A Mumbai autumn / winter ready outfit & notes on the year end & growing up.
Koovs cold shoulder bodysuit // Topshop Mom Jeans (via Jabong) // Dhora necklace // Lavie swan tote bag // Crocs sandals
Photos by Sheila Vaz
Many may lament at Mumbai’s lack of winter but I love it. We’re just starting to get that little bit of chill in the air, it makes nights more bearable & makes me reach for my long sleeve tops. November to Feb are my favorite four months of the year, I’m so excited that they’re starting & it always feels like they’re gone too soon.
We’re just at the end of October but somehow, in my head it already feels like the end of the year – the time when I turn into a sentimental, navel gazing, brooding person & try to sum up what the year has been like for me. It’s hard to get a handle on 2016. So much has happened, I feel like I can’t remember when I last had higher highs or lower lows.
In popular culture, 2016 will be remembered as the year we lost so many beloved public figures (David Bowie’s death certainly knocked me back) but I think personally, this has been the most defining adult year of my life. I’ve worked harder than I ever worked (in my life). I’ve made actual, real efforts to step out of my comfort zone & not feel so safe all the time. I’ve taken chances on people. Some of those worked out, but some didn’t. I’ve (hopefully) learnt from my mistakes. I’ve said YES to more things & gotten some incredible opportunities this year.
I took my first ever solo trip – something that I’ve contemplated doing for years (it was fantastic & life changing, in the best way possible). I’ve decided to do more of what I truly love – although this has resulted in blog has grown a little quieter, I’ve become regular with YouTube & that just makes me feel a lot more connected to you guys.
I also feel like I’m getting slightly better at this whole ‘self love’ thing (though it’s still so hard). I’m not as intent on concealing perceived flaws & have become ok with sharing more of myself online. Whether it’s getting comfortable with appearing on camera without any makeup (I credit a lot of that to just vlogging regularly. It’s helped me shed a lot of unnecessary pretense & inhibitions) or wearing sleeveless clothes though I have a weird relationship with my underarms, haha.
That doesn’t mean there haven’t been negative or messy parts, parts that I need to work on. I’m still pretty disorganized. I need to get better at time management & work more on not feeling very anxious or overwhelmed. But I’m not one to rush change – as long as I know I’m on the right path, I know I’ll get there.
I want to take this opportunity to thank any & all of you for being around. Whether you’ve been reading this blog since day one, or you just discovered it. However you discovered me, wherever you ‘follow’ me. I feel like I’ve gotten to know so many of you personally, & you are all just a part of my life story. When I started this blog in college, it was mostly just to get disciplined & to show my dear ones that I can keep at something (as a teenager I had a penchant for starting things but leaving them halfway). I was a very shy 16 year old who had just started college. I didn’t know the ways in which that little impulsive decision would shape my life.
Creating content is the best job in the world & having such a supportive & positive community around me is an incomparable feeling. Thanks for being here. x
