A silent prayer

My heart goes out to the three women who lived in hell for 11 years - Michelle Knight, Georgina DeJesus, Amanda Berry.
No words can be consolation to ease your pain. No acts of kindness can heal the scars completely. You have taught the whole world how to still stay graceful, hopeful and strong in times of pain and sorrow. I have nothing but admiration for all 3 of you.
Today I sit here and offer you my silent prayers and wish with all my heart, soul and body that you find peace and happiness in the rest of your days.

Why so formal?

A few days ago, I sent a sort of 'Thank You + Good Bye + Till we meet again' kind of mail to one of the Onsite Leads that I've worked during my time in China. I really liked working with this person and wanted to convey my gratitude to him before I complete my China assignment and move back to India.

Surprisingly all I got was something on the lines of 'Thanks for those kind words. Send me some pictures of your engagement when you are back in the office'. That felt oddly formal and cold from this person who has been really nice to me in the past. Now, I wasn't fishing for compliments, but a 'Good Luck with everything else you do'  would have do really meant more.

I'm not sure why this person has turned surprisingly cold to me in a matter a few weeks. This is not the only instance, but there've been tiny details and instances with him in the past few weeks which made my antenna go up.

I really am not sure what I did wrong.

 

Bridal Lehenga Inspiration

So it's been a while, and a lot has happened. Actually a lot has been happening since the second half of 2012. I did not want to talk about it. I did not want disclose it. Anyway, it is about time now, besides, no one reads my blog anymore, so I'm ready to reveal!! :)

I'm getting married. Yep, I'm getting married to MB (Man-Boy,as I choose to call him!, in case you need a refresh) I've been dating him for a while, quietly, neither confirming my friend's suspicions or shouting from roof tops. We finalized the wedding dates, and  we will be officially married this summer.

I know this is soon, I saw it coming, it was on my radar, but I was planning for the fag-end of December 2013. Well, you know, I propose, and My Mom disposes!! :)
So, in view of everyone's obsession about 'muhurtham', the wedding will take place in May.

That's such little time, that I don't even have enough time to shop and plan my wedding the way I want. In fact, we couldn't get the venue I was raving about. That was the biggest disppointment in my wedding planning and I couldn't get over it for many days.

Now the worst part is I'll stuck be in China until days before my wedding wrapping up my work, transitioning out to a different resource. So, I don't even have time to shop. How bad is that??!!

I've been rummaging the internet for a bridal lehenga inspiration. I plan to wear a lehenga for the reception dinner. So here is my collection for all of you to get insipred. Enjoy!!!

Btw, the usual disclaimer, I don't own any of these photos:

To quote Rachel Zoe, 'I die' (... to quote myself... and go to heaven!!!)

Product Review - Olay Regenerist Anti Aging Eye Roller

I never thought that there'd come a day when I would do a product review... well, here we are.

This is my personal review of Olay Regenerist Anti Aging Eye Roller that I used. All the views are my own and I am keeping this honest. I am not endorsed by anybody to write this review.

Here I was, on the other side of 25 just recently. I decided to start an eye and skin care regime. I walked up to the Olay outlet in the beauty department of the local mall and discussed my skin, eyes, work, time spent before the computer etc.. and asked for a cream/ lotion/ serum to take care of my eyes.  The lady at the counter recommended this one. I promptly paid up and was excited to start using this product.

Here's what the Olay website says about the product "Massage in a hydrating treatment to brighten skin, reduce eye puffiness and diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes"

 

This pen-like device is supposed to have 3 roller-balls on the top. You have to twist the bottom and it brings up the 'cream/solution' - Olay's amino-peptide complex with vitamin b3, pro-vitamin b5, vitamin e and green tea. Also, the 'cooling effect' of the rollers will give a mini massage and instant soothing to tired eyes.

 

So, Here I was .. all excited to be an adult finally!!.. and start taking care of myself. As I made mental notes to start a 'skin-care regime' and to follow it every single day and night, I broke the plastic seal on this product.

 

Here you go:

 

1. First of all, the 3 rollers on top are not actually roller balls. They are immovable. You just roll the pen over your eyes, the so called 'rollers' are actually fixed 'bumps'. Anyway, it doesn't matter if they move or not as long as I get the expected results.

 

2. The soothing massaging effect that was promised ?? Nada.. Not.There. The balls are not cool against your skin for more than 2 seconds. You don't feel the coolness against your skin.

 

3. The lotion / serum that is supposed to be this kick ass 'amino-peptide complex' doesn't get abosrbed intp the skin even if after a full 30 minutes. The only thing that seems to absorb this 'complex' is the tissue you will use on your eyes after 30 minutes of wait!

 

4. But the above three issues were the least of my concerns. Within 2 days of usage of this product (4 applications in all), I started to feel irritation, redness and puffiness around my eyes. The itching got really worse on the 5th application. I immediately cleaned my eyes and waited anxiously for the inflammation to subside. But by the next morning, the skin around my eyes was completely ruined with small red bumps  and rash. The itching was killing.

 

5.  I had to visit a doctor after the first week when none of the soothing creams at home helped. The inflammation lasted for more than 3 weeks!! This is one of the worst product that I've used.

 

I don't think I will be using any of the Olay products ever again. It was so embarassing to go to the office with bad eyes every day. It just looked like I did not sleep at all or have been drinking all night.

Please note that my skin is not at all sensitive. In fact, there has not been any product that has caused this reaction to my skin until now.

 

I am giving this product a complete thumbs down from my side. Later, I went online and saw that this was one of the least liked products of Olay. Many women had experienced the skin irritation like me. Cmon Olay!, wake up and take this off the market!!

 

Thank You

Yesterday at the end of my work day, I got some news. It was actually something about my performance for the yearly cycle being rated the best. My manager gave me this news. She was pretty excited about sharing it with me and told me what a wonderful job I did.

She was expecting me to be more excited than I was. Somehow, I wasn't blown away. I did make the right sounds, and thanked her for doing her part in representing me. Don't get me wrong, I was thankful for having such a great manager, a good team, the opportunnity to work on something challenging. But it was more a 'Thank You for finally noticing and acknowledging my good work' feeling than 'Yes, I feel on top of the world'.

Then I got thinking when I came home. A part of me is really happy and filled with gratitude that I've recieved such good recognition in the company. But another part of me got thinking about how I felt two years ago.

Two years ago, I was working as hard as I am working now, I was doing awesome things and I badly wanted the best appraisal rating. But my appraisal did not go as I wanted it to and I got a mediocre rating.I was really devasted and went through a really depressed phase. I hated going to work. Cut back to today, I am so busy with a multitude of new goals and milestones that I have to touch by 2013, that something like my appraisal did not even sink in as an achievement.

It feels like I am in un-ending run, where I always reach a goal 2 years later, by which time that particular achievement becomes irrelevant. I am 26 years old and will be 27 in 5 months. I feel 'behind' my peers in many many things. Many of my friends tel me that I am wrong to think so, but I can't help looking at these aquantainces who lead such plush, 'have it all' lives and feel like a failure.

At the end of the day, such self-induced comparisions really don't matter. But what really hurts is
1.  Not being able to hit my own targets ON TIME.
2. Constantly living in a state of fear that I will fail at achieving my life goals
This is the point where I stop myself and remind that I should be thankful for what I have, what I've recieved and achieved TODAY and not worry all the time.

Sometimes you got to live in The Present and forget 'The Big Picture'
 

Welcome.. 2013

The new year is here, so wishing all my non-existent readers a wonderful year ahead.


Thank you for being so kind in supporting me on this blog :P I feel extremely grateful for having such wonderful people rooting for me and inspiring me to write to my heart's content :)

So, coming to what cool stuff I have lined up for this year... For the first time in years I don't have any mind-blowing list of resolutions (which I never follow). I just want to stop planning and start living this year.

2012 is a few 'DOWNs' and a lot of  'UPs'. I hope that 2013 will be more beautiful, more peaceful and less stressful. Here's to wishful thinking!!

1. Anyway, finally two of my designs are complete. I am waiting to go collect them from the tailors. Let us see how well my designs have been conceptualized. Will keep you all posted. I hope I look this excited when I see them tomorrow.

2. Apart from that, for the first time in years I am starting to take care of my skin ... NOT in a crazy 'product junkie' or 'I'm gonna put every damn  skin lotion and potion available out there' way. More like, I'd like to start taking care of what is naturally good skin.. My only agenda is to hydrate my skin more. (No, I don't need the excessive toning and cleansing.. because I never wear make :) )


3. My hair is still growing and I think it will touch my waist in the next few months, that is if I don't trim a zillion times! (I seriously have OCD)

4. I am in two minds if I want to incorporate more color-blocking or prints in my wardrobe.. hmm.. tough choice..