5 Fandom Friday : Smart Phone Apps I Cannot Live Without

Hi everyone. I may not have been blogging much aka at all but I have been sporadically reading blogs about random things.Mostly these days I'm geeking out hard core over the MCU and DCU .In fact there is a whole other post on that coming up. Any way I came across this blog by Megan Gotch who blogs over at  The Nerdy Girlie and can I just tell you, I love it! It's all things nerdy and fan girly, a blog after my own heart.
Megan has a 5 Fandom Friday twitter link up and the topics are pre-decided. I missed out on all of October and coming across the posts for today, suddenly feel inspired to write about something again. So rambling discourse aside, let's get into this.

Updates and Apologies

First off, the apologies. Being MIA from the blog was not a conscious decision. It just kinda happened.Honestly. I haven't been doing anything new or exciting, just the daily grind. Lala, however has been super busy and has some exciting things happening along with major life transitions and she will share those with you guys when she gets some breathing room. In the meantime, it's me you will be seeing around here mostly.

Rendezvous with Sanki King - The guy behind the smiling walls of Karachi

Bonjour my lovely readers!

Today, I bring you that which is my forte of a skill ie: an exclusive interview. Despite an entire year away from mics and cameras, I must say that the interviewer I am within me, is still all kicking and thriving.

I am pleased to feature the one & only, young and ambitious pioneer of graffiti art in Pakistan, *drum rolls*, the Sanki King in the first ever exclusive interview for our blog. I had the opportunity to meet and interview him back in Karachi and his humbleness ensures that you never forget him and if by any minor chance, you do forget him, that won't be long because he is smiling all over the city.

Photo credit : Sanki King

Street Artists of Bordeaux

Ever since I moved to Bordeaux last year, the major point of my fascination has been its amazing street performers/artists. One can take the same route everyday and yet not ever get bored for each day, something new awaits him in those streets.

Over the weekend, I came across some really cool performers and I just knew right there and then that they are going to be the subject of my post for this week.

Lets start by my favorite performer whom I came across this Saturday for the very first time

The Predator

5 books close to my heart

I have noticed this activity on Facebook recently where people nominate their friends to talk about 10 books that have touched their lives in somewhat way. Today I am writing about such 5 books here on the blog because no one nominated me yet on Facebook (sad face!)

But I know that I won't be able to come up with 10 such books anyways. I am a passionate book reader and there hasn't been a month since long when I don't finish at least one book. However, the books that have really touched my heart or have an importance for me in my life are very few. Let's take a look:

Liebster Award

Hello there, my tiny tiny spot of blogland. Some great news,I have just gotten the first ever nomination for a Liebster Award! This nomination comes from the lovely Kiara at kiaramichelle so thank you!

I have seen the Liebster badges on other blog and would always wonder what it was all about. Now that I have my own nomination, I figured this was the best time to delve in deeper. This award is a way for bloggers to connect with each other and discover fellow new/smaller blogs.

As a nominee I will be answering the questions Kiara has put up for all her nominees.
Each nominee must in turn nominate 5-11 bloggers and put up a set of questions for them also. So it's kinda like a chain.

The Rules:

 1. Post 11 facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions provided by the person who nominated you and then create an 11-question set for the next group of nominees.

3. Choose up to 11 bloggers to nominate and link them in the post!

4. Let your nominees know that they’ve been tagged- and no tag-backs!

5. Nominate blogs under 200 followers

First up the questions from Kiara  :

1. What are you most passionate about?

Travel! I cant really afford to do it, but by God if I had the money I would ditch everything and just travel the world. In the meantime, TripAdvisor and travel blogs / vlogs feed my passion. And Dance.

2. What are your favorite toppings on your pizza?

 Buffalo chicken and pineapple. Also afghani boti/malai boti (creamy chicken bbq) which is like a         Pakistani  specialty or something.Even the pizza hut here does it.

3. What is your favorite fashion piece in your closet? 

  My hot pink tights (called leggings in America).

4. What made you start blogging in the first place?

 I have a had a personal blog for some time now, initially just a place to vent and ramble. This time it's more  of a let's get into the blogging community,make friends etc etc

5. Who is your inspiration?

  Different people at different times of life.

 6. What is something crazy that you’ve done so far in 2014?

 Me and crazy?!I wish! I'm the safest, most grounded person you will meet.

 7. What’s your favorite restaurant?

Depends on my moods. I usually love continental food, but these days I'm craving BBQ so BBQ tonight is my fav restaurant these days...

8. Favorite Blogger?

Since I'm fairly new to blogland, I'm still in the process of getting to know bloggers. But the few I read diligently are Helene in Between, Venus trapped in Mars, Dateless in Dallas, Not Entirely Perfect. Also I discovered recently, The Feminist Feline and I love what I have read so far!

9. List a random fact about yourself

I don't like sea fish/food, but I love fresh water fish.

10. Coffee or Tea?

Tea! Not the chai tea latte type. The doodh pati type ( basically tea with milk and sugar)

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Successful doctor, married to a great guy ,having his 2 babies and traveling every year.So, not much as you can see.

Now for the 11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I forgive but never forget.
2. I *slurp* love orange popsicles.
3. If I ever get to cosplay, I would go as Han Solo (like this girl. Awe-frickin'-som! Female Han Solo - The Stylish Geek ).
 4. I'm allergic to cats (found that out when we got two gorgeous Persians. Had to give the kittens back)

5. I miss social/facial/verbal cues. A lot.
6. Im a fussy sleeper. Unless it's pitch dark and silent as a horror movie, I can't go to sleep.
7. I can't watch horror movies.And I have no shame in admitting I'm a big ole scaredy cat.
8. I sometimes don't bother correcting people when they get my name wrong.

9. My makeup routine is compact face powder, vaseline(petroluem jelly) for the lips and kajal(kohl).
10. My life  is 'organized chaos'.
11. I'm a sucker for romance and happy endings. No Romeo Juliet idiocy for me, thanks.

I have a feeling I might have maybe repeated some things here, but that can't be helped. I'm pretty oblivious to things, myself included.


My Nominations!

Ashley from Twe1ve
Zoe from La Vie En Zoe.

My questions to you lovely ladies:

1. What makes you smile?
2. What movie character would you like to be,for a day?
3.Why did you start blogging?
4. Your guilty pleasure/s?
5. Your personal style in 3 words?
6. A habit you are trying to or want to kick?
7. Last movie you saw, and your honest opinion about it?
8. Your fav time of the day?
9. Best memory from your childhood?
10. Best advice given to you ? 
11. Where do u want to live/be in 5 years time?


Whew. That's it. Now go forth and have fun!

A day at the beach

 An impromptu visit to the beach, two hrs away.

Guilty Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures! We all have them, from devouring 50 shades like it was a life saving elixir to eating cream cheese spread straight out of the tub.

I however, proudly own mine! Nothing, well almost nothing is too embarrassing for me to own up to.For the sake of this post however, I'll share a few things I get weird looks and sometimes plain ridicule for. #yeadontreallycarebyenow

 Linking up with Sarah and Helene for this month's #TotalSocial.

Here are mine in no particular order:

Lala's Vanity - Current Top 5 favorite makeup products

I spent a huge part of my weekend organizing my vanity drawer and so it came to my mind to share some of my favorite pieces with you.






Last year, Sephora launched a Makeup academy palette consisting of  130 colors.

Friday Four

 Alrighty then, it's time for a Friday four. Basically random four things I did/saw/read/cooked this week.

14th August - Happy 68th Birthday to my Pakistan

Yes, it is that time of the year in Pakistan when markets can be seen full of enthusiastic school kids looking for white kameez shirts and a green stole to imitate the colors of the national flag. Some even go as far as getting green and white bangles or a green and white manicure. Even the minimalists would at least pin a simple miniature flag on their chest to express their bit of patriotism. The television transmissions ensure broadcasting the most patriotic songs from over the years alongside special independence day wishes sponsored by various brands. Special events in the city, bikers in group speeding on the road with huge flags tied on them and people considering the Independence day holiday to be a good reason for a family dinner outing.

Baby Shower!

 So while Lala celebrated her birthday all the way over in France (week long celebrations it seems and belated parties and all that!), I hosted my first ever baby shower here in Karachi.

I am the Pixel of Lala's life!

My name is Pixel and I am only 3 months old. My mommy's name is Lala and she loves me so much! She used to think that I am a girl but then the vet told her that I am a boy. She still loves me a lot. I love her too but sometimes she gets very clingy. Whenever I am playing, she just picks me up and starts smooching me. Oh and she also takes lots of my photos!

 

Happy Birthday to me =)

Yesterday, 4th August 2014, was my birthday. Not only have I grown up numerically (dammit!) but also everything that I am, I do and I think has just turned 26 times better than it has ever been in my life and of those I share it with. Ting!

The candles from my birthday cake.

Blogmopolitan Quiz Round #3!

When I first start researching about blogging and all that it entails, I came across the blogmopolitan quiz on a few blogs and was excited to do one myself. Of course I found out that the quiz was a link up that had happened last year, so I was too late for it.

However, Erin of Two Thirds Hazel (such a cute name, and not the usual so and so) has just put up the 3rd blogmopolitan quiz on her blog! So yay me!

Alert! Alert! 50shades trailer is out!

Interrupting the regularly scheduled programming to bring you this breaking,earth shaking, squee inducing news.... The 50 shades trailer is out! And Jamie Dornan is amazing in it!

  

These are a few of My fav things

Good Morning! Rise and Shine , the week has just begun.


This week is all about getting to know us! The peeps behind this tiny little blog of ours. I came across two amazing linkups yesterday and immediately shuffled the posts I had planed so I could take part in said link ups. This one is #FavTotalSocial  hosted by the sweet and talented Sara ( I love love love her blog designs!)
and  Helene of Helene in Between. These two ladies are the one of the earliest people I started following and while I'm sadly remiss with comment love, I do stalk them both.

So let's get in to this!

A Cherry Day

A few days back, I had an elderly,pathan gentleman come up from the icu after undergoing coronary bypass. He developed complications and had to go back to the icu for a few days.Soon after this second stint, he came back to the ward where he , thankfully, made a speedy recovery and was discharged. He was and is, an agile and spirited man and made sure to always have a sharp but good natured comment or two for me whenever I was on call. On the day of his discharge, he invited all 3 of us duty doctors to come visit him in Quetta as his guests. We all laughed and agreed , knowing full well that would never happen.

Of Ramazan ,Thadal and Randomness!

Hey guys!! Long time no see... I've been a bad bad  girl with regards to my contribution to this blog and, it's Lala who's been putting out posts this month. But hopefully I'm back.

 Alrighty then, June was here and gone and July is halfway through along with with mangoes, H.E.A.T and summer hiatuses for all our fav tv shows.

July has also seen the arrival of Ramazan, the mandatory (except for pregnant women, the sick, the elderly or children under 7 years) month of fasting and prayer for Muslims all over the world.

Lala's ponders - Zoya's answers

 So Lala's little questionnaire has gotten my blogging juices going in. I've been MIA for a while so feeling a bit rusty. However, challenge/tags always perk my writing mojo right up. So lets do this!

Lala ponders - Let's get to know Zoya and Y'all!

Today I am feeling inquisitive.

One of those days when I don't want to talk away about myself, my life and the things I do etc. We can say, I am missing doing what I used to do ie: interviewing a variety of people everyday. So, I just wanna ask loads of senseless, hypothetical and fun (that's the plan) questions. Even though my direct target of this questionnaire is Zoya, I am also looking forward y'all, my lovely readers, to participate as well by commenting below in the comment box. Asking yourself these questions might help you learn things about yourself that you never even knew before!

So my dear Zoya and y'all ready?

LUSH SUMMER OF BORDEAUX - It's raining samples in June

Earlier this month, I wrote about my experience with LUSH in Bordeaux and the products that I purchased from there. If you haven't read that post yet, please click here to read it: Bordeaux Diaries - Lala's "LUSH" life.

I have to admit that I am a huge fan of LUSH products ever since my discovery of the shop in my city. I go there once at least a week even if I am not buying anything to just look around, maintain a mental "to-buy" list and have a little chit chat with the super friendly staff.

It's summer at DURANCE and it smells like Tiaré Flower!

Bordeaux is all hot, bright and sunny these days and your Lala is loving it! Nowadays, all I need is an excuse to go out and what better excuse is there to find something worth writing about on this blog for you all?

DURANCE was one of the first few authentic French brands which I came across in Bordeaux and wrote about in my Bordeaux Diaries series on this blog. Not only do they manufacture organic handmade skin and body care products but also handmade soaps, scents, perfumes, candles, essential oils and various other products targeted to enhance the overall sense of well being around you. If you haven't previously read my first ever review of DURANCE, click here to read it:  Bordeaux Diaries: DURANCE - Art de vivre - Art de la terre

Last week, I stopped by the beautiful boutique to greet Mrs. Catherine Fender, the DURANCE boutique manager in Bordeaux and inquire about any latest products I may be missing on. The timing was in fact great! With the same enthusiasm and friendliness for which I remember her since my first interaction with her, Mrs. Catherine Fender informed me about the latest summer special arrivals at DURANCE. The theme of the summer at Durance is Tiaré Flower and the many things I learned about this flower ensured that I share my knowledge with you all.

Thinking Out Loud - What is the defination of a "Good Life?"

Tadaaaaa, here is to the first year completion in France. From various uncertainties to few cherished certainties, from feeling like a lost baby bird to flying a whole lot more confidently in the new whereabouts of my city, from frowning at the idea of walking long distances to gladly breaking into random sprints in the streets, from hating a long grey cold weather to sweating incessantly in the current summer season, from approaching shopkeepers with the phrase: "Est-que vous parlez en anglais un peu?"to finally being able to chatter around in sufficient french, from having no one to call "my" friend in the city to having found quite a handful of "my very dear" friends and from being unsure of myself to becoming assured that someone up there in the skies is still looking out for me, this is how my first year in France turned out to be! Life, I would insist on saying so, is good!

Lala's Playlist - Top 10 best Bollywood workout songs

Welcome summers for how I missed you! All I needed to get my spirits high was a cloudless sky and a blazing sun. Not that it's as hot as in Karachi but since last one week, the joy of going out without as much as a jacket is just beyond explanation. For me, this is somehow the best season to workout and amidst the french beats which are played at my gym, what makes me feel original is my very own handpicked selection of songs on my mp3 player.

Bordeaux Diaries - Lala's "LUSH" life.

Lush is a world renowned UK based handmade/organic cosmetic brand but today I am going to write about it in my Bordeaux Diaries series because I had my first ever Lush experience in Bordeaux recently. The brand itself needs no introduction but I will still do my bit of effort to record my own latest affair with Lush products.

2014 Bridal Couture week

 If you follow us on Instagram , I shared some pictures of the PBCW 2014 a while back.

A few days ago, I headed to day 3, show 1, of the Pantene Bridal Couture week 2014. As a non-fashoinista, this was no serious matter and just something different to do on a Sunday evening. The red carpet was at 6, started at 7. The show was at 8 ,started at 9:15. Ah well, nothing new with that,since it is a national past time to be fashionably late.

I wasn't able to take a lot of pictures of the lounge area as we had gotten there late and people were queued up to go in.And the pictures and videos I did take were from my phone , so apologies in advance for the crappy quality.

A tribute to Maya Angelou - The Phenomenal Woman

My morning was saddened by the news of Maya Angelou's demise. I have been an ardent fan of the lady since my early teenage years. I remember reading her autobiography - "I know why the caged bird sings" at an age where a lot of the things narrated in the book didn't make a lot of sense to me. But time after time, I kept going back to this back wondering how a woman can live to survive, smile and inspire despite of all that she has suffered and endured. As a reader of the book, it may take us few days or a week or a month to go through the pages, imagine the scenarios and estimate the book's overall impression in the end but with "I know why the caged bird sings", I remember returning to the cover of the book every few paragraphs to reaffirm to myself that this really is an autobiography of a real woman. Each time I finished reading this book, my mind raced to find one appropriate adjective that would justly define the level of respect I had in my heart for her.

Zoya's Summer Reading List

Summer vacays are here!!! Not that I actually get any "vacations" at my job. I can get 10 days of 'leave' but no official vacations.Anyways, summer for all intents is the time to relax in some way, shape or form. And for me it also means summer blockbuster movies, and reading much awaited next-book in a series since quite a few come out in the next few months.Regardless of hail or hot weather I keep reading books throughout the year,so it's not like summer is the only chunk of my time that goes in the worlds of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal romances and PostApocalyptic futures.

There are however a few series that I plan on starting which I've been putting off for one reason or the other.

Lala's confessions : Being "Miss Hot Mess!"

Gone are the days when I would say sorry for just being who I am. It took me long 25 years to accept that the way I am is just who I am. Blame it to the conditioning done by Bollywood movies, American serials or early corporate world exposure, the fact remains that today I am the best version of me till date. I have grown up to become such a "hot mess".

Lala's favourite quotes

As I am typing this post, its raining heavily in Bordeaux. This is the kind of weather when I tend to connect with myself on a deeper level. With the sound of the splashing rain drops in the background, I often find myself wondering about all the mystery that "Life" is and all that is further more mysterious within life. There is a thin line between life and all its finest treasures turning into vicious traps. But how can we tell if what we are seeking will turn out to be a treasure or a trap? While the comfort exists in the knowledge that nothing lasts forever, be it happiness or sorrow, who decides how long will it be before the season will change again? They say you must listen to your heart but than would you care listening to your heart one more time after it landed you in the unfamiliar terrains where you can't tell which direction you are headed towards?

For the love of Ghazals

I really admire well meaning poetry but "Ghazals" being a piece of rhyming poetry in complicated Hindi or Urdu never made any sense to me. While people around me would discuss passionately the great ghazals sung by the "Ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh", I would sit back quietly and wonder what is it about ghazals that appeal so much to them. To me, It was simply some sad poetry sung in a very classical way where the subject suffering in love would explain his emotions in complicated metaphors. I always told people out loud that I don't like ghazals because of their base concept lying in the fact that love is a painful thing. They would look back at me kindly and would say, "Lala, you will appreciate ghazals once you will grow up." For a long time in my life, I never gave ghazals a chance to make any impression on me. I would switch off the radio channel if they were playing ghazals and my own mp3 player never had the room to accommodate this genre. This is how I used to be till I was 21.

AtoZ Reflections April 2014

 Our "reflections" on the AtoZ challenge 2014!

Z is for Zero, Zodiac and Zindabaad!

And this would be the last ever post of the A to Z challenge for the month of April 2014. No, not just because its the letter "Z" but also because I hope I really am the last of the last people posting the last post for this challenge.

Z is for zero. How I wish to understand you, the mysterious zero. A single zero has the power to make our hearts sink if it shows up on the balance of our bank account while on the other hand, we would like to have loads of them following any number between 1 to 9 on our paychecks. "00:00 AM" marks the end of yet another day of our lives while simultaneously asking from us to be prepared for another one ahead. In my eyes, zero is the perfect enigma for me. I have never felt so strongly for any other number, believe you me! Zero is the gray matter between the black and white.

Y is Yesterdays,Yoga and Yeats

This is it! My last entry for the AtoZ challenge.


The Letter Y.

X is for Xanax

Despite an A* for English in my last qualification, trust me, I tried really hard to find a word starting with an 'x' other than "Xanax". At first attempt, my genius of a mind offered me these choices:

1. Xanax (but lets think of other words!),

2. X-ray - reminded me of two of my 'favorite' accidents in life. The most serious one involved a broken chin and a cute doctor flirting with me. Ting!,

3. XXX - If you are thinking of something socially inappropriate, dude/dudess, this is a child friendly blog and you may be a bit of a pervert. This 'XXX' is a decent and actually very cute symbolic representation of "kisses"! What were you thinking of?

W is What, Why and When

 

Day 23 of  the AtoZ challenge.

The letter W.

V is Vacations - 5 places to see for Me

Day 22 of the AtoZ blog challenge.

V is for virtue, Victoria (pretty name), vicious, vengeance, virtuoso, virile *cough*pnrheroes*cough*, vendetta, vanity,volleyball (love playing this, suck pretty bad at it), Veronica Lodge and Veronica Mars ( I want to be her when I grow up, except I'm pretty much all grown up already), vision ,victory, vanilla, Valkyrie(Kresley Cole anyone?) and vagina or as Bailey would say, Va-Jay-Jay.

V is also for vacations.

U is Ulloo Ka Patha!

5 more days to go! AtoZ Challenge 2014 almost over.

So here we go with U.

T is for Tequila, Tintinnabulation & Them

If you are reading this, my trick to lure you to this post has totally worked! *high five in the air*. Well, I do have quite a few things to write about today which starts with T but for the title's sake, Tequila seemed like a much fancier option. I mean who wouldn't read a post on Tequila?!

Just to make sure you guys will carry on reading this, I will make a little confession concerning Tequila (or all alcoholic drinks in general). Yeah, I am that girl who can't handle her alcohol. My only desire to drink arises when I am having a great time in a friendly gathering or when I am extremely nervous (Come on, I have done live television shows of up to 8 hours duration on an International TV channel on a subject I didn't feel much confident about but hey, I got messages afterwards telling me how confidently I presented them. Ting!) Tequila in particular has given me some cherished memories (or stories of me narrated by my friends ) involving sleeping on the top of the shiniest (read: latest model) car in the parking lot and later puking on its tyres, crawling under people's legs on a dance floor and bumping head on with someone else who probably got inspired by my original style and was attempting the same from the other direction. I swear I heard a "Crash"! I don't remember what happened after but I am glad none of us ended up in a hospital with head injuries. Although sometimes I feel this strange sensation in my skull but It has nothing to do with that collision, right?! Ummm, just in case, I think I should bring this up to the doctor during my next appointment.

S is Sanity (4 ways to keep it)!

S is for sandwiches, sandbags, sunsets, sabbaticals,sacraments, sacrifice, saddlebags( yes, I have them. No, I dont ride horses), saffron, sunflowers, salary ( it's s few days away still),story telling,sapphires,salsa (love the dance..meh' on the condiment ) and last but not least S is for Samosa!

Today S is for Sanity! .

R is for Riddle Rumble

Here comes the R!

R is for Radio - the industry and a particular channel back in Pakistan being that one true institution for me which taught me so much throughout the entire period of my affiliation with it. Those lessons and experiences are the very basis of who I am today as a person.

R is also for Retinol which I think it's about time I should start integrating in my skincare routine. I welcome all your suggestions on retinol based products for a beginner like me. Do you guys think that there is any particular age to start using retinol based products?

And here is the deal of the day: R is for Riddle Rumble.

Q is for Qawwali

Day 17 of  the A to Z challenge. And the letter today is Q.

At first look, Q seemed like quite a challenging letter but then Zuri's "Q for Qawwali - A style of devotional music associated particularly with Sufism" helped me get started. I may not know as much about qawalis as it's real appreciators do but I do know some classic qawwalis and enjoy listening to them when my soul requires some peace. Talking of qawalis, one name that immediately pops up in my head is that of the Legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The qawwali titled "Dum Mast Qalandar" was released in 1992 and since than whenever there is a discussion about qawwalis in a gathering, it's almost inevitable to not mention this one.

P is for Pakistan

P is for potatoes, pakoray (deep fried sub-continental snacks) and pretzels (my new favorite snack in France.), sub-continental pickles with chillies, carrots, garlic, lemon and baby green mangoes, palak-paneer (spinach and cottage cheese curry), pink (the color), polka dots, pastel colors and Les Pains (french generic word for all kinds of delicious breads). P is for pinnacolada which is one of the few drinks I don't like. Somehow I am not fond of the coconut taste infused with pineapple juice.

While P is also for Paris, today P is for Pakistan, my homeland!

I always say that going out of a country for a trip is a totally different experience than immigrating permanently to another land. I never went out of Pakistan for the entire 24 years of my life and finally when I did, it wasn't a vacation or an adventure trip. It was a long term, almost permanent move.

O is Oprah and Orphan Black

O is for oranges, orangutans, oaks, oatmeal (dont like it!), orbit,obscure,observant,obsession(perfume..love it!), obtuse, object,octogenarian and oddballs.

Today O is for her royal majesty, Oprah and Orphan Black !

N is for Nine things I love

N is for my Nail colors collection (matte, glitter, crackles, professional manicure kits, nail art kits and even nail stickers). I may not regularly wear a nail color but I can't resist the temptation of purchasing a pretty nail color.

N is for Noodles.  The typical two minutes noodles with the spice mix in the packet. It was the first ever thing I cooked independently in the kitchen when I was 9 years old and felt like the master chef. But even today, its my savior on the days when I am not in the mood to chop and peel.

M is Mangoes and Monsoon

Day 16 of the A to Z challenge! Wow.. only 10 more to go. And the real tough ones are yet to come ( Im looking at you, U and Q).

Anyways, today it's M and M for me represents my mom, magic, music, movies, m n m's, mocha lattes, macaroni, macaroons ('meh on these ) , Macross (sci fi mecha anime, old school.. I loved it and still do!) madhouse (that is my work sometimes), Megatron (who for some reason I think is kickass),Maleficent (scared the bejeebus out of me for years till Ursala came along) and so on so forth.

For today though, I'm gonna talk about Mangoes, the first fruit we desis fall in love with and Monsoon, the season we all look forward to.

L is for Learning

Learning is my word for the day. Not the conventional kind of learning but that which is inevitable, unenforced and natural. Amidst the hustle bustle of the world, we maybe picking up new skills, diplomas and/or certifications but I wonder if we really learn anything for real. The learning that will make us feel like we are living a life and it's so worth it.

Last 2 weeks gave me a chance to sit back and re-evaluate my life. Life was a bit mad at me. It wanted to go wild, laugh freely and breath deeply but I was forcing it to exhaust itself in pursuit of  unattainable ideals involving other people. As I wondered how can I make life feel alive again, I soon found all my answers within me.

K is for Knowing

2 weeks down! 2 weeks and 3 days to go.

K is for Knowing.( no, not the movie)

J is Jericho Z Barrons!

Day 10 ! J is for jams, jellies, jokes, jojoba, jabberjays ( hellooo hunger games!), jewellery, jungle, jukeboxes, justice,Japan,jaywalking, Jezebel (which is a pretty pretty name even if it's associated with all kinds of bad!), Jetsons(the cartoon), jodhpurs( I do not like those) and so on so forth.

But today. J is for Jericho Z Barrons!

I is for Introspection

Day 9 of the A to Z challenge.

I is for Introspection!

H is for Hmmmm..

Today is all about H. Day 8 of the AtoZ April challenge.

G is for Greetings!

I always wanted to learn different languages. Alas the only forward momentum I ever made in that direction was to learn the very basics of french..and then proceed to promptly forget all about it!

But I still know that hello in french is Salut for informal and Bonjour for daytime informal! ( the r make a gg sound that is very very subtle in this case). Ahem, see Lala, I still know at least this. ;-)

So in preparation for the grand world tour I will be treating myself to on my 40th birthday( hey, my currency drops and never rises, so it will take me years and years of frugal living to start even planning my European odyssey) here are some hellos form across the Europe.

F is for Friendship!

Hey everyone! F has plenty of words I wanted to write on, but those topics would have required longer posts and I'm trying to theme my AtoZ challenge towards mostly lighthearted topics.

So today it's about Friendship! Specifically some of my favorite quotes regarding this relationship that none of us is born into but all acquire during life.

Dedicating  this to my best friend,who is the reason I still expect the best from people.

E is for Enchanted Wood/Forest!

The Enchanted Forest books by Enid Blyton are hands down, my most fav childhood books of all time. They were my first introduction into the wonders of magic and fueled my imaginations for years. Infact, they still do.