Friday 31 January 2014

Boredom of Sanity

And just like that, the first month of 2014 is gone. I have had a more or less normal month. I have full attendance in college, I haven't missed gym or morning newspaper on a single day, I have cooked myself quite a few edible meals and of course, I have successfully submitted my project. I have also started writing quite a bit in Bengali and there's something very, very comforting about expressing oneself in their mother tongue. It not only liberates the closeted soul but also makes one see themselves more clearly. I'd always be indebted to  the one who got me into it. I was scared at first, I'd admit but owning up to the fear has been worth it. Apart from that, this absolute stillness in my life drives me crazy at times. There is no ripple, no chaos, no purpose. For someone as eccentric as yours truly, it's not the best way to let her creative juices flowing. In my profession, public image goes a long way and I have realised it the hard way. I'm still not puritan enough to untag myself from pictures that have me posing with a drink in my hand but I have definitely started editing my public persona. It's not an exercise I have been entirely fond of but it has worked for me. It hasn't given me peace of mind but it has definitely helped me fake it. There are still moments when I wake up with a few droplet of tears or I want to scream at the silence of the cold night or I want to run away to the horizon where the sun meets the ground and never come back but mostly, I'm older and wiser.
                                                                                                                                            I haven't had a very good feeling about 2014 and it hasn't disappointed me. Things haven't really gone well on the personal front and they show no signs of improving. The brighter part is, the halogen lights still fill me up with unfathomable pain and unbearable hope at the same time. I still dream every night. I still have a few beliefs to hold on to and no matter how difficult life gets, I don't see them dying very soon. I don't flinch my eyes at flickering bulbs. And I can still walk an extra mile for the sake of my dreams.
                                                                                                                 I had promised you the Adrenalize outfit post long back. The chill had put me in hibernating mode but now that the chill looks all set to leave with Saraswati Pujo coming up, it's time to get those pictures out of the archive and put them up on ze blog!






Maxi dress-Emami,blazer-tailor-made,ring-New Market,pearl earring and bracelet,pink and orange bracelet-gifted,sling-B.K.Market,gladiator-Metro Plaza
Because of lack of planning, Kolkata Literary Meet couldn't happen but I should be able to visit Book Fair if things don't go horribly wrong. So, will be back with the musings of the bookworm. Till then, take care and keep it stylish.
                    Love,
                    Soumi

Sunday 26 January 2014

Technologically Handicapped!

Do you have days when you wish the nasty T word didn't exist at all? Well, that would be describing my, EVERY OTHER DAY! I'm a believer in good ol' charming things. I like letters, books, sunsets, horse-drawn carriages, long walks, home-cooked food, bonfires, pianos, holding hands and everything old school. I want to wake up to the smell of my loved one instead of a phone call from him. I want to meet my friends for Sunday Brunch and talk about my life instead of whatsapping about the same. I want to  make it a point to read the newspaper or a book instead of fiddling with my phone while waiting for someone. And I always prefer coming back to a meal of rice,dal and chorchori(a dry preparation of mixed vegetables) instead of finishing another can of fizzy drinks with a cheesy wrap while working.
                                                                                                       My hatred and discomfort with everything even remotely related to Technology might have something to do with the fact that I, despite having a B.Tech in Computer Science, have always been technologically handicapped. Even during my graduation, I had no idea how to fix minor issues with my dektop while I was perfectly comfortable doing Linux or Unix coding, Artificial Intelligence simulations and what not for my exams. Management provided a temporary relief. Use of Technology in here was no less than my earlier course and even though I managed fine, I never fell in love with making presentations or reports or snippets. Why I preferred Management was because it still retained the human side of me since at the end of the day, a Manager sells their words and nothing else, relies on their basic instincts, observing skills and emotional maturity, sensitivity and competency to solve all the problems. The tools merely help them justify their decisions.
                                                                                                              But then, for every Management student, the Summer Internship Report is something of a life changing thingy. So, everyone puts in their best efforts to make it THE Report of their life- with all the cutting edge technologies, creative ideas, vast literature and tireless research. I was expected to do the same and I did, to some extent. But all hell broke loose when I started putting my thoughts into something more tangible- like a document. Some alignment won't work, some diagram won't get projected the way I wanted it, some Statistical Tool or the other would fail and long story short, I would be in complete mess. And after preparing the report, converting it to pdf was another task I dreaded. My friends back in the Engineering days came to my rescue but because of the long distance relationship, even they couldn't save my sinking ship entirely. With a lot of help from them and the much-needed support from the two most important people in my life, I finally managed to finish it. Decently. And decided that it was time to reward myself with complete detachment from Technology for a day. Tomorrow is the day when I won't be available over phone, whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and every other social media. Tomorrow is the day I won't be using immersion heater, gas oven, microwave or any other electronic home appliances. I won't be watching TV or listening to music. I won't be going to gym either. I wish I could reach college without using auto or metro too but then, trade-offs are everywhere. That's a compromise I'd gladly make. So, before I'm about to have a taste of the life I've always craved, I thought of saying 'hi' to you all with an outfit post after a long time. The pictures are from our alumni meet back in November. They have been rotting in my folder for a while, thanks to my lazy ass. This dress is a #favourite, given my monochrome mood and since nothing gets hotter than an orange pop, here I am.
P.S.Excuse my dhaai kilo ka haath. :-P
Allowing you a close look at my ring and earring was the intention, as you must have bee sweet/smart enough to understand.



Dress,feather earring,ring,spiked loafers- B.K.Market
Picture Courtesy-Anu
I will be back with the Tolly Club outfit I had promised in my last post. Till then, take care and like I always say, keep it fashionable.
                                  Love,
                                  Soumi

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Adrenalize 2014-an evening of all things pretty!

If you have been following this space for a while, you'd know that Adrenalize is an event I personally look forward to. Not only because it chooses one of Kolkata's oldest and most sophisticated clubs as the venue but also because it tries to give the guests an one stop solution for all things fun. And an event like this in the Winter is just what the doctor ordered for the party animals.
                                                                                        This time, because of unavoidable circumstances, the only ones who made it to the party were Deepa and yours truly. We reached a little late but just in time to be a part of the super fun grape stomping session(which was a favourite with both of us last year too). With a bottle of Four Seasons Sauvignon Blanc at our disposal, we joined in the merry making. And then DJ Happy brought all the guests to their feet with his peppy numbers. Deepa and I danced our heart out. Even in that chilly weather, I needed to put my blazer away. Dinner was served after a while. I must say the food was better than last time. They decided to skip Indian altogether and the Bar-B-Q in this weather just perfectly complemented the lovely wines. We even went back to the dance floor for the last song of the night. Post a lot of eating,drinking and dancing, the icing on the cake was making a Girls' Night out of it. So, both of us went back to my place, chatted for hours about everything under the sun and then fell asleep without even knowing. The brownie point? Since the party got over early, my mom was happy to see me back in time too. She was like, "why can't you only go to parties like these?" *Rolling Eyes*
                                                                                                                           So, even though we missed the treasure hunt because of getting late, we DID have a very good time indeed, all thanks to Four Seasons!
All decked up

Eat, drink and make merry...

Dancing the night away!

We ended up wearing the same colour without even planning!

Spirits soaring, for obvious reasons!

Owning'em up!

The pros at grape stomping

Trying my hand, er, legs at it

And finally, the poser in me!
Picture Credits- Deepa

I'll be back with the details of what I wore to the event. Till then, make the best out of this festive season and pray so that the chill stays here for a while. Signing off,
                                                                               Soumi

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Black Dog Evenings Presents Night Fever-A Tribute to the Bee Gees...

There can rarely be something more exciting for an IDM and Techno fan than an evening with the Bee Gees. The tribute to the Bee Gees at CC&FC is just something the doctor ordered with this nip in the air. Good music,good food and drinks and good ambiance- what else could one want for in a chilly evening?
                                                                           Live counters dishing out delicacies of every kind- lip-smacking finger foods to elaborate meals,the bar offering one's favourite poison within seconds and a good crowd always set the mood for a nice evening.
                                                                            Night Fever-a tribute band to the Bee Gees,all the way from Canada took the stage around 8 p.m. and soon found themselves in the midst of a cheering crowd after starting out with a few not-so-popular numbers.Stayin' Alive,How Deep Is Your Love...one classic after another put the dance floor on fire. And,finally they wrapped up the evening with Tragedy,leaving the crowd asking for more.