Mirchista

Spare Tampons Anyone?

Recently someone on twitter shared a story about how her male friend carries a spare tampon for his lady friends.

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The reaction to this went from Awwww to Duh! Why can’t girls carry their own tampons??

Some people went gushing about the guy saying how sensitive & some people went on saying who the hell uses tampons in India (yep, ignorants who know only about the existence of sanitary napkins)

 What was my own reaction? Awwww of course! 😉

 Usually women do carry a spare napkin / tampon, especially when the date is approaching. Also, napkins are easily available in stores nowadays, even grocery stores. I did see one grocery store selling both sanitary napkins & Monginis cakes (yep, our very own local cosset box, if you will 😉 ) In our office they are available with the security officers for Rs. 10/- each. But not necessarily all offices have this facility. Also sometimes either the offices are located far away from the stores or maybe you are so loaded with work that you can’t just leave to get some. Of course it would be also inconvenient to walk down to the store in this condition.

 So what do you do when you run out of one & you need it desperately? (Sparing you all the gory details of what happens if you don’t use a napkin / tampon)

Most of us would usually approach a women colleague. And if I had a man friend like the one mentioned above, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask him either. I am not sure though if anyone else would be comfortable asking a man if they have a spare tampon.

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Anyway, however cool this might seem, I would rather all men carry some sensitivity around women having their periods than carry a spare tampon. Share this post if you agree 😉

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Don’t call me unhealthy, call me fat!

Vogue recently did a photo shoot with plus size models (as opposed to the usual zero size models) A move by the magazine to find favour in the eyes of a larger audience & thus boosting its sales.

As usual the verdict on the shoot was divided in two categories. One side cheered the magazine for its bold move and another screamed to stop promoting unhealthy life style.

I know right? I was as zapped as you are! People who don’t even know what plus size means where shouting their opinions on how fat people are lazy and unhealthy and careless and blah blah blah.

It is time to bust their myth, isn’t it?

A. Plus Size doesn’t mean only fat. People who are well built, with a stout body structure or with a taller and broader frame would be included in this category. Skinny and delicate are NOT the only size God created people in.

B. Fat doesn’t mean unhealthy: I have seen lot of people who eat healthy, work out and still are not able to remove the excess fat. Have you seen some of the dancers and choreographers who are fat yet dance with grace? All the dancercise should make them thin, right? Being fat does not come only from unhealthy eating. There are various factors which lead to being fat. Genes, metabolism, hormones disorders are some of the factors which cause people to be fat. No doubt obesity leads to various diseases. But it is wrong to say all fat people are unhealthy, while subtly hinting that all thin people are healthy.

I have seen 20 something people cribbing about climbing down the stairs, which doesn’t even require efforts. I have seen them waiting for elevator to reach 2nd floor which they could climb in the same time as the wait time.

I have seen thin people having a huge appetite as compared to fat people and they eat the same food fat people do. Not some healthy no carb no sugar diet.

So even if you think Plus Sized clothes are for fat people, don’t unnecessary give gyaan on how fat and diseases are related. Mind your own business and let fat people enjoy a little bit of fashion too.

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Dress to Impress. Yourself!

Recently I read an article where a woman advised women to dress according to their shape and not to show those extra inch (es) of fat. This is not the first time someone has said this. There are countless advices for over weight women on how they should dress.

You will never see these kind of advices for men. Even men have huge beer bellies / lanky legs and not all kind of outfits suit them. Not everyone looks good in skinny jeans / suits where buttons seem to burst from the seams. But then what other option they have? They could wear loose Kurta / baggy jeans though 😉

This reminds me of my growing up years. I was healthy overweight since I was born but I always dressed up in so called western clothes like skirts and midis. As I entered college, I started putting on weight with the speed of a bunny. I was advised to drop the skirts and wear full sleeved dresses to hide my flabby arms, elephantine legs and a bulging tummy.

Of course they made me look more flabby. If you look at my pics of those times, you can see only my face (thankfully no one suggested to wear a mask to hide the face fat) The rest of my body is covered in what I can only call a tent.

When I started working, I saw an overweight woman in my office wearing a skirt. I told mom that she wasn’t looking bad. I got permission to wear one (Of course I had to get it stitched as plus size clothing wasn’t available so easy few years back). Since then there has been no looking back. I started wearing dresses which flattered my shape rather than hide it. All the A line skirts / dresses, short sleeves, etc which were forbidden by fashion gurus, actually made me look slimmer and more importantly, happy!

So my advise to overweight or otherwise, women is, do not listen to these judgemental advices. Not everyone is born with the same shape. Some body parts would be thin and some would be fat. If the fat / skinny parts look ugly to people, it is their problem. Imagine if we weren’t wearing clothes. Imagine the world was a nudist colony. Would these judgemental people ask us to chop away the ugly parts?

And as regards what to wear, wear only what you feel comfortable in. If a bandage dress makes you feel sexy and boosts your confidence, wear it even if you have a bulging tummy. As for tights / leggings, everyone would vouch how comfortable they are as compared to salwars / pants. But the key here is comfort. If you are wearing a sexy tight dress but it doesn’t allow you to breath, do not wear. The discomfort wears your confidence off surely.

There is a proverb in Hindi, Khaiyye man bhata, peheniye jag bhata. Translation: Eat what you like, wear what people like. But I disagree. Why should we wear what people like? We should wear what makes us happy. So don’t worry! Dress up. To impress. Yourself!

Have look at the women in the pics below. Don’t they look just fabulous?? 😀

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How to behave with a depressed person

Depression is defined as a state of low mood and aversion to activities that can affect a person’s thoughts, behaviour, feelings and a sense of well being.

There are various types of depression ranging from mild to serious.

We usually don’t take the word seriously. Mostly assuming it is attention seeking (which in some case it is) We tend to be patronizing and saying what you need to be depressed about? You have things that other people wished they had. We forget that it is not about what we have but what we want.

A depressed person needs help definitely. But we tend to push the person away from help.

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We push someone away to the extent that they start feeling all alone in the world. Caged in a dark room, with no room for escape. They don’t know how to get out. They don’t know if anyone could help them get out. They fear ridicule.

Granted, it is not easy to deal with your loved one who is suffering from depression. You might feel frustrated, angry and even helpless sometimes. But this is the time where you need to be most patient.

Listing down some pointers which will help you in dealing with a depressed loved one:

♥ Depression is a serious business: Do not belittle the condition or the person suffering from it. You can not switch off depression either. Motivate them to take professional help.

♥ Don’t take it personally: A depressed person will lash out at you. Hurl abuses, say hurtful things. Remember they are not in their senses. Do not take anything personally.

♥ Don’t react: Do not react at whatever they say. Keep calm.

♥ Support: Listen carefully to what they are saying. Be kind. Hug them. Let them know you love them and care for them. Let them know they and their well being is important to you. Show them you will be there for them while they deal with the crisis.

♥ Don’t be a doormat: In the process of giving support, do not become a doormat. Do not let them be unreasonable. Don’t abandon your life for them.

Remember, you can not cure a depressed person. You can only be their support while they recover.

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        Hugs can cure things which pills can’t

Metamorphosis!

Today I wore the same t shirt I had worn 2 years ago. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t believe how much I had changed! Even my team members agreed!

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This change is not only due to weight loss. Of course it plays an important role. My attitude and belief towards myself have changed for the better. I am more confident and sure about myself. I don’t carry the burden of always being rejected anymore. I know I am beautiful and this reflects in my over all appearance.

I have also realised that while we give importance to inner beauty, we forget to take care of our physical beauty. There is no harm in grooming ourselves, looking pleasanter and having an attractive body. Not for anyone else but for us!

I know this is just a beginning of the journey. I need to get fitter and slimmer. But the journey so far has been very satisfying. I feel very happy looking in the mirror, getting appreciative glances, getting loads of compliments from friends and family! This keeps me motivated 🙂

Thank you for everyone who has helped me make this possible, specially V.

Eating Healthy

The most common new year resolution is to lose weight / get fitter / eat healthier / say no to junk food.

We keep on procrastinating until one day we receive a wake up call like sickness of self or others.

And we finally decide to take matters in our hands. To regain our health & fitness.

We might have to change our lifestyle completely. But it is not easy as it sounds. I too have been there done that.

It is difficult to form habits, specially good habits, but we need to remember that nothing is impossible.

All you need is dedication, perseverance & eye to the goal.

And most importantly to be SMART!

❤ Make two lists – What you should eat & what you shouldn’t. This would help you in shopping smartly.

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❤ Don’t give up on your favourite food completely. If you give up entirely, after a short time you will be back to your old diet.

lazy-dog-cafe-westminster-ca-lazy-dog-burger-and-fries-610x407❤ You can not make temporary changes. Unless you are sure you can do this for lifetime, do not try any fad diets.

before after❤ Do not tell your family & friends that you are going on a diet. Chances are you will be force fed things you wouldn’t want to eat. (Arre ek din khane se kucchh nahin hoga, etc etc) Rings a bell, doesn’t it? 😉

images❤ Increase intake of your favourite fruits and nuts (not fruit & nut chocolate & not salted / fried nuts, ok?) They are definitely better than desserts and processed foods.

fruit-and-nuts❤ Start cooking for yourself. Lesser calories taken, less expensive & infact you BURN calories while cooking! Win Win right?

Handsome man cooking at home preparing salad in kitchen.❤ Don’t forget exercising! A healthy lifestyle is the one where everything is balanced. You can start with whatever you are comfortable with. Yoga / Walking / Gymming / Sports / Dance! Grab opportunities to increase your physical activity!

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And when you can walk / run / jump effortlessly, start fitting in clothes one / two sizes less than you usually wear, and get all sorts of compliments, these changes these would be worth it!

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So what are you waiting for? New Year / Monday / Birthday? Don’t! Do it now! There is no better time than NOW! 🙂

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Fashionable and Me?

Some years back, Me, S & her friend were going for a movie. I was meeting S’s friend for the first time. I was wearing a short striped kurti & patiyala with an abstract pattern. I loved that dress and felt very cool. Not that anyone told me that ever. That I was cool that is. Also I usually dressed in tent like clothes to cover up my excess fat. The days where I used to wear only midis and skirts seemed like a distant dream.

Next day S told me her friend said I carried myself very well. And I was like WHOA! Do I? And that was the moment I decided I would get more such clothes in my wardrobe. Bye Bye ugly tents 😉

Over the years I lost some of my excess weight and also better clothes for plus sized people were available in the market. (steeply priced though :-/ ) Anyway, I started wearing skirts and western clothes again. My dressing sense was appreciated very much & it was flattering as well as overwhelming. Suddenly people were asking me tips on what to wear, where to buy clothes from, etc etc

What was happening? How did I become a fashionista? I never followed trends. I only wore what I liked. And my mom can vouch that my shopping doesn’t take more than 5 minutes :-p

That is the key I guess. Wear what you like, what you are comfortable in. With CONFIDENCE! It doesn’t matter what brand your clothes are or how much they cost or are they trending or not. Create your own trends. Be a fashion icon rather than follow fashion icons 😉 Be Cool!

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Dance with the Butterflies!

We are living in an era of marketing. Marketing ourselves. We need to sell ourselves in order to get ahead in life, be it professional, personal or social.

One of the requisite of selling ourselves is to speak in public. And sadly, this is the one thing which many of us fear from. The fear of speaking in public makes us tongue tied & nervous wreck.

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In my school days I used to be very enthusiastic. I did not have any qualms in speaking in public. I always used to take part in Elocution competition, Debates & even singing competition in spite of me not being a very good singer 😉

But then life changed its course. I was not myself & inferiority complex had set in. Let alone speaking in public, I used to shy away speaking to anyone. I was almost living a life of a recluse.

Life keeps taking turns & I once again found myself in public eye. There was no escaping public speaking now. I remember there were some changes in our Project structure & we had to introduce ourselves to the team in a team bonding session. When it was my turn, I gave my introduction but I was shaking a lot & had rested my hands on the glass table. At one point, I thought the table would break out of sheer pressure. I was that nervous. This happened couple of times & it made me really worried.

Working in a BPO ensures that there are several training programs conducted to improve your skills. Fortunately I was part of a Personality Development Program (No, my awesomeness is not related to any training program 😉 ) I asked the trainer about my fear of public speaking & the remedy to correct that.

He gave me the best advice. He said practicing in front of mirror is futile as you know you are speaking to yourself. If you want to overcome that fear you have to face that fear head on. Take as many opportunities you get to speak in public & you will gain confidence automatically.

I followed his advice to the T. I never shied from the opportunities that came in my way & I sometimes created opportunities as well. (No, I am not using this advice to overcome my fear of dogs, ok? 🙁 )

One more thing I learnt is if you know the subject well, you have won half the battle.

I am still not an excellent public speaker, however, I can rate myself as above average. I have become pretty good in giving presentations, at times without notice & at times without any preparation. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get nervous. I still get butterflies in my stomach. But these butterflies don’t stop me from taking the bulls by the horn 😉 Instead, I dance with the butterflies 🙂 🙂 🙂

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High High Higher!!!

 

All I want are high heels, high heels. If I was a girl, I’d wear a lot of high heels. High, stiletto heels!! – Isaac Mizrahi

Why you may ask..’coz Wise men aka doctors always advise against it! Five Reasons you shouldn’t wear them:

1. Alters the anatomy of your calf muscles.
2. They might cause you to trip & fall.
3. Create Foot problems.
4. Put stress on back & knees.
5. Causes Pump Bump.

Why you may ask…’coz Wise Women aka Members of High Heel Club advise to go for it! Five Reasons you should wear them:

1. It makes you look taller.
2. It adds oomph & confidence to your personality.
3. It gives you a feeling of floating in the air.
4. It makes flatters envious of you.
5. Looks great with Indian dresses as well as westerns.

Who cares about med problems? They can be cured with Meds & TLC but nothing can beat the advantages of wearing heels!

Just wear it once & increase your SQ! (Sexy Quotient ;-))

So many varieties to try from…

Platforms, Wedges, Chunky, Kitten, Cone, Spool, & the best the Stilettos!!!