Masala Popcorn

This is short and sweet and maybe everyone knows but me.
You know how tights just dig into your sides...(apparently this happens even to skinny people I've been told) well now there's finally a solution for that feeling of someone clutching you at your waist like their life depended on it...it's a snip.
Yes a snip.
Literally snip the sides of the waistband of your tights with a pair of scissors, a tiny snip no longer than a centimeter on each side and you're good to go. No more pinching or unsightly bumps. Oooh I sound like an infomercial now. Remember don't oversnip or your tights won't fit you as snugly and that's no fun.
And guys if you wear long-johns which we know some of you do under them Diesel jeans, try the snip snip too. It makes for easier breathing and more room for lunch!

Winter Wonderland.

Today was a day when every girl in New York turned to her boots, cashmere sweater and puffy jacket and said a small prayer of thanks.
It's friggin' cold.
Whatever happened to global warming? Doesn't seem like such a bad thing on a day like today does it now?
It's funny. So much time and conversation can be spent around discussing the weather. When I lived in India I never quite understood it. I never understood why Americans and other Westerners would strip at the ray of sunlight, when I first landed in Chicago, I just couldn't comprehend the detailed deliberations around the wind and each snow storm and when I moved to New York I simply didn't see the need to have at least 6 variations of ultra-hip outerwear.
Now I know.
When you live in India, especially in a city like Bombay or Pune, weather doesn't really change, it's either wet or dry. And it doesn't really change how you live your life either. Daily decisions like 'should I go buy bread or just eat canned soup I have at home' are simply not weather-dependent.
Live in a climate such as ours for more than a year and you know. You live for the sun, you rush out to feel the warmth on your face and immediately feel the need to have that sensation all over...hence the stripping and sun-bathing. Listen, Indians don't sunbathe. They are expected to stay as fair-skinned and out of the sun as possible. But this Indian sunbathes...as do many others outside of India. Hey we crave the sun too. It works out well for me and many others who choose to fly home to India like geese each December because I haven't been in the sun since August and so I'm at my fairest best. Grandmothers are just thrilled.
I'm thrilled. Can't wait to feel Indian blazing sun on my face. For 2 seconds of course then I'm dashing into air-conditioning.
So back to our sub-zero lovliness...as you nosh into your warm gumbo soup, remember the thousands of homeless people out there. Try and do what you can. This is the worst time for them. It's the Holidays.
That's all. Oh yeah & stay warm willya?