Fitness - Bollywood Style!

Ok, if you think this is another long winded article about the various, ever changing (and questionable) fitness routines of bollywood stars, you couldn’t be more wrong. I, for one, don’t believe all the stuff they say in their interviews. Ok, parts of it may be true, but I can’t help feeling that they are leaving out all the gory details and making it appear that effortless is really just a façade. Anyway, leave that, I’m just talking about how they can help us attain fitter bodies – through their songs!!

I mean, aren’t there some songs that just make you feel like jumping up and dancing away to glory!! And isn’t dance one of the best cardio workouts around? Well, there you are!! A perfect, enjoyable workout to do at home; completely equipment free, trainer free, everything free!! So, to make things a wee bit easier for you guys, I compiled a list of some of the ‘dhamakedaar’ songs I think would be perfect to work up a sweat :-). Here they are:

1. Sadi Gali from Tanu Weds Manu

2. Rang De Basanti from Rang De Basanti

3. Ainvayi Ainvayi from Band Baaja Baaraat

4. Dhan Te Nan from Kaminey

5. Sheila Ki Jawani from Tees Maar Khan

6. Pappu Can’t Dance Saala from Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

7. It’s the Time to Disco from Kal Ho Na Ho

8. Koi Kahe from Dil Chahta Hai

9. Desi Girl from Dostana

There you go! More than 40 minutes of energy boosting, mood boosting cardio!! Do it alone, or have your buddies over.

What do you think of my list? Tell me about your fav cardio workout too :-).

Lust List - October

October always feels like a multicolored month for me. No surprises there, since it starts the most festive quarter of the year and in India, festivals = colors, lots and lots of them!! So, in keeping with the spirit, my lust list this month has more of a festive feel to it :-).

In other news, Bones is over here (boo hoo!!). Heard Dexter’s season 7 premiered on Sunday. Wonder what’s gonna happen this time!! Will Lumen return?

Ok, ahem, back to the topic – here’s what I’m lusting after nowadays:

1. Kundan Earrings

Image Courtesy: indiansareedesigns

Found these absolutely stunning earrings that are screaming to be worn with a saree!!! Kundan jewelry always has this old-world, elegant feel to it, it instantly pulls up any outfit a couple of notches.

2. Paisley Brown Party Clutch

Image Courtesy: ebay.co.uk

Love at first sight!! A versatile color that makes it great to wear with pretty much everything, and the paisley print makes it go with Indian, Western and fusion wear.

3. Blue Indian Full Length Skirt

Image Courtesy: fashionvoyage.vratikanakul

Manish Malhotra does it again!! Isn’t this skirt simply ‘Wow’??? It looks great here with the corset, but you could wear it with a lot of other tops as well. Somehow, this skirt is just so Diwali-ish!!

4. Antique Gold colored Slingbacks

Image Courtesy: metroshoes

Festivals in India are as much about bling as about color, and what can get more blingy than these antique gold colores slingbacks from Metro? Perfect for Indian wear or a little black/red dress.

And now, for the non-festive stuff;

5. Turquoise Blouse 

Image Courtesy: lacronlondon

I’m loving all things turquoise lately, and this blouse is simple but so versatile. I can think of so many things to wear inside it, outside it, under it….so many possibilities!!

6. Nautical Scarves

Image Courtesy: splendidiversion.blogspot

How cute are these scarves from L.L. Bean? I want them all to perk up any dreary outfit during the coming winter!!

7. Printed Tunic Dress

Image Courtesy: net-a-porter

A perfect example of stylish yet modest clothing. I love this dress and again, I can think of myriad possibilities of stuff to go with it!! I suppose it would be best to tone down the accessories and let the glory of the dress just shine through!!


This post is a participant at Monday Mingle hosted by BonBonRoseGirls this week.

So, which one did you guys like the most? Happy Dussehra to all of you who are celebrating in India and abroad!! Hope everyone’s having a blast!!

Link List - September

Hola!!! Hope everyone’s having a nice, relaxed Sunday!!! I’m having a little lunch get-together here with my cousins, so gotta go and cook up a storm in the kitchen :-). But before that, I thought I’d post some interesting links I found over the past month. Actually, ahem, this post was supposed to go out last day of September, but then I got caught up in loads of stuff and had to postpone it. Really got to have a more reliable blogging system in place!!

First up, check out some AMAZING table settings at Fashion-Isha.

Organizing Junkie gives you some good reasons to get rid of your clothes.

Imogen, of Inside Outside Style gives some sensible tips to develop your style.

Rachel, of Lines Across My Face, shows how to make a really sweet and very easy little button project, perfect for kids’ rooms.

Check out some lovely fall décor tips from the very creative Homemaker on a Dime.

Got too many beauty products? Get in touch with The Closet Therapist for help.

Rebecca at My Girlish Whims shows how to make these cute little martini earrings.

Wondering which time of the day to exercise? Find out the advantages of morning workouts at A Delightful Home.

Nahida, The Fatal Feminist, has a piece of her mind to give to all those who think marital rape is justified.

And finally, for all those hoarders, read the curious case of Justin Case at Be More With Less.

Hope all of you liked these links!! Which one did you like the most? Tell me!!

Books and Birthdays!

Another great weekend over and I am feeling all fresh and recharged for the week :-). Maybe the fact that it’s Cub’s birthday tomorrow is adding to the excitement. Yup, my little bundle of mischief turns 3 tomorrow!! Wow, that was fast!!

When he was born, I was feeling, well….weird. I know, not very glowy-mommy of me, but it was really strange, after months of not really having much to do to suddenly being at the beck and call of a small person. I started getting frustrated with all the little things (no thanks to you, fickle post partum hormones), and my Mom used to console me saying, “That’s ok, his neck muscles will become stronger by 3 months” or “Just a matter of a few months, then he’ll sleep through the night” or “He’ll be able to sit up and play by himself in 6 months”. At that time, his age was like, 20 days old or 3 weeks old, and to me, who was struggling to turn day into night and then night into the next day, 6 months was like a million years away!!

Well, after around 3 or 4 months, that feeling wore off (thanks, hormones) and then time began to fly. Before I knew it, it was his first birthday, he was walking, then talking, then jumping and now he’s this highly opinionated little man!!! It seems funny now that I thought these days would be so far away when now I barely have time for anything!!! I’m just glad I enjoyed the formative years (mostly) and Cub’s turned out okay so far (yes, I am praising my own mothering skills :-)).

Anyway, I thought I’d review two kiddie books we ordered for the Cub from Flipkart. The first one is ‘All by Myself ‘ by Mercer Mayer, which is part of her Little Critter series.

In this book, Little Critter attempts to do a lot of stuff by himself, even things he can’t actually do, which leads to a few funny situations. This is a great book for toddlers/preschoolers who are now in the ‘I’ll do it alone’ stage. It’s a nice way to differentiate between what they can do and what they can’t do without making a mess. The book is supposed to foster independence (not that kids need any help there :-)) and encourage little ones to be safe while exploring their skills.

The Critter is really cute and the pictures are clear and bright with limited words. Perfect for some parent-child bonding time!

The second book is ‘No, David!’ by David Shannon. Apparently, David Shannon’s mother sent him a book he had made as a child, which consisted mainly of illustrations of him doing all sorts of naughty deeds with the words ‘No’ and ‘David’, as said by his mother. This resulted in the whole ‘Naughty David’ book series, of which this is the first.

This is a really fun book, which will have both parents and kids squealing with laughter at the hilarious situations created by David and his exasperated mother (who’s always in the background). The pictures are very detailed and Cub had a lot of fun pointing out familiar stuff in them. This book is a must have for both boys and girls, though boys will probably identify with David more :-).

So, I’m off to get a few things done for Cub’s birthday tomorrow. No fancy party or anything, just us and his grandparents. And of course, a cake!!

Been a While!

It’s been a little while since my last post. In case any of you have been wondering where I was (After 40 posts and 15 followers, I wonder how many that would actually be ;-)), I was at the in-laws for the weekend, and then for a quick trip to Mangalore. We had an extended weekend here as the opposition declared a hartal (strike) on Monday, to protest against the rising petrol prices. As a result, we got back from our trip last evening and I’m still upset the weekend’s over :-(.

We had a great time, some shopping, some mall crawling, a LOT of eating…usual weekend stuff. I’m not yet in a mood to blog about anything sensible, so this post is just a drawling mess of my thoughts right now. Oh yes, and I also wanted to show you guys what I got.

Black …umm, well, they called it a ‘Fashion Cape’, but it looks a lot like a cardigan too, so I’m going to make sure it serves double purpose!! Presenting my ‘cape-digan’ from Pantaloons:

Pink stole. They called it a stole, too :-) :

This is from a store called People. I like the stuff there, cute and very reasonably priced.

A multicolored cloth covered bangle from Tribal Zone. I loved it instantly and then it was mine :-)

The first two items have been on my must have list for such a long time. Oh, by the way, did I mention I made a complete inventory of my clothes, shoes and accessories recently?? I was surprised to see how many whites and reds I owned!!

While I was on this activity, I also went ahead and started an outfit list listing all possible combinations with clothes in my inventory and then I noted down any missing item that would really complete any given outfit. Now I realize I am short on stuff for layering and in desperate need of a white bag and black ballet flats. See, shopping list ready as well!! This is soo cool!!!

I never realized how enlightening cataloging my wardrobe would be. First of all, I am amazed at the amount of clothes I have!! Secondly, I find myself thinking out of the box and finding different uses for the same old pieces. Finally, I can honestly differentiate between what I 'need' and what I 'want'.

For anyone thinking of attempting this, a little warning – this is hard work. It will first of all require you to purge every corner of your wardrobe, and do the whole ‘KEEP/THROW/DONATE/REPAIR’ activity first. Then start listing things down according to category/color/season. Once this is done, a lot of new outfit ideas start coming to mind. Note them down immediately along with your tried and tested combos. And then work on the missing pieces. All this takes a lot of time and patience and it simply CANNOT be completed in a day. I am still in the process of making my combos and am already 2 weeks plus into this project.

On another note, anyone going to Mangalore must try the Murgh Tikka Biryani from Palkhi. It. is. amazing! Perfectly cooked, perfect blend of spices, and succulent tikka pieces. Just perfect.

Well, enough of rambling. Looks like most of the other bloggers had great weekends too. Can’t wait for the next one already! This is what happens when you spend your weekend being a glutton!!

Image Courtesy: graphicshunt

Bones

I know the title probably sounds bizarre, but I’m talking about the TV show here. You do know what I’m talking about, don’t you? Please say you do. There are so many people out there who’re fans of Dexter, but not that many of Bones. Don’t get me wrong, Dexter is my fav TV show, but Bones…is also my favorite (Oh cmon, you can have two favorites, right??). I wonder why it doesn’t have that many takers, though.

Image Courtesy: wikipedia

I am a huuuugee fan of Emily Deschanel. I think she’s really talented and I love the way she’s portrayed Dr. Temperance Brennan, the main character. She was particularly good in the 9^th episode of Season 6 “The Doctor in the Photo”, where Brennan finds a victim whose life parallels her own. She’s so pretty, that too without being a size zero. Needless to say, I’ve been religiously watching every episode on Star World :-). But its soo late coming here, I heard that season 7 is going to premiere in the U.S. sometime in November. Wonder when that’ll hit Indian TV screens (sulk). Better get the DVD or something.

Everything in the show seems so detailed and accurate; you actually feel you’re in the lab with all the squints. Don’t know what that means? You gotta watch Bones!! (Incidentally, that is one of Bones’ most common statements – “I don’t know what that means”!!)

Image Courtesy: redbubble

Another thing I love about Bones is her style. She wears simple yet stylish formal clothing – button down shirts in various colors, no nonsense but well fitting trousers (rarely skirts) and so many beautiful coats and jackets (most of them Burberry).

 Image Courtesy: eonline

 Image Courtesy: karracrow.blogspot

 Image Courtesy: noonewatching

 Image Courtesy: seat42f

 Image Courtesy: wetpaint

 Image Courtesy: noonewatching

 Image Courtesy: noonewatching

However, the highlight of her outfits is the jewelry, especially the neckpieces. She’s supposed to have collected them on her travels to exotic places. Though a polar opposite of her clothes, her jewelry does blend in and creates a really interesting look.

Image Courtesy: flikr

Well, I could go on and on and on, but by then I guess you’d all have stopped reading ;-). Anyway, you can always look here for more info. Find out what's happening in the current episodes (in India) here.

Do any of you guys love Bones too??? Do tell me, I’d love to know!!!

Recipe for the Week - Honey Crunch Oatmeal

There are a lot of people I know who don’t really like eating oats; they just force themselves to do it for health’s sake (E.g. My Mom :-)). The Cub is an exception, he just loves oats. He’s been having it ever since he was a little baby and it’s his most preferred breakfast item today!!! Here is his favorite version, with another really healthy ingredient, Dates – Honey Crunch Oatmeal.

What you’ll need (1 serving):

1. ½ cup oats
2. 4 fresh dates
3. 1 tsp honey
4. 1 tsp flaxseed
5. 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
6. 1 cup milk

What you’re going to do:

1. Pit and chop the dates into small pieces.

2. Put the oats along with ½ cup water into a saucepan and cook.

3. When the water is absorbed and the oats are mushy, add the dates and milk and continue to cook on high heat, stirring continuously till the oats are completely cooked.

4. Transfer the oats into a bowl and stir in the honey and peanut butter. Mix well.

5. Top with the flaxseed and serve hot.

This recipe is a participant for the HLI-DATES event at Aarthi’s blog Munch Munch Crunch Crunch

and also for the Healthy Lunchbox Ideas (HLI) event at Kalyani’s blog Sizzling Tastebuds.

A Day at the Fair!

It’s really a hustle and bustle all around here, tomorrow being Onam and all. For the uninitiated, Onam is the most important festival of Kerala and is celebrated with flower carpets, new clothes and a huge feast spread out on a banana leaf!! Check here for more info on this colorful festival!!

Every year, during Onam, the city hosts a fair with all sorts of handicrafts from all over India. We visited the fair yesterday and I returned with a few things:

A pair of colorful handmade leather Kolhapuris:

A turquoise necklace:

A pair of turquoise earrings:

A pair of wooden earrings:

Well, that’s it, not much shopping :-). The streets were lined with flower vendors, with heaps of multicolored blossoms. I tried taking pics, but jostling through the crowd really made things difficult. I did get this though:

This was the flower carpet in the lounge of our apartment building:

This flower carpet was at the local mall:

Some pics from the internet:

People celebrating in traditional clothes,

Image Courtesy: thehindu

and a traditional feast!

Image Courtesy: bloggersview

Its night as I write this and people have begun bursting crackers outside. All in all, a very festive atmosphere!!! Wish everyone a Happy Onam!!

Recipe for the Week - Chocolate Cupcakes

One of my long standing desires has been to bake a simple cake perfectly. You know, it should look perfectly symmetric, be spongy and soft and taste heavenly. But my baking experiments so far have been pathetic to say the least. My most successful endeavor has been a batch of brownies that were cooked at the top and a mushy brown mess at the bottom. Sigh!!

But, all that changed last Sunday, when I cooked these chocolate cupcakes!! I finally did it!! I actually baked something that looked (somewhat) like a (cup)cake, was completely cooked and tasted pretty good!! Yippee!!!! Though the tops of my cupcakes were cracked, this still is my first ever successful baking attempt!!! I wasn't even sure if I should put this up on the blog (hence, the paucity of step by step photos), but I just couldn't resist!!

Recipe Courtesy: This recipe has been slightly modified from the book “The Big Book of Baking” by Parragon Publications

What you’ll need: (8 cupcakes)

1. 85 g plain white flour
2. 1 tsp baking powder
3. 1 tbsp cocoa powder
4. 60 g castor sugar
5. 55 g unsalted butter
6. 1 large egg
7. 50 g plain chocolate – broken into 8 pieces

Note: The egg should be at room temperature (not directly from the fridge) and the butter should have been outside the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Equipment – A large mixing bowl, electric egg beater, cupcake tin

What you’re going to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and place cupcake liners into the cupcake tin. (I didn’t use liners, just a nonstick tin)

2. Sift the flour and baking powder together so that they are uniformly mixed.

3. Put all the ingredients except the chocolate pieces into a large bowl.

4. Use an egg beater to whisk it all together till the mixture is just smooth. Don’t overdo the mixing; I think that’s why my cupcakes got cracked on top.

5. At this point, the batter will be a little thick and not exactly of pouring consistency.

6. Divide half the batter into 8 of the prepared cupcake liners.

7. Insert a piece of chocolate into the center of the batter in each cupcake liner.

8. Spoon the remaining batter on the top of all the cupcakes. (Don’t completely fill each cupcake liner, you need space for it to rise)

9. Place the tin into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or till springy to the touch. You can also insert a skewer and see if it comes out clean.

10. Leave to cool for 2-3 minutes and then take them out of the tin. Enjoy!!

You’ll find that the chocolate pieces inside the cupcakes have melted giving them a molten centre. Yum!! 

Of course, I know that these are far from perfect, and I’ve got tons of room for improvement, but I’m still very proud of myself!! A special thanks to Parita at Parita’s World for inspiring this baking attempt!! You have got to check out her cakes!!