You and I

Dearest Iti,

You are and you will always remain my best friend....my only best friend, much much more than just a cousin. I knew you before I opened my eyes. Mum told me you used to talk to me when I was inside her, telling me all about yourself and asking me to be your friend for you had nobody else for a friend. They hated you for you were very beautiful, almost angelic. They envied you for all that you had and pitied you for that unformed hand , the only glitch in the most perfect painting. Miracle you might call it, I did turn out to love you from the very moment I saw you with my tiny eyes, much before I could love my mom and dad. I loved you more than everything and anybody else. You were just 2 when I was born and you swore to be my angel,to protect me from everyone. I loved you for you never let anybody touch me ..hurt me. You called me "Bakbak" for I never kept my mouth shut. The name stuck and see how everybody now calls me "Bakbak", except for you.
We were 4 and 6 then. Everyone called us the inseparables. We dressed the same for I wanted to be you, the perfect you. You let me steal the spotlight for I was demanding,I wanted everything. You let me pick my favourite first. You held my hands tight when we crossed the road. You fought with everyone who hurt me. I remember you hitting the bully Abhra, 10 years older than you. You jumped on him for calling me names. But you were no match to him, you came back home with a black eye and a smile of victory on your badly bruised and split lips. You taught him a lesson for abusing your "Bakbak". All I did was stand staring at you fighting and getting beaten up for me. I did not move to help you for I was a scared cat.
The news came as a jolt for both of us. I didn't want to leave you and go to Delhi with mum and dad. I wanted to be with you in our perfect world,just you and I. I begged mum to leave me with you and masi but that never happened. We had to part.
Guess time got the better of us. We grew up in our own ways and worlds. We grew more and more apart and more and more different.
I now didn't like the not-so-cool you. You turned out be an emotional fool,or so I thought. You kept pulling me back to those years,I didn't want it. So I stayed away from you,avoiding you. Excuses like "I have my exams","I am busy","I can't connect with you now","we are not the same little girls now" were frequent. You tried to rekindle my lost love but I didn't help. I didn't like you any more. I guess I had joined those haters who disliked you. I was no more your "Bakbak" for I stopped talking to you.
Its only now that I realise how much you meant to me,how I am me,just because you. I ignored, disrespected,hated you,said cruel things but you bore it all without a word,your perfect smile always on your face while I wronged you. Can't we go back to those perfect years,those "you and I" years? I want to tell you how much I always loved you,how much you meant to me,you were all I wanted to be. How I wish I could hear you calling me "Bakbak" just once. How I wish I had told you for once that I loved you.
Time had taken the better of us,for time took you away from me,from all of us ever.
Was it time to blame or was it me who changed? Am sorry,it was always me and not time...How I wish I could tell you that.

ME
P.S.- I loved you and I always will

Sa re Gaga ma!!

Its 28th March and its the birthday of my favorite singer Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga.

source- stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com

This multi-talented singer songwriter has taken the world by storm with her music and her so called "bizzare" sense of style. She is the only person who could look totally fabulous in a red latex dress or a bubble dress or with Panda eyes!!
She looked absolutely wonderful in a sari (designed by Tarun Tahiliani) when she came to India during the inaugural function of the new F1 track. She later stripped the sari into a style dress during the performance. Take  look how she looked-

source- fashiondoesyou.com

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday Lady Gaga!!
I am trying to imagine what she would be wearing today..well, you never know,she might turn herself into the birthday cake!! :P

Here is a list of my favorite songs by her-

5) Just Dance - This was her first #1 Hit. Can we forget those preppy lyrics and the addictive beats??

4) Poker Face - I love love love this song.  I couldn't stop humming "p p p pokerrr face" all the time :P

3) You and I - Didn't she look supah good as a guy?? This is one of the most depressingly addictive songs she sang so far.

2) Bad Romance - Music and concept wise,I think this is Gaga at her best. The exploration of the dark human psyche makes it even better.

1) Born This Way - This song is really special  for me. The message she sent through this song was amazing. Here are my fave lines from the song-

"I'm beautiful in my way 'Cause God makes no mistakes

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret

Just love yourself and you're set

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way" 

(lyrics from azlyrics.com)

Do you like Lady Gaga and her music?? Do you like these songs?? What are your favorites from her?? Tell me in the comments.

Love

Swarnali

P.S.- The title was taken from a facebook post by MTV India.

Guest Post 4 - Meet Amber !!

Hellow !!
How is everyone?? 
Yeah I know, long time,no see. Was busy studying and didn't have time to spare for my blog. So I approached the fabulous Amber of Amber's Mouthwash to do a guest post for my neglected blog and she agreed!! Yay!! 
Meet Amber. She is one of the sweetest people I have known on blogsphere with a totally amazing fashion sense. She is the first person who made me want to turn my hair into messy curls. She is not just a fashionista but is also magical with her camera,often have I drooled over the photographs she took. Her talents don't end with that!! She also owns her own etsy shop called Amberie Boutique where you can find the cutest stuff from jewelry to shoes to clothes. No more from me,lets go to what Amber has to say-


Hello readers! My name is Amber, author of the personal fashion blog Amber's Mouthwash. Swarnali has kindly asked me to write a guest post for her, and I couldn't be more thrilled. As a fashion blogger I am always looking for creative ways to shop my closet. While I would love to be able to purchase new things all the time, it just isn't practical. I thought I would share with you some of my self taught tips on how to make getting dressed fun!


How to shop your closet 


Organize by color
I have been doing this for years. Not only does it make your closet more appealing to the eye, it also shows you what colors you wear (or purchase) the most. Simply organize by color, length, and then style. For the longest time my closet was notoriously 1/3 pink, and had absolutely no yellow or black. When you know what colors you have the most of, it makes shopping easier ("I know I have enough pink, but I need to start working more green into my wardrobe..."). Another perk to organizing your closet this way is it makes getting dressed easier - what color do you want to pair with that orange sweater? Blue? It's all there and easy to compare.

Source: stylebubble.co.uk via Amber on Pinterest

Put all your favorites in the front 
My closet it is pretty wild - but in a good way. Have a peek in there and you will find vintage sequin pencil skirts, neon dresses, sheer cut-out blouses, leopard print coats, and tulle skirts. I simply wouldn't have it any other way. I also have have a hard time buying "basics". Why would I want to purchase a button down collared blouse when there are fun floral socks to be had? Dressing should be fun, and I don't have time for the boring. At least that's what I tell myself when I shop. It's in the mornings that I sometimes find that that way of thinking gets me in trouble. The simple solution is to hang your favorite "home" wear next to your favorite of favorites. When I'm not organizing my closet by color, I'm taking all my absolute favorite, crazy pieces (cropped faux fur vest, anyone?) and putting them up front, and all my cozy, comfy "i could live in these" tees and sweaters in the other half. Grab one item from side A, and another from size B and you are good to go!

Source: ruffles-n-sequins.tumblr.com via Amber on Pinterest

Don't be afraid to wear it again
We all have outfits that we love. We feel great while we wear them, and it shows. We're actually sad when we have to take them off at the end of the day, and we secretly wish we could wear them again - tomorrow. Well, I've got great news! There is no rule anywhere that says you can't wear it again! Think about your favorite outfit: what is it that you love so much about it? And then think of small variations you can make to it. Can you wear it with flats instead of heels? Can you wear a little sweater over it? What about accessories? Soon you'll have your favorite outfit looking new again.

Get rid of the Lurkers 
A great way to keep your closet feeling fresh and not boring is to go through it every couple of months and make sure you don't have any "lurkers'. Lurkers are items that just hang around your closet, but are never actually worn. Maybe it's an old dress that you bought for a special event, and you haven't actually worn for three years. Maybe it's a t-shirt that fits a little too tight under the arms. Either way, if you haven't worn it in 6 months or more, it's a lurker. You have two options: you can stash it away in a box for another 2 or 3 months and see if you think about at all. If not, it's time for that item to go. You're never going to wear it. your other option is to just get rid of it right away. If it is still in good condition, why not consider donating it?

Source: 28.media.tumblr.com via Amber on Pinterest

Dress with a theme in mind
No, I'm not talking Star Wars. Rather, pick a theme of texture, color, or pattern when getting dressed. When getting dressed, look at your closet and single out one item you know you want to wear that day. What color is it? What sort of texture does it have? Is there a pattern? Choose which characteristic you are going to go by that day (such as pattern), and give it a whirl. Shy about mixing patterns? Don't be! Simply look for repeating colors, and varying size. Giving yourself little challenges like these will help you to see your closet in ways you might not have otherwise. It will keep you excited about getting dressed in the morning too. Remember: you don't have to purchase new things to keep your closest feeling new!

What do you think? Are you going to give any of these suggestions a try?


So how did you like her post?? Tell me in the comments.

Book Review - The Land of the Wilted Rose

THE LAND OF THE WILTED ROSE
AUTHOR: Anand Ranganathan
Genre: Novel / Fiction
ISBN-13: 9788129119216 
NO. OF PAGES: 154
PRICE: Rs. 195 (I got this from Blogadda)

image courtesy: amazon

EXCERPT: (on the death of the previous Maharaja and the description of his death) " ...even smothering becomes pleasant when the tool is a goose-down pillow enclosed in the finest Tutticorin silk " 

SWARNALI SPEAKS: One question that comes to my mind after reading this book is what made the author write this or for that matter the other 3 in the series. I suppose the author was trying to create a parallel situation with role reversals, with the Indian Raj ruling over the world and the British being imprisoned and turned to slaves. The whole point in doing so was maybe to make everyone realize how painful being imprisoned in our own land by foreigners is. Sadly, I could not empathize with the condition of the British anywhere in the book. It is not that I think it serves them right but its that I couldn't feel their pain through the book. The author has missed in evoking a sense of loss that the subjugated feel.

I had a really hard time finishing the book. The 156 pg size of the book can be deceptive as it demands a lot of time to comprehend and re-read certain portions. The narrative in the beginning makes no effort to catch the reader’s attention and begins with a painfully slow pace which continues throughout the book. I personally felt that the author has gone a bit too much trying to describe the situation and the conditions of the people living in Britain. 

The use of Hinglish makes matters even worse as it took me a very long time to comprehend certain terms or sentences which were Hindi written in the Roman script. Take an example- “Hooo-hoo-which-baa-wa-wa-wa-hoooaa-throom-hooaah?” It took me 5 readings to understand that it meant, “To which bathroom?”. Apart from it the repetitive use of Anglicized Hindi curse words like “ban-cho” and “caukrow” to replace the usual English curse words made it very troublesome to read. Also, the author paid a lot of attention that every object of daily use is mentioned in its Indian name, like “jooti” , “sherwani” , “kamarbandh” , “baint” , “jaatiwaad” among others. This I found to be a bit unnecessary as their English names could have been easily used. But if the author had intended to giving everything an Indian name, I wonder why the official ranks were excused from their Indian rankings. Why were then they called “Viceroy”, “Colonel” and “Admiral” instead of “Senapati” or “Zameendaar”? 

The first part of the book was dragged beyond need trying to explain everything in detail, every single building, vehicle and object. It is only toward the end of part 1 and in part 2 that the book gains some pace.

The book cover says it is a black comedy and its very evident that this is a very satiric work. The name suggests a Gandhian figure, Jack Riley trying to free his country from the clutches of the rulers i.e. Indians. The whole idea of a 17 year old Maharaja (who thinks he is aging!!) is a banter on the social system. The book reminds me of Mulk Raj Anand’s Coolie  in its description of the suffering English but it lacks Anand’s empathy and sensitivity as I find it turning bitter at certain points. The book could have been made more interesting and far better had the narrative and choice of words been handled better.

MY RATING: 2 / 5

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!