6.21.2013

giveaway dress via The Braided Bandit

As I mentioned last week, I am thrilled to have finally won my first every blogging giveaway, via Elana  of Room 334!

Not only is Elana one of my best blogging friends (but what does that even mean, anyway?), she also packed full a pretty awesome giveaway, leaving me with a bunch of goodies to pick out!

Now presenting my first pick: a beautiful dress from The Braided Bandit!
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hair clip- F21, vest- 7 For All Mankind c/o Carina, dress- The Braided Bandit, wedges- Bakers, ring- Ireland

I am absolutely floored by both the dress and service I recieved from Hannah of The Braided Bandit! 

Seriously, I don't know how she finds such amazing, still cute and not weird, vintage pieces to fill her shop! I've heard from several people about how overwhelming it is to look for nice vintage stuff, and Hannah literally takes out that tiresome step by curating only fabulous items. I've been smitten by several of the gorgeous dresses she features on her blog, but when I finally got to pick one out, I saw this one and knew this was it!
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The multi-colored floral print is totally on trend today, but also offers something so whimsically 60's. It feels exactly like something I could have worn as a costume in The Pajama Game!
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I was drawn to pair this sweet shift with pink lipstick (Maybelline Color Sensational in Fuchsia Fever, if interested), a sparkly ring, and a bow barrette, but also toughen it up with a denim vest I recently inherited from my sister. [Originally purchased off eBay in high school. Lesson here: stuff comes back in style so save it!]
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Once I contacted Hannah about my dress, she was on top of it and a complete joy to work with. She even offered to hem the dress, after I mentioned I was a bit concerned about the length being right for me. I so appreciated her going the extra mile, especially since the dress was a giveaway win and I wasn't even a "paying customer"!
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The dress arrived so promptly in this ah-dorable packaging. Haven't fully decided where to put my flag garland yet, but it's going up somewhere because it's too cute!
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In conclusion: thank you Elana, thank you Hannah!

I cannot wait to wear this dress again and can definitely see it sticking around in my wardrobe for a while! As for the rest of you- hurry over to The Braided Bandit (blog & Etsy) to snag yourself one of Hannah's gorgeous picks!

Oh one last thing- thanks to Kate The Great for taking these pictures- a firstie date in downtown Campbell, just perfection.

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6.19.2013

functionally priya

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sunglasses- H&M, t-shirt-India, skirt- thrifted Old Navy, sandals- Blowfish via DSW
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I've mentioned before that I have tough guidelines for hairstyles and outfits.
However, nothing could have prepared me for the myriad of adventures that took place in this outfit. 

But first, a few notes on the pieces here:
this t-shirt was a gift I received when I got home, from my Uncle in New Delhi.
And if anyone has questions about whether I love weird t-shirts, you have not read my blog enough.
I thought these sunglasses were pushing it a little until I saw identical ones at Madewell. Case closed.
This skirt was a thrifting find last year-ish, and I definitely like it more in the summer (see winter here!).
All I have to say about these sandals is that Sydney of The Daybook has them so they must be cool.

Ok anyways. I wore this Thursday when I took the train to the city,
preparing to then take the bus to my sister's apartment.
Well, because this is a safe space, I'm just gonna go ahead and say it:
like a complete NEWB I got off the train one stop early. 
Let's all say it together, rookie mistake.

SO, if you're wondering, will an outfit like this hold up walking 3.4 miles through the city,
through the Mission, Tenderloin, Market St. and Pacific Heights districts,
making new friends, keeping the old, navigating, sweating, and walking through who knows what,
the answer is a resounding YES.

Oh, and shout-out to my little bro for taking these pictures (he even picked the spot!) 
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6.17.2013

weekend update: the city & a big fat Indian wedding

This weekend was delicious. Like, wear yourself out, two hour nap on Sunday afternoon delicious. I'm down to two weeks left in CA, (more like one because I'm leaving for my cruise in T-7 days!) and still enjoying myself, thank you kindly.

I spent THURSDAY and FRIDAY in San Francisco with my sister, Carina, loving every minute of city life. This included but was not limited to: bus trips, train trips, walking trips, a birthday night out, late-night quesadillas, mint mojito COFFEES, my first trip to Zara, and a narwhale photo shoot. 
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I actually didn't take loads of pictures, but there's my half-eaten quesadilla, and actually NOT the Narwhale shoot (will need special permission to post those), but a mural I found while walking.

SATURDAY I jetted (ok, trained) back to Santa Clara where I accompanied my Dad to a wedding where he seemed to know everyone, and everyone knew me, or I should say, remembered a baby version of me.
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I was actually very excited because I got to wear a sari for the first time in my young 22-year-old half-Indian life! Dad was excited to wear his "Indian shirt"...we made a great team! (Btw I wanted to get ONE non-selfie of myself in a sari, and trying to explain blogging to my dad was a lot of fun. "You want to go outside? Now? Away from everyone else?")
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The beautiful bride and groom. Congrats Naveen & Stephanie!!

Early SUNDAY morning it was back to the city to cheer Carina on as she ran the SF Marathon!IMG_2385
Managed one action shot!
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Carina PRed by something crazy like 20 minutes, placed 11th in her age group, and very narrowly missed qualifying for Boston! 
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Way to go little P!

The rest of Sunday was occupied by that amazing nap. Solid weekend I'd say! 
Thanks for reading!!


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6.13.2013

dear students...

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As I look back to when I was a college student...ok just about a month ago, there is one thing I wish I were more clued into: renting textbooks!
There was nothing more frustrating to me than spending TONS of money on books I didn't necessarily want, and then wondering what to do with them when I was done!
    Enter a simple solution: renting your textbooks! This may not be news to everyone, but for those of you still buying your books (or about to enter college) hold it right there!
    CampusBookRentals.com is a FABULOUS venue for renting your textbooks. Renting your textbooks from CampusBookRentals.com can save you 40-90% from bookstore prices, with FREE shipping both ways, flexible renting periods, and guess what? You can even highlight in the books you rent!
     As if you needed another reason to use CampusBookRentals.com, with every textbook rented, a donation is made to Operation Smile. Partnered with Operation Smile, over 1,000 life-saving cleft lip surgeries are donated to a child in need every year. 
     So, what are you waiting for (besides maybe fall semester)?! Get to renting your books at CampusBookRentals.com, save some money, and save a child's life!!

(And bloggy friends that may be in college...email me if you're interested in collaborating with CampusBookRentals.com to earn money towards a semester of books!)

*Thanks to CampusBookRentals.com for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own!*
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6.12.2013

Indian ftw

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hair clip- F21, earrings- from Belize, tank- Old Navy, belt- F21, skirt- from India, shoes- Bakers, bracelet- gift
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Took my mom to get her tootsies done as an overdue bday present, naturally got mine done as well.
LOVING a mint pedi! And toe ring- what better way to say Indian Summer amiright?!
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Woah it has been WAY too long since I've done one of these!
Actually if you just read my last post (about hiking) that could serve as an outfit post for this whole month, because all I've been wearing is shorts, tees, running shoes, etc.
That being said, getting dressed up again for a wedding shower was quite enjoyable! 

Wearing Indian skirts in real life is always a nice surprise!
We have plenty of Indian skirts, saris, and fabrics at home, and every now and then one works in my favor. 
I actually got my mom's help in sewing some old sari fabric, and now I have two new scarves!

Also, I realize our house looks a little more rustic than normal,
that's because we're in the process of getting it painted. This look is called "rustic power-washed."
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6.11.2013

weekend update: musicals, mountains, etc.

FRIDAY: got to see a production of Footloose with my sister. And as I've said to many, the girl who played the lead is Indian! If an Indian girl can play Ariel Moore, who lives in the middle of nowhere Illinois, that means the sky's the limit for me!

SATURDAY: hiked Mt. Tamalpais with my Mom, sister, and our friend Renae.
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We found a soda machine very close to the top!
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Loved watching the San Francisco fog creeping over.
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Points of interest: a couple getting engaged at the top (may or may not have cried a bit)
and a "Mountain Play" production of The Sound of Music, that I am dying to go back and see!
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Also my mom wins for cutest hiking outfit ever. I hope to be as fab (and fit!) as her when I'm...older.

SATURDAY: got to watch my favorite kiddos compete in their first triathlon (inspiring!) and my favorite bride get some snazzy shower gifts. Please tell me I'm not the only one who LOVES Grandmother participation at weddings. They are the best. They are the funniest.
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Another beautiful weekend in the Bay. Now it's back to that weekly grind...NOT because all I do is play tennis and eat meatloaf yayyy #vacationlife 
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6.07.2013

great to B home

   I've been in California for a week already but today I realized it feels like much longer! It's a great thing. Time at home gets more and more rare, so I've been sure to spend as much time with family and friends as possible. I've been able to divide my activity into three categories for your enjoyment (most via my iPhone, too easy, oops):

BABIES
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What do all these pictures have in common? I look waaay too happy and they're blurry because babies are busy! It's really hard to take pictures of babies! (Tejas, Freddy, & Fritz, clockwise. Freddy has been on my blog before! Watch him grow!)
BIRTHDAY
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I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22! Had to. Sorry.
BRIDE
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Last Saturday I got to attend the wedding of my sweet friend Joanna! Congrats Joanna & Josh!
I have since been back to Bed, Bath, & Beyond, with two more weddings to go this month. None of which are my own.

(and if I were to add another I would say: BEAUTIFUL WEATHER) so lame, but I wanted to somehow say I've been spending all my time outside [running, playing tennis, ping-pong, hiking, mountain biking, disc golf, walking, yoga] which is also why I have ZERO fashion news for you. I love wearing Lululemon, that is all. But I would get laughed out of the blogging world for sharing that because it's not really an "outfit".

Last bit of exciting news: today I won my FIRST EVER blogging giveaway from non-other than Elana at Room 334! I promise this was not rigged! So I've been looking into some goodies that I can pick out for my spoils...pretty pumped about that. She packed it full of interesting vendors and I can't wait to show off my winnings ;)

I'm off to see a production of Footloose this evening with my sister, and we all know I love musical theater, so that'll be a treat! 'Til next time!
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6.04.2013

graduation weekend

I thought I'd better share a few more pictures from graduation weekend before it doesn't even matter anymore (Mom points out- I graduated exactly one month ago today!). I know a few people in particular (Mummo!) will be looking for these!
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I was so happy to have my Mom, Dad, and sister Galina join me in Nashville for the weekend (wasn't sure exactly what family combo I was going to get). I especially loved taking them to Taqueria!
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Also happy to be with my sweet friends, Sam (also graduated, congrats!) and Andrea (not yet!).
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Huntee also graduated, and looked very dapper! I'm so proud of him because he has worked so hard!
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Not sure how my family found the most prime spot to sit in. Family magic, I guess.
Sure the ceremony was a day affair and my name was butchered, but, I do have a degree so w/e.
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Very thankful to have my beautiful big sister around, who is also very helpful with hair and outfits for special occasions (for anyone interested- got my ensemble at Forever 21 and I was so pleased!).
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More sweet friends to join us for a celebratory Southern lunch at Monell's- Dith, Roomie, and Em!
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Had to share this picture- the top one is 9 years ago when Galina graduated from Syracuse!
The four of us make a great grad group! And my mom has aged beautifully. 
Something to look forward to. 

Thank you everyone (in Nashville, CA, and in the blogworld) for your kind congrats!
It is an exciting time and I am thrilled to be done with school, for now anyway!!
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6.02.2013

May: a blogiatus

Well hello, everybody. The month of May was not an intentionial blogiatus, but definitely a legit one!

I can pretty much summarize what I did in one sentence: graduated, worked my butt off so I could take a month off, and squeezed in house stuff when I wasn't working.

I am absolutely tickled that several people have asked if I was ever going to start blogging again! You care! Notably, my sweet Finnish grandmother who has discovered Google Translate (Hei Mummo! Kiitos, etta seuraat blogiani!). Wellll I'm baaack and taking a month in beautiful California to go to some weddings, (not my own), go on a little cruise, and enjoy some of the best people I know.


But before I get into that, here are some other things that May did for me (all via my iPhone):
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Clyde- my new roommate. This is my reference picture for everyone. Alex Hatcher is over 6 feet tall.Untitled
Graduation- did you notice I seem more educated and distinguished and snooty? Well this happened.Untitled
Betty- I got a car. Without getting obnoxious, I will say, I am VERY excited. She's a doll.Untitled
Cleveland- aka Betty's maiden voyage. We saw Aziz Ansari and our pal Mike Z! Oh, and all of Ohio.Untitled
IKEA- Literally the next day I took Betty to Atlanta to get myself a bed, dresser, and some straws.Untitled
Church- I made this one Sunday. And it's not a big deal but I'm just not artistic so I'm pleased ok?!Untitled
Sundar- had a birthday! But now he's in Virginia and being home without him is not nearly as fun.Untitled
Friends- thankful to see many of my dear friends this month. Including this pumpkin.
Could it be that I AM BECOMING A DOG PERSON?! Hmm...Untitled
Friends- just doing Memorial Day thangz.
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Percy- I'm somewhat embarrassed to show this (note- NOT a stuffed animal person) but this is how I found him one morning. Desperate to escape! (Also, sneaky peak of my house #1)Untitled
Sneaky Peak #2- my refurbished desk! Thank you's to ThriftSmart, Home Depot, and World Market. And Huntee. Several of you will see yourself looking back from this picture!Untitled
Mmrs- went through my old phones before I donated them to soliders and found this precious picture. 

That's all for now folks, good to be back and equally good to be in June! Thanks for reading!!
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