36 Random things about me

Someone sent me a message on FB, asking me to write some facts about me. Why 36, you ask?! I don't know, really. I guess I just don't know myself well enough for more. This isn't gonna be much fun I tell you  because I am, to myself, a relatively boring person. But well, let's hit it.

1. I am a graduate in Microbiology but ended up hating the lab-work so I have been working on various things since I passed out in 2011. I have taken writing lessons, worked for NGOs and am blogging for now.

2.I am a sucker for chocolates, cakes and... well, food in general.

3. I am kind of a bookworm. Jane Austen is my greatest weakness.

4. I drink more water in a day than I eat food. That is a good thing but kills my body's capacity to live without water at all.

5. I am probably the black sheep of the family with doctor parents and an engineer-in-the-making brother. I am planning an MBA, though.

6. I don't believe in short relationships and one night stands on a personal level. Nothing against them, I just wouldn't get into one.

7. I like typing more than writing. However, I love the feel of a fountain pen running on a sheet of paper.

8. I LOVE pani-puri. I can eat it till I can eat no more.

9. I have never been able to stay off the internet for more than 5 days.

10. I cannot survive without my iPod, cell phone and internet.

11. I hate the colour Red except in nail-paints.

12. I have a never ending crush on Ian Somerhalder, not just because he is Hot as Hell but also because he is extremely sensitive towards things I rant and run the most about.

13. I cannot tolerate Justin Beiber. Please don't unsubscribe to my posts, I don't mind if you love him. Though, that means your choice in music sucks... JK!!

14. I am lazier than Garfield. That is a lot of lazy!!!

15. I shop for both quality and quantity.

16. The things I like about myself are the facts that I love praising people, am never jealous and eat like an elephant. Okay, Ignore the last one! ^_^

17. I am a huge Dog lover, due to which I've been bitten by dogs a total of 5 times till now.

18. I own an Indie named Mickey and a German Shepherd called Roscoe.

19. Good food, Beautiful shoes and Awesome music, all give me goosebumps.

20. I am not into watches a lot and own just 2. A DKNY, a gift from someone Awesome and a non-branded one that I am just smitten with irrevocably.

21. Call of Duty and Age of Empires are the most awesome games ever, in my opinion.

22. I cry more for old people and animals in movies than anything else. Romantic movies make me sad but not enough to cry.

23. I hate the taste of most beers. Cranberry juice is my favourite drink.

24. I believe myself to be a very calm and composed person in general. For instance, if I ever meet I an Somerhalder, I won't go all screaming and crazy but if he proposed marriage, I would faint! C'mon, don't tell me you won't!!!

25. I love old hindi songs, ghazals by Jagjit Singh and a lot of english music from the time till the early 90s.

26. I am the most Indecisive person I have ever seen.

27. I have never watched Game of Thrones but know a lot about the story through someone who loves it almost as much as he loves me. Can't be a good thing, can it?

28. I am head over heels in love with Sherlock, The Big Bang Theory, Lord of the Rings series, the Hobbit series. Cumberbatch as Smaug is my favourite thing from Hollywood.

29. I do not have a favourite colour. There isn't a reason, I just don't have one. I am pretty stuck at the colour Blue.

30. I am not very big on surprises. Meaning that I need spoilers before movies or TV shows or books. Also, if someone tells me there is a surprise, I need to know about it. It is better to not tell me anything at all.

31. I read and re-read Harry Potter almost every 2 months. It just makes me verrryyyy Happy!!!!

32. I find flowers beautiful but not in my hands, books or vase, basically, not anywhere other than the plants.

33. I don't like odd numbers and have a feeling that they feel offended.

34. I hate soft toys, except 2 that I own.

35. I am not big on make-up. I manage well for myself but that's it!

36. I can't stop buying bags and shoes. Like, there is not end to them.

I guess that is it. Nothing very special or important there but well, you asked!!

Tell me about yourselves in comments or drop me a message on Facebook. Remember, L&B is there to solve your shopping and styling problems.

Also, head to Instagram and look for Lace2brocade. Follow us on FB and here on the blog to get the latest updates first!

Comic strip source- http://www.bogus.ovh.org/garfield/?month=4&year=2002&period=month

Through the Lorgnette- Part 1 (INTRO)

There is something essentially gorgeous about the models on brands' hoardings, fascinating about the portraits of women and amazing about those beautiful wallpapers of sunsets, flowers, mountains or animals, is there not? We have all often wondered what makes these pictures so beautiful or how did I not see that in that location. Well, at least I have, wondered, that is!

It would be absolutely impolitic to imagine that owning a camera will let you take good pictures (trust me, I have one of the best ones there are). In fact, keeping any judgement at high on the probity spectrum, a camera may rather spoil your pictures if you're not smart about it. Clicking a good picture is more about the photographer than the camera and there is no way to evince otherwise. A person who has the talent will click as good a picture with an iPhone as with a DSLR of top quality.

I think I should just ditch the regular rigmarole of your wild guessing and allow me to introduce you to the reason I am torturing you here, right now (I will drag on some more though, I guess).

On the 2nd of April, 2014, you will get a post on this blog about 4 fascinating and impressive photographers who are mostly hobbyists. Life has been heuristic to these people in terms of photography and I am bringing you proof to the same. The said post shall bring you Miniature Interviews and Major Awesomness in form of photographs clicked by them, their personal bests. Who are these Lovely people, you ask?! Well, I am not wearing my Genie pants today but your love makes me give into your wishes. Here they are-


1. Amrit Pal Singh, A new acquaintance of mine, he has been praised widely for his social views as much as his pictures. He has been the subject of a newspaper article for taking pictures of some rare bees.

• Hometown- Indore
• Currently based in- Indore
• Professional Prowess- Environmentalist, Organic Farmer, Photographer
• Style/Subject- Nature, wildlife

2. Abhishek Katoch, An old friend, is a versatile Shimla-ite with a natural thing for all things beautiful and and eye for the extraordinaire in the ordinary!

• Hometown- Shimla
• Currently based in- Shimla
• Professional Prowess- Electronic engineer; Owner at Event Management and clothing design company- Exmuze; Owner at Web designing and model hunt venture- Andronex
• Style/Subject- Adventure, Architecture, Artistic, Black & White, Commercial, Documentary, Event, Macro, Nature, Fashion, portrait, panorama, sports, travel, wildlife, still life, Landscapes.

3. Udit Chaudhary, a Haryanavi young man, is exactly what they all are, simple, Casual and talented. He has a sense of style about his Photography, is a director and a writer too. Donning too many hats, is he? You have no idea!!

• Hometown- Dehradun
• Currently based in- Noida
• Professional Prowess- Photographer; has done a photographic campaign for Hue; Content writer; Shooting his first Short film as a Director and so much more
• Style/Subject- Portraits and Landscapes

4. Richa Nag, my (sur)Namesake, is perfect at what she does. She is also among the reasons my cousins pester me with questions and words of praise about her.

• Hometown- Baijnath, Himachal Pradesh
• Currently based in- Bengaluru (Bangalore)
• Professional Prowess- Master of Fashion Management, NIFT, Chennai (Currently)
• Style/Subject- Nature, people, landscape, portraits

Follow the blog for a beautiful post on these talented people when it comes at the end of this month.

xoxoxo

My War with the Truth

I am not Labile. Never have been, Never will be. I try really hard to be and fail miserably. I have seen the best of times and I have seen times when my life was filipendulous. So here's a bow to everyone I had and everyone I lost, be it to time, situations or even death!

I miss how my life was 5 years ago. Beautiful, careless and meaningless, but just perfectly Complete. Today I miss many people and the warmth they brought to my life. I respect them all for teaching me lessons and molding me into the person I am today. This is what life is all about. Its about people who carve you out. Just like clothes, our souls and our personalities are custom-made for us, subject to the experiences we've had. At a particular point of time, we may not see that everything that someone else is doing is helpful in creating us in a way we know not is perfect for us. Life always has a plan. We may be recalcitrant but it goes on with that plan. But however stubborn it may be, life still gives us a chance to make mistakes of our own volition. It lets us choose people, lets us go to places, lets us choose between telling a lie or the truth, gives us the option of fighting rather than groveling in solace of our own bed of impressions.

Here's what I think. Life is like public transport and we are all straphangers, sozzled on our own insecurities. What we should be is a gourmand of all things good and bad, for who will know good if there is no bad. The bad is just not appreciated as much as it should be. I am not being philosophical. I hate it too when bad things happen to me. But over time, I have learnt to respect them later. I know now that bad, in fact, does not exist. It is our perception and our readiness to curse things as soon as they happen that makes some things bad, some very bad and hence, the spectrum. Things may be bad now or at a particular point of time but as the years pass by, we hate people, situations or things absolutely gratuitously. In time, we only exacerbate our problems while good loves bad too because it has no identity without it.

So, this is for both my grandfathers who the children of the family are told have become stars of the night sky. This is to my first real English teacher at school, to the principal that made me eat lunch in her office coz my parents complained and to every teacher that influenced me by as much as imparting knowledge and shaping my existence! I thank the botany HOD at college who I fought with over an issue I still don't think I was wrong at. This is for my best friend who is still the best friend to me that he always was and to my childhood friend who is entering the realms of fatherhood (I still think he's too young). This is to the juniors who adored me, the men who hated my attitude and the men who loved it. I am indebted to the friend that taught me everyone was flawed, the so-called friends who taught me to not trust too soon. I am thankful to the people who criticised me, the friends who gave me my prejudices and to the friends who advise me and keep my secrets. I acknowledge the factotum friends who'd never judge me and the beautiful classmates who told me that one day I'll either be a winner or a Loser and we'll still be the same at our personal reunions. And I extend my gratitude to all the people who sojourned in my life and made it what it is today!