Retail Therapy

I have finally divested my cupboard of all those clothes I haven't bothered to wear for the past one year. My maid is sure going to be one smiling customer tomorrow!! Shopping definitely is a stress buster. The one time I could not shop was this winter in London. I had descended there overloaded and could not chuck most of the stuff because they were new!! True, I did manage to buy a winter coat and few other winter things (thermals dont count!!) but it still does not qualify as shopping.

It was at this point that 'The Devil Wears Prada' came to my rescue. Take this from me, if not actually shopping, reading about clothes helps satisfy the craving. The description of all the clothes was delicious. The book also made me realise this one thing that, even though we may criticise the fashion industry and laugh derisively at them, they do finally decide what we wear. All of it trickles down the fashion food chain!! Make no mistake about it!!

Retail therapy through a book about clothes is good but once in college (Ranchi) I tried to satisfy my food cravings with 'Chocolat'. Horrible, terrible idea it was!! Never never will I do that to myself ever again. Aack.

Fashionably thin!!

Man!! I had thought of such interesting stuff to write when I thought of that title. Its all evaporated now. Vanished into the land of lost memories. This is frustrating. Actually the title popped into my head after seeing this lady clad completely in white. She wasnt too thin or too fat. Not even just right. She was fashionably thin. It would be a strange compliment to give though. 'Hey... Your looking fashionably thin today!!'. Arghh.. Bah.. Stomp... All this obsession is only because I have piled on the kilos at home. With every bite, I used to be like 'I will stop at the next'. But there was no stopping. Just like a juggernaut, I kept plodding on, proudly consuming the calories. The battle of the bulge continues and I have brought the stink with me online.

So, the first thing I did today after feeding my car was to upgrade my gym membership to an annual one. I just hope I do justice to the money spent though. Maybe I should keep repeating the numbers in my sleep. It would help me wake up on time for it. Haha. Like money spent has ever been a motivator.

I finished the 'Nanny Diaries' today. It had started off as one of those cliched syrupy tales but ended up pretty good. As my friend Raven would call it, it actually has a tiny bit of heart in it. I also bought myself the Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith. I love his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Reading his books is like taking a leisurely walk through the park with a pleasant breeze blowing at you. This book has started promisingly. Hope it continues to be so. I finished 'Going Postal' while at home. I loved the book. I love the way Pratchett gets you so involved with his characters. They are all so quirky and animated. I for one, am always upset when a book of his gets over.

There are books however that I am glad to have finished reading. One such book was the 'Kite Runner'. And, I still have to decide whether I like the book or not. I have never taken so long to decide about a book.

On another note, its interesting how one can figure out subtle qualities about an author from his/her works of fiction. A case in point is Orhan Pamuk's 'My Name is Red'. This quality or attitude rather that I had noticed earlier was reflected again in his part memoir part travelogue 'Istanbul'. I think it will be a while before I pick up another Pamuk again.

A time to leave

Two weeks of lazy goodfornothingness coming to an end tomorrow. Sighh.. Home has always meant light fiction (read that as Archies, Tintins and the like). Here I tend to re-read things I read while I was at school. It goes with the whole 'home' theme. A favourite of mine is 'Captain's Island'. It is about a kid who gets to travel in the map he has made. I always end up day dreaming after reading it.

Tintin on the other hand is my inspiration to sketch. The first time I made an animation, I remember how the main character almost looked like Prof Calculus. And, I hadn't even used a reference. Nancy Drews, Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes are firm favourites too. Though they never led to much fascination for John Grisham and the like. Maybe also because most bestsellers these days read mostly like a screenplay than a book. Simple whodunnits are the best to enjoy a lazy afternoon with. Add a glass of cold lemon juice and a slice of chocolate cake, you have vacation heaven. What really endears these books to me are their sheer predictability.

Then there are the classics. The Austens and the Brontes and the Thomas Hardys. They are like old friends who kept you yearning for the great Victorian era. Tis a pity that I can't travel with all my books. My friend R did suggest an eBook tablet. Wonder how that would be. I wish they could make it smell like a book and make it possible to dog ear it. The possibility of having all my books with me all the time is certainly alluring. Hmm.. Should seriously look into this