So….What’s your Style?

People confuse Fashion with Style. They are two different things altogether. Fashion is something that you can learn, cultivate and something that you can buy. But Style is something that you are born with…something you possess in your genes.

You can buy the most fashionable accessories and clothing but if you cannot carry them…….you will feel & look out of place.

If something looks good on your colleague, a movie star, a model, a friend, or someone you envy, it’s not necessary it will look good on you as well. You need to identify your body type and then flatter it to the maximum with the right stuff.

Sometimes you need to take some risks. One should try something really different, something outside your comfort zone. Something funky and fun. By doing this, you'll find out something new an amazing about yourself, and this is what style is all about. Try it out.....you may become a trend setter for others to follow.

My Style

“Comfort & Simplicity” is what is my styling funda.

I am always up to mixing & matching my clothes, accessories, shoes/ slipper’s etc. I actually fancy skirts and jeans….they are my all time favorite. Red, pink, blue, green, black, white are my favourite colors.

Shopping……..is something I just really hate doing! I wish the shops could visit me and ask me to make my selection. I know shopping is a ladies best pass time….but maybe I am the odd one out. But yeah……let me mention here that I love buying my own stuff because I know my style. Shopping - it even takes me 2-3hrs at times, maybe to simply buy one top. That’s why I love shopping alone.

Make-up is a completely No-No for me…..I look too dressed up with the foundations, lipstick, rouge, mascara etc. I only wear black kohl and lip balm. Accessories is too the minimum…yeah but I love accessorising.

And if you ask me….what I am most comfortable wearing?.... then let me tell you that I am most comfortable in my night-wear which is a set of pajamas and a loose loose T-shirt. Its gets even better, if the T-shirt has some holes and is actually discolored…;-)

Yeah, let me also mention that I do not discard my good fitting clothes so easily. Two reasons, one I am very possessive about them and second, these clothes act as my shape indicators…..if I do not fit into them -3-4yrs down the line…it surely warns me to workout even more rigorously.

“Fashions fades, but style is eternal.”

If you want to give me your styling fundas, you can write to me at simplymearl@live.com or leave your inputs in the comments tab below.

Before I sign out, as I always say take very good care of yourself, God Bless and don’t forget to Always keep it stylish!

A Stupid Common Man…….the so called Aam Aadmi*

The image depicts the Common Man - drawn by Laxman

The common man of India is not over-reacting to the current circumstances in India. Each one of us infact is terrified with the several blasts that have shattered busy metros/ cities in India. We are afraid and helpless and we the so called “common man” cannot do anything to prevent this from happening.

We feel powerless!!!

The recent bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, New Delhi, Mumbai, Malegoan have traumatized each citizen of this country - each common man of this country. When we go out of our home on our daily voyage, we are not sure, whether we will return home at all……..or even if we return home, would we be back in one piece.

Is it that the group of people causing this destruction in India is smarter and intelligent than the Indian police and the so called state authorities?

This is an earnest call to the state authorities, the various democratic parties in India, to come together and fight this war against terror.

We cannot afford to play politics on this subject of terror. We need to place our grudges, personal wars aside and collectively and mutually destroy the terrorists group. These terrorists communities are fundamentally trying to disintegrate our unity to destroy India. They are essentially banking on our politically rivalry amongst each other – our hatred towards each other, to play their terror games.

As said by Mahatma Gandhi, "Unity to be real must stand the severest strain without breaking."

This article of mine is inspired from the movie “A Wednesday” which is a remarkable film with theatre at its best. It talks about how we have been allowing these attacks to happen in our country without rectifying the problem till today.

In nervousness and extreme anxiety, the common man someday will be forced to take law in his hand. And this would lead to chaos in the country!

If you are an Indian and you haven’t seen the movie yet……I persuade you to go and watch it….its a fantastic film. And even if you cannot comprehend Hindi, I still persuade you to grab a DVD of this film with an English subtitle.

If you have your views on this situation in India, you can write to me at simplymearl@live.com or leave your inputs in the comments tab below.

Before I sign out, as I always say take very good care of yourself, God Bless and

Remember, “By union the smallest states thrive. By discord the greatest are destroyed.”

*Aam Aadmi (Hindi)– Its means the “Common Man”

Why are Christians in India being victimised?

Peace loving Christian population in India, which constitute a mere 2.3% of the Indian population are being persecuted and victimized since Dec 2007 and the situation is not getting any better even today.

Each day there is news flashing on all newspapers and displayed on prime time television that Christian churches are wrecked, holy statues are broken down, Christians are beaten and burnt alive……my question is, Why are Christians harassed for being Christians????

Faith under attack

Faith is under attack here in India. We should be ashamed of the way we treat our Catholic brothers and sisters in India……but the feeling of guilt and shame will only be felt if you have a conscious. It is obvious that the people who are causing this kind of disharmony amongst the citizens of India are without a conscious or should I say they are deceiving their soul.

An individual can decide which faith he wants to follow. Whether he follows Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity or Buddhism, it is the faith that an individual wants to believe in. No-one and No-body can stop him/ her from following his/ her faith.

Yes, even I believe that forceful conversion is against the law and should be punished. However, if an individual wants to convert willingly - of his own conscious, of his own mind…..no one can stop this from happening…..neither you, nor me, nor anybody from the centre and the state authorities.

The Centre is humiliated

The centre is ashamed of the situation more because they are terrified of what people in the international arena’s will think about India which today is a liberalized country…..a country which thinks global…..a country which is in the pipeline of signing the nuclear deal……The centre is asking themselves questions like, “Would we loose our face internationally”, “Would we loose trade/ commerce with other countries?”

Has anybody asked the citizens of the country, the victims of this bloody attack on Christians, how do they feel? Do they feel secure living in the country which penalizes people for following their faith?

My views in a layman’s perspective

As mentioned earlier, faith is something that a person is grown up with. In some cases, an individual is born in one faith and then moves on to believe in another because he/she believes that a particular faith gives her the peace of mind and happiness.

Infact, we should be happy that a particular faith makes people happy and content….whether an individual follows Faith A or follows Faith B is not something that anybody has the right to question. India and WE Indians should be proud that we have so many cultures, faiths, traditions, ethnicities, because of all this variety…India is diverse and this is what makes us different for the rest of the world.

The girl who does the household chores at my residence is born in a Hindu family. At the age of 18, she ALSO started believing in the Christian faith? She just has one thing to say that she sees no difference in the two faiths that she follows. Both the faiths teach the same thing….to love your brothers and sisters and live and let live in harmony.

I envy this girl…..I feel she is really lucky to be able to follow two faiths in her one being.

The centre needs to take an immediate action now before the situation goes completely out of control. It needs to call a meeting with the persecutors and ask them what is their motive behind their horrific act and punish the defaulters for their cruelty.

"Religions die when they are proved to be true."

If you have your views on this situation in India, you can write to me at simplymearl@live.com or leave your inputs in the comments tab below.

Before I sign out, as I always say take very good care of yourself, God Bless and Remember, “You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”, so Keep The Faith Always!!

“EXERCISE” – Your Investment to Good Health

Open the newspapers today and you will find a supplement to “fitness mantras”….Switch on the TV and you will find an exclusive “good health” show telecast….Tune in to radio and you are forced to listen to the R.J. giving you fitness tips or probably an on-air broadcast show on exercise and its benefits….

Let me first clear the air….……I do not intend to blog about how to stay fit!! I am sure the radio stations, telecasters, and print media have contributed enough and you and me by now know the tricks of the trait.

My experiences
I only wish to share with you my personal experiences….I was one of those kinds who never really moved my butt to go that extra mile (just to specify here….where working out is concerned)…..I always wished “Fitness came in a bottle.”

But then one day the fitness bug bit me too and I am glad it did. It has been 3-4yrs since I have been working out and believe me it’s a DRUG. Although I am not a hard core gym freak or someone who works out to build those muscles and curves, I do that little bit…

My idea to fitness is simple…..sweat it out with 45mins jogging ritual (5 times a week), eat very well stressing on home food (no compromises), at times feast on fast food but within a limit, sleep well (they say, 8hours of sleep is a must….make sure you wake up before sunshine…but this is a kind of difficult, a day has only 24 hrs).

Forms of Exercises,

• Hitting it in the gym with muscle building workouts, running on the treadmill.
• Sports such as squash, badminton, lawn tennis are another form of exercises.
• Cycling is simply fantastic for the abdomen muscles, thighs and legs.
• Hitting it on the roads- jogging, walking and running.
• The so called “Aerobics”, which I believe is nothing but simply jumping up and down……I remember a saying by Rita Rudner here, The word aerobics came about when the gym instructors got together and said, "If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it jumping up and down."
• Yoga is good too.

Finally,

Exercise needs a lot of commitment……..it is a continous process. You cannot go on one day and then take a break of 10 days until you set out for your next session. The only difficult time for me when I think of exercise is the time that I wake up and I wish I could squeeze in another 30 mins of sleep until the time I get out of my home.

But, the fresh morning air, the open sky and empty roads (which is rare to see in Mumbai) sets my pulse racing. Since, I do not like the claustrophobic and static gym environment, I like hitting it on the roads…jogging and brisk walking…

Hope I managed to get your pulse racing!!! If you haven’t started exercising yet…please do so NOW…..do not wait until the 1st day of the next month to begin your workout regimen…believe me it never really works that way.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Until my next article, as I always say…..take very good care of yourself, God bless and make a healthy investment!!

If you would like to write to me with your suggestions/ comments/ feedback, please feel free to write to me at simplymearl@live.com.

People driving around in Mumbai should be awarded an Oscar’s…..

Mumbai…Mumbai…..Mumbai, a city that never sleeps, a city whose roads are always buzzing with traffic honks (at times, you cannot even hear yourself), a city suffering from chaotic traffic…….but even with all this, Mumbai is a city that rocks….there is no other place in India like Mumbai!!!!

Ask any Mumbaite (the guys/ gals born and brought up here) to live in any other city/ metro/ town in India, the answer would be NA NA. If you ask me, I will definitely give you the same answer.

Well I can survive in a place outside Mumbai for maybe 5-6 days or maybe 15 days maximum but beyond that, I tend to get nostalgic. I tried to figure out what is it that makes me like this city so much……but I never really found a concrete answer.

Okay now, before I get carried over further, talking passionately about Mumbai, let me get to the point on why my blog article carries the title “People driving around in Mumbai should be awarded an Oscar’s”.

It’s been 9 months since I have been driving around on Mumbai roads and I want to say that one needs to drive in Mumbai, like people out there are trying to kill you.…..let me explain that!

Driving around on Mumbai roads during peak hours i.e. the mornings after 8 a.m and evenings after 5p.m, you will exactly understand what I am trying to say. At this prime time, you will see roads cluttered with cars, buses, tractors, dumpers, 2 wheeler bikes, cycles, auto rickshaws, vans, and yeah, how can I forget mentioning the million people walking on same roads.

The bus drivers feel that they own the roads…you dare try to take over or don’t move aside to allow them pass by, you had it badly…….leading you to frustration, anger and embarrassment. I have taken a pledge, that if I see a bus in close vicinity, I will make way for it to go by...…….and maybe in the bargain, even salute the bus driver for his rash driving skills….

The other set of irritant drivers are the two wheeler motorbikers. God!!!, these guys pop up from the right and left sides and simply zoom brushing against your vehicle……Rather than fuming at these bikers, I pity them for putting their lives at such big risks just to enjoy a little bit of pleasure of racing and enjoy some fresh air..…just need to tell all you bikers out there, Don't put your life on the line. Think safety first!

I remember the guy who thought me to drive…..always told me that if you can drive in Mumbai, you will be able to drive anywhere in the world. Yeah, it is a kind of a great experience driving in and around Mumbai but that’s only if you are an occasional driver and have to drive a short distance.

My heart goes out to those thousands of people who have to drive across the same roads everyday and who drive long distance. It can actually be frustrating at times, especially when you don’t have good company…it gets even more boring!! While for those of you who do not drive, you too are missing out on this experience....so come join the gang, this is an invitation!

Would have to wind up here…but before doing that let me leave you with these sayings, “Safety can distinguish you. Lack of safety can extinguish you”, “Safety gear -- 2 minutes ... Risk assessment -- 5 minutes ... A mishap that takes a life -- forever.”

So Don't put your life on the line. Think safety!!!

Until my next article, take very good care of yourself, God bless and Drive safe!!!

You can write to me at simplymearl@live.com or simply click on the comment tab below and write to me. Don’t forget to leave your contact details. Thanks!

No influence is so powerful as that of the MOTHER….

It is difficult for me and I believe for many of you reading this article, to express our love for our Mother.

We almost everytime take her selfless and unconditional love for granted. We just seem to think that the love that our mother shows for us in her words and actions are just suppose to be that way.

Mom’s do not express their love for us because they are compelled to take care of us or be that way…..but their love for us is simply so natural and so pure.

Sometimes, it makes me think, how can Mom’s be the way they are…..what makes them so selfless towards their children. No matter how old her son/ daughter may be, he will always remain a child for her and a Mother will dedicate her whole self for her child.

The whole world celebrates Mother’s day once every year. We express our love for our Mother on that one day….if you ask me, everyday should be celebrated as Mother’s day.

In India, Mother’s day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year.

Here is a excerpt of a poetry, not only for Mom’s on Mother’s Day but for Mom’s who are there for us each day of our life.

If I have never said thank you for bringing me into the world I'd like to do that now. Thanks for always helping me to remember what is important in life... and today it is you! Mom..................You're the best! Thanks for all you do. Thank you for always being there, Mom. There's never been a minute I wasn't glad you were my Mom. If there was a day for everything you have given to me as a mother, it would be Mother's Day every day.

Some real inspiring quotes from famous people about A Mother,

“My mother's love for me was so great I have worked hard to justify it.” - Marc Chagall

“All I am I owe to my mother.” - George Washington, first U.S. president

"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life". - Abraham Lincoln

"She never quite leaves her children at home, even when she doesn't take them along."- Margaret Culkin Banning

"God could not be everywhere, so he created mothers." - Jewish Proverb

That's my Mom.....can't say anything more..

When your mom tells you something……..deep down there in her heart, she believes that it is right for you…….so an advice, if you go by your mom’s instincts, you will never go wrong in life. Remember, Nobody can take a Mother’s place in your life!

That’s a little I have written about Mother’s love keeping my mom in perspective…..if you have any feedback or comments, do write to me at simplymearl@live.com or you can post your comments below.

Until my next article, take very good care of yourself and God Bless.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Batman - The Dark Knight (2008).......you can't miss watching this movie

A picture of Heath Ledger as the Joker in "The Dark Knight." Courtesy of Warner Bros.




Last 2 weeks were real busy and hence I did not find the time to blog. For those of you who visited my blog and did not find anything new.....I apologise and at the same time thank you for visiting my blog.

I had my cousins home last weekend and although initially I made many plans to take them out, all didn't work out well, because it was raining real hard in Mumbai.

I actualy didn't know what to do, so we ended up in a multiplex (Movie Theatre) and for the first time, I watched two movies on one single day back to back.

The movie which I watched and thouroughly enjoyed is Batman- The Dark Knight. A Super-Duper film and I recommend you go and watch this film.....you will enjoy it for sure.

This is one of the best Batman movies I have ever seen. The Joker who is the bad boy (the so called Villian) in the film has done a good job...Kudos to late Heath Ledger's who inacted the role of the Joker. It is sad that this was Heath Ledger's last performance. That's Batwoman for you.....The woman power!!!





This movie actually blew me away. There are some fantastic dialogues in the film, here are a few I can recollect,

1. The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming!
2. If you're good at something, never do it for free.
3. The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules. And tonight you're gonna break your one rule.
4. I use a knife because guns are too quick. Otherwise, you can't savor all the emotions. You know who people are in their last moments.
5. You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
6. You see, nobody panics when things go according to plan. Even if the plan is horrifying. If I told people that a gangbanger was going to get shot, or a busload of soldiers was going to get blown up, nobody would panic. It's all part of the plan. But tell people that one tiny little mayor is going to die and everyone loses their minds! Sometimes, truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more.
7. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.

So if you haven't watched this film yet......you are missing on something...A fanstastic story telling by Nolan....and a complete thriller...

If you wish to give me your feedback or comments, please feel free to write to me at simplymearl@live.com or simlpy leave your comments in the space below.

Until my next article, take very good care of yourself and God Bless!

Hakuna Matata!!!
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