Front Pleated Kameez

Well this is kind of late for this update.  I mean I had sewn this dress for my house warming party way back in May 2017.  But I guess its never late to mention the alterations I have made.  I wouldn't say alterations as its just the bling that got replaced.

So we go shopping for dress and I was left with a choices that had hit the market way back and was still trending.  No sign of pleated Anarkali which was creating a buzz throughout.  So when my hubby asked me to quickly choose a dress, I knew I had to sew my own.  I am no expert at this but I can figure out based on a few detailed pictures.

I had to make up my mind on the colour and the fabric, on the spot!  I was literally stumped and colour blinded at the same time.  My brain was buzzing with a hundred different suggestion and I was struggling to make a decision.  Finally I selected a good green in raw silk and a brocade fabric in the same green.  But since I wanted to highlight the pleats, I had to again buy a different brocade in pink.  Also the decision was made because of the net fabric that I had highlighted my yoke part with.

Then comes the important part, accessories or bling.  I was exhausted enough with the shopping for home and the function, so I picked up the first thing I  could lay my hands on.  Believe me, even for this, getting the right colour was a bit tough.  So I kind of went with something you can see on the photo.  I know it looks cheap and what was I thinking.  Ever since it has been sleeping in my wardrobe.  Finally guilt took over and I made some honest effort to find some alternative.  (could have been that or the fact that I was finally getting some ME time in the mall, ALL ALONE, can you believe it??).  I rattled every button shelf I could find and finally the above button showed up, just like that.  It was the right size and it would be a good and decent replacement to that cheap bling.

Now its all ready to wear.  Pardon me for the poor lighting and wrinkled clothes.  What can I say, I
am a old soul in lazy bones.  So may be I will update the proper ironed and neat dress when I wear it (God knows when!!).  Till then bye and do share which version you liked better.

Home Sweet Home

Home.. Just the word bring me many memories of my childhood.  After marriage we had to move around a lot and settling down had not been an option till a couple of months earlier.  We had to settle down somewhere and so we did, in a place that was convenient in all terms. 

We had bought an apartment earlier, but that was not at all convenient (I am not talking about space) so we sold it and started looking for a plot.  Finally we got one within our budget range.  From there it had been a very impatient wait.  But the workers we had were very skilled and patient.  The planning and designing took ages, not to mention the paperwork and the government offices.  Finally we did it.  We had built our home according to our taste and liking.

It was like seeing a baby grow, just faster.  And when we stand in the mere skeleton of the house deciding what should go where, we can actually see our future in the house.  It is a pleasure that I think everyone should enjoy.  Still there are few flaws and dents which I think could have been planned better.  But with the limited space and budget constraints, I am satisfied with what we have

We have tried to incorporate our past and plans for the future in the house.  I think that is what makes it feel special.  The memories we build with the house.  Though its been 5 months (can you believe it... time flies by) I feel so connected already.

We do have a long list of DIYs and tweaks that we would like to do to decorate the house.  But right now the bare walls and the sparse furniture keeps us cosy.

In the meantime I would like to record some of the improvements that has happened since we moved here.

I did not click any pictures for the purpose of blogging, so bear with me when the pics are not up to the mark.

It started from this - an empty ground

To this - a house with its full structures

To this - a house on the brink of becoming a home

Still we are really proud of our house and about the work we had done with it.  We had only gotten help for the elevation.  Even the house plan or the floor plan was designed by us, the engineer had to just tweak a few for the pillars and beams.  So there is no one to blame but us if there is a hitch somewhere. 

Though we are not the decor type we do try and make it a better place rather than an eye sore.  So I shall record some of the DIYs, tweaks and decors we do around the house.  Our home is still very much in its initial stage and needs a lot of attention and spending. We will go about it in our own pace still enjoying life with friends and family.

Bahubali 2 - The conclusion

I watched the most expected epic saga Bahubali 2 last week around this time but never got to review it as life was a bit busy.  Bahubali the beginning was a tad less announced or rather advertised.  We all had thought it was just an epic based on the myths and folklore of our ancient India.  The base of the story was kind of loosely based on the myth Mahabharath.  I mean there are two sons, one a cripple and the other the righteous.  But the cripple doesn't get to rule because he is not a cripple by body but by mind.  He, simply put, is a bad snake in the glorious kingdom.

So the story of the glorious Bahubali starts with the flashback of the dutiful servant Kattappa.  The war scenes and everything were just beyond imagination, and so gripping.  This pivotal plot just set the character of both Bahubali and PalvalDevan.  So does it decide who rules.  But the first part ends with Kattappa confessing that he killed the mighty Bahubali.  So there ends the first part.

The second part starts with an introduction of Bahubali so grandeur that it fits the grandeur of the whole film.  He is shown as this righteous ruler and caring son who is just on the brink of becoming the ruler of this mighty kingdom.  But as fate would have it, he visits his kingdom and falls in love with princess Devasena.  Turn of events leads to lot of misunderstanding, the sinuous plot of Palval Devan.  So Bahubali ends up becoming the commander in chief of the army rather than the King, just to save his word to the princess.

Meanwhile the plot thickens to banish Bahubali and ultimately kill him.  Yet they succeed in doing so.  But they do not succeed in killing his son, who is his heir to the throne.  The rest of the story is about vendetta, revenge and happy endings.

I feel the story was a bit long, some of the parts could have been cut short, like the romance between Bahubali and Devasena.  But as the story moves, the plots are too gripping to compensate for the sags.  The romance song with special effects just add more color to the movie.  The palace, the forest, the whole set is awe inspiring that you cannot find any fault with.  The director has justified why Kattappa killed Bahubali, though it was trecherous.  Otherwise the film wouldn't have grossed so attention as it has now. The facts about technology  just goes above my head.  Though we ultimately know the ending, it was still worth watching till the end.  We are proud that a south Indian film has gotten a special mention in many international screens.  Director, S.S Rajamouli and his fantasy films, like Naan E, Mahadheera and now Bahubali proves how far he can stand up to International Standards.

My not so perfect life by Sophie Kinsella

Chick lits have been my stable genre for all moods. Not just the women empowerment, but everything about it, say the fashion, the care, the romance, the drama, throw in some mystery and it is the best seller.

Some authors have been my go-to, all along. They may not be Indians and they do not depict the Indian Culture. But what with all the globalization and immigration we do get a taste of everything. The films also play a major role. So it really is not that hard to play the story in your head.

My favorite authors have been Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Wendy Wax, Jill Manselland many more. Sophie Kinsella's The Undomestic Goddesswas the first of her works that I had read. It was excellent. After which I have read many chick lits. And I have come to a stage where I can decipher the pattern. A girl with an ordinary life is on her brink and some mess comes along by the way to wreck her life. Enter the charismatic hero who by all odds rescue her and they lead a very perfect life. It’s the same over and over again. But how the plot and scenes are set and moved plays the pivotal role. My Not So Perfect Lifecould have been a bit more interesting.

Katie Brenner, the research associate who had just joined Cooper Clemmow, has the not so perfect life. She hates everything about her life and envies her colleagues life. But little does she know that the glossy and perfect picture that they paint of their lives has another side to it.
She is fired from her job and her dream to become a Londoner is getting blurry everyday with every rejection at her job interview. Her saving grace is the job her step mum offers, to setup their family business. She goes back to Somerset on the pretence that she is on a sabbatical.

Her dad's glamping business picks up and as fate would have it her ex-boss comes to stay. Katie's revenge and plots on her ex-boss is hilarious. But soon she gets to know her boss's true colours. She soon sees that no one’s life is perfect and she learns her lessons the hard way. Will she really help her boss get her job back, will she get love of life and will she ever leave Somerset to become a Londoner? Finally, she is ready to face the world as it is, without the glossy veneer.

It was a light and quick read. But it was kind of predictable and the plots could have been a bit more interesting.

The Last Juror

Part 1:
William Traynor, the college dropout, is a happy come lucky guy.  He takes up an offer from a small county newspaper, The Times.  After a few months, the owner of The Times sells the newspaper and Willie buys it thinking it would be a gold mine.  As luck would have it, turn of events made his paper selling like hot cakes.  One major break was the murder by Danny Padgitt which made his paper very popular not just among the locals but also a few bordering counties.

Part 2:
He covers the murder, the witnesses, the trials and everything around it.  Danny Padgitt gets life sentence for his murder and is sent away.  Story moves on for 9 years during which William and his newspaper grow to become famous.  Willie finds a new home (which again is handed to him at a much cheaper rate), new friends and is all ready to settle down.  When a dry spell occurs, Willie is lucky that something interesting keeps happening for him to fill the pages.  His friend Callie Ruffin and his Thursday lunches with her make a true bonding. Just when life begins to turn monotonous, Willie decides to sell the paper.

Part 3:
Danny Padgitt gets a parole after 9 year and the whole county is shocked. Two of the jurors gets killed and the county assumes that Danny Padgitt is back for his revenge.  The whole aftermath of the murders is the end episode.  Willie starts his career with a murder and finally ends his career with the newspaper with a murder.

I had read "The Innocent Man" by John Grisham and it was what made me buy this book.  Though I had bought this book around 2010, I finally got the chance to finish it.  But I was disappointed.  In The Innocent Man, Grisham never lets us off the hook.  We keep wishing and praying till the final end.  But here the plot is revealed and the killer is also revealed.  I had not much interest in the court scenes which he tears apart in The innocent man.  Half the time I found it difficult to keep reading, partly because I had guessed the killer and it was disappointing that I had predicted the turn of events.  The narration was fluid but I constantly lost track of the time, this novel being a period story.  Other than that it was a very light read.