Insomnia

I find it extremely hard to sleep at night nowadays, and end up waking up late. I am trying to get more disciplined in life, but now that my body clock has been set I cannot sleep till 3am. This is not sustainable, because I feel exhausted by the end of the week and oversleep on weekends to catch up. I bought a really loud alarm to wake me up – I think if I wake up early for 1-2 days my body clock should be set. The clock is really loud, so I hope it wakes me up.

I have always had a problem waking up especially with alarm clocks. In school I used to set three of them, one inside a bucket far away which was really really loud, and I still found a way to turn it off and walk back to my bed to sleep. The only people who have been successful at waking me up early are my parents. My Dad used to just take away my bedsheet covering me and that was enough. My mom, well, she never stopped nagging till I woke up. Guess I got so used to it that now an alarm is not enough!

It doesn’t help that NYC lights always seep into my window, and a nearby building contruction continues late in the night. I complained by calling 311, which didn’t help much. The least you can ask for is a good night’s rest in this noisy city, and even that you don’t get.

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54th Filmfare Awards 2009

I enjoyed Star Screen Awards despite Sajid Khan because the awards were relatively fair. Filmfare awards, OTOH, is a means to rejoice filmdon and their kids who are now actors/actresses. Sometimes an outsider may win an award due to the sheer support and accolades the person may receive.

The award ceremony was held at Yash Chopra studios. Karan Johar, Imran Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor hosted it along with Deepika Padukone and Konkana Sen Sharma. Karan was his usual suave and articulate self. It is hard not to like him. He is so well spoken and sophisticated. Imran and Ranbir were cute, although some of their jokes were not that funny and dragged a bit. But their being eye candy made up for it. Deepika was a deer in headlights, at 5:00 below in the video. I could not believe that she was so bad as an anchor. Konkana overshadowed her completely. Deepika should just go back to being eye candy in movies, leaving the acting and anchoring to Konkana.

Jodha Akbar and Rock On won most of the awards. While JA was a decent movie and beautifully made, the best actor award should have gone to Aamir Khan for Ghajini. But since AK has rebuffed the awards, none of the award ceremonies have the guts to still give an award that is truly well deserved. Rock On was completely undeserving; the only award well deserved was for Arjun Rampal. Rock On was not that good; it was an okay movie. To add to the insult, Farhan Akhtar‘s harsh voice was nominated for singing with other well known singers with great voices. Truly an insult to the singers! I mean, Farhan cannot sing, but can get away with it because he made the movie and he is Javed Akhtar‘s son. Ridiculous.

When I watch such awards ceremonies, I admire AK’s stance on refusing to attend them or accept any award, and I even admire his refusal to send movie clips for movies that he has produced. I wish more actors would take such a strict stand so that the awards would start being more fair. Ghajini deserved many awards, but only Asin won for newcomer. So unfair. I really don’t like Farhan – he is everywhere, too much in-your-face. No he is not that talented. Luck by Chance was a much better movie but nobody went to watch it probably because of the disappointment with the over-hyped Rock On. I am so over these awards.

Even the red carpet was not that interesting. I cannot stand the woman (forget her name, she used to host Indian Idol). She keeps screeching in her mike and is painful to listen to. And Aish came with a flat hairstyle that made her look much older than she is. It was nice of Abhishek though to sit in the front row with Aish and Amitabh to cheer on the hosts. Am glad its over. Next year I willjust tune into Star Screen.

The ultra gorgeous Sonam… she is the most fresh-faced in the industry right now.

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Christian Louboutin rated by Yelp

Yelp lists Christian Louboutin as a best shopping stop in New York. After reading reviews I realized that CL’s trademark is the red sole. I checked out the collection on Neiman Marcus, and the heels are gorgeous. However, they do not justify the price tag. Do shoes with red soles justify the hefty price tag? Really? Maybe I need to check the store out – it is on my to-do lists. I have to see it now, what with the reviews raving about it. The red soles seem “sex-kitten”-like; maybe that is why people like them! I have seen Hollywood walk in CL on the red carpet, so either it is truly special or another over-rated and over-priced product. Seriously, what is the mark-up on this?

The brand also has wedges. If the USP of the brand is red soles, why would someone want to pay so much for a wedge from CL? Who would be able to see the red sole? I have to check this store out.

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Valentino

I love Valentino, but never had a chance to look at it closely. I walk by upscale stores such as Chanel, Prada, etc., but never have the courage to walk into them. See I don’t want to be snubbed by the salespeople there. Obviously I think its a waste of money to spend on these brands, but one can look, can’t one?

I had a chance to look closely at Valentino designs on Gilt. I love his designs. What a wonderful way to use roses on clothes! The last time I remember Angela tried to use them on Project Runway and she came across as tacky, and her “designs” were terrible. Clearly pulling roses off is a difficult feat.

I love anything with vertical pleats, especially in a dress.

In general, I like jackets with asymmetrical closure in the front. But asymmetrical tops can go either way.

I love the top below, with the detail and rosette. So chic!

I love love love the top and skirt below. I absolutely adore pleated skirts like the one below, and ruffle tops. And the pink one has awesome details and rose ruffles using romantic soft sheer material.

The jacket below is so breathtaking, especially when paired with the pink top and black skirt above. So priceless!

I either love tweed or hate it. The dress below is really cute.

I like the white skirt below, but the pleating in the front joining the frills is weird and not wearable. What if it stretches a bit and comes off? I would prefer it without the stitch holding the pleats in the middle.

Valentino Red is probably the cheaper version of Valentino. It has cute pieces, but not with as much detailing as Valentino. I love the top below with romantic sheer ruffles. I like sheer chiffon in general, my only concern is that it tears easily and would be an ironing nightmare.

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Death

I hate death, especially of loved ones. Well, who doesn’t! I heard of a few deaths of late. My grandparents (dad’s side) passed away 2-3 years back. My grandmother was so fragile and sweet. Last year, my husband’s grandmother passed away. Last week, someone from my old company passed away (Vivek Patel). I interacted briefly with Vivek when he was a summer intern, and by the time he was hired I had left the company. I remember Vivek as a very outgoing person, who knew what he wanted to do. He was interested in my functional group but had to intern in another team which was wrapping up due to no client work. He was “intern of the day” with me during the intern exchange day. He passed away of bipolar disorder. This is so sad; you never really know people. I cannot believe that someone as outgoing and interactive as him was suffering so much!

Today my husband’s friend told me that her father had passed  away a few months back. It was sad because she went back to India to spend time with her Dad because he was unwell, but before she got there he passed away. Truly heartbreaking. I cannot imagine living without my parents – I care so deeply about them. My Dad’s silent support and to-die-for smile, and mom’s talkative, funloving, and extremely caring nature add so much sunshine to my life. And my husband is such a good husband. I always want my loved ones around me in my life. God should focus on the bad people and take them away.

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