Are you making these mistakes?

Well I am no one to judge but since we do have a right to opinion and live in a somewhat democratic country, I am going to go ahead and share what's been on my mind for a few weeks now.

There are these incessant mistakes that people make while dressing up in India. Now don't take it personally but yes, it's true and you'll agree with me by the end of this post (hopefully).

#1 Skin show - fail
So it is THE most accepted rule in the fashion industry - "show some leg or show some cleavage, never both!". Here it is the extreme - either you'll see women dressed in the most skimpiest of clothes at parties or completely covered up. I mean yes, you love that ultra mini skirt so put on a block colour short sleeves top with it or for that matter if you love your skinny jeans put on a low neck line top. But why, oh why would you wear that ultra mini with the low neck line top?

#2 Socks with stilettos
I literally feel so sad when I see women do that. I mean yes, I don't expect everyone to have a closet full of shoes (guilty here) but it is basic to keep one summer sandal and one closed shoe for winter. And wear socks, it is completely fine but don't wear I-just-got-these-from-Disneyland designs!

#3 White on white
Now I do appreciate your effort to wear sheer clothing to work but this is a dangerous area and not everybody can handle the consequences of the inappropriate sheer. Wear white sheers but please NOT with white bras, choose a nude colour instead.

#4 Sneakers to work, seriously?
Now this one is heart-breaking. God has given you a great female body and you're lucky to be working so why would you wear sneakers to work! It's beyond me.

#5 "I'm not wearing any" leggings
Nude leggings is a new trend and women are flaunting these all around whether with tops or kurtas. Nude colour leggings make me think that you're not actually wearing any lowers and trust me it isn't a great sight. Choosing a white or darker colour instead could not only streamline your body but also bring out the colour of what you wear on top.

#6 "Jhola clothing"
It is common nowadays to put on an ultra loose pajama-like lower but why do we forget that it only suits a certain kind of people? If you're home, be my guest but if you're in public you might want to think before copying that friend of yours.

#7 The Matching syndrome
"If my outfit is pink then shouldn't my sandals be pink and not to forget my hair accessories, jewellery, etc?!" Good lord I feel like people just over do it completely. 

What does your Instagram filter say about you?

Recently, I read a certain article about this celebrity urging everyone to keep it "natural" and not use filters to embellish one's pictures. It's like that period when suddenly celebrities were posing without make up (apparently) and trying to convince people not to indulge in the heavy duty made up look (while endorsing top notch make up lines of course).

Nevertheless, I really don't understand the hype about people using Instagram. Let's face it - the end result of the pictures is great so why not share it with your friends? Suddenly, the boring wine and dine place you visited last night becomes interesting, the blemishes on the skin disappear and guess what you even look for things in your vicinity that could be beautified. So we are looking fab, developing an artistic eye and are not bored at not-so-interesting places.

I love surfing through my news feed on Instagram and I am intrigued by certain people using certain kinds of filters!

I would think of you to be very lazy if you published a picture "normally" after Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger made their fortunes by inventing this wonderful array of editing filters to be installed at the touch of your fingers. On second thought, I do understand your extreme urge to share as soon as you click; so yes, editing can be tad bit difficult. All in all, you have a meaningful following on Instagram and they will not judge you.

Beloved "Amaro", "Valencia", "Walden",and Rise" users - I know the love for these filters becomes unconditional after a while as they are so loyal and make any picture perfect. It is like a favour to those self-clicks where you can't predict the action of light. You are quick and know what works for you!

"X-Pro II", "Mayfair" and "Lo-fi" - few of my favourites; these filters focus on you and just you. Darkening everything in the vicinity, the object of interest shines bright. You have an incessant reason to shine and your following on Instagram is looking for things you capture irrespective of where you are or who you are with.

Those understated "Willow" and "Inkwell" users - You know the BnW effect is available on very photo app invented by humans but you choose to use Instagram for it. So either you love sharing with your followers, are too artistic to give other filters a chance or let's face it you have a DSLR hidden somewhere that gives you enough of editing work to do.

The "Toaster" and "Kelvin" users, a kind note - there are so many tanning options available in the market or you could just use this filter, isn't it? You warm, fuzzy people love to extenuate every picture with more warmth and well, fuzziness! Sometimes you don't get the point of this filter but you still use it because somehow it makes every click look happy.

With "Hudson", "Nashville" and "1977" filters, everything is cool, everything is calm and everything is a weird colour of purple Japanese anime. In love with keeping it cool, these users feel the need to impart that effect on everything they do and trust me, it works! Every time, I look at my pictures edited using these filters, I feel a sense a tranquility. 

Whatever the filter, I love it how this photo sharing application has changed the way users are approaching photo editing and how it is influencing our depiction to others. So which filter depicts you the best? 

What working for a start up actually means?

Working in a corporate, teaches you to be competitive, teaches you to be a team worker and all those things that help you make a fancy CV. But what working in a start-up teaches you is to go out of your way and surprise yourself. 

So now almost two years later, having worked in both, I can firmly say that these are the 6 things that you will only and only know if you ever happen to work for a crazy entrepreneur or do something of your own. 

#1- You look for freebies everywhere. Whether it is a free tool used for monitoring online or a free venue for your event; it goes unsaid free things are the way to go. If it isn't free, it isn't worth it! 

#2- Work hours mean nothing to you.

You forget the two B's essential for any workforce- balance and boundaries. You spend hours at what you call your office and include anyone and everyone who knows you in what you are doing. Even if people are not interested or tired, you make sure the conversation somehow leads to what you are currently doing. 

#3- You look at fancy offices and say - SOMEDAY! 

Since, work for you means the nearest coffee shop or the study at your place, meeting people in their lush offices does not stop you from instantly picturing yourself sitting on their comfy chair. 

#4- You wonder - why doesn't everyone feel about their work the way you do? 

The answer to that is that they aren't maniacs like you are and they actually have a LIFE! So yeah, when you meet one of those normal workers, don't be surprised to know about the exciting things in their life when all you want to talk about is your idea! 

#5- You become shameless. 

Yes, shameless is the word. You are not hassled to talk to anyone whether it is at a bar or a shopping mall and ask them for their numbers. If someone you think can help you in someway, there is nothing that comes in your way to approach them. 

#6- Your gf/bf (if in a normal job) hate you and your family thinks that you aren't really going for "work".

I have witnessed this first hand- getting out of the car outside a coffee shop all the way in Gurgaon or my boss's house always made my driver wonder what I was doing there for hours! He would tell my mother - "I don't know where she goes and what she does so you speak to her!" And my mother would have a stereotypical response-"abhi enjoy kar rahi hain, karne do". To such conversations, you just want to say - "enjoy?!, seriously?". 

Whatever said and done, the accomplishment you feel by being a part of something that gives you the feeling of owning even the tiniest of things that you do without support from others is priceless.