Thursday, July 30, 2009

Follow suit or break out

You want to be part of a clique, so you follow suit. But, at what point do you break out and create your own tribe?

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Soaked pink socks

The weather was insane today. When I walked out of the office, I saw the trees moving with so much passion and fervor, as if they were throwing a tantrum ... "Nooo, I want that wind, let me have the wind" they seemed to say.
Then it happened in a snap. The clouds roared and burst out like a fancy Kohler shower head, only much wider and more intense.

Oooh, I loved every moment of it....down to my totally soaked pink socks! :)

Hugs!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Soldered to existence

Inspiration comes in all sizes, shapes, packages, colors -- I am learning this, and more, as I enter a new phase of my life. Being an entrepreneur is a big bold step - sounds heavy weight? You know what, it kinda' sorta' is. But, is it something that anyone can aspire to be? Yes, absolutely. Provided the goals, values and mission are all synched up and true to your heart. Provided you cannot go another moment without doing something about it -- that true!

When I see a street side vendor, I am inspired - how he forces himself to stand out in plethora of showrooms around him, his confidence intact and will power soldered to his existence.
When I see a shop owner, I am inspired - how he displays his products, and prices them so that people passing by would come in atleast once to see what the deal is all about, his pride intact and his business acumen soldered to his existence.
When I see a candyman, I am inspired - just one product to sell, but selling it in different ways to different types/ages of people, his purpose intact and his candy machine soldered to his existence.
I am truly thankful for all these inspirations coming my way, and I can't help but solder them to my own existence.

Oh, and I know, I skipped yesterday, so today I present to you the weekly Wish List:

  • I wish I had canon 5D camera so I could take cool shots of Banno Raani's collection
  • I wish people (adults) would own up to their mistakes, and not act like an ostrich and put their head in the sand when it comes to clarifications -- "Huh, whats wrong? I don't see anything wrong?"
  • I wish 3o Rock wins all 22 Emmy awards
  • I wish Obama administration would make the immigration policy/process smarter, easier and faster -- its about time!
  • I wish I would climb Mt Everest one day -- until then I will get inspired : )
**************************************************
Also, not to make you wait any longer, here are some pics from the launch party of Banno Raani -- enjoy!!


As always, we begin with special prayers to Ganeshji


This is how it was set up at my place - ooh, it looks soo good: )


Just a glimpse of our collection...

Our guests/clients trying out the collection (special shout out to Gauri in this pic..) : )


Ozzi blinging it to the max --- a statement earring


Hugs!!


Sunday, July 26, 2009

The sun shone, it rained - what a perfect Day!

I can't begin to tell you how I feel now that my dream, my passion is official. Its awesome!!
First, I will take these itty bitty few lines to thank my Ganeshji, my lovely hubby, my family, my friends, aunts, uncles, neighbors and also the neighbor's dog (who surprise surprise is a lot friendlier now). I am sure I also voice Shikha's sentiments of gratitude here.

Yesterday was Banno Raani's launch - what a day, people, what a day! Perfect. The day was sweltering, but the spirits were cool and solid. The air was dry, but the hopes were lucid and overflowing. I couldn't believe how much I loved interacting with my clients (ahem, yes!!) and making them feel pretty. Kartik even took me aside and said, "You really seem to be having so much fun. I am standing in the corner, and I can see it in your eyes how much you are enjoying yourself." And, that truly sums it up!

Both Shikha and I had a such wonderful time. The feedback was great. As soon as someone saw a style, they went "ooh, I gotta have that too" and pretty much our day was made in those ooohs and aaahs : )

Again, thank you all for making the journey so far soo beautiful. We now have even more to deliver - in terms of style, selection and service. And, we are ready for it.

Will be sharing pics of the launch event soon - until then, don't hold your breath : )

Hugs!

Friday, July 24, 2009

I can't believe its all done!! Well, almost :)

Alright, the cleaning pyjamas have served their purpose, and I am done with all the sweeping, swiffering, swooshing through the house. Actually, right after I blogged, I ran to the broom as a kid towards candy, and furtively went on with the cleaning actions. Hey, I am proud of myself - for I was done by 11. Cool, right?

And, becuase I was so quick and efficient (ahem, ahem), I sneaked in a trip to the temple, to get blessings from my dear Gods, to calm me and to allow Shikha and me to do a fabulous job tomorrow. I really needed that comfort, and I got just that and more as soon as I walked through the temple doors. The silence penetrated my mind like a lotion on my skin - and everything was just brilliant after that. Thank you Ganeshji and Sherawali Maa and Shivji and everyone.... I know I sound like a dorky kid who is just about to give her 12th board exams (umm for the uninitiated, class 12 exams are the toughest to clear in order to graduate from High School in India), but you know what, that's fine... works just perfectly for me.

Oh, and I also sneaked in time to complete (sorta') my defense driving course -- remember the "NO EXTRA CHARGE" saga and resetting of my registration!! Well Well, I am at module # 3 right now and I have one more module to go after that. And, then I will be done. Yummy!!

So, now you probably want to ask me, "what about the organizing step and your creative explosions?" Darlings, that will be tackled in the second half of the day, which for me, starts in half an hour. Ahem, yes, and this is when the magic fairy dust will be sprinkled around and the 'Works' will begin to happen. Oh, and you do know that there is a nervous thread running undearneath my calm demeanor? I may sound relaxed and hunky-dory, but deep down, its like an old rickety train running on an old rickety track...nerves baby, the nerves!

Shikha and Dhruv should be here any minute now, and I want to wrap this up quickly before it gets busy. Also, wanted to thank you for being true partners in this frenzy.

Its going to be awesome tomorrow, deep down I know, and we will rock it (internal soundtrack-old rickety train)...yeay!!

Hugs!!

Morningness and the art of getting things done

Good morning everyone! Aah, its a nice warm morning, and I am all ready to leave my laziness curled up in bed, and embrace the crisp clean whiff of morningness : )

Ok, I have work cut out for the entire day, and if I tell you its a LOT, I actually mean its a TON of work. Tomorrow is the D-Day, ie, the launch of Banno Raani's first product showcase, the Jhumke Collection, at my place and I haven't started on any arrangements, etc. Lazy? umm...no. Procastinator? umm...ya, a lil bit. Super excited and don't know where to start? oh, absolutely!
Shikha and Dhruv will come by later this evening to help, but before that, I have cleaning to do, and there's quite of bit of scrubbing and sweeping to do - so, I won't spend too much time describing it, because, well, you get the point : )

This is how I have grouped the list, so the tasks seem manageable and attainable. And, yes, these will be dealt in the order listed below -- makes sense, right?

1. Cleaning
  • Sweep main living room
  • Vacuum carpet
  • Scrub bathroom (although, I don't think this is for clients)
  • Sweep kitchen area (because my kitchen extends into living room...oh, actually, its the other way round)
  • Dust tables and chairs
2. Organizing
  • Arrange furniture to allow flow of people
  • Put up display tables
  • Put up lights
  • Decide on arrangement of food, snacks, etc.
3. Creative Explosions (my fav category, and a totally made up one : ))
  • How to display earrings (which ones in the front, which ones on the right, etc.)
  • Decor of display area...candles?potpourri?
  • Logo and banner placement
  • "What's next" aisle arrangement
  • Pleacement of guest book
  • Flower arrangement on the main table
Phew!

Ok, I am heading now for those cleaning pyjamas (yikes) and the broom -- and we'll chit-chat later. Sounds good?

Have a fantastic Friday -- wherever you are -- life is good, life is super...so enjoy the heck' out of it!!

Hugs!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Overflow

My heart pours in tandem with my eyes -- and they both overflow with so much joy. Joy of knowing that dreams do come true. Joy of knowing that it's all in our own hands, in our own control.
These tears don't lie, I tell you.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Day 5 of 5, and...Morgan Freeman

I don't have to tell you this, but Morgan Freeman is one of the best actors around, and his voice, grander than his screen presence. So, if he tells me that buying pizza boxes is good for my health, heck yeah, I am going to stock em' up like crazy!!

That got me thinking -- what does it take to have this reputation? To have this power through your voice. Research shows that voice modulation and strength is an association to authority and leadership. If you listen to someone who has too much of both modulation and strength, you can find yourself being ordered to march down the field track at 3:00 am, and if it is just right, you can find yourself trusting and agreeing to buy 3 crates of beer bottle caps without wincing.

Therefore, it is very important that when you have an opinion or suggestion, you keep your voice stable and strong. This way you will come across as someone who knows what he/she is talking about and someone whose opinion matters. Helpful even if you are not 100% sure of your ideas, but just getting them out to anticipating ears will make you feel confident and will put you on a path of researching and confirming your ideas further. So, when in doubt, learn it from Mr. Freeman...just one of the ways to enriching yourself.

So, here we are... Day 5 of the challenge, what I simply like to call - THE CONCLUSION
Ah, I have learnt soooo much about fear/free in the past few days than I have in my entire life, and thats because I consciously watched myself making decisions based on whether I wanted to be free or be consumed by my fear. The choice seemed very straightforward, right? Well, umm, not really. When I was in the thick of things, and it was all 'real', the choice wasn't as clear as it may appear to be right now. But, all it required was a bit of effort, deep conscious effort, on my part and then the implementation of the choice got easier. Ta Daaaa : )

I am so happy I took up this challenge... other than making a self improvment (much needed) I ended up reuniting with one of my dear friends, hello!!!

Hugs for a comfy Tuesday night!

Monday, July 20, 2009

The Wish List, Day 4 of 5 and...what's with that customer service?

I signed up for defense driving course online (yes, you can now take this 6-bazooka long hour course without sitting in a claustrophobic class) to get a 10% discount on my auto insurance. Part of their deal is to make sure you are the only one taking the course, and so they require voice biometric authentication periodically -- yeah, high-tech stuff and all!! So, due to a certain glitch in their system, the authentication screen didn't show up, and I got locked out. I called for customer service, and they said that they will call me in 5 minutes. That was 9:45 am this morning . I called them back again around noon, saying I hadn't received the call and if they can fix my access. Mind you, I had already invested 5 hours going through all the 3 modules, and only had few chapters in the 4th module to go. When I got to speak to them, they said they had "re-registered" me and I would have to take the course from the beginning at NO EXTRA CHARGE!! Hello, my precious 5 hours were already invested and they just went ahead and re-regsitered me at NO EXTRA CHARGE. I was just flabbergasted, because they did not understand the exception in this case, the fact that it was their technical issue that caused this, and when I asked for a supervisor, I was told, "But, mam, this is our policy, and don't worry we have re-registered you at NO EXTRA CHARGE." AAArggh, these customer service people -- what part of it is service???

Fear vs Free battle continues as I was having a situation where I needed to decide whether to take this management course or not. I mean its a very simple situation, but has such a layer of complexity if you will. I feared, what if it takes me to a level where I am not ready to be or brings me the information that I would have no use of. I started dreading the late nights that would emerge due to all the new projects I would get...and off the hook my mind went. I immediately took a deep breath and slowly inhaled/exhaled for ten seconds, reflected my current state of unwanted agony, and then cleared out my misconceptions and weird thoughts. I decided to just hit the "submit" button and go for the course. Free to pursue the unknown in my professional world. That's what I am talking about!!

The Wish List
  • I wish companies realized the true meaning of customer service; reading off of a dialogue sheet that probably belongs to a B-grade movie does not count
  • I wish my commute to work was shorter by like an hour
  • I wish I could adopt a dog soon (Kartik, hope you read this)
  • I wish for buses to run on time, especially on a Monday morning, I mean c'mon
  • I wish I could star in an animation
  • I wish all true love unites in this world...God bless people in love!!
Happy Monday y'all

Hugs!!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Day 3 of 5 and... the BR update

Yesterday, Kartik and I spent an entire day at Shikha and Dhruv's...packing and tagging th Banno Raani's products, until our backs hurt and our arms wilted. But, we kept going on.
Both Shikha and I are getting more and more excited as well as nervous about the d-day. We packed and tagged all the products, all we need to do is work on the display, lighting and other presentation ideas. Yup -- get it all set for this coming Saturday. We are also putting up snacks and drinks for our prospective clients, a personal touch from our side that says we care about them taking out time to come and visit us.

Ok, as part of my on going effort for fear vs free... I was facing a situation of reaching out to an old friend, whom I hadn't spoken to for a while. I wanted to invite her for Banno Raani event and was juggling with the idea of whether to call her or not. I was taking my time picking up the phone because of the fear of getting a 'No' from her or of sounding selfish to call her after a long time. But, she is a dear friend and for me, it was having her there that mattered. I sat down and for five minutes thought, what worse could happen? She wouldn't come or may not even pick up my phone. In that case I will leave her a pleasant message, and that will be it.
So, I decided that I really did not have to have this silly fear, and I dialed. Ring 1 (hmmmm), Ring 2 (oh, maybe she is busy), Ring 3 (I will leave her a message), Ring 4...She picked up, we had a fun chit-chat, I told her about Banno Raani, she squealed with joy, and she is coming. Phew! I am learning - yeah, I am learning, its fun to be free.

Hugs!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Day 2 of 5 and...the iPhone saga

As I was walking towards work yesterday, a man approached me to ask for directions to City Hall. He was probably in his 50's and looked lost. He announced he was getting married, and he wanted to make sure he reached City Hall on time, or else he would remain a bachelor for life. It was a serious case and I had to help him through the shortest and best way I could find. I flipped out my iPhone and clicked "Maps" App and then zoomed on where we both were currently, and how close/far off he was to his future (aka marriage). Thankfully, City Hall was only few blocks south and I zoomed in and showed him the direction. You know acting all cool, like, check out my iPhone and my zooming skills : )
Then he took out his letter and asked me if I could also help him with an additional location. I went to Safari, Googled it, and Mapped it, and he was sooo happy. I think I sold him an iPhone people - then and there. I am sure soon after he gets hitched, he will walk into the Apple store with his new wife and get him self a spankin' new you-know-what. That how 'sold' he was!

Now, going to the second day of my fear vs. free battle. Good stuff..here it goes. I have been reading a book called "Many Lives, Many Masters" by Dr. Brian Weiss, which talks about reincarnation, and an actual study he did with a patient in 1980s. The patient, Catherine, visits each of her 86 lifetimes through hypnosis, and relates it back to Dr Brian, as he is using this technique to cure her of her depression and fears. She also enters what is referred as the "in between state" where she is passed knowledge through the 'Masters', those enlightened spirits who have transcended the physical stages through a lot of learning and experience. Ok, I was intrigued and as I was reading this at night, I also got spooked a little. Although, there was nothing in the book to be scared of, I just imagined that there were spirits around me who were watching me, etc. So, I challenged myself to overcome this fear, and decided to go downstairs (to get some water) -- which was completely dark--all by myself. Kartik was busy releasing zzzzsss, so I didn't want to wake him up. I debated and debated -- why do I have the fear -- I can be free and just go downstairs in the dark--there is nothing there--I do not hear anything, so why am I even debating. After few minutes, fear won and I slept thirsty.

Score 1-1

Hugs!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Day 1 of 5, and more...

So, here I am, blogging in the morning. Yeay, for me - right?? right?? : )
It was kinda' crazy for me at work and although I came home at a decent hour -- I just couldn't lift my overworked fingers to start the typing frenzy again. But, I am all energized now -- what a nice shower can do on a hot morning -- and ready to document the first entry of the project I talked about in my previous blog - Fear vs. Free

Yesterday, when I received an email from one of my colleagues talking about a project, its nuances and the approval chain involved, I was excited to take it on. When I read it, the whole project did not make sense to me, and I was enraged that one would spend the company's money in that fashion (mind you, this is my personal take on the corporate workings -- I just cannot deal with politics and what nots). Anyhow, I wanted to give my honest opinion, but then I feared, what if it would harm my career, what if I get on the wrong side of my senior managers. Maybe agreeing to the proposal is the safest method to ensure the strength of my career, I thought, and as I was typing "agreed" in an email, something stopped me. I reevaluated my feelings on this, and decided that my fears were baseless - I had to do what would make me free. And, people, thats' what I did. I responded with all honesty on the project and listed out the pros and cons.
So, now I wait on the verdict, but I did what would set me free - and yes, it was a conscious decision because I had to prove it to myself -- you know, refute the age old saying "easier said than done." : )

Well, tis' Friday -- and that calls for some more fearless adventures -- so go out have fun, and try to do what you always felt shy of (what will others say), scared of (what if it hurts) or simply lazy (yeah, will do it someother day).

WAKE UP and SMELL THE AIR (outdoors, sniffing AC air does not count :) )

Hugs!!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Super Duper Day!!

Its our mom's birthday today. Woohoo!!
A while back, I had written a poem for her, which fits the occasion and so Iwill share it here

I couldn't have seen the sunshine without your eyes
Couldn't have slept soundly without your love
You precede my existence
You enhance my living
The wind that blows tender curls over my face,
Warms me up when proliferates through you
Greatness is what one ought to achieve
But, your modesty enthralls me
You are ubiquitous
You stand for the world
I am gifted,
For I am your essence

Happy Birthday Ma!!

Today is our lovely aunt, Veeru Masi's birthday as well (mom's younger sister). So, a special shout-out to the hottest lady in Virginia...you know who you are!!

Hugs,
Shivika and Shikha

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Fear, Freedom and the 50th post

Have you wondered how close the word free and fear appear?If you speak fast, you'll probably won't be able to even tell the difference. That's how close.
Have you also wondered, what we fear the most? Its freedom - freedom from our mundane life, freedom from the lifeless job, freedom from the loveless relation. Even though, these situations are bad for our existence, we hold on to them as if they give us some purpose.

I have been thinking a lot about the concept of freedom and fear and time and again I come back to how intertwined these 2 parallels really are. To be free is to be fearless and that is the ultimate truth of our existence. Free to live our dreams, free to spend hours on internet :), free to voice our opinions and fearless if we get labeled opinionated (yeah, so what?), free to just be.
So, here's a quick tip - next time you feel the urge to question your actions or your thoughts (those which you know make you feel good), just take a deep breath, close your eyes, and think for just 10 seconds, what is that you are afraid of, whats holding you from going through completely with that thought/action? I am sure it will become pretty clear overtime that your fears are baseless, they are as good or as important as you make them to be.

Here's a challenge (ooh, I love challenges)...For the next 5 days, both you and I will only focus on the free part, and keep the fear part tucked away really deep -- regardless of how close these words appear to be or similar they seem to sound. Ok, I will throw in a journal of tracking my progress with this and will share with all. How's that for taking it up one more level? Fun Fun!!!
If you would like to share, send me an email.

Also, hoooraay, for this is the 50th post of Banno Raani -- wow, made it this far!! Fun! Fun!


Monday, July 13, 2009

The Wish List

Today at work, eight of us were invited for a luncheon with a senior manager. It was one of those "get to know your seniors better" round table - with pizza. And, part of the deal was for each of us to ask a question of him. It was fun, and one of the questions I asked him was "What is your motto in life?" Now, even after 11 years (almost) here, I still pronounce some words with the English accent and so I went "What is your mo-tto in life?" Instead of a beautiful proverb for an answer, I got a very confusing look back. Hmm, I thought, I am sure he knows the meaning of the word motto. But, then everyone looked at me as if I was speaking Latin and gave me the same confusing look back. And, so I said "mo-tto, motto" and then I heard a voice of clarification echo out "mawto, you mean mawto" - and just like that the confusing look on everyone's face was gone. And, just like that I got my answer.
Really, never a day goes by without learning something - never a day.

Which, surprise-surprise, somehow brings me to our Monday's feature - The Wish list -- and here we go:

  • I wish people would use deodorant, especially when using public transportation, like seriously
  • I wish I could travel the world...in 80 days, with my lovely hubby Kartik
  • I wish the media would leave Michael Jackson alone, he is gone and we need to remember him for his talent and not for hocky pocky malicious gossips
  • I wish I could participate in ABC's Wipeout show -- oh, its so awesome
  • I wish more people in this world would get courage to pursue their dreams
  • I wish there were fireworks every weekend by the beach
  • I wish I could walk barefoot in the park
Ok, don't give me the confusing look. You know what I mean.

Happy Monday y'all!

Hugs!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Truly personal, but we learn

I will admit it. No, seriously, I will admit it. I was wrong and I made a mistake.
Now, admitting isn't something I did easily when I was younger or growing up. I mean, you were either cool or you were wrong. And, trust me, at that age, life was all about riding the cool wave. But, I am older and wiser (ahem ahem) now and am OK with openly admitting my faults.
So, Shikha and I had a misunderstanding over some workings of our business - the misunderstanding soon grew into an argument and it wasn't cool. Granted we both knew that there would be times when we would get into situations where the personal relation would take over the professional one, but to actually face it was a whole different planet. Lucky for us, we realized and acknowledged it sooner than later.

You see, we all have big egos and no patience-- especially when it comes to our siblings. And, this was one of those arguments where there was no room for bowing down or patiently hearing out the sibling. However, we were able to calm ourselves down (this involved walking away from the scene of loud sonic emissions) and look beyond our personal issues to get right back on track of building a business we both believe in and are passionate about.

I love my sister a lot, and we both have gone through so much together that at the end of the day its only us - the goofy, giggly, curly haired, sometimes identical dress wearing sisters : ) I am glad we went through this sooner than later because this business is not only a test of our professional expertise but also of our personal endurance. We both know now to set a clear line of demarcation between being business partners and being sisters. Though, the sisters part will always overflow a bit more on the partners side -- but hey, its ok with me, I will admit it. Coz' I am cool : ).

Hugs!

Update*** Here's a screenshot of the evite I sent out, I soo wanted to share this with you. Don't you love those pretty blossoms in yellow? I fell in love with the combo...drool...



Click and link, baby, Click and link

Since I am already on the topic of blogs, I will share with you one more awesome and super funny blog I came across - not by doing any kind of research - but by what I call, the 'click and link' effect.
Ok, here's how it happened. Remember, few weeks ago I told you about my desparate yet successful research on the topic 'what makes for a good blog', and then how I ended up on Times Best Blogs of 2009 (goldmine!!) list. Well, that lead me to Seth Godin's blog (mentioned previously). I have to admit, at first I did not understand Seth. His posts seemed more gibberish than I could fathom - but, stubborn me, had to find out what he was all about. And, I am glad I did.

Alright, alright, back to my 'click and link' effect, and I will chart out my journey to this funny website:

Google search for "What makes blogs successful" --> Times Best Blogs of 2009 --> One of Seth's post --> Chris Guillebeau's Art of Nonconformity --> HaviBooks's Fluent life (another amazing blog, btw) --> Funny Website (click and link now) Awkard Family Photos

Enjoy the awkardness and get transported to your own secret stash of embarrassing family momentos.

Hugs~

Friday, July 10, 2009

Ringing the Blog Bell

I have been doing a lot of online search to find blogs/sites which speak to me about being a first time entreprenuer, of exploring creativity, of tips on how to make an impact with my blog and business, etc. -- and surprise surprise, I have found tons of them. I actually wasn't expecting this type of range to tickle my fancy - but, there is a wide range and I am so thankful for such an open dialogue to exist. I truly wonder how the world connected before internet - I am sure you had to bribe your dear ol' postman to smuggle the communication goods faster, oh, and then you also had fax or fascimile (I find the word very lurid). I loved the fax paper though. It was so buttery soft and shiny...I remember Shikha and I used to pretend we were getting fax at our dad's office in India, and stood by the fax machine -- you know acting all cool and expecting -- and ripped off pages and pages of that smooth buttery paper...oh, yes, thats' how things rolled before internet!!! :)

Ok, so, now that I know there is so much material to read, I am now facing with the challenging next step - how do I manage it and how do I prevent myself from being suffocated by info overload. This is a bit time consuming part my friends, and patience and good reading skills are key here. When I get to a blog or a site, I give myself 5-10 minutes to skim their recent posts and make a decision. If the writing and opinions ring my mind's blog bell -- I bookmark it instantly. If I don't - you know what happens...

Because some of these good blogs/sites are for just about anyone to get inspired and to think outside the box, better yet, think of a circle instead of the box, I feel compelled to spread the good word and generate great vibrations. These blogs/sites will challenge and speak to you at different levels -- whether you are a stay at home mom, a corporate cubicle survivor, a perennial poet, an artist or someone looking for that outlet to make a difference.
Strap the webly (don't ask where the word came from, it just did) links -- and read on:

Mark McGuinness's Lateral Action: http://lateralaction.com
Blurb: Mark is a business coach, and he also writes poetry. Enough said, check out the site from articles ranging from "how stubborn are you at being successful" to "What can you learn from Walt Disney"

Seth Godin's Blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com
Blurb: Seth is God. Of Marketing. Of Creativity. Of being non-conformist. His ideas flow like light through optic fibres...illuminating the entire strand and the tip. Be prepared to leave behind your doubts, old-fashioned beliefs at his page. He will question you to think differently and even question your questioning ability. MUST READ!!!

Pamela Slims' Escape from Cubicle Nation: http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/
Blurb: Pam knows a thing or two about being free, and one can definitely learn a lot from her insight. This blog/site is for first time entreprenuers and for those who are sick of being tied to the 9-5 schedule like a dog to a leash. YOU HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK

There are quite a few - and as you will notice, I have started a feature on the blog called 'Amazing Blogs and more' - make sure to keep an eye on it as that roster is carefully selected to provide handsome dialogue to the workings of our creative urges.

Peace out, my friends!

Delicious nature of my absence - contd

Alright, as I had promised, here are some pics of what I was upto in Boston last weekend...

Meet my superhunk nephew -- Ruban. I mean look at him -- sooo adorable.


And, here he is with his dad -- oh yeah, this lil' being can scream (mommy in the background)




And here he is with my mom -- aka Aunt Sunita or Sunita Masi-dadi, as we say in the Indian culture


ok, so now you know about the delicious nature of my absence : )

Enjoy!

Awesomeness - deux

As Hugh MacLeod would say...
  • Never compare your inside with somebody else’s outside

  • Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether


Need I say more?

Hugs!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Not your fancy schmancy promotional gimmick

So, I sent out the facebook invite on Tuesday, and the evite today. I was curious to see who responded so far, and when I logged on and saw some of my friends saying no, that they could not make it, honestly, I felt a little sad. I started thinking maybe no one will turn up - what will happen?? oh, I really needed to calm my nerves then.

And, just as I was about to freak out, Shikha called me and we both vented our fears by talking positive and focusing instead on the next steps ahead. We decided that we will put up the best presentation out there, and be a bit more aggressive with our boutique promotion.
One of my friends asked me though as to why we were not being commercial with our marketing?Well, at this time, we are not going with any fancy schmancy promotional gimmick - we are pushing through purely on word of mouth spread, ofcourse we are also relying on facebook to give us that extra nudge in our outreach efforts :) And, the reason for that is plain and simple. Budget. We are working on a very strict budget, and to blow through it would not be a smart financial decision. Although one might say, oh, its going to pay back. Well, not really. Not in the short run. Don't get me wrong. We do have the intention of going big, going commercial, but that will happen once we have lifted ourselves a little above the ground. And, trust me, we have quite a few great things already lined up for the kind of boutique we want to be, the relations we want to have and the business ethics we want to live by. So, yeah, it will be big soon, but right now, its more simple, more manageable, and since its our first time - it's more us.

Now, where do we go from here? Well, we all will find out together -- are you with us? oh, I already knew that : )

Hugs!!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Awesomeness

Came across this awesome quote by Oscar Wilde, and he really kicks ass with it, "Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken"

yowza!

One For Technorati

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Update: I know you are confused by the cryptic code, but this post was needed to get my dear blog on Technorati. Now we talkin' professional :P!!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Internal Discussions

As I was walking towards subway, I started to think about what I would write today. Quite a few topics floated through my mind and so, I started having an internal discussion. I guess this discussion became pretty loud for I saw people walking by giving me this odd look as if I had two heads. Taking cue from their looks, I decided to quiten down the "internal" discussion and become a normal one-headed type of person.

The splotchy train ride then transported me to a different world of thoughts, and one of the themes that kept popping up was my nervousness with the launch. Although Shikha and I have taken care of most of the task list, there are still some pending items left. We have to buy display trays/racks, organize the product range, complete pricing, decide on the menu...oh, there is ssooo much to be done. And, then, there is this other kind of nervousness - will there be enough crowd, will they like our collection, will we add value to our customers.

But you know what, deep down, I am happy too. Yes, really. I am in this warm, fuzzy, happy place because I am heading towards something I believe in, something that I will give my 1000% to and make it awesome. And, that brings me to one of the topics I was thinking about as I was walking towards the subway - Do you follow the well trodden, well known road or create your own beautiful, yet slightly rough and mostly unknown path?

I think I may have my answer.

Hugs!

Monday, July 6, 2009

The Wish List

Monday's here, and so is the spankin' new feature, the weekly Wish List.
  • I wish for perfect health of my bauji (grandfather), beeji (paternal grandmother) and my nani mumma (maternal grandmother)
  • I wish I wouldn't get corns when I run in those gorgeous Calvin Klein heels of mine
  • I wish I was 2 inches taller
  • I wish for sooo much love to flood the heart of every soul on this earth, that they forget war, hatred, jealousy, religious differences and start to live as humans
  • I wish my neighbors were friendlier, especially their dog
  • I wish I could eat desserts all day and my body wouldn't show it
  • I wish I was funnier and wittier with my words...
  • I wish someone would just ban the use of words "recession" and "stimulus" - ghosh, even my laundry guy is offering a "stimulus" for my shirts, and the local grocer is making his prices "recession proof"
  • I wish for everyone's blessings on Grand Opening Day of Banno Raani :)
Happy Monday y'all!

Hugs!!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Happy Happy Haaapppy Birthday

Papa -- it's funny how when we wish you "Happy Birthday" you always reply "same to you." Love this little cheeky response of yours. So here's wishing you a wonderful, fabulous and awesome Birthday, because without you, we wouldn't be here in this world : )

Love and Hugs,
Your lovely daughters : )

Delicious nature of my absence

I will not give any excuse, other than that I am late -- but here it is, straight from the warmest nook in my heart - a very happy Independence Day!! I am blessed to be here in America and to make it the home of my dreams - dreams that have no other resort but to come true. I am also grateful to all the brave men and women out there for their continuous dedication, love and support for this country. Truly, God does and will always bless America!! yeay!
So, why late? umm.. I have pictures to show you the delicious nature of my absence, and you will most definitely agree with me. This deliciousness is in Boston, and thats' where I was with Kartik and my entire extended family. It was absolutely fun, and I even got to see the awesome I-Day fireworks up, close and personal. Pics to follow to show you my new found love.

Until then, enjoy remaining part of Sunday and get ready for a wonderful, super Monday!!

Hugs!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Avatar 360*

When I look back few years, I see a very different avatar of myself. The essence of my soul is still the same but I have become more patient, more honest (especially to myself), wiser and less judgmental. I don't make decisions about people based on their clothes, their accent or their handbag, but more on how their eyes shine when they talk, how their lips curl when they smile and how their presence touches my heart. Its more about them and less about me, and that to me has been a wonderful change. I am not saying I was this "me - me" person before, but just that my priorities and focus were different.

Time has passed and where I am today, I am happy and blessed. I am more confident about where I came from and where I am headed with my dreams. I am truly thankful to my favoritest God, Ganeshji, my lovely husband, and my wonderful parents. A special shout to my true partner in crime, Shikha, you know what you mean to me, so I don't really need to fill this blog with my feelings and love for you :)

I now leave you with an opportunity to reflect on how you and your life has changed, and to feel grateful for all the good things in your life now : )

Hugs!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Snippets of a day well spent

Work was pretty manageable today, and I got to leave early - so that was awesome. But, I had to wait for Kartik to be done as well, and that meant I had 2 hours in my kitty. What did I do? Well, what any sane girl would do -- headed straight for the bookstore -- gotcha!!
But, no, really, I did go to the bookstore. You see there is a very strong connection I have with books - much like a gambler has with Vegas -- almost to the point of addiction. I mean I can read and read and read all day and not get tired. Its an awesome feeling to get tangled in the web of the written words, to develop a relationship with the characters and to lead a fantasy life in a made up world. ooh, I remember once when I was on summer vacation, aka, no school, I tried to finish The Fountainhead in one day -- I am telling you, I probably weren't even breathing then. lol : )

Anyhow, I was at Borders, feeling like a kid in the candy store, picking up one best seller after another, browsing through the new releases and making up a list for my next line up of books. Two hours passed by and I did not even realize, when my phone rang and Kartik said he was on his way. We decided to go to Chipotle for dinner and then take the bus home from the city. We took the fajita burrito (yummmm) to go, and sat by the water to eat, talk and laugh. Since we had some time to kill before the next bus arrived, we decided to walk to the next station, maybe a mile away. It had been raining before, but then it had stopped, so the sky was pretty clear. But, as we started to walk, it started to rain. And, the faster we walked, the harder it came down. It was warm so getting soaked was no big deal at all -- and we were going through the narrow streets of downtown NY, it was oh-so lovely. We both had such a great time - getting drenched in the July rain, jumping in puddles like kids (wow, I got to be a kid twice within 2 hours) and just enjoying the pure, simple, and true joys of life.

And, those my friends, are some snippets of a day well spent.

Hugs!!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A happier human being with a business card to boot

Lasy night, Kartik and I were surfing through our 8 channels, when we came across the show "America's Got Talent" and got hooked. I know what you are thinking, so I will address that first.
Yes, you read it right - 8 channels, and yes, it is ok to scream "Whattt??"
Well, we both have never been into Televsion - we didn't have TV for the first year we were married. I mean we had a TV set, but it just sat there... playing back our reflections as we walked past it.
We cool now?

So, the show had hosts of people showcasing their talent, and it ranged from uber silly to just breathtaking. I mean I was laughing one minute in a cartoonish wide mouth style of "HA HA HA" and in the next, curling up to Kartik with tears rolling down my cheeks seeing a 62 year old woman dancing so awesomely - she decided she could not keep her dreams hidden any longer and decided to give it a try, enough was enough she said. I was so moved by this show because it was not the talent which was the focus for me, it was people's energy and drive to do what they believed in. It moved me, and strengthened my belief in my dream, and eventually I walked away a happier human being.

On a totally separate note, I have mailed back the damaged pieces of the order, the invite (we will be using evite or facebook) is coming along good, just working on some wordings, and we still have packaging stuff to put together. Can't wait for the d-day to arrive...and now I am a happier human being with a business card to boot!!!!

Hugs!!

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