Planning a Wedding this Season ? Here are Top 5 Movie Inspirations !

Before you start reading this, let me be absolutely honest with you guys – I have spent hours planning a show to welcome my mamiji , Sooraj Barjatya style, a-la ‘suno ji dulhan ab inse miloji’. There have been weddings when my cousins have waited and waited for that perfect – ‘Joote do Paise lo‘ moments. My brothers have checked out their own Chandnis singing ‘mere haatho main nau-nau’. Yashji and the whole Barjatya ‘pariwaar’ have since decades inspired us for the perfect – mehandi look, sangeet look and the thumkas that go with it.

Today, however, I step forward to take you through some of the OTHER movies which make me wish – shaadi ho toh aisi ! Yes, presenting my Top 5 that would give you serious wedding goals – from the decor, to music, to dressing up and to all things in-between. Enjoy !

Monsoon Wedding

The chaos at home, squabbling relatives, marigolds, and a dreamy entry of a US return prized catch (remember Jas Arora’s entry in the rain?) – this movie has all the ingredients of a masaledaar Indian wedding. But what makes me spring a step every single time? It is this – Chunari Chunari number by Neha Dubey. Serious Serious sangeet goals ! Who can’t dance to this number ? Also, if you are it, just move on 2:29 and catch young Randeep Hooda 😉

Band Baja Baraat

A movie which changed the face of how Lajpat Nagar (and all their uncles and aunties) looked at weddings! This movie brought back the color, kitsch and all the extra ‘tadka’ to a desi Indian weddings. Don’t believe me, then check out the movie for some amazing decor goals and inspirations created by Shruti Kakkar and Bittoo Sharma ! Seriously, bread pakode ki kasam 🙂

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Though this movie was primarily about three friends and their amazing trip, one cannot CANNOT miss the wedding at the end ! How many times have you wished to make that entry, have a swing made of roses, white flowers on your head and tiny sparkles lit by all your friends around ?

A striking contrast to my previous pick, this song delivers on how a white wedding, full of pastels could create a wedding of dreams with lovely moments captured in frames! Just check out how pretty this whole thing looks ! Swoon..

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

Looking for some friendship goals this wedding season ? Look no further ! One of the most stylized weddings of recent times, shot beautifully in Udaivilas, what stood out for me are those moments between Aditi (Kalki) and all her friends. From planning the sangeet, to making the perfect pout at mehandi, from the haldi rasam to those mean dance moves, from bringing her down to the mandap to making buddies out of her spouse – you have a LOT to learn from this movie !

Bar Bar Dekho

Latest kid on the block is from the yet to be released Bar Bar Dekho. And no, I am not talking about Katrina’s flat abs (though that would be some wedding goal to have!). The movie is yet to be out and I am totally addicted to Aalo Bade Karaare dance number. With Kaala Chashma already topping the charts, some dancing goals will definitely be revisited with this song. Also, did anyone mention the Bindi !? I am so in love with this look !

I know 5 is just a number and I could actually go on and on with beautiful moments like the simplicity in 2 States , or all the oomph inAisha. Or for that matter Kavya’s craze about her wedding lehanga inHumpty Sharma ki Dulhaniya. With the wedding season coming up, it’s time to get your inspiration right, add your own twist to it and create memories of a lifetime ! If all fails, you always have Shahrukh to help you get it right –

Travelling to Italy ? {Part II}

Italy has so many beautiful places, but in our maiden trip, we decided to go with the most popular ones – Rome, Florence and Venice! This part II takes you through our first pit stop of this amazing holiday – Rome!

Rome is a museum .. no no .. seriously .. and that too on the roads.. the moment we landed on the ‘Roman Soil’ I had a very happy feeling. Every place I turned to was like a post card .. ready to be clicked and framed !

The first things first – we were handed with our very own ‘Map of Rome’ , so if you don’t have one, ask your host! Trust me , this is the Holy Grail while you are at Rome. Coz you can ACTUALLY cover whole of the city (well whatever is worth a visit) on foot ! So go grab the map, and be your own guide.. get lost.. get into a random church and be in awe of it.. look at the tiny street lamp.. read all the ‘VIA’s and make your own routes… this really is the best part about the whole city !

Trip Highlights

·      GELATO ! Have.As.Much.As.Possible !

·      And Berries , when you are at it ;)

·      Trevi Trevi Trevi ! You can’t get enough of it :) Please go see it in the day and the night. Yes, it looks different and its worth it ! Best thing - reach there by 5ish.. spend some leisure time, sit down , take a stroll, have a gelato..  and then come back again at 8 ! If you cant figure what else to do , go to Spanish steps and take in the happy air !

·      Rome by Night – if you are up for it , spend a night strolling around the main sights. Capitoline Hill , Roman Forum , Trevi , Pantheon all look wonderful in the night.. Highly recommend it !

·      Alio Olio – the times you don’t know what to eat, just go for this option :) 

·      Castle Gondolfo – what a find ! It was my husband’s birthday and we chose this place for lunch.. less than an hour train ride from Termini station will land you to this beautiful sleepy place (which is also Pope’s summer residence btw!) and a quaint little station ! One of the best meals with the most spectacular views I have had in the Italian trip was here :)

We spent four nights at Rome.. well actually you can cover it all in 3 nights as well !

Suggested Itinerary:

• Day 0.5 – If you land late in the day, just take in the city. If you have time, say hello to Trevi!

Traveling to Italy ? {Part I}

DISCLAIMER : This is not a bragging post about the best planning I ever did in my life :)

Well, ever since we came back from the Italy trip (which was OUT of the WORLD but more of it later !) , I have been bombarded with :

- OH i / my sister / my father / my neighbor's dog are planning this trip.. Please HELP !
- how was it ??? isnt it so pretty !?
- kitna time laga ??
- 'research' kahaan se kiya ?

so in order to save my time,  here I go ...  a three series blog to help with all your Italian travel needs !

< Yes, you can get me some nice magnets when you come ! :) > 

 Step I : Welcome

Congratulations ! You have chosen Italy for your next trip. I promise you, thou shan't be disappointed !
So first things first - Open up your passport , check if you would need a VISA and how to go about it. Start getting your paperwork ready.

**tips** 

1. Apply from the city you are staying at.
2. Try applying on your own if you have the time. Its a great thrill (just ensure you have all the papers ready before you reach)
3. Take health insurance only from the companies mentioned on the site.
4. Apply for a VISA at-least 15 days before the travel and not more than 90 days in advance.

Step II : With 3 Months to Go !!

• Plan your Itinerary and you Budgets !

Figure out what cities you would want to visit and number of days you plan to stay. My recommendation of MUST visit cities and minimum duration :


Rome (3 nights, including Vatican)
Florence (2 nights)
Venice (1 night)
Naples (1 night)
Now depending on your plan, you may extend it up north to cover Milan or down south to cover Sicily.

• Book your airtickets

We did this 3 months in advance after deciding the month of travel. Then chose the cheapest flights in that month and planned chhutis accordingly ! You may choose whichever way, but buy tickets in advance to say the precious monies :)

**tips**

1. The gulf flights are better suited for us as they leave India in the night.
2. With a Schengen visa under your belt, fly using Swiss Air and spend a night in Switzerland ;)
3. You can always enter from one city (say Milan) and exit from another (say Rome). 

•  Book the Lodging

Tripadvisor and AirBnB are good starting points. Depending on the budget you have in mind, you can check out hotels or B&B. There are good booking sites like booking.com, agoda and many more ! My maximum planning time was spent looking for and booking the perfect abode for the trip.. and trust me it was all worth it :)

  **tips**

1. B&Bs are not just value for money , they also give you a glimpse to the local flavor of the city. I would highly recommend them over hotels !
2. Choose a place close to the city center or a popular mode of transport. We chose one close to the metro in Rome and in the city center close to a bus stop in Florence. The last thing you want to do is spend all money in Taxis or luge around your tired bodies/heavy luggage over Italy !
3. Do a ref check at tripadvisor before you make the precious booking. Reviews always help !

kaanda and batata !

Never noticed this was lying as a draft in my folder ! But now that I did see it , time to post it anyhow.. and guess what, its still true as it was 3 years back :) 


now that I am in Mumbai and have just getting used to the new things in life , i felt like blogging again..

so much for the speed of the city , i like where I stay... it is quite .. no hustle bustle and away from the city madness..

and then , there are many firsts..

like .. walking down the road next to the house , i thought i will buy some vegetables for home.. and suddenly , aalo is batata and onion is kaanda.. no body knows what a kulcha is , its only paav for you !

the most favorite conversation is movies.. almost everyone seems to be linked to some shooting or the other.. even on a regular phone booth , u would hear 'main us shooting main tha na ..'

i say 'mereko .. jaaneka .. ' so much for nice shuddh hindi !

just three weeks into the city going to be my home... and i love it..

though i still miss the delhi winter chill..

nd the garam garam samose..

tail maalish by mumma..
and so much more.. 

P.S. : 

three years down the line , my love for the city only grows.. the madness, the rush, the autos, yes the kandas and the batatas ;) 

to all my friends who have moved from Delhi to Mumbai, give this place some time, wait for the rains.. then sit near your window with a chai cup in your hand :) 

or

come home, I will take you to this spot near the Juhu Beach.. just dip your feet in the water.. yes for that teeny meeny second, you will be in Love with Bombay !  

grand essentials of happiness

this little status message, of my dear friend Nishant, reminded me to pen in some stuff again :)

it says :

The Grand Essentials of happiness are :

something to do,
something to love,
and something to hope for ..

it seems too true..

as u know what , its those three things mentioned that keeps me going these days..
i have loads to do .. good things to do.. and loads to learn from there.. good and bad both actually.. it seems i am learning and finding myself each day.. sometimes it is pleasant and shocking at others.. bt nice it is only :)

something to love.. hmmm.. thats true too.. i have loads of things to love these days..its a nice feeling too :)

and something to hope for.. isnt this a result of the two things quoted above!? when you would have things to do and things to love, there would definitely be things to hope for too.. and that is what keeps you going and anticipating for more good things to come.. !

so u see my friend, i fulfill the essentials to happiness.. :P

do u ?!

of expectations and more..

Today I got reminded of one of the WY-WI sessions that i used to have back there at MICA... that of having expectations in a relationship... any and all kinds for that matter..

its like , you have friends, and u expect things from them. and what happens when these expectatios come falling down ? ok , i may be anngry right now or damn pissed .. but that is not as important as what i think right now ..

what do u do , when things dont happen as u wanted them to ?
do you need to be blatant about things that you want in a relationship?
or do u expect that person to simply 'understand' ?

i get angry
sometimes i try to understand
and at times at shout.. sometimes that shouting happens on not the one i am angry with, but on someone else.. someone whom i expect to 'understand'

ranji says that my posts are very random..
maybe this one is another one of them..

to appu !

this is what appu taught me at MICA.. so apt for today :

it is a lovely weather
we will have fun together

aa come
aa come
aa come to me my love

there is no moon today
there is no sun today
it is a lovely weather
we will have fun together

:)

well.. the correct way to say it is not just to read it .. u need to be in a good mood, happy and feel like dancing.. then , my friend, u will do a good job out of it :P

formal letters

funny little thing happened to me aaj..

i went to the bank to get the renewal of my fixed deposit (yes, i am THAT jobless)

the old auntie who looked damn irritated with her boring desk job, handed me a paper and asked me to write an application for it..

now now.. when was the last time i ACTUALLY wrote an official letter ????

dude! i couldn recollect the format only !

dear ma'am ke baad subject ? which side do u put the address ? and what about the date ??

yeah, yeah. . i wrote it and gave it in.. the lady gt the message (its the message communicated that matters right !) and i shall get the work done

as if that wasnt enough, my tauji came in the evening only to ask me to write 'letter to the pension office' . This was easy. Just had to copy what was written. The only confusion : what to use - yours truly/ yours faithfully . I remembered what was taught in english classes when i was a kid. Truly it was :P

Funny what things we learn in school only to forget.

The weirdest thing ??

My friend called.. She got a job today.

Guess what profession : middle school teacher

:)

a loong fun weekend :)

i visited calcutta this weekend .. and couldn help but notice what a quaint little town it is ! i mean, comin frm delhi and been at mumbai , it seems this city sleeps, wakes up to refuse getting up from the bed again !!

patli patli roads..

small yellow taxis..

slow slow trams..

and little lakes making you want to stop on the road!

i loved the place .. 'calcutta darshan' i couldn do in the true sense of the term, but of what little i DID get my hands on, it ws wonnderful!!

the reason i was there : my best friend's wedding :P i mean, i cant imagine.. my roommate is a married woman ! but good fun it was.. the best thing was tht all of us were there together.. so all my 'yearnings' of meeting friends and getting those 'magical hugs' finally found me :)

but u know what the bestest thing about the four days was ??

mandaarmani

its a beach.. a different from the ones i have seen in goa, diu and mumbai .. u can drive on it !! and the way it stares at you at night : the mighty white waves.. and the beautiful sound it makes . . . and the WIND .. blows away your mind man !! if I had a wish, i would have sat on tht log of wood forever, just staring at the sea.. or dancing with friends on the beach while it was raining .. yes i know wht will make me happy in my life .. a house by the beach :)

sometime, i shall have one in GOA..

what life that would be :)

of friends..

there is one question that i am trying to find an answer to , or probably i do have one..

As time goes by, you meet so many people.. you make friends, friends for life.. best friends , buddies you share memories with .. some good , some bad.. but things that bring a smile on your face..

As time goes by, life moves on .. and u tend to forget those you meet in the way..

And there are times when u haven't forgotten them, but just forgot to say a hello or give a call on a lazy sunday afternoon with a 'wasssup!' Sometimes you DO make that call and live up the good old days.. sometimes, you dont have much to say.. sometimes you wonder 'why am i making the effort! ... all the time!'

:)

why the smile ? coz at time i wonder, is it really important to be told by your friends that you are right there, that you are being missed , that you need a hug rightnow ? to call talk nonsense , or just say a hello.. to meet fr lunch and keep laughing.. and what for the times when you really cant meet? and the smile more so coz it remindes me of my sweet lil friend and the conversation with her..

and i dont know how should i be ending this post..

maybe by saying that i many times when i do call my friends , i may not say i really miss them , but i do.. i might bug them by innumerable sms.. but i like to start my day like that .. i might feel like giving up on them when i dont hear back in three days, but i somehow cant..

donno how many of them would read this random thing.. but yes, if u are .. mmmuah .. miss you :)

the sine curve

this is how life seems these days .. no .. am no sadist or a lover of physics.. but my observation on how my mood and life seems to be moving along the time axis depicts something very close to it :P

after a wonnnderful time at the hard rock cafe (u should go there !) and then the dinner at fujia (i guess thts how u spell it .. my sister insists its the best in Chinese food but i think otherwise) i thought life was fun .. yeah, there was a minor dip in the middle, but my life was still back on a high !

and then the rain !!

and the lovely lovely monday morning
(ironic i know... lovely monday!)

reminded me of all the wonderful rain experiences :

@mumbai : rain.. football.. guys.. and a very happy spectator :P

@MICA : the most BEAUTIFUL Ones ever.... parijat ke bahar the puddle of water.. or simply sitting next to my purple door looking at the rain outside.. and then running for the pakodas by kishore bhai.. the umbrellas that were always stolen and the raincoats which could anyways not do much .. some time tht was .. ws looking for some pictures.. this is ths first one that came to my mind.. courtesy dubey

this is outside parijat.. the first rains we saw at MICA.. and first rains that saw us gettin mad !


@dilli: while going frm ITO to CP, there is this little stretch of road.. shaded with trees... drive there when it rains.. pure blissss :)

so tht .. was the high..

wondering what the next low was ??

u guessed it right .. am at office abi :(

hate it hate it hate it hate it

am glad my boss aint net savvy :P

P.S. : according to my sine theory , the upswing should soon be here .. :)

the transition i wasnt ready for . . .

i finally sit down and blog .. and idea i was completely averse to some years ago ..

as in .. how could someone bare all thts in someone's mind for eyes of others so totally unknown..

but .. i gave in .. finally ..

and lets not get into the reasons to it :P


so whats this first post going to be about.! perhaps something that is 'top of my mind' right now !
gettin to work after two years at the heaven of a place MICA.. being a part of the big bad world after 2 years of a secluded and cushioned life of ideals, whims and fancies !

so many things seem to be changing around me ..
i hv to be 'quiet!' .. my actions are answerable and accountable.. there r expectations .. from the boss at work and the boss at home :P .. office games.. mind games.. good games and bad games.. there r times when i want to run away to the 'good-old-times' ..

yes.. i seem to be changing.. selfish at times.. pleasing at others..
i am expected to grow up .. and fast !


but some things are still the same..
there r gtalk wars..
'rain drops keep fallin on my head' bringing a smile on the face..
'saale .. kameene' for the dear lil friend..
i still want to be the little kid somewhere deep inside.. and somewhere i shall always be :)