all. A friend of mine has a very old Sony camcorder which she bought for double the price of what I paid for Zi8 and it takes horrible videos with lots of noise and crappy video quality. The only thing good about it is the image stabilization, you can easily shoot steady videos with free hand. The Zi8 lacks a little bit in that area but if you're careful or use a tripod, which I recommend if you're a creative video enthusiast, then you should be very OK with it. I feel that ultimately the video quality is what matters and other minor things can be ignored or made adjustments with when the final output is praise worthy.

The Zi8 also takes still captures of 5MP resolution. It also has a dedicated macro button for macro shots both in still and video, how cool is that. This feature is lacking in Playsport. The digital zoom is however not great but I don't require it coz I'll only be using it for home videos and some other stuff that I like to shoot. You can check out my still captures and videos on my flickr and vimeo streams, both linked to the right.

Have you used any of these mini camcorders that came into market? what are your thoughts.

On other news, yesterday was a fantab sunday, what with it being the Jason Wu collection launch at Target day, and Super Bowl Sunday, but I was more excited about the former and I'm so glad to say that I have not bought a single thing, guess I'm not the 'American Girl in Paris' type. But I loved seeing the collection and many people seemed to think it did justice to the mischievous and nonchalant women of French New Wave cinema, which inspired the designer. And as for Super Bowl, well I was more interested in the ads, too many car ads though. My favorite were the Audi Vampire Party ad, M&M's just my shell, Best Buy, Suzuki Sled, Samsung Galaxy Note, and ofcourse the David Beckham's Bodywear for H&M ad (hot, hot, hot, I mean what girl wouldn't like that). I hated the CareerBuilder.com ad, how ironic considering it keeps matching me to totally irrelevant jobs. You can watch all of them here.

One for the Maestro

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:52:00 +0000

Just feeling like Ilaiyaraaja today. Actually, I always feel like listening to Ilaiyaraaja, he's such kind of an artist and his music is melodiously timeless. His music is so soothing to the senses and can lift up your dull mood any day. I love all his songs, sad that he couldn't compose for more Telugu films like he does in Tamil. Currently listening to these:

Maate Mantramu - Seethakoka Chilaka (1981): This song was one of the opening credits song on our wedding DVD.

Naada Vinodamu - Saagara Sangamam (1983):

Ku Ku Ku - Sitaara (1983):

Keeravaani - Anveshana (1985):

Karigi Poyanu - Marana Mrudangam (1987):

Tharali Raada - Rudraveena (1987):

Manchu Kurise Velalo - Abhinandana (1988):

Om Namaha - Geethanjali (1989):

Priyathama - Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990):

Raasaleela Vela - Aditya 369 (1991):

I could go on with this list but I guess I'll stop here.

My parents say that I've seen the the last three films in theater, though I don't remember any and I'm sure I never understood them either. But as I grew up, I got to see them again on TV thankfully and loved them all especially coz of the music. Movies that came in Ilaiyaraaja and Mani Ratnam combination were the best of all in those days and were no doubt the talk of the town. There were some great hits in the Vamsi and Ilaiyaraaja combinations too, most of them were comedies with actor Rajendra Prasad (like, Chettu Kinda pleader, and April 1 Vidudala). Listening to these songs also makes me nostalgic, takes me back to those days of innocence when I didn't have a care in the world, didn't understand so many things, and didn't have so many responsibilities or worries. I guess the times associated with these songs are what makes them so appealing too. I often associate music with an emotion/feeling that I had when I first really listened to them, and these songs give me a very nice, warm and gooey feeling, which I love, and that makes me wanna listen to them again and again. Thanks to the Maestro for composing such awesome music in those days. I wish he could do it more often for Telugu films.

Do you often listen to Ilaiyaraaja too, what are your favorites, I think if you understand Telugu you'll agree to my selection.

Weekend Treats

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:34:00 +0000

There's nothing like retail therapy, and comfort food during the weekends. I started off the day with a photowalk, and then went on to do some much needed shopping coz I needed some stuff, and what d'ya know there was a sale going on luckily, so here's what I got:

A croc-embossed green handbag, wanted one for sooo long, this is from Minicci, although mine doesn't have that ugly black oval thing in the centre, I mean mine just has a plain silver tone version of it:

Flat sandals from Montego Bay Club for late spring/summer:

Some much needed lipglosses, these are from Brash, and Unforgettable Moments, in wild grape, and cocoa crave, can't wait to try these out:

A knit beret, have been searching for one that fits properly for soo long and finally found one, Yay!!! This is from Minicci as well, and its actually cream in color but I couldn't find any appropriate image online:

All the stuff I bought is from Payless, bought in-store. There's a BOGO sale going on, if anyone's interested.

And then we went to subway for a quick sandwich lunch:

I've been crazy about this pizza sub ever since Subway launched it. This is the third week in a row I treated myself to it. Yumm Yumm!

So how was your weekend and what did you do, did you also go shopping? I wanna hear, let me know in the comments below.

Snow Days in Chicago

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:41:00 +0000

Though I hate going out on a snow day and freezing to death, I think snow's magical and being in a winter wonderland should be experienced at least once in a lifetime. I'm glad that I have had this chance for four years in a row now. This winter however wasn't really brutal as the previous ones and I indulged in some photography. Here are some shots from my neighborhood in Rogers Park.

The dear husband made a heart for me <3
Happy Weekend Folks!

Avoid them without Regret

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:50:00 +0000

People who put words in your mouth and talk for you: When someone asks you something, you are the person who has the right to speak, not your friend or your uncle who think that you do not have a voice. Stay long enough with such people and you may lose your voice forever.

People who force their likes/interests on you: If your friend or a family member likes something doesn't mean you have to like it and they have no right to force it on you.

People who keep underestimating you: Some people just don't consider you for certain tasks coz they just blindly assume that you can't do it. They have no right whatsoever to do that before even asking you or giving you a chance.

People who order you around and treat you like their slave: You are not anybody's slave/chamcha and you don't have to impress anyone who seems to think so.

People who keep talking about problems, and diseases all the time: You have enough problems already and you don't need to wallow in your friend's issues as well.

People who are always telling you that you can't do this or that: When you are sharing your ideas with someone, you want to be appreciated, and encouraged, not misguided or discouraged.

People who take you for granted and never appreciate you: When you are doing something for someone, the least they can do is thank you. Typically, these people also just drop at your place without even informing and checking if you're otherwise busy.

People whom you can never trust with your secrets: You pour out your heart to your best friend and she/he goes and rats on you to everybody else.

People who are always pitying you: "Oh poor you come here, have this candy", seriously? don't you think you have enough self pity without having to get more from others.

People who never mean what they say and always stand you up: They make promises but never seem to keep them. Everybody's busy with their lives and people tend to forget things once in a while but when they are doing it too many times it only shows how little they care about you. The next time your friend/family member makes you wait ask them if they have forgotten to apply their favorite lipgloss or their favorite perfume before coming to meet you. If the answer is no, you know where you stand.

People who lie to you to make you do things you don't want to do: It clearly shows they don't respect your feelings and they don't understand you at all.

People who make fun of you and embarrass you in front of others: You know you don't deserve such treatment. You're not a clown and you don't need someone to laugh at you for being what you are and belittle you.

People who gossip about you behind your back: You'll know who they are sooner or later.

People who just pretend to be friends with you: When you ask them about a solution to your problem they sound very vague and generic which only shows they haven't even been listening to you properly. Just becoz they need more people attending their parties and weddings just to show off they have soooo many friends, doesn't mean they get to pretend being there for you and act as if they care about you.

People who are just too much of themselves: Its always about them and what they want. They are the ones who are always doing the talking and who are always planning things that should be done when in a group. Just look at their arrogance, Hello!! its a group outing, and other people in the group need a vote too.

People who are judging you without any proof: Nobody has the right to call you insensitive or selfish or whatever that is they think you are. Ask them to analyze themselves before they judge you.

People who are always comparing you to others or themselves: Everybody is unique in their own way.

People who are always envying you: They're probably jealous becoz they think you are better than them and it is good for your ego but you don't need to be around their pouting and sad faces always, it could really make you go mad sometimes and also nobody can like everything you do or wear so much, they're probably crazy or obsessive.

People who are always praising you: Nobody can be so praiseworthy all the time. When someone does that always and with too much enthusiasm, it just seems so fake and pretentious. You can never trust such people.

People who are pessimistic and cynical: They are always negative and can never see anything cheerful or sunny and they are so damn addictive. They also keep mocking everything and think they have a great sense of humor.

People who keep pushing you: You might need a friendly push once in a while but it is not anybody's job to keep pushing you always, you just wish they'd get off your back.

People who dictate and always tell you what to do: Did you hire a decision maker? Then you probably have the rights to fire them too. You don't need someone to tell you what to do and what not to do like you are a 10 year old, even they don't like being dictated.

People who blame you for everything: There's always one such person in everybody's life who's always blaming you for everything that goes wrong.

People who're always trying to imitate or copy you: No its not flattering, its creepy and annoying. They should get a life of their own and not disturb yours.

People who are too needy and clingy: Ugh! pathetic and creepy.

People who never ask you for advice or never appreciate it when you give one: What are you even doing being friends with such people? Friendship is a two way street too, when you go to your friend for advice you expect them to come to you when they need one. It just shows they don't trust you enough to give them good advice or think that you're not even capable of giving good advice. You can identify these people very easily too, they're just waving away their hands at you when you're trying to say something.

People who steal ideas from you: You must have met atleast one of them, they listen to your ideas and then go and broadcast them as their own, shamelessly. These people are often the boyfriend/girlfriend stealers too.

People who rip you off and live in your wallets: They never take out their cash or credit cards for anything no matter what. OK, so they maybe stingy but they do not have to live off your money. They always keep selling you their sob stories and asking for your money and never seem to return it even when you need it. Some people don't even ask you, they just think they can take it from you wallets like they own you, not even consulting you once.

People who only come to you when they need help: They have no right to call themselves friends. They probably keep in touch with you so that they can come to you when they need your help with something. After the episode's over, you never see them again. They are what you call the "use and throw" types.

People who are sadistic: They never have anything better in their lives to keep them occupied so they enter yours and disturb everything. The are very dangerous sometimes, coz they can break relationships with their jealousy.

People who never have anything nice to say about you: They keep calling you things like fat, foolish, idiot, stupid, a total waste, and a wuss. Now that is just plain rude and these people should be sent back to school and taught how to be nice to others.

People who let out their frustrations on you: Some people are always angry and seem to show it on others whenever they are frustrated about something. They should get some help or join a club for anger management if they can't seem to control it.

People who are too possessive and bitchy: You might have observed that sometimes your friend or a family member, say a cousin, might get jealous of you coz you're spending time with someone other than them, or supporting someone else coz you find their choice better. These people get instantly jealous and they show it in front of everyone that they're jealous, thus embarrassing you and the other person involved. Like you're their property and they own you. Its irritatingly creepy and you could do better without such behavior from your friends. The next day you find them talking to the very same person behind your back.

People who think you should be grateful for their friendship: These people just don't think but actually keep reminding you that you should be grateful for being accepted into their friendship circle, like they've picked you up from dirt and took them under your wing. Irritatingly sometimes family members do this too.

People who're always scowling and wear an unhappy, sad face as a default expression: Some people never seem to be happy about anything and they are always carrying this dull and frowny expression on their faces. Its like they do not know how to smile. Hang out with them for a while and your face becomes that too.

People who judge you based on race, religion, and caste: Its 2012 people, wake up and smell the brew. It just shows how stereotypical some can still be after all these years of evolution.

People who're always lecturing you: Some people have this obsessive need to lecture and deliver speeches to everybody around them like they're some gyaani persons who have supreme knowledge and we're the illiterate. These people are typical and you mostly find them giving a running commentary during tv shows and stuff, like people around them are ignorant and do not understand anything being broadcasted.

People who openly flirt with your spouse right under your nose: Have some decency people.

People who force you to be friends with them: Hey cummon, our husbands are friends so we should hang out too, are you kidding me? NO!!! I'll be friends with whoever I like. Some people think that if they're colleagues, they should be friends out of office too, they keep inviting you to their homes, plan outings with you and your family etc etc., its irritating and annoying.

People who stare at you like you're an alien: What is it with these people? If they don't like you why are they looking at you. If looks could kill these people would have killed everyone around them.

People with acidic tongues: They are always dripping with negative sarcasm.

People who can never utter a polite word: Its like they were never taught manners at school. Its just three words: sorry, please, and thank you. How hard is it to say them. And when they see other people being polite, they stare as if to say you don't have to be polite, its totally not necessary in today's world. Stick with them and you'll forget your manners.

People who never have time for you: Seriously, nobody can be that busy that they can't even make you a phone call once in a while. If they'd never give you the time of the day, you don't have to either.

People who're incapable of sympathy: These people hang out with you always but seem to suddenly disappear during your sad moments or low points in life when you need them the most. Its like they can't stand anything unhappy. Sure some people find it uncomfortable to console coz they think they might not find the right words to say but the least they can do is be there for you and listen to you.

People who always expect you to sacrifice: You have to give up everything for them always. Sometimes you just get tired of being the giving person always.

People whom you can never satisfy: No matter what you seem to do, they are never satisfied or maybe you're just not good enough for them.

People who judge you based on your sex: You're a girl so you're a bimbo. You're a guy so you're an asshole.

People who are around you only coz of your fame or money: You know them, they're never around when you lose either of both.

People who judge you based on how educated and career-oriented you are: Oh yeah, they seem to be interested in only you're education and the job you do and if they find out you are uneducated or that you stay at home they treat you like you're a thick head and a good for nothing.

People who're always ignoring you: Its like when you're with them you're invisible. You go on talking but magically they can never hear you.

People who're always acting goody-goody: Who knows how good they're when nobody's around but they're always acting as if they never break rules and they make us feel ugly for indulging once in a while.

People who're always going hot and cold on you: Its like they suddenly wake up and decide they don't want to be friends with you anymore. They give you no reason, and are not willing to talk to you about it either. If they're thinking you're going to go begging after them, boy are they wrong, aren't they?

People who can never adjust with you: They will never accommodate or adjust with you when the going gets tough.

I'm done taking crap from people, and being treated like a doormat. I'm also done being mature and being the big person always. These people are not good for your self-esteem and your general emotional health, and its usually a trauma being with them. They make you doubt your abilities and hate yourself so much that sometimes you want to punish yourself for being such a waste of space. They keep reminding you of your limitations and flaws and you find yourself making excuses for them thinking that you're the one who's made some mistake, and boy are you right about that, the mistake you're making is not dumping their sorry ass. They also make you feel like you don't deserve anything good and that you are a good for nothing loser. You do not want people to limit you from being free and doing what you want. I know sometimes its ok to forgive and cut them some slack but if people want to be such douche-bags all the time then its high time they're taught a lesson and the best way to do is avoid them or just give them a cold shoulder. People have to learn to be considerate and accommodating of others feelings instead of being morons all the time. Have you encountered any other such people who you are happy to avoid without any regrets? Please do share them in the comments below.

Running a Blogathon

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:39:00 +0000

Have been meaning to write this for a long time and found it in my drafts, and thought now would be a great time to post it. Not becoz I'm planning on doing one, but come to think of it, it may not be a bad idea, coz it might for once help me to be more regular on my blog. Running a marathon of blog posts is not everybody's thing and though some are naturally good at it, some might encounter a writer's block from time to time. This post is just a list of stuff for all those people who have lost their mojo or are experiencing a writer's block, and for those who want to run blogathons, these might be some great options which you didn't know you were looking for: let this list be your muse.

--> Become a member of Blog-aTon and blog on the topics listed by them every month.
--> Become Wordless from time to time, there's nothing wrong with it.
--> If you decide to blog for every day for a month, you can get prompts for every month from BlogHer's NaBloPoMo. Or, you can host your own NaBloPoMo by publishing one post every day for a month on your favorite topics.
--> NaBloWriMo is another blogger who supplies prompts to bloggers for the month of October, now why only October, I have no idea, but this is a great idea.
--> If you are a graphic designer/painter/doodler or any kind of illustrator really, you can get your muse from Illustration Friday.
--> BigHugeLabs has a blog title generator with some random ideas that might interest you.
--> About.com has a list of topics you might want to write about and I think its a great list for newbies.
--> Oneword a day to help you to just concentrate on writing without thinking.
--> Help by saving extinct or going to extinct words by blogging about them. You can get the list from SaveTheWords. I think its a unique and wonderful idea, and the website seems fun.

If these websites haven't helped you or if its not what you're looking for then here are some more tips:

--> What did you do today, just blog about it, don't think.
--> Write about your hobbies, or just some random stuff that you like to talk about, simple!
--> Make up your own traditions like music monday, fashion friday, etc., I've seen a lot of bloggers doing this.
--> Join a few blog communities, they usually host these contests for giveaways where you have to blog about a certain topic. Its a win-win for everyone involved.
--> Take up tags and don't shy away just becoz you have to disclose personal information. You could be discreet without your readers getting suspicious ;)
--> Host giveaways, everybody loves freebies :))
--> Ask your friends to guest blog for you.
--> Split your posts into parts if they're too lengthy.
--> Follow other blogs to get some inspiration, blog hopping clears your mind and you can have a fresh start after you get back to your blog.
--> Accept readers' requests, and take advice from family/friends/readers by asking them what they want to see on your blog. You can do this on websites like facebook.com or you can have a poll on your blog. This could even be your next blog post :)

Blogposts are not books, so keeping them short, sweet, and simple is the best way to go. Nobody likes reading lengthy posts with long and confusing sentences unless they have a lot of time to waste. Also using plain and simple English saves time and energy for both you and your readers. That way you wont be sweating too much for a single blog post. Quality of a post is more important than the length and quantity. Adding pictures helps too. Make use of white space by breaking down text into paragraphs or lists so that the post doesn't look cluttered. Avoid jargon or repeating sentences just to increase the length of your post, its not cool. Be honest about whatever you write, that is the easiest way to blog more. Let your creative juices flow and do not think about anyone or anything while composing your post. After all its your blog and you have the right to write about anything you want.

Having said all that, I'd like to dedicate this post to all those bloggers who have suddenly decided not to blog and seemed to have disappeared totally. You know who you are, I wish you could get back to blogging again, I really miss reading your blogs, my google reader's almost always empty and I would really like to see more posts from you guys. Hope this post inspires you to blog atleast once in a while. This post is also for all those newbies who have just started blogging or who have no idea what blogging is all about but want to start a personal blog, just go ahead and do it, you know you want to. Blogging is fun and relaxing, its not always a job, it is sometimes just a way of expressing yourself and connecting to the world. Blogosphere is such a great place to do just that and it would be a shame not to use it. If you think in the same way you should blog too. All the best :)

Do any of you have any more ideas that could help bloggers from getting stuck, and give them ideas to blog more often? Please do share your thoughts in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you.

Indo Western Dressing Styles

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:39:00 +0000

I think I'm blessed coz I'm an Indian who embraces both the Indian and Western dressing styles and becoz of which I get to combine them both sometimes without having to shop for new dresses especially when I'm bored with the usual outfits. Mixing and Matching is my way to go, so I thought why not mix and match Indian and western dresses, like everybody else seems to do these days. I got inspired to do this from my last visit to India when I saw that people were happily and casually combining jeans with kurtis (Indian tunics), and tee shirts with patialas (Punjabi dress bottoms). There have been some examples quite a few years back but not everybody was readily accepting these and hence there were not really very many options in stores. But recently all that has seemed to change and I've seen stores carrying a wide variety of designer wear on the lines of these newly found indo-western trends. Here are some examples I found online:

From what I have seen, short kurtis (as in the above picture, left) are usually paired with any style and cut, full length or cropped jeans, and skirts while slightly longer or knee-length kurtis (which were usually worn with patiala pants traditionally) are paired with straight cut/skinny jeans, leggings/jeggings, and cropped jeans/pants. The kurti-jean version can also be accessorized with scarves. Kurtis come in short sleeved, long sleeved, mid length, and sleeveless designs.

Now since kurtis are paired with jeans instead of patiala pants, the only thing left was to team up tee shirts with patialas :D (I know, its so cliche and funny but I also find it a genius invention). Someone must have suddenly thought that, why do indo-western has to be only kurti and jeans, and what about the tee shirts and patialas, so they came up with this crazy idea. At first I thought ugh! weird, but I've seen a lot of ladies wearing it and they are actually pulling it off irrespective of their build, age, and height. But unlike the jean-kurti versions, this outfit only looks good with long tee shirts.

I guess it all started with Kareena Kapoor wearing these outfits in Jab We Met, a rom-com hit film back in 2007. Just like her character in the film, these outfits scream "crazy chick" with a "just do it" and careless attitude, who doesn't give a damn what the world seems to think of her. They are the best for everyday casual wear without the fuss. They just show how much Indian women love adopting both Indian and Western styles. I also think these styles are traditional and yet in an untraditional way, especially when you want the Indian in you to show without being completely Indian. They are so out of the box and gen-x.

Also I think flats are the best way to go with these outfits, especially the kolhapuri kind, they are best for the Indian roads too. Oh! how I wish I was in India right now, where every season is like summer, so I can wear my kurtis and patialas. Have any of you ladies tried these styles, and how do you like them, let me know in the comments below.

Hate Them Situations

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:12:00 +0000

Hatred is an easily produced emotion depending on the situation and a person's comfort levels. It is circumstantial and if we observe closely we will find out that we hate someone or something more only when we're having bad days. When we hate a person there's always a reason that is more to do with us than to do with them. Hate and anger are closely related and when we hate someone it is usually associated with anger produced out of say, grief. All I'm saying is that, hatred is a feeling that it is often situational. For example, I hate the peanut butter flavor becoz the first time I tasted it was when I was not in the mood for anything oily/buttery and was already full with a heavy meal. So, when I tasted it, I felt the bitterness and chunkiness of unwanted and hard to digest peanuts on my mouth rather than its buttery awesomeness, and now whenever anyone says peanut butter I just imagine that horrible feeling I had when I first tasted it and hate it immediately without even thinking about how good it might taste had I been really hungry or if I had been craving fats.

When we are low and down we need something to lift up our spirits and make things easy for us, but instead, if we're faced with something that irritates us more, we immediately hate it and that hate as I explained is more to do with our situation than with the persons or things we are hating at that moment. We just choose to throw our frustration at them coz we're weak, we can't hate ourselves anymore than we already do, and we have no other choice at that moment except to get rid of all that pain in some way. In such cases, the easiest way is to hate stuff around us.

When a person is being rude to us, it always doesn't mean they hate us, it also means that they are having a situation where our presence is making it more difficult for them to breathe easily. We might not know it but we might be suffocating them with something other than the strong perfume we chose to wear. But we do not normally understand this coz we live in a world that supports WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) but what about the unseen anger and pain that the person is suffering that we do not know about? I think we should stop being more selfish and think about others once in a while before judging them and calling them rude and concluding that they hate us. Maybe they do, but that hate is more to do with them than it is to do with you. A deaf person hates hearing people not coz they treat them bad but coz they hate themselves and God for making them deaf and it is a situation they cannot change. They are stuck with it for the rest of their lives whether they like it or not and hence their grief is shown as their anger and hatred on others who are blessed with hearing. They're jealous of privileges that hearing people have and sometimes its just plain difficult for them to express it easily.

Life is never easy for anyone in spite of all the privileges some might have. Sometimes people just hate anybody who hates them maybe coz they are just tired of being hated by everyone or maybe they have this obsessive need to be liked by everyone. That again is situational and more to do with them than with others. All I'm saying is there's always a condition, a circumstance, a state of things, and some reason behind why we do what we do and hate is a part of all that. Its complex, but unfortunately in our busy rate race of lives we do not have time to cut down the complexities and understand what's behind them so we just ignore everything and decide to do the simple and easy thing which is to hate everything around us. Its easy to be angry and throw things rather than to sit and talk or just mull. Talk, that's one important thing that can avoid sticky situations and make each other hate less and love more. If we can find the time to talk and explain each others situations and understand why we are what we are and why we did something then it would be a lot easier on our heart and the people around us.

The ultimate aim is to be happy and we cannot be happy if we're around someone we hate and its the same with the other person so in order to make ourselves happy we avoid the confrontation and ignore or just block out everybody and everything we hate just to have some moments of bliss. But for how long can we go on doing that? life has a way of throwing us together with people and things we hate all the time, and sometimes its inevitable, so to make this easy on ourselves why not come to a truce where both parties compromise and deal with it like adults.

Observe, think, perceive, talk, and explain more so that you can hate less. Spread love, not hate, you don't want to die knowing ppl hate u or vice versa. Hope you liked my therapy session :) Have a nice day!

Beating these Winter Blues

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:11:00 +0000

Admitting it, winter's the most horrible and brutal season. Getting out of bed early in the morning, taking a shower, and going out seem to be the worst things ever. Everything seems so dull, drab, and gloomy. Makes one wanna hibernate until the sun comes out. There's no way you can even think about going for a walk without covering up yourself with layers and layers of winter wear unless you wanna suffer with hypothermia. Dressing up takes so much time, you just wanna give up the entire thought. Its depressing! All you wanna do is sit in your comfy sleep robe with a book in front and a hot chocolate drink in your hand. Sounds cozy doesn't it? but we can at-the-max spend time that way maybe for an hour or two. What then? So I made a list of things (yeah, I'm a list maniac, like you didn't know that already, if you're a regular reader of my blog) that I do to beat these winter blues, maybe you can try them out too.

---> Reading: Like I already mentioned, this is the time to read all the books that have been pending all through the year. Hit the public library, or warm your tablets/e-book readers and make a list of all the books you would like to read, and begin it today.

---> Writing: If you have a habit of filling in the journals and haven't had time to do it until now, winter's the time to dig them out and fill them up, or like me, you can just blog.

---> Cooking: Yeah I never thought I'd say this but when you have to be stuck at home most of the time, you'd find that cooking is the best way to pass time and learn something, or just be creative. Team up with a friend to make this more enjoyable.

---> Photography: Can be done indoors too, this is the time to explore food, low light, portrait, and macro areas of photography. This is very time consuming and enjoyable at the same time.

---> Painting: If you love painting then bring in some supplies and start experimenting, who knows you might create a da-vinci of your own.

---> Exercise: Unfortunately winter's the time we put on a lot of weight coz we're stuck at home most of the time. So, in order to change that and look fab for spring/summer, join a gym or yoga class and shed those calories. You can also invite some friends and do aerobics at home if you're not into visiting the gym regularly.

---> Parties: Host a party at home, everybody loves that. catch up with friends you've been missing, and find out what's going on in their lives.

---> DIY Projects: If you're into crafts, then winter's the best time to take up some projects like, beading, needle and thread work, wood work, wall hangings etc., let your creative juices flow.

---> Couch Time: Yes, winter's when you should catch up on all your favorite movies and tv shows that you love and wanted to watch again and again. Plan this with family or friends to make it more fun.

---> Indoor Games: You know them, chess, monopoly etc., have some game nights with friends or family, and make it a party, even better.

---> Cleaning and Decorating: Yeah, I'm sorry but winter's the time for fungus and mildew, so clean as much as possible and as many times as you can so that you're spring cleaning becomes easy, and seems less of a task. You can also re-decorate your homes to make them more bright and sunny to make up for the dull weather outside.

---> Plan for Getaways: Plan for vacations you want to take during spring or summer and ways to save for them. You might also like having one during winter to a sunnier place like Florida.

So getting stuck at home doesn't seem so bad huh? What do you do to beat the winter blues and what do you think of my way of doing it, let me know in the comments below, while you're enjoying you're cuppa joe :)

I'm the Best, and so are YOU

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:12:00 +0000

'I'm the best and I deserve the best', this is going to be the mantra for me from now on and I think it should be yours too if it isn't already. I have always been a second-guessing and behind-the-scenes kind of gal who always feared rejection, and though I've changed over the years, some times they seem to creep back on me especially when I'm defenseless. But I found out that chanting this mantra can have a way of getting to you in ways that surprise me and help you break the rules and be what you are fearlessly. But that's not all coz you can only think you're the best when you feel it and look the part. And you can feel and look the part only when you let yourself out of the box and expose yourself to all the best things life's got to offer. And this can be achieved only when you think you deserve the best. Just as an experiment put yourself out there and let yourself see what it would be like to look and feel the best, I think its a feeling worth having with you all your life, after all its just one life and you may not get it again and again.

But in the process there are some rules to be followed. Do not let anyone tell or dictate you that its not what you want or that you don't deserve it. Do not let them choose for you and let them dress you up in ways they think you would look best. And do not become arrogant or over-confident, coz feeling the best can have a way of doing that to you sometimes and that is not what we are trying to aim most of the time unless you want to make an acquaintance jealous and get rid of him/her. You also have to stop second-guessing yourself and start shining in your awesomeness. You have to be prepared to be recognized and be chosen coz you are the best. Do not think about times when you were embarrassed or ashamed in front of others, instead think of all the happy times when you were praised for something.

I once heard that a trick to a successful lie is to believe that it is the truth. When you believe in something wholeheartedly it is possible to achieve it no matter what. And that belief can be achieved only when you make it come true. So if you think you being the best is a lie then make yourself experience the best in life and make it come true in order to believe that you can do it. Then once you have convinced yourself that you deserve the best, you can feel the best too. Things cannot become true when they are just in thinking, or maybe just in writing in your journals, you have to make them true and real to believe them. Once you have done all that you are ready to say that you are the best and face that demon that has made you defenseless in the first place. You will find that believing in being the best is your best defense always and it will help you defend yourself against anything threatening or saying otherwise.

Believing that you are the best is the only way to show others that you are the best. Coz when you believe that you are the best only then will others believe you deserve the best as well and will start respecting you. It shows them that you have a grip over your life, you don't let others dictate you, and you are confident in dealing with responsibilities. You will also not be ignored anymore and you will have a say in decisions coz you are the best. So I'm just going to go ahead and say it, like I mean it; "I'm the best" Go ahead, try it. Felt good didn't it? Now continue saying it. All the best :)

12 wants for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:49:00 +0000

Ok, so I've been seeing a lot of holiday wishlists, and desires for 2012 going on around in the blogosphere, so I thought its a nice idea for my blog too, and here I am. My wishlist for 2012 is:

Before I begin I want you to know that this is just a generalised version of what I want, the things shown in the picture may not be exactly what I'm coveting, and then, they might be too. The order in which I listed these things is not necessarily according to my priority.

1---> I'm kind of an abstract artist, and also love painting on photos I take, so I thought that this graphic tablet would help me paint better. Its not that I don't like painting on my mousepad but it gets difficult at certain points and I would love to have this gadget just to make it easier.

2---> I want a high-end android smartphone not only becoz everyone around seems to own one but also becoz of its awesomeness. I'm currently eying Samsung android phones but I wish Nokia would come up with something too.

3---> I wanted an e-book reader for so long but when tablets came with multi-purpose features, I thought that'll be a better option than just an e-book reader, also coz I love the amoled touch interfaces. But none of the tablets that came out in 2011 were upto the mark, so am waiting for better versions.

4---> I so need a good hair straightener, that does the work in minutes and does not burn my scalp. Any suggestions anyone? I'm listening.

5---> I've decided that I'm going to wear more flashy jewelry not only coz its trendy but also coz I love it. Statement jewelry defines a person in a way that even clothing cannot so I'm going to buy and wear more of that this year.

6---> A large tote bag for when I go shopping, to carry food, H2O, along with the other usual stuff. Small bags ain't cutting it and it gets irritating at times, especially during winters.

7---> Flashy and cropped skinny jeans, not a single one in my wardrobe and I want to change that. Guess I'm just tired of the regular blue/black/white jeans. Also cropped jeans are great for summer weekends.

8---> I love layering, especially in fall, winters and spring and it is also essential if you're living in a place like Chicago, so I'll need more cardigans, especially cashmere, not that I have any less now but there can never be enough cardigans for me.

9---> I'm ditching heels and wearing flats, not that I'm a regular heel-wearer, I don't usually wear more than 2-inch heels but let's be honest, they're not at all comfortable, and not even practical sometimes. I know that they make me look taller, and flats only accentuate my petiteness but heels don't do any good to your spinal cord in the long run.

10---> I'm a lipgloss junkie and have too many of them already but I think a girl can never have enough of them. I'd like to add more lipsticks coz I just have one which I bought for a cousin's wedding last summer but I never liked lipsticks, they seem so fake and make lips look like you've painted them with some ugly color, so instead I'm going to add more glosses which not only moisturize lips but also do not steal away your original lip color.

11---> A DSLR camera, which I've been craving for ages now, but delayed it coz I want to get better at photography before I buy one, now since I've been using point and shoots for 3 years, I think its high time I started using one.

12---> A faux suede coat, funny I don't have one yet, but I never really found a good one, guess I'm not just lucky with them, so the hunt is going on, hopefully it will end this year.

I know I'm such a materialistic gal, but shopping makes me happy and I find cozyness in retail therapy. Also I'm not totally unpractical, I need all of this stuff, and have been using some of them for years. What's on your wishlist for this year, if you're into tagging, consider yourself tagged, let me know when you've blogged. If you're not, then just let me know in the comments below. Would love to see what you're craving.

Asian Cuisine Ramblings

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:34:00 +0000

I'm kind of a vegetarian who likes limited non-veg (chicken/cooked shrimp/fish) and prefers it only when there's not much veg around so after coming to the US where there aren't very many vegetarian options, and the non-veg options are mostly uncooked or half-cooked, I became a little miserable and whenever I found a place where there are good veg dishes, I got really excited, yeah I get happiness out of small things like finding a good veg restaurant, if you're a veg eating Indian who lives in US, you'll know why. Its not that I hate non-veg but its a problem when I have to eat it raw and something other than chicken, or cooked shrimp/fish. I keep mentioning 'cooked', coz people here seem to eat and like the raw and half cooked shrimp/fish and that is what you would find in most of the restaurants. Sadly chicken is the only thing cooked everywhere so when I don't find any veggie stuff, I have to go for it. I was never exposed to other cuisines much before I came to US, except for the Italian pizzas/pasta and Chinese noodles, and since its a global market here we find anything and everything with respect to cuisines. So, I started cooking more at home and hunting for restaurants where I can find some decent cooked food. We could go to places like Dunkins/Subway but they have everything in bread and cheese sprinkled on them (what's with that???). McDs and other such places are not even an option. I want rice or noodles atleast for lunch/dinner! Bread is something I eat when I get sick, when I go to a pizza place or to a bakery for snacking (oh! the yummy puffs and pav-bhajis), or when I need a quick jelly sandwich. Sure, there's the occasional yogurt and juice place but I'm not on a diet. The Asian cuisine seemed to have something to offer in that area, and I finally found some likeability.

As much as I like Chinese, and it would always be one of my favorite cuisines, I cannot get to terms with the usage of raw vegetables in most of their dishes. Yes I have a serious problem with anything raw in food, I need a proper 'everything cooked well' kind of meal, maybe its becoz that's the way I'm raised and that's the way I've eaten all my life. So, when I tried Japanese for the first time, I was like, what? people who eat raw fish with a fancy name actually have something cooked? Yes, me and the husband found some places where veggies in any dish other than salad are cooked properly and surprised that it was Japanese. One such place was Nori Japan, at the Lincolnwood Mall. We ordered Chicken Teriyaki and Maki rolls (non-sushi) here, and they had rice options white/brown so we went with brown. And OMG! everything including the little amount of veggies they had was cooked well.

The other restaurant we tried was Wow Bao, downtown. We ordered veg Pot-stickers, and the chocolate/coconut custard bao and they were both amazing.

We also tried some fried noodles at an Asian restaurant called Noodles & Co., on Broadway street and now finally decided that we'd love to try Japanese again and again.

I'm not sure if only the dishes that we ordered had everything properly cooked or if its the case with every other menu item but we were very pleased with our orders.

Chinese restaurants are mostly takeout places and there's one called Panda Express which is supposed to be Gourmet Chinese. I couldn't eat anything other than tofu there, and that too was very spicy and not upto my expectation. How can anyone eat a huge piece of uncooked broccoli, its like shoving a rubber tube down your throat during gastro endoscopy. Manchu Wok is another Chinese takeout place that we visited and it was OK too except for the raw veggies in some of their dishes. When we are ordering anything veggie other than salad we expect it to be cooked, but not here. Although I should say I loved their orange chicken which is their signature dish. We have one small takeout place near to where we live and thankfully that is the only restaurant as of now that is keeping me from hating Chinese totally. Love their Lo/Chow Mein with veggies and chicken, and their brown rice with fried shrimp.

One Asian cuisine I totally hate is Thai, and again, everything they seem to have is raw. Pad Thai is the only dish that I can bear but that too seems a little raw to me.

Why do people have to eat everything raw??? don't they know how to cook or are they just too lazy?

And the Indian restaurants sadly are just too much oil, way too much spice, and very highly priced. I like it better when I cook it. Even the husband can whip up a tastier dish than these restaurants in Chicago.

So finally Japanese won, with a close second place by Chinese, and we could say that Asian cuisines are good-ish. I dunno if the 'raw thing' is becoz the Americans prefer eating mostly raw stuff or Asians (other than Indians) are used to eating everything raw too, but that's a serious issue with me and the husband. However, they are cheaper compared to other cuisines like Italian and good for a quick takeout. They are what I call comfort food in a slightly healthy way when you don't want to do Subway or Dunkins.

Apart from Asian I also like Mexican at a restaurant called Chipotle, their chicken and veg burritos are awesome. There's also some Spanish Taco place that has a veg menu which I like but that's all another story. Also, I finally came to terms with eating and liking wheat bread as an alternative to rice so some other options opened up as well. Hope you enjoyed reading my path of ramblings from being woebegone to finding a little bit of sanity in the USA.

Accessorizing for Winters in Style

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:57:00 +0000

Its so very cold outside and there's no way one could step out without their sweaters, coats, hats, scarves, boots, and gloves. Since we have to cover ourselves and spend so much time wearing all this stuff, why not do it in style?

So I browsed and came up with a list of some stylish winter accessories that I thought would be a good addition to my wardrobe this winter, if you like accessorizing and with style you might like these.

Loving the cozy white gloves and knitted hat from BCF

I never go for matching sets coz I usually like to mix and match stuff, but this year I thought I'd try something new and here's what I found on JCPenny's Cold Weather catalogue.

I'm loving the first cyan infinity scarf and matching knit hat, the gloves and scarf in the second, and all three in the third.

Apart from these, there's leggings/thermal tights/pantyhose to be picked up especially if you decide to wear skirts, sweater dresses, or long tops and show off your legs. I found a great option here.

What I love about these tights is that they are not sheer, they don't have ridiculous designs which look like they've been made for teenagers, and they can be paired with any outfit since they're a very basic black. They're great for winters and you don't have to wear socks, and that's one accessory down.

I also found that these tights can be coupled with a pair of leg warmers like these options I found here, here, and here:

Leg warmers are in trend this season. Loving the purple and grey ones, the first one I like becoz I have a purple sweater top, and I think these will be perfect with it, the second one I like becoz the grey color in general can be worn with many dresses. As shown in the pictures, leg warmers can be worn with heels, flats, and high boots. They can be worn with jeggings, leggings, thermals, tights, pantyhose, and skinny jeans.

Most importantly all of today's finds are under budget :))

How do you like my way of accessorizing for winters and what have you picked out for this winter, let me know in the comments below.

Dinner and Fireworks!

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:41:00 +0000

The poor husband was down with flu but I did not let that deter us from enjoying the New Year's Eve (NYE), especially coz its going to be the most hyped 2012, and we all might die soon :D. Nah! I don't believe in all that nonsense but I just didn't want to sit at home and sulk during NYE. So we decided to go to the pier, get some dinner and catch up with the fireworks display. And, being the photographer I am I had to take some shots and I had to share it with my beloved readers.

Navy Pier was beautifully decorated for NYE:

We had dinner at Capi's Italian Kitchen: Tomato Basil Soup, fresh Breadsticks with Alfredo white sauce followed by Chicaken Picatta, and ending with Romeo's Brownie Dessert (this reminds me of the Sizzling Dessert at a restaurant in Bangalore, Commercial Street). Yummy and heavy, hey we needed all the energy to walk to the other end of the pier for fireworks!!

The early fireworks display this year was for 10 minutes, and these were some of the awesome moments of them all:

There would be another 10-15 min. display at 12 midnight but it was really cold and the husband didn't have it in him to stay any longer. So we headed back and on our way back I took some shots on Michigan Avenue:

You can find atleast one of these huge limousines whenever you are on michigan avenue or anywhere downtown in Chicago.

Someone was taking a horse ride on NYE, cute :)

We came home, really tired, called and wished our friends and families in India, and called it a day! How was your NYE, hope y'all had gr8 fun, Happy 2012 Everyone!

BTW now you can just subscribe to me on Facebook without having to add me, you can view all my public updates. You can find the link to the right. Cya there if you will.

Coveting Turquoise under Budget

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:21:00 +0000

I've decided to wear white this New Year's and thought that flashy jewelry is the best way to make it work to get that festive/party/celebration kind of feel and look. After a lot of thought and several inspections of my jewelry collection I decided that I'd go with turquoise coz I do not own any turquoise pieces and I think its flashy enough for a white dress. Turquoise also makes the dress look like you have actually planned it and you can wear it to any kind of party: casual/formal, or event: public/private. Since I really don't have time to go to a jeweler's or stores, I shopped online and have been looking at some terrific pieces for almost a week. I have finally decided on the below sets, though I bought only one of them, coz I just needed one, and I was under budget. All of the sets are under $50 and I was really excited when I found them. So, I decided to share it with everyone who wants to pair a white dress with turquoise jewelry for their parties/events on New Year's Eve or any other occasion.

Before I start I want you to know that this is not an ad and I'm not being paid to do this, this is my honest opinion on stuff that I like and/or bought. I also do not know if this jewelry is durable coz I just bought one piece from the sets and haven't used it yet but you get what you pay for and these are like really cheap/reasonably priced in my opinion. Please be sure if you really need it and that the jewelry will suit you before you buy them, especially coz its online. Also turquoise comes in different shades of blue so you might want to be sure which shade you want and the colors shown online might not do justice to the jewelry always. I grouped different items to form a set coz I thought they'd go well together but you might not always need to buy all of the items if you think that you have certain pieces of jewelry that would match any one of the pieces in the sets shown. Do not be influenced by my opinion. Its just a suggestion for people who have no clue on what to wear to parties like the New Year's Eve and like the title says its for those who covet turquoise jewelry under a budget.

The first set: This is an amazing 4-row necklace set with matching earrings, I found a bracelet that I thought would go perfect with it, and a stretch ring to match the bracelet since I have really small fingers. The necklace has few green and blue beads so you can pair your bracelet with any other beaded stretch bracelets you have in blue/green but do not overdo it if you want a classy look. You can wear a silver tone watch with it. This set is more suited for public events or parties with friends and/or acquaintances.

Where to buy: Necklace and Earrings set, Bracelet, and Ring
Total Cost: $40

The second set: This set is a hand knotted, brown string necklace with a similar bracelet. The plus point is that the bracelet is adjustable and I love that coz I have really small hands. Pair these with silver hoop earrings, silver tone watch, and a silver tone ring. This set is perfect for casual dressy parties.

Where to buy: Necklace, and Bracelet
Total Cost: $28

The third set: The necklace is a sterling silver chain with turquoise beads. Very simple and classy. I thought the earrings match perfectly too. Pair it with silver bangles, silver tone watch, and a sterling silver band. This set is perfect for formal parties.

Where to buy: Necklace, and Earrings
Total Cost: $27

The fourth set: If you like wearing really long necklaces then this set is perfect for you. It also has some blue glass beads in between and comes with matching earrings. You can pair this up with the matching bracelet. You can also opt for the ring from first set to go with it. A silver tone watch should complete the set. This set is perfect for public events and casual dress-up parties with friends.

Where to buy: Necklace and Earrings set, Bracelet
Total Cost: $30

The fifth set: If you want to do a simple Jane look then this necklace, with matching bracelet and simple earrings will be perfect. Pair this with a silver tone watch, and a silver ring. This set can be perfect for both formal and casual parties.

Where to buy: Necklace, Bracelet, and Earrings
Total Cost: $40

Hope you find what you need from the above sets. Personally I like all of them and would have bought them all except that I'm poor at the moment and one of my New Year's resolutions is to shop less and I don't want to jinx it by shopping for more than what I need. What are you guys planning to wear this New Year's and what kind of jewelry have you picked out. Please leave a comment below and I would also love to know your opinion on my selections.

I'm so looking forward to the long weekend. This year had a lot of long weekends including Christmas and am wishing that would be the same in the next year. Happy New Year Everyone!

All Things Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:08:00 +0000

Quite a few of my friends have been asking me to post pictures of 'Christmas in Chicago' but I was a little skeptical about going out on freezing winter nights just to take pictures. This year however we didn't have a White Christmas and oddly, I kinda missed the snow. Instead it was sunny and we had slightly bearable temperatures. Every year the windy city is decorated with lights right from after Thanksgiving to New Year's. Though I do not like the sound of wasting so much energy/power, the photographer in me thinks its pretty and cute. Now, since my love for photography overcame my skepticism, I finally hit the city streets, Christmas events, malls etc., and got some shots. The stuff I captured is all the things I can think of when I think "Christmas". Hope you guys like them.

Michigan Avenue during Christmas Eve:

Christmas Tree Decor at Union Station, Downtown:

Decorations some place near Chicago area:

Christmas Decor Sale at Daley Plaza:

Christmas Candy at Macy's: They actually had gummy bears and jelly beans in red and green :)

Navy Pier's Winter Wonderland Festival sponsored by Bank of America:

State Street Christmas Bokeh:

Cute Snowman at a store downtown:

Lincoln Park ZooLights sponsored by ComEd and Charter One:

and finally my signature shot, a Christmas Bokeh:

Hope y'all had a great Christmas, wherever you are. For more pictures from me, you can subscribe to my posts on facebook, I have a whole album there with hundreds of shots.