Clockwork Orange

Light  plays around beautifully with these gold and orange earrings. I love picking out ordinary things and see how they transform into the stylish. My friend Sri and me call it "potential". We traverse junk shops, road-side jhumki stores and cheap trinket havens to score some sweet stuff. And these chandelier earrings in bright orange are a treat for the sore eyes. I found in a small shop in lokhandwala ( *name forgotten) for Rs 40.

Glimmer of Hope

I am a big big fan of Indian jewellery. Nah, not those tacky gold bangles and the stupid-looking yellow gold necklaces, but the ones that are contemporary enough to be traditional. And Amrapali in that way is a brand I relate to, in every way. These pretty little intricate earrings are my favurite this season, and they're a gift from a colleague. And I absolutely love love love them.

Miss White, she said

White strappy heels are never my thing. I mean, in a city like Mumbai, I find them very annoying. Esp with the dust and grime, I cannot let my babies like these be put to the pollution test. But these, these gold-buckled beige beauties were hard to miss. The leather was soft, the buckles as sturdy and shiny as possible - Charles & Kieth is probably one of the my favourites because finding a classic there is easy as pie.

Black and Bright

I've always wanted a classy black heel but the temptation of colour was too much to take, and so I succumbed. To both. Tresmode kinda has that soft spot in my heart, for blending the bright with the black.

T for Trouble, T for T-Bars

I've somehow always found T-bars to be classic fare. I mean, a Chanel, a Monolo, a T-bar. That kind of classic. And these tan leather T-bars have been the fruit of months-of-searching. I love how Forever New plays with the playful and the staid.

It makes the moonlight look like a piece of silver-foiled cake. The horizontal pleated dress in Royal Blue was bought to satisfy my brighter-than-northern lights longing. That said, it reeks of sophistication and chic-ness.

Rs 450 @ Cotton-On, 9 Pearl Heave, 86, Chapel Road, Bandra reclamation, near Barista Cafe

Random things. That’s what this blog is all about. I am a random person living a random life and my life has a lot of ups and downs. And being the compulsive list-maker that I am, I make lists, sort out the ups, contemplate the downs and almost always try to be cheerful and positive. But ladies and gentleman, being positive is a tough thing. So here goes my list of good things and bad things for the week.


DÉCOR

Spending money begins at home. No, am not joking. Spending begins right here, where your cushion covers meet your lampshades, where your gel candles masquerade as pacifiers as your wallet just about wilts right before your eyes. Just before I got married, I believed in the art to making love, now, it’s extended to the art of making a perfect home, the art of creating a stylish wall and the art of making the perfect lighting. Thanks to the recession, now the broke me who had plans to do up the house ended up with a few pillow covers and a set of brightly coloured candles. Inspiration this month comes from here. Living in Mumbai has it's share of storage issues.

POLITICS

Obama’s speeches are like strawberry martinis on the rocks. Hard-hitting, soft and tender and above all, fresh. And it’s heartening to know that a 27-year old wrote them.

And I could just read this speech again and again and be inspired. On the other hand, I hate to be so pragmatic and rude, but today's headlines are so funny. There’s one side of Times of India talking about the new age optimism that Obama delivers and the next page fully concentrates on the ailings of our PM, Manmohan Singh. What a contrast. This is no means to put anyone down, certainly not because of disability, but still, we need a younger president. Mostly someone educated in the ways of the world, someone more hopeful, someone who looks at the country as a whole and not as a fragment of minorities and hindus. Someone who really understands why India needs hope and not religion to move higher up.

The highlights of Obama’s speech though are here. Here are my personal cupcakes:

“Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.”

“To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.”

BEAUTY

Scarlett Johanson for D & G cosmetics. Really…this Marilyn Monroe thing just has to bloody end.

MAC is coming up next week with their Dame Edna Collection. Oh, how I love those glasses. And here's their other upcoming collection, Hello Kitty. Trust MAC to come up with sweet stuff to make my day.

Revlon has come up with their new Simply Enchantment Shades. Now I don’t know what that stands for. But the collection has already hit the Indian stores. This collection offers a new range of seductive colors in Super Lustrous Lipstick, Color Stay 12 Hour Eyeshadow Quad and Super Smooth Nail Enamel.

Dove has just announced the launch of its new ‘Hair fall Therapy System’. Good packaging.

FASHION

All this talk of vogue having Michelle Obama on the cover. That’s really great, to know. But hey the Indian Marie Claire too had her this December, not really that authentic since it wasn't shot here, but hey they tried. And it’s a kickass story.

Jason Wu is the new underdog. I love it.

Both Victoria Beckham and Madonna should retire. Not that I have any issues with their ad campaigns and their styling, but just that their oomph factor is a little too forced and ejaculated on paper like this and this.

FOOD

This is a site that I took as inspiration to make my very own Alfredo Sauce at home. Even has recipes on budget. Neat.

And one of my favourite food bloggers just made it to popular vote. Check her and the list of nominees.

And my shoe fix for the day is Moschino's new Spring-Summer wedges. Wedges were always in the last of my lists, but hey, its good to try them out since they're so in now. What's so good is these pink ones, dramatic and totally kinky. Though I refer the raffle ones with a Mary Jane kind of look.