20 Fun Facts about me

Thought of doing a fun post today!

Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did writing them!

1. I am 25, 5'5" tall, born in India and now live in Phoenix, United States with my husband.

2. I am a true Cancerian, firm outside and emotional inside, blame it on my sun sign.

3. I am left handed, it's in the blood (my sister is also left handed and my deceased father was left-handed too!)

4. I wanted to be an air-hostess. I also have a one-year diploma in hospitality and air-hostess training.

5. I am an extrovert. I even had to force my then boyfriend (now husband) to propose me, as he was shy and was taking too long. LOL..

6. Before a year, I did not even know what blogging is all about!

7. I become very nostalgic when I listen to patriotic songs.

8. I am a fitness freak! I work out 4 to 5 times in a week. You can call me obsessed as well! I seriously feel I have committed a big crime on the days when I don't work out. My inspiration is Bipasha Basu (a Bollywood actress). She has got a super-toned body, and she is very determined about it.

9. I like mountains more than beaches. And I simply love travelling and exploring places. I want to travel and live in as many places as I can, before I die.

10. I don't know why but I have some strange connection with cats. No matter where I go or live in the entire world (be it any city in India or USA), I keep seeing cats (on the road, near my house or hotel, near my car, everywhere). They even talk to me, though I don’t understand their language. May be I was a cat in my past life, though not sure :P

11. I love watching supernatural/ghost movies.

12. I love cooking and trying different cuisines. I keep watching cookery videos on YouTube all the time! I can say that I am a good cook.

13. I am scared (read ‘very scared’) of heights! I get goose bumps even by thinking of the idea of sky diving or bungee jumping and the kinds.

14. I have never ever drank or even tasted alcohol in any form (not even wine, beer or champagne ever!). And I have no intention of doing so in future. Same applies for smoking, I hate it!

15. Shopping gives me an instant high! It uplifts my mood anytime. Especially when I am out and shopping all by myself, don’t need a company. 

16. I never had any best friend in my life. There are good friends though.

17. I am a people watcher. I can sit and watch people for hours.

18. When I was 12 years old, I accidently burnt some of my hair with a candle.

19. My mother makes finger licking delicious gulab jamun (an Indian dessert). When I was young, I used to wake up at midnight to eat gulab jamun’s from the refrigerator while everyone was asleep. Once I got caught by my father and was scolded a lot!

20. I love love love: steamed or roasted veggies, early mornings, the euphoric feeling after a long workout, a clean bathroom, having a romantic Saturday night dinner with my husband, authentic Mexican food, romantic movies, coffee, dancing even when everyone is looking, being the favorite child of my Mom (love you Mom!), knowing God has a plan for me, that this is just the beginning.

It was fun writing down these fun facts about myself!

If you have any questions which you would like me to answer for you, please let me know.. in the comments below!!

Cheers

Ritika

Black Shirt: Fame Forever

Shorts: Levis (DIY-ed)

Shoes: Vans

Sunnies: Aldo

Watch: Titan

The Power of White Shirt and Blue Jeans

Ever wondered why blue jeans and a white shirt is such a timeless classic combination? Look at the picture below.

This is how the original idea came from! Well, may be. It may be the simplest look you could think of, but it is one of style staples of the women’s wardrobe.

Blue jeans and white shirt is a crisp and clean solution that is easy to pull together and keeps you looking effortless at the same time!

You may consider blue jeans and a white top as off-duty dressing, but dress them up with a pair of high heels and you take simplicity to a new height and get something as stylish as the little black dress.

This may seem incredibly simple, but I’ve found a lot of people don’t own one of the most useful pieces for a good classic outfit: a plain well-fitted white shirt.

However, it is a great piece of item to invest into. Put it under a blazer, pair up with your jeans or add a hat. You may do the soft girl look or go the androgynous way, it looks great both ways.

When you have to attend an event or go for a girlie look, you can simply replace the white tee with an elegant blouse, add a statement piece of necklace and classic pumps. Nothing can spell modern classic better than this!

Let's look at few illustrations below -

Our very own lovely fellow bloggers like Nini and Kelly Framel play the dress up look. Add a Peplum blouse, killer heels and a stunning bag for the evening look.

Wear your hat straight up! A hat can make all the difference. I personally love Fedora hats (see here and here). You can also add a scarf, a belt (like Kim) or a colored tote.

You may definitely choose to keep your denims short and still work up the look. Add a shocking color with your socks (see here) or an umbrella, even stockings can add a pinch of glamour! (See how I wore my denim shorts here)

Did you say jackets? Oh yeh, anytime.. and all kinds! Wear your winter trench coats or simply jazz up the look with a tailored jacket or blazer. A vest looks amazing too! (See how I wore my denim vest here)

Now, who says you can't go upside down? Well, it looks equally awesome, simply add-on few colorful accessories. I personally love white pants!

Go casual! Wear your flared, distressed or cropped denims and you are good to go on those lazy days when dressing up is not that fun ;) Don't forget to add a bling to your outfit with some strappy sandals (like Cameron Diaz), a boxy clutch or a wrist watch.

Men will be men! They can easily take this blue and white combination a level up. Wear your attitude on your sleeves and voila! You are ready to rock the world!

Do you have more ideas to dress up a white tee and blue jeans, let’s hear it!!

Cheers

Ritika

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Things are different today

Sometimes I think why do we get attached to things (read ‘non-living things)? We start imagining this is ours and that is ours just because we bought it or earned it, however, if  we calmly sit and think about it, we must realize that in reality, rarely anything belongs to us.

Such attachment with assets and commodities bear no importance to me. I strongly believe, it is the people, the living creatures, who should be treated with so much importance. Instead we consider our house, our car, our money more important than people. I wonder when that transformation happened.

These non-living things were made (by us) for us to enjoy and simplify living life on this earth, and not to make them ours and become the owner of everything! In this process of buying and owning things we have lost the significance of relationships! Our money and our assets have become so important to us that we have started neglecting the value of humanity, the role of family and friends in our lives.

Again, how did that happen?

Anyways, there is so much that has changed from those good old times, which by the way shouldn’t have been.

Enough said, now taking off my thinking cap and let’s look at today’s outfit.

I thought of going the Kristen Stewart way and paired canvas shoes with my dress. Can’t tell you how comfortable my day was! And orange socks playing peek-a-boo!! xoxo

Enjoy the pics :-) 

P.S. This last one is just for reference :D

Cheers

Ritika

Dress: Forever 21

Shoes: Vans

Hat: Walmart

Sunnies: Aldo

Watch: Invicta

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Less is More

I am super glad today, reason being me receiving fan mails now! It feels good when someone reads your post, likes it and on top of it makes the effort to draft a mail expressing his/her views about it.

I sincerely thank you all! Your mails make me very happy :-)

I just came back from my today’s gym session. The post-workout feeling is great, I tell you. Fitness is always on my mind (when I wake up, when I cook, dining out, going for a movie and so on). It was my 4th day in the new gym, I was so busy for the past few days in unpacking and settling down that I could not catch up on my workouts. But now I am happy to be back to my normal life again... yayyy yikesss!!

Today’s outfit is nothing but one of my favorite LBD gifted by my hubby darling. It’s a plain no-nonsense dress, hence, I chose to dress it up with a high ponytail and red lips. And those blue shoes that you see, my friends, happen to be my favorite!

To answer the question why I kept everything so simple, let me tell you that I wore this outfit to one of my husband’s official family dinner. Hence, I went for the no-fuss look! Sometimes less is more!! (Well, in my case, most of the times).

Have a good day and a good night (choose as to what fits you) :-D

Cheers
Ritika

Black Dress: Mango
Shoes: Metro Shoes
Clutch: Gifted by my mom-in-law
Watch: Invicta

You're Beautiful!

Sometimes people are beautiful.

Not in looks.

Not in what they say.

Just in what they are.

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Beauty must appeal to the senses, must provide us with immediate enjoyment, must impress us or insinuate itself into us without any effort on our part.

You are beautiful. Your beauty, just like your capacity for life, happiness, and success, is immeasurable. Day after day, countless people across the globe get on a scale in search of validation of beauty and social acceptance.

“You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life."

Get off that scale! I have yet to see a scale that can tell you how enchanting your eyes are. I have yet to see a scale that can show you how wonderful your hair looks when the sun shines its glorious rays on it. I have yet to see a scale that can thank you for your compassion, sense of humor, and contagious smile. Get off the scale because I have yet to see one that can admire you for your perseverance when challenged in life.

It’s true, the scale can only give you a numerical reflection of your relationship with gravity. That’s it. It cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love. Don’t give the scale more power than it has earned. Take note of the number, then get off the scale and live your life. You are beautiful!

“The human body is the best work of art.” 

Think of nature! Nature didn't need a surgery or an operation to be beautiful. It just was!

To the people who love you, you are beautiful already. This is not because they’re blind to your shortcomings but because they so clearly see your soul. Your shortcomings then dim by comparison. The people who care about you are willing to let you be imperfect and beautiful, too.

I think happiness is what makes you pretty. Period. Happy people are beautiful. They become like a mirror and they reflect that happiness. No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful.

Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.

When I lay my head on the pillow at night I can say I was a decent person today. That's when I feel beautiful.

Crying is for plain women. Pretty women go shopping :)

At last, I would like to say, a fit and healthy body - that is the best fashion statement ever!!!

Cheers

Ritika

Orange Top: AND

DIY Shorts: Levis

Shoes: Stilettos, New Delhi

Sunnies: Aldo

Watch: Invicta

How to Style Harem Pants

Harem pants or harem trousers, also known as parachute pants, are women's baggy long pants tapered at the ankle, with side flaps on the hip that button at the waist area.

Harem pants, which originated in India, are like a cross between a skirt and a pair of skinny jeans. The legs, from the knees down, are fitted. The crotch area is loose and baggy as if it were cut to be a skirt. Traditional harem pants can be extremely large and baggy, with a very wide and full fit, very roomy, loose fitting, over-sized, puffy, and spacious, with elastic in waist and at ankles, and with the crotch below the knee almost to the ground.

A "modern" version of harem pants was made popular in the late 1980s by MC Hammer and thus known as hammer pants. They are intended to be made more fashionable and require less fabric.

Harem Pants have been there for a while now. Although some view them as a little bit too trendy to pull off, I find the trend of these slouchy pants to be a nice break from the regular jeans and straight fit trousers. They definitely seem tricky to style, but that’s the beauty of them!

They are unique enough and you may not need anything else to look chic. They are actually very flattering. When styling harems, you can keep the following things in mind and you shall never regret buying them!

Fabric – Thick and structured fabrics are recommended with harems as they will flatter your body shape. Cotton, Linen are good choices and Silks are a big no-no!

The Cut – No matter how good they look on runways, but too much drape can look sloppy. Hence, its advisable to go with the cuts which are lose around the thighs and crotch but no so lose that the fabric brunches when standing.
Strictly avoid drop crotch pants unless you are a super risk taker!

Waist Highlight – Another important factor to consider while styling harems is to highlight your waist. This will balance out the bulk.

Top – Try wearing harems with a tighter fitting top, a belt or a cropped jacket to give you shape around your waist and the torso.

Length matters – I personally feel ankle length harem pants look more flattering than the knee length ones because the full length pants add to the length of your legs however, the knee length pants cut the length of your legs in half making you look shorter.

Shoes – Generally, heels make legs look longer, you can also style harems with flats and sandals.

P.S. Let harem pants be the center of attention and keep other accessories light. These are easier to pull off if you pair them with something classic as opposed to other uber-trendy pieces.

Last but not the least, wear your harems with confidence and a smile!

Cheers
Ritika

Animal print shirt: Old Navy
Harem Pants: Shoppers Stop
Denim Vest: Mango
Shoes: Janpath, New Delhi
Sunglasses: Ray Ban
Jhola Bag: Janpath, New Delhi
Watch: Titan
Hoop Earrings: Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi

Just Being Neutral

It would not be wrong when I say that life treats you lessons in its own way. You start yearning for things when you don’t have them and you start missing things or people when they are gone, or let's say, practically when you move ahead in life!

Life is easy in one way and not so easy in the other. And I love living my life the way it comes to me – that is without tweaking or changing it what so ever. I have always let things happen to me the way they were destined to be. I enjoy being a spectator to my own life. If you start fighting or going to the opposite direction, the waves will sink you down, but if you go with the flow, you enjoy the ride.

Moving to a new country altogether was a tough decision for me initially. The many thoughts of leaving my job, my parents, my home, my city kept bothering me. But then I thought life is offering me an opportunity to experience new things in this beautiful world – I could either take it or leave it, and then finally, I took it! And here I am... all happy and enjoying every bit of my life. If I had been reluctant at that time and stuck to my belongings back there, I wouldn’t be in a good place where I am right now!

Accept life as it comes! Simply accept it. Find happiness in everything that you do, and see the magic life has to offer you!

Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are.

On my outfit:

My today's outfit post is from my New Delhi days. I wore it when I was out on a lunch date at my relatives. I  thought of playing up with neutrals and going for a sophisticated look.

Enjoy!

Cheers

Ritika

Blouse: Mango

Pants: Janpath, New Delhi

Shoes: Janpath

Bag: Westside

Sunnies: Oakley

Watch: Invicta

Bangle: Janpath

Kingdom of Dreams

I just realized that it's been quite a few days since I have done a proper outfit post! Hence, immediately jumped down with a pen and paper and searched my pictures, and got these amazing ones, which I almost forgot about.

When me and my husband went to see a live musical show at Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon, India, I wanted to play dress up. Hence, I went with my frilly skirt and a bling blouse.

The show was breathtaking and so was me (as per my husband) :)

I would HIGHLY recommend you all to visit the place anytime you are in Delhi. Its worth it!

I finally landed in Phoenix, one of the hottest cities in America. The sun does not shine here, it burns!!!

Though it feels good to be back here (in U.S.)! But I miss India already, my parents, my friends and my home back there, however, I am all geared up to start up a new life here. Planning to get my driving license here in U.S. soon, as I would love to drive our new SUV which we just bought a day ago! 

On my outfit - 

On one shopping date with my dear hubby, he gifted me this lovely shiny blouse. I immediately fell in love with it and started thinking of what to pair it with since it is such a wonderful neon color. And as I was going for an over the top look, I chose a skirt full of frills to go with it and some nude heels (to balance the equation). The black clutch gives a base to the outfit. Enjoy the pictures!

P.S. This poor guy, with all the costume and make-up on, kept standing in this statue mode for hours. You would think it is a statue, but when you approach him, there is a person on duty!

Cheers

Ritika

Blouse: Globus

Skirt: Old Navy

Shoes: Metro Shoes

Watch: Michael Kors

Clutch: Gifted by MIL

Sunnies: Ray Ban

Necklace: Janpath, New Delhi

Bangles, Earrings: Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi

Short Story: The Buddha Smiles No More

Here’s a lovely story from Buddha’s life.

One day, a disciple came to Buddha and said,” Master, my robe is worn out. Can I have a new one?" Buddha found that the robe was indeed in a bad condition and arranged for a new robe to be given.

The next day, Buddha asked him "What did you do with your old robe?" The disciple replied, "I am using it as my bed spread." Then Buddha wondered, "Have you disposed of your old bed spread?" The disciple replied, "No, Master. I am using my old bedspread as a curtain."

"And what about your old curtain?", asked Buddha. "It is being used to handle hot utensils in the kitchen,” the disciple replied. "Then, can you tell me what happened to the old cloth used in the kitchen,” was the next question. The disciple said, "It is being used to wash the floor."

Buddha asked, "So then where's the old rag being used to wash the floor?" The disciple humbly replied "Master, since it was totally torn, I could not think of any better use for it, but as the wick in the oil lamp, which lights your study room after sunset."

Buddha smiled in contentment and left for his room.

We have moved far, far away from the teachings of Buddha, which are rooted in Indian culture. It’s not too long ago. Remember when we did not feel the need to buy the bigger car with the latest technology every two years, we had pens for which we bought refills, we were happy with shoes in neutral shades instead of a wardrobe crammed with the latest styles, when manufacturers reused bottles after cleaning them instead of using PET bottles and tin cans which lie dumped in the garbage – stinking and rusting?

Surely, you can’t imagine that this wasteful culture can go on? And surely you don’t flatter yourself thinking you are already doing your bit to conserve the environment? Do you often feel there is wasteful production; wasteful consumption? And how often do we land up buying things which we do not even get out of the packaging we bought it in?

Do you get the feeling that something is seriously wrong and we are responsible for nailing down the problem and finding solutions?

Well its time we, you and I who are these consumers, stopped. If we do not make the right choices to diligently conserve what little we have left, we will soon have decisions thrust on us by Nature. The price might be too heavy for us to pay. So, think what you can do about it ..before its too late.

Think!

Ritika
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