Fun to fail

Sometimes as I flip through the pages of memoirs and autobiographies, I find my life projected in those prints. The first half usually has this weird way of reminding me of the truckloads of crap which was/is dumped into my life by the dude up there. However, being blindly positive, I get a little too excited thinking I'm like them, the only difference being, those people somehow overcame the obstacles by the second half, became a 'somebody' and made a lot of money, while me still being a failure. That fascinates me in fact !

My dad often think I have this inborn talent in coming up with excuses, especially to convince others I'm an underdog, who blankets even the utmost success calling it a complete wreck. But the only thing people and of course my dad don't understand is, great excuses aren't made, they just happen. Hence, you can thereby conclude I have some real reasons to call myself that, not simply forming new notions to make fool of myself nor deceive others.

I think up to this point, I had been very honest to myself that sometimes it even turns out to be completely destructive to my self-esteem, but no biggie, since I know my abilities. They are indeed secretly sandwiched in between my laziness and hesitance waiting to be unleashed anytime NOT in the nearest future  . (Can anyone be more honest than this?!)

The cause though is soo-very simple . It's none other than my ultimate cool-to-the-core attitude when it comes to a few sleep-inducing chapters of my life. I just  don't try you see. Yes, sometimes it does creep the hell out of me, to the extent of the calm me morphing into an incredible Hulk yet nothing much can be done since the 'great excuses' do hold some terrifying truth you see!

Frankly speaking, I can do better, no doubts in that and you too better not have any doubts regarding the fact! The problem is,  I'm taking things at their face value. And even worse how can I appreciate something which is only capable of putting me to sleep every single time I try to be nice to it?  Perhaps it's just a kind of reflex yet to be added to the science bibles.
Well I bet that's a discovery!

Having revealed some brutal facts about me and my excuses, I still want to let people who have at least tried to motivate me with their great speeches know that, I appreciate what's mentioned a lot! You know when you listen to someone who has more faith in you than your own self, you feel like standing up and say, YES I'm everything that you just said. If you are lucky enough, you might also be entitled to grow a feet taller without any leg extensions or a grand pair of Louboutins!
Bingo!

However, as laziness struts it's way in, and motivation turns towards the door, only the speech stays as a fond memory =p

The not-serious-me,

Renuka G

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Never too late

I completely turned off updates about my personal life for sometime, but now it feels fair enough to give it a dust.

People say, life has its own way of moulding you, which is indeed very true. And I'm thankful that I gave myself a chance at this.

I have always seen the obstacles placed in front of me as an opportunity to learn, thus, letting me truly be my own self throughout the chaos. Now that I have witnessed and personally felt a handful of tragedies and failures, staying true to who I am,  once again I came to believe in the mighty power of time.

It immaculately mesmerized me in such intricate ways, so hard to grasp yet too real to deny. Time convinced me how things will finally fall into place. The same power opened my eyes towards looking at the positive side of things and not always stay awing at the proverbial greener grass on the other side. And the most important one would be, how it made me so resilient in facing life and the baggage it brings in.

I'm not aware how many of you would dare to risk being at the lowest point of your life to experiment your own strength. Well I did. I made the wrong decisions consciously knowing it would land me in trouble, giving myself a chance to learn to put myself together when my heart shatters. As foreshadowed, history repeated itself but since I'm here and dare to write about it, you can pretty much conclude I pulled through the arduous hitch. It was a mere leap of faith yet without a doubt, I learnt a lot, mostly concerning people, love, and how fragile some hearts could be, setting aside the difference between mistakes and habits which got me fear-struck throughout the whole fiasco .

No regrets though. Character-building, I choose to regard it as.

totally =p

Apart from eluding the trap depression set forth, I managed to discover the importance of staying patient and thinking twice in decisions which directly affects others. Some events also gave me faith upon the art of prioritizing  and convinced me, I can always shape my life without bending too much to the obligations of fate and of course people.

And this is for you,

He that is robbed, not wanting what is stol'n,

Let him not know’t, and he’s not robbed at all. (Othello 3.3.352-353)

Renuka G

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Perfume guide for dummies

I'm a stickler for good perfumes. Prior picking one, I study some products first and that perhaps gives me enough knowledge and pride to write about an incident that took place during my previous semester break.

A shopaholic's routine, as you all can predict is shopping of course.  I went shopping that fine day as well. Usual look-see and stuffs. Suddenly I had this thought of sampling perfumes since my TH Dreaming which I use when I'm home is going to dry up any time soon.

Well I went to the perfume counter and requested to test the top selling perfume which hit the market some time ago, Burberry body. The sales representative looked at me as if I said some alien word. Then after repeating it twice with British and Malaysian accent, she comprehended. She took the perfume and sprayed in on the usual test blotter. Guess what? She soaked the paper. That's not how you do it. The right way should be to spray twice a few centimeters away from the sheet and let the customer test it by smelling from the opposite side. She didn't bother or perhaps didn't know.

Just for the record, the scent was not even as fabulous as anything mentioned . Burberry body= dish washer.

Since I apparently expressed my dislike in an universal language to my sister publicly, the rep decided to convince me into trying some other labels. Wait, before she even begin, with all her concern she asked me a question, 'what smell you looking for?' Exactly this! I told her it's something citrusy and there she was, frozen!

Let me tell you ladies, there are only 4 type of scents when it comes to our perfumes. It's not 'feminine', 'fun' or 'sexy'. Wrong words! The 4 are: floral, citrusy (or fresh) , fruity, and vanilla.

Only 4 basic ones to remember. Is it that hard?

(I'm also aware that some prefer to use 'strong' and 'mild' but that's pretty hard to narrow down. )

Without a doubt, the person who is at the counter to assist customers should of course have this basic knowledge but it's more like a sorry sight lately in some places. Happily though, when we say fresh nearly all sales reps gets it. Easy uh? Oh ya it is, since you can spray anything and call it fresh. People won't know. Cheaters! Most sales representatives or promoters especially in small cities do not have much clue about the perfumes they have at their counters. Trust me!

All they know is the art of soaking and coffee bean for rescue.

I seriously feel that the girl at the counter shouldn't have asked me that golden question as my clear answer gave zero help in finding the fragrance of my preference. What to do? It's all luck.

Honestly I have no intention or personal grudge to bad mouth the naive sales rep but merely emphasizing the fact that one should know the best or at least the important details about what he or she is representing . In order to sell, you must assist right? So why not learn?

I specially love hypnotic poison n dior addict 2 

Perhaps I should have taken a few moments to show my mother of India attitude and educate her, but time constrain you see. Next time ok?

BTW who said reading fashion magazines and blogs make one a dumb doll?

Well, as for my new perfume, I bought it from the duty free outlet in KLIA for 180MYR. 5 different Christian Dior perfumes in a box, each of 5 ml and guess what? Blimey, it's worth every penny!

Renuka G

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Foundations and Concealers

Foundation-hunt can be a daunting, pain-in-the-neck experience. While some still struggle at the beauty counters, another group purchases the wrong shade calling it the right one. The gist being, both are in serious trouble!

Foundation as the name goes is the most important base for make-up (setting aside primer) which drives many nuts at both pre and post shopping stages.

As mentioned by many make-up artists, picking the wrong foundation can ruin your entire look. Furthermore,since the shade selection of your concealer also depends on the tone of the foundation, you can pretty much imagine the level of catastrophe which awaits. Even worse, while some try to ease the selection, some divas suggest it's OK to wear the wrong shade.

Well yea no problem, until someone takes your picture with the flash ON. 
And poof! Snow White! .....without any man hunting!

The best and easy most way to pick the right shade of foundation is of course to hand it to the experts at the beauty counters. But what if they were the snotty-evil-queen?
You are all on your own.

Still there's nothing to worry because it's not a chemical equation to be balanced, they are just......foundations?

Choosing the foundation which matches your skin tone is very easy as long as you remember this mighty rule- 'It should disappear into your skin'. And voila, problem solved! So,all you have to do is, wash your face, tone it, moisturise then visit your preferred  beauty counter and swipe tiny bit of each shade you think will match, just above your jawline. That which disappears into your skin is the truly-yours foundation . And the final step is, off to the cashier you go!

As for the concealer, now it's all easy-peasy as it should just be one shade lighter than your foundation.

So the hunt is OVER!

Best cosmetics ever!

Being such a kind blogger I would also like to share a few other tips with you.
-First, put on your make-up under natural lighting since, how it appears in sunlight, and how it looks in artificial lighting of your house or be it the store can be very different. Let's always be on the safe side and avoid calling even the right, wrong.
-One more thing, if your face is the dry type, go for liquid or cream foundations and stay away from those 'two-way' compact powders. How I hate them!

Ladies, foundations and concealers are both try-before-buy products, so please do .....you know what.

Renuka G

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Craving-A-Craze

The one thing harder to resist than Gerard butler I should admit cravings, especially for food. This intense desire to consume a certain variety of food drives many crazy while stacking a few pounds to those drop-dead curves. Deadly uh? But if you were to say you can slam the door against it, you either deserve a salute or perhaps an addition of, liar to your CV. 


Salty, Sugary and Fatty are the 3 deadly variation of food cravings which trigger our happy hormones and compliments extra kJs on the treadmill the next moment muffin-top decorates our washboard abs.


Girls all over the world I should say, are able to hate and at the same time secretly enjoy food cravings like gossips they share in their grapevines. 

Moving on to the main cause, people often blame, its all in the head. Researches and of course some of us ,exclusive of me for sure, claim the mental imagery of certain type of food is what induces this self-destructive desire. Adding further, the more vivid the images formed, the more intense the craving gets. However, the truth behind the aforementioned is of course, thankfully, questionable. To prevent us from trying all sort of meditations and techniques to gain mental strength, the rest of the expert-bunch have suggested a far more soothing cause. They have indeed proved food craving to be the siren indicating the lack of body nutrients. Further simplifying it, we crave because we don't consume enough of a particular nutrient. So,the next time you crave, make sure you scream 'What the hell have I done to my body?' 


Hey don't think I'm kidding or trying to provide support as you self-loathingly weep standing on your weighing scale. Trust me that's not the case. Craving for diet vices is really an indication that your meals may be missing vital nutrients.


A salt craving might be a sign that you are dehydrated. If this sensation baits you particularly after your work out session, then a few glasses of water is a must. Apart from keeping you boosted, regrets and fats which tags along as a result of munching on a bag of potato chips can be saved for good.


The one craving that kills and hard most to resist is of sugar. When your hand itches to reach for the confections, be alarmed that your body now  cries for either more lean protein or carbohydrates. To stave off and survive this tricky hunger, stick to protein sources like fish and egg-whites. Yes you are also allowed to appease your sweet-tooth with  healthy sugary treats like granola bars or perhaps dark chocolate. 


Indulging in the sea of fatty food can be heavenly but the longing sensation for this type can be an indicator denoting your body's need for, of course, fat. No, don't panic! Fats are of 2 types, good ones and the bad, pain-in-the-neck type. Here let's stick to the goodie good version of it.  To your relief, nuts can come for rescue in this case. 


Well since I have now made 'craving' a subject to be attended to and not a road to indulgence or ruin, don't cringe the next time your body sends you those signals. Instead, treat your body well by fulfilling its' requests in a humble manner and in the right proportions. 


Bottom line? Crave, consume, trigger those happy hormones it's OK but never fill your waistlines! That is the ultimate rule!

Renuka G

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The Ultimate Change

For someone who feeds on all unhealthy delicacies without much guilt, a healthy routine is of zero worth. However the existence of exceptions to rules did some justice to a life today.  As you all have guessed (which I’m sure you did), it’s none other than the life of the striving-to-be-great-me, Renuka. Ok that’s too much of fame to handle, yet don’t worry I’m used to it =)

The next line is not for the faint-hearted!!!!!

I jogged today and I’m not kidding ! (Told’ya not for the faint hearted)

Being a mavin couch potato, breaking out from my sloth-shell was totally exhausting both mentally and physically. It took me nearly an hour to fight those myriad ideas popped by Mr.Lazy who beguiled me with his impeccable manipulating skills. As my temptations begin to dance of joy, the beat eventually put me to sleep. How predictable! When I woke up, which was like one and a half hour later, I couldn’t stomach the fact that I actually slept and somehow boosted the happy camper in the paradise of laziness once again. That got me devastated, like seriously heart-wrenching. Realizing the urge to be active and maintain my current weight (or drop a few pounds ), I took that important decision of to go and JOG.

That’s my story. But there's also another reason for this healthy-addition.

Paulo Coelho stated in his book “The Aleph”, routines wear us down, therefore as we go on we have to find new purpose of each. Like once you take a walk to stay healthy, now do it because you want to meet people. Something like that. (BTW Sorry, I couldn’t really find the exact quote online and searching via the book is also impossible since it’s at home. Anyway, just because I’m quoting this book and stuffs, please don’t make any impulsive decision of  purchasing or borrowing it. The book makes you go =S. Totally! Yes I do agree at the beginning you would come across some really nice and soothing quotes about life but as the story progresses you will start barfing and eventually vomit when you find the author mentioning the name ‘Hilal’ in nearly every paragraph. I suggest you just read half and not worry about the rest offered by the novel. Point blank, I was like skipping  chapters so that I could finish fast. But who knows right, you guys might end up liking the book so much that you vomit and clean up and continue reading. The choice is yours.)

Back on the routine thingy. Coelho proposed that we change the ‘whys’ to not get tired of the usual, however, after much pressure placed on my head by the new courses and environment, I can’t think of any new reasons to replace the purpose of my routines. Therefore, I chose to form new routines to avoid being exasperated by the old ones, and that is jogging. I can’t just sit and give excuses shooing away change and live everyday like yesterday, when I truly want to welcome it with bells and whistles right? 

Let’s wait and see how long I can resist Mr.Lazy and keep up my ‘life-changing’ decision.

I just can't believe that I've started to quote books!

Renuka G

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Me, frugal? Seriously....

Why didn't I buy a new bag?

5 people asked me today! Can you believe it? 5??? I certainly went speechless. Then I asked myself once again, WHY? Yes I asked in Caps. 

ok, this is more like a dream =p

The truth being, even I don't know. I used to come back after every holiday donning a new bag like it's a fashion staple not to be missed.  What happened to that norm, Renuka?

Well, I saw a few of my taste in ELLE, Mango and Charles&Keith but something stopped me from settling with one. As I walked out of each store, I found my mind scuffling with my heart yet I didn't give a 2nd thought. 

How can I be so frugal? Like, since when?

To be brutally honest though, I'm regretting the decision made. I so need a new bag and of course shoes. Why on earth I spent all the 3 shopping trips looking for nice dresses and blouses? Come on, who does that? There's no balance at all!

How I wish I could trade my Somerset Bay dress for that orange Mango handbag or the exquisite Charles & Keith arm candies (yes, it's plural ).  Hey just out of curiosity, don't you guys think Charles & Keith handbags totally mirror the designs of luxury labels like Givenchy, Marc Jacobs and Mulberry?

their version of Mulberry =p

Gotcha! But since this Singaporean brand wears a humble price tag, it's totally a catch.

Now that I'm frustrated and haunted by a tremendous retail remorse, let me cheer up with some "NET-A-PORTER time". Ciao!

Once a frugal shopper and fully regretting it,

Renuka G

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4th of the 2nd

Today went well actually. Yes it’s true that yesterday I was all freaked out thinking about the possible outcomes of my limited hard work last semester, but thank god things turn out well. My pointer looks more fabulous than a pair of Chanel boots and I’m very much satisfied with the hike it has shown. Guess what? Wishing my dad for father’s day with the news gave me and of course him the best  feeling ever. You know like the flying without wings sensation? Something like that.

something like this......

Ok that's not flying! 
Ignore Ignore

Don’t think the first day of my 4th semester ended only with one happy scene! In class, I came to know about the sleep-inducing courses we are about to face everyday. Science of course made me cringe of fear, Art of Teaching with all the singing and performing, the complicated most ‘Grammar’, Writing, some technology related thingy and my favorite English Literature!!! I’m looking forward to have fun with all of them but reality check, I WON’T, so I better enjoy the free time I have now before the assignments get piled up and piss me to the max.

Ok let’s do the usual now. You all should have known how I begin every semester, with a new hobby or activity. I took up fashion blogging, reading and a few other stuffs ,like this. Yea I can’t deny that it’s like on and off and not continuous but I’m so glad that I ventured and tried all the aforementioned. This semester, I’m planning to get more academical than ever. (If you believe! ) I want to read one of Shakespeare’s famous play on my own. Well, I have done Julius Caesar when I took Literature In English for my SPM, I managed to flip thru Hamlet since my sister took the same subject for STPM, and not to forget Macbeth during my foundation year but these accomplishments came as the result of guidance. After establishing such a great bond and admiration for the legend’s penning, I choose to independently read and interpret. Oh did I mention the play is Othello? A tragedy shading under the theme of jealousy with lotsa symbolisms ( how I love the hidden-meanings). 

That’s pretty much about my new undertaking. As for this new semester, I wish it will be kind to me by showering easy works and more and more leisure till even my bed gets sick of me. 

Renuka G

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Happy Father's Day (2012)

First of all, Happy Father's Day to Mr.GS!

Last year I listed 50 things about you and this year I'm running out of ideas. To my own surprise, I really am. But I still I'm not going to stop here.

I'm Erik, Uma Mumble, deal? =D

Ok let me put it this way, we have experienced a few great chapters and of course some really horrifying ones. We argue like it's a courtroom, we laugh like the whole mall is ours, we make fun of each other , sometimes we play the who's-in-charge-game, perhaps its not a perfect father-daughter relationship. But it's special. It's special for me and of course for Uma as well.

We have heard many many people telling us how lucky we are to have a father like you, well I can't deny that. In fact, I take pride in what told. Ehem even some are saying you are lucky to have a daughter like me, if you just you know ...huhu (Uma must be offended)

Whatever =p

Hopefully, all the shirts we bought fit you loosely (as you demand it), and remain the same even after 20 washes. On this special day, I would also like to advise you to further improve your parking skills. Yes, still not up to expectations.

And BTW stop panicking with a GPS map! (52 and still panicking? seriously mr.gs?)

Just kidding =D

May you stay happy, healthy and blessed always pa.

Once again Happy Father's Day! X.O (keep thinking of the perfect gift for my 21st k? lol)

Renuka G

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Worse than Cats

i'm this horrified

Can any normal pre-service teacher of my college be excited about tomorrow? HELL NO

But if there's one, seriously just die!

Publicly exhibiting such a P&C information is lawfully wrong! Are you kidding me? You really wanna do that?

You are worse than cats.

However, being fully conscious about the fact nothing is going to change the decision made, I withdraw my case.

Haizz can we like skip a day or something, so I need not go through such embarassment?

I'm so changing my name soon. ...

Why on Earth semesters have to begin this way? It's totally heart sickening and stressful. I'd rather stay in the hall and listen to the Director's speech till 1.15pm. And this time i'm so freaking desperately SERIOUS!

me! me! me!

Ok wait, perhaps there is a shortcut, like me never showing up tomorrow! I pretend like my flight got extremely delayed and I only reached at 1.20 leaving me 0 second to go and check. And look who's your momma now? :D
Duh like my curiosity would cooperate......

Now I completely feel like bang-bang-bang.

Renuka G

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Stacking and My Birkin Dream

Well I was browsing thru my Facebook I came across this. I just can't exactly describe what my feelings were like but honestly they weren't at all stable.

Oh if you think it's because I can't get one, sorry babe you're sure to be wrong. Of course I'm all allowed to get a Gucci or Givenchy. Or perhaps more like a Prada to be realistic. (Gucci and Givenchy would make my next three generations feed on potatoes and bananas.) The truth is I was driven furious!

To be more clear, I hate to see good bags stacked up like they are fruits and vegetables at the market. Some respect please! Promotions makes even the best bags look ugly, so why bother doing it with big names. My heart drops and repositions and then throbs real bad seeing exquisite bags treated equivalent to a grocery item. And that somehow act as total turn off which doesn't allow a second look at those degraded arm candies.

Why take away their reputation in the name of promotion? Why stack like an idiot? Why oh why people?

Place them where they belong! On the shelves, under the lights.

The ad certainly speaks great luxury and designer brands like Burberry and my favorite Kate Spade, prickly though, if the presentation of these bags are a mess, people will just be able to cringe at the price tag and not awe the details of the fashion buy. I hope they would find a way to do it right.

But whatever it is, I'm not going nor purchasing anything at the mentioned event. Come on, I'm looking for my first luxury bag and that's not going to be one hand picked from a promotion! Not happening. Yes I do sound like a complete vain pot, yet it doesn't matter. I'm not settling for anything less than perfect when it comes to my arm candy. So for now, Mango would do.

Let's just wait and see what's my meant-to-be first luxury label.

But if you were to ask me, I would like a Birkin. In all different colours. Red, orange, green, yellow. I would perfectly match them according to my shoes. Classic and totally classy! Then,I would add Birkin as my middle name. People can call me Renuka Birkin Gunasekaran or RB. Totally cool! And I would be the one and only girl to own a Hermes birkin in the huge state of Terengganu and get married to a Datuk and eventually become a datin.

Big time dream....but you will never know :-p


P.S Reporting a slight twist in the plan. A hermes birkin bag costs nearly 10 000 MYR, so I have decided to not get my hands on it till the one fine day 'Datuk' comes along on a shiny silvery horse and takes me to the fashion kingdom for a shopping spree on my birthday.
Which is also equally impossible!
Oh my Birkin..

(this post was created on 8th June 2012, so please ignore my tenses)

Renuka G

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Baking queen

I baked today! I baked an absolutely delicious orange cake. Can you believe it? It was just yesterday I was hailing all bakers and today voila I'm a baker myself. Punch..no.. Pinch me please!

Perhaps you would ask me to keep it down but guess what? Not happening. My baking skills have been recognized and complimented by many already giving me zero chance to stay humble about it. Just like the philosophers put it, 'there's no modesty when it's pure talent'. ( actually they didn't quite put that) Still in doubts? You can ask my hostel mates, friends and family to further clarify it.

Considering my impeccable baking skills, maybe I should open a bakery after the 3 years contract. Perhaps in a mall! That would be perfectly strategic isn't it?
Or I can sell cakes to all the school staffs and children, with icing. No not to children, I would give them for free instead. I mean the icing. Even better, I can wear a cute apron to school everyday. The other teachers would envy me real bad! But I wouldn't care.

And guess what? This whole baking idea can totally feed me a huge profit at such a young age. 23 and a fat bank balance?? Can life get any better...

After that, I can produce my own show, and name it 'Renuka at school'. I would be the first ever teacher-turned-baker-turned-millionaire. Oh yes I will totally write a book about it . Maybe I can start now!

And one day when they interview me about my achievements , they would start introducing me 'She had her first vision of success while writing a blog post about her baking victory......'

I would be so famous.

So you guys out there better start building rapport with me now. The line might get longer if you wait till that show airs. Who knows, you might just have what it takes to watch me as I bake in MY studio.

Haha that's a heluva dream uh? Hotter than the oven.

Renuka G

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Much hated M

Macaroons. What's with macaroons that drove me insane a few days ago? Why am I treating them with much hatred? In fact I don't feel like myself anymore. I'm not a hateful person! But why these innocent cream filled treats pushing me in all the wrong ways?

Well that's a lil too dramatic!

Being my normal self I confess, I'm not into macaroons and the conclusion was made right after a bite and two chews. First of all, why are some people talking so fondly of these button-like baked confection like some huge discovery in the baking world. I rather take in 5 slices of Oreo cheese cake and throw up than nibbling on just one of the mentioned. And even worse they are selling it for a good 3.50MYR each at Delifrance. To further worsen the worse, I bought two!

Can you believe that? Two? Seriously renuka? Two???? Which means for 7 MYR?

I could have bought .....what for 7? ... Hmmm something perhaps.

The story goes like this, I was sitting there with two macaroons of different flavors and took one dreadful-view-changing-bite. First thought, ' Worst thing ever!' However since I was sitting with my dad and being aware that confessing the 'retail' remorse would make him laugh at my bakery shopping choices, I made an expression as if they were the best thing I've ever tasted. My smart brain quickly convinced me to further trick my dad into eating the other one. Unfortunately he was smarter to not believe and that rewarded me another mouthful of an extremely-sweet-nauseating-delight. The end.

What a disappointing try!

somewhere in my thoughts* If macaroons from Delifrance tasted that bad, how does the one at Giant, Kuala Terengganu tastes? God save the shoppers of terengganu.

All I can and want to say is I never hated anything except cats this much. The taste was clearly too lousy and not at all worth the fame it has earned. You can see them everywhere to be honest. Even in Gossip girl season 5, in one too-hard-to-remember episode, eaten by Blair ! Can you see the influence? By Blair?? Man.

Hmm blimey, nearly all the bakeries around the world worship them like a new profit goddess . 3.50 for that 1 inch mini burger? Oh come on, I know it's not the Great Depression period anymore but still it's a lil too very much people ( intended grammatical error).

And ya please don't get tricked into buying the all-ill-tasting-flavors-in-a-box-combo! (you would thank me for this warning, trust me :))

Oh well some of macaroon fans out there might attack me argue, 'you picked the wrong flavor!' Dear bunnies, the two flavors I tested were caramel and chocolate. Ok caramel can be considered wrong but can anything of chocolate taste less better? Chocolate is the king of all flavors and claiming chocolate macaroon a wrong choice might make your case all wonky. So, please surrender!

Macaroons suck!

To all bakers around the world, please invent a new confection that can sweep macaroons completely off the bakery shelves. I wish I could help but I guess you guys are on your own now (like they were not yesterday, duh) . Do your very best . I will always stay as your backbone and keep tasting your baked efforts wherever I am, from whichever continent and provide the sincere most feedbacks at all times  . All hail bakers!

Btw did that last paragraph serve any justice?

Thank you

Yours sincerely
A much committed macaroon hater
Renuka G (Whose name not to be revealed )

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What an irony..

Before I even begin, can eating cheese and egg everyday cause any life threatening disease? If yes, please pray for me.

Well today I would like to talk about courage. I remember a few weeks ago I received a heart breaking text from a friend saying she needs a second operation. Even worse that particular sort of operation is a crazy-painful one. For a moment my hands turned numb due to the shocking news but the next second I knew exactly what to say and how to align the words to comfort her. Courage came real quick since I was sure what she really needed to hear ( or perhaps read). The same applies when my other friends are going through tough times.

Its like you can foresee the words they anticipate. Or the right things to do and be told.

Duh what's so hard right? You know each of your friends, their strength and weaknesses, their fears and much more that allows you to judge the situation and react accordingly. Words on the other hand are easily picked and aligned when sincerity tags along. So that is exactly how good advices and words of encouragement are formed in my lab .

Sadly, an ugly scene could reach your vision if you just widen your eyes towards this issue, the painfully fascinating irony of the whole situation.

When friends play the receiver, we make a good advisor, however when our own selves are caught by trouble, we cringe and turn into a blank human who never knew positivity nor have ever had the courage to survive.

duh

Have you ever felt that way? Come on, don't be shy.

As you all readily know,there is an ongoing debate on whether one can actually put himself or herself in someone else's shoes. Disregarding the mentioned and letting them go deeper into that, we on the other side of the mountain have formulated an irony of the whole notion . Isn't it perplexing how we can empathize others and deliver the most soothing words while we mourn over each and every personal tragedy as if those words never existed in our cure kit ?

Any idea why?

Perhaps nursing our own wound is harder than treating another's. Chew over that! Even so, don't give up on personal efforts . It's all about getting better at the end of the day .

Renuka G

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A tragedy turned hobby

According to Oscar Wilde, everyone has their own tragedies.

Some people desperately read to not grow stupid, that's their tragedy, I read yet remain stupid and that is my tragedy.

When things get real ugly and morphs into a picture perfect mess, I turn to books. And that's a lie. So we ignore that.

To be brutally honest, when things get real ugly and morphs into a picture perfect mess and I can't
'teleport' myself to any malls in the country, I opt for reading.

You may ask though what are friends for then? If everyone indulge in books and brands when problems knock upon our doors, what's the point of having friends? I will answer that.
Establishing bonds between books and new purchases seem way soothing than communicating with another human or human like creature. Not because of different personalities and characters (or species) but the discomfort of digging/ being digged further about an issue. It's better to ignore and cool matters first. You better nod on that!

Back on reading. It's simply a pleasure, pure selfish pleasure just like shopping. All utterly adding up to your benefit, despite the bemusements in some pitiful souls. Bemusement ? Hell yea. You know when a 6 years old picks up Da Vinci Code and start cracking the symbols....as in the 'alphabets'? Yup some adults who are just beginners have that ambition . Just stop! That's my two cents. To feel better or for bibliotheraphy reasons, choose books which matches your language level and interest, too. Refrain from reading-hopelessness and some major cardiac arrest situations due to 'linguistical' stress ! Seriously. Setting that sad scenario aside, you can literally see and count the pros of this leisure with much ease.

Come to think of it, books too can be a great remedy, a huge distraction, under one condition. That it hooks you. I have read the works of a few great authors including Sophie Kinsella (for sure), Jeffery archer, Oscar Wilde and the legend himself William Shakespeare. They are all good but I'm more inclined towards certain genres. And to your surprise, I loathe romance based books. I can never finish them up even keeping an eye closed on their zero healing power. Not to deny, I have a few up on my shelf and I'm not going to blame some supernatural powers or brothers for it, admitting shamelessly that I bought them. Sadly though, I didn't care to finish what I started. So Dear Nicholas sparks and Audrey Niffeneger, you folks can just come claim your works back. As for the books of my preferred genres, keep working as my antidepressants and rehab centers. Sounds pretty serious uh?

But It's NOT!

I don't know your formula to beat down sorrow and fight troublesome occurrences, mine is reading( apart from shopping of course) . The world doesn't get all better and healed when I read,that's true. However, I add a few healthy pounds to my brain besides feeling problem free at least till the moment I put down the printed words and start picking up the shattered pieces. If you were to ask me, a good book can be man's best friend at all circumstances. ('all'? That's a strong word. BTW sorry dogs :p)

Renuka G

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Confusingly-complicated

Have you ever thought of having an 'it's complicated' relationship with your life? At times of joy you are triggered to be fully certain of even the teeny tiny details, however when circumstances slap you on the face you go all vague about the status like a child who tries to read an abstract painting.

The gist being, you are unsure and as all authors and scholars put it, it's a bloody damn roller coaster ride. To add further, a damn damn ride that I will never attempt a second try ( not to mention even the first one was not voluntary) .

Or perhaps the word 'lost' leaves a stronger frustration?

Embarrassingly though, I have to admit at times trying to look through the blurry glasses do induce a subtle I'm-a-positive-to-the-core-psycho kind of feeling and guess what? It's helluva fun! It's like dipping your French fries into a chocolate sauce. Both are your favorites aside from you being such a glutton, so you attempt to combine the duo keeping an utterly positive assumption that, love+love= so much love, you dip. And trust me, spitting is all that is mandatory! Since we humans are built to view things from our-advantage-dimension , even in 'it's complicated' we start building the proverbial castle to our convenience no matter how absurdly impossible it seems to be. What's next? Get an helmet bubba!

( well that French fries thingy isn't that bad though, sweet lord thanks for the discovery of such savory food)

That is kinda close to exactly what I feel. Joy, slaps, confusion, the dammit roller coaster, everything mixed in a bowl and served with the depression cherry on top!

Any idea about the whole lengthy stuff?

Not trying to be Jodi podicult or ms Kinsella, let me put things in the simple most manner. I'm confused of the grip I have upon my life. I'm authoring every single event with my own decisions and ideas of a good life yet I myself invite intruders in or perhaps they just come unwelcomed. I love my life so desperately ( yes that word) to the extent of trading all my bags and shoes to fix this bumpy ride. Like its possible. As mentioned, it's complicated. So good , in fact great it feels to be me at times but the moment I trip down hitting the ground, my knees just goes static while my head start musing with the whys and what ifs. My surreal positivity on the other hand, needs an immediate reality check ! After an I-don't-need-a-blusher-anymore-slap.

Happily declaring,I heard a lot of you are traveling on the same boat. Well that without a doubt is a great news. Let's row peeps!.....while I sneak out for a short nap...and some snacks and some 'life-is-like-a-moving-boat philosophical thoughts? Scusi.

It's complexly complicated .

Renuka G

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