Unbreakable

Serena at the US Open in her famous (or infamous?) leather outfit
Her bootay is fabulous!

Serena Williams is one of my favorite players. She came onto the scene in the late 90's, and stormed the game of tennis between 1999, and 2003. She's known for her overall powerful game, serve, quickness, and her nerves of steel. She is a bit wild too, because she wore a black CATSUIT to the US Open, designs clothing, likes to party and be a celebrity.

There have been so many critics of hers that are like:

"Omg, Why isn't she soley dedicated to tennis?"

She lost some of her fire between 2004 - 2005 (even though she still won the Aussie Open in 2005) due to injuries, personal problems (her half-sister was shot) and other distractions. Critics slammed her and questioned her passion for tennis, and her desire to be the best.

The problem with Serena isn't her game. It's what is in between her ears. She's a player that simply plays based on her mood. If it's good, then she's pretty much unbeatable. If she's not feeling too hot, she makes a rash of errors, doesn't move well around the court, and can get taken out by a good player (aka Henin)

For example, in January of 2007, she was not fit at all, was ranked 81st in the world, and joined to play in the Australian Open. No one expected her to get very far in the tournament, let alone win.

The picture below shows her that year:

Everyone was shocked at the end, but it wasn't really a surprise when she won the whole thing beating, I mean SLAUGHTERING Maria Sharpova in the Final 6-1, 6-2. The critics that once slammed her, marveled at how no other player could accomplish such a feat. She beat all the top 10 players in such a ferocious manner it was scary! That too, she was un-fit! Now, what's her secret?

Apart from her game, it was her MINDSET that helped her the most. She has that bedrock conviction that no matter what her rank, or weight is, she IS the best. Imagine how intimidated her opponents must be knowing that nothing they do, can make Serena think otherwise. Even when she loses, she curses her game and says "I should have won. She was good, but I'm still better"

So what if she has other interests? She makes it count where it matters most. She has won 10 grand slams so far. None of the currently ranked female players can boast of that number (Venus is close with 7. Henin WAS getting close to 10, but she retired (damn it) ) It's a very exclusive club of players that have Grand Slam titles in the double digits.

Aussie Open 2009:

She started off the tournament really shaky. She almost lost a couple of matches. In all of those matches, you can see Serena's emotions on her face. She talked to herself, and her feet looked like they were made of stone.

Somehow, she made it to the quaterfinals Kuznetsova won the first set. Kuznetsova was up 5-3 in the second set, serving for the match. Serena does this thing where she closes her eyes and meditates in between points. She somehow told herself to "Get this shit over with already!" and then hit winner after winner and then won the 3rd 6-1. Kuznetsova was completely dumbfounded.

THAT's what Serena does best! With her back against the wall, somehow she dug deep..told herself something like: "This chic has nothin against you girl!" and then beat her.

At the semi finals, Serena came prepared. She was totally into the match and beat Dementieva 6-4, 6-3.

Everyone knew at that point, it was over. There was no way Serena was losing the final.

And it came true. Serena almost made Safina cry. She ripped her serves in, made Safina run all over the court, and was so cold and calculating that I think Safina would have turned to stone if she had looked into Serena's eyes.

THAT is true dominance. you GO serena williams!!!

Importance of Independence

The word independence has a violent conotation to it. If you look back at history, revolutionaries have FOUGHT for independence. It was never a peaceful process. Prominent leaders such as Simon Bolivar, Toussaint Loverture, George Washington, and many more had to face violent opposition to deliver freedom to the peoples of their country.



Those epic battles and wins were centuries ago, and the word indepdence has come to a less-violent meaning. Today (in developed parts of the world) it means freedom to make a choice. It means a woman can choose to have a career instead of a family. It means a teeanger can have their own room aka their own little dominion to rule over.



Or has it really changed?



The privilige to have one's room comes with fights with parents and siblings. A woman might battle inwardly while deciding to choose between a career and a mate.



So then after thinking, I have concluded that independence still has not lost its violent background. Whether its physical or mental, we're all battling something or the other to free ourselves from whatever it is we want to be rid of.



I guess I'll know eventually which side won in the battle raging inside me right now. I hope the end result is worth it in the end.

Think Cheap

Welcome large groups of readers to my series of THINK posts. I am starting with Think Cheap because there has never been a better time to do so! (in recent history anyway) On a sidenote: I must be weird because I feel special being part of history-in-the-making! I'm sure 20 years from now, my kids will learn about 'The next-Great Depression of 2008" in their history books. I'LL BE PART OF THAT! YES!

Moving onto the goal of this post: THINK CHEAP PEOPLE! THINK EFFECTIVE! THINK SMART!

Apparel

Time to ditch style recommendations as written in Vogue and check out the CLEARANCE section! Not just ANY clearance section. Saks' clearance is NOT the same as Macy's or Target's. Designer duds are now slashed 80% off. 80% off of a $700 Marc Jacob's bag is STILL too much even during normal economic times for most of us. SO CHECK OUT the good stores.

Target - they have always had great prices for decent clothes. Check out their new target 'design collections' of clothing for women. They have great stuff for men too! Brands like Cherokee, Mossimo (sp?) have a great variety (ranging from casual t-shirts, to dress shirts, slacks, jeans, and much more) Definitely worth a look

Hudson Belk - TWO giant positives. Quantity and Quantity. I prefer Hudson Belk to Macy's thanks to the variety of designer brands it carries. The amount of different brands / clothes that are there, means there's something there for everyone. It might be a little tiresome to sift through it all, but you will find something!

Forever 21 - always cheap. not necessarily my favorite since the quality is pretty crappy. But they do have designer knockoffs at ridiculous prices.

Thrift Stores / Consignment Stores - always a good a idea! I had a good experience shopping at beacon's closet (based in ny, but you can buy stuff online) Google local thrift stores in your area and I guarantee you'll find some nice stuff there! http://www.beaconscloset.com

MARSHALLs! Never underestimate the deals you'll get here. Today, I bought a $29 tommy hilfiger tote that was originally worth 90. TWO pairs of Betsey Johnson tights for $7.00. Deals are everywhere here, but it takes some looking.

remember: PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!

Lastly: Check out online shopping for great deals with free shipping! Some stores that offer free shipping: Jcrew, Overstock.com, Victoria's secret.com, bananarepublic and more!

Technology:

Slick Deals - Google slickdeals.net. Great place to find what it says...slick deals. The site also has tons of user reviews. http://www.slickdeals.net/

Iphones going to be sold at Wal-mart. No need to fret! Iphones will be sold at Walmart for $99! Of course, Apple is sly and will make money off you thanks to their expensive data plan. But it's exciting nonetheless.

and my favorite...

MAKEUP!

Like any fanatic, I do love my MAC, and Urban Decay eye shadows, eyeliners, etc. But at $13-15 bucks a pop, it gets very expensive very quickly. Granted, some (keyword: SOME) higher-end cosmetic brands are better, but these are rough times people! A lot of otherbrands imitate the more expensive brands to a good degree.

NYX - Eyeshadows start at 3.99. They have a great variety of other make up products that are cheap AND good. Available in local drugstores and other makeup stores such as Ulta.

L'OREAL HIP PIGMENTS - I am liking it. I recently bought a gold eye shadow duo and it's very pretty. Lasts long and costs around 6 bucks. good deal!

Rimmel mascara - Not bad for the price. I was looking at the DIOR show mascara that's worth a whopping $25. WHAT?! for mascara?! So no, I'm happy with my $7 Rimmel mascara. Almay is also pretty good for its price.




Make up brushes - DON'T buy those ridiculously expensive 'professional' make up brushes at MAC counters. it's like $28 for a skinny / small brush. There are good dupes out there at much more affordable prices. Try your local make up store (or Target /walgreens, etc) such as Ulta and buy brushes that are in the $8-10 range. They will do the trick. Most of us don't need super-duper special brushes.

I've probably repeated things everyone already knows but I'M CONTRIBUTING to someone out there. I hope.

From all over

Someone once told me that angry people are smart people. They are aware of things around them, and realize how shitty things can be therefore are angry. Well, in that case I am a genius since I'm angry quite often at society, and the world in general (at humans always)

So to further establish my superior intelligence, I shall start off with a rant about GOSSIPY INDIAN WOMEN. I know it happens in any community where one loud-mouthed-stupid-good-for-nothing bia blabs to all her good-for-nothing friends about someone else's child. Well, the Indian communities around the US are rich breeding grounds for this particular species. They not only talk about you, but decide to call your parents under the pretense of "caring" and spill the shit they hear.


I have one, simple message for them : BACK THE EFF OFF! if it's not your family, mind your own damn business. I WILL shed all my years of "respect your elders always"-training and tell you exactly what you need to hear.


Obviously, sane pieces of advice will be ignored by these women so I just wasted my time.

Moving on to Indian women who DO deserve very much the time of day (and respect, awe, admiration, etc) are the GULABI GANG from the state of Uttar Pradesh in India.


Their creator Sampat Devi decided to form a "gang" that fights for justice (in the RIGHT sense of the word) In the city where she's from, girls at the age of 12 are married, wives beaten, rape charges on men ignored by corrupt officials, and much more. So Sampat Devi and her women fight these injustices by literally beating up the wrongdoers. Their uniforms are the bright, pink saris they wear (Gulabi in hindi = pink) that defy the notion that women are subservient, and muted members of society. So here's to you Madame Sampat Devi! You rock and do continue to kick major bootay.

Sampat Devi of the Gulabi Gang

Read more about the gulabi gang here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7068875.stm

Well, I'd also like to give a shout out to a less-important, but hot pink-clad group of girls: the JEZEBELLES!

MAD at myself

Money changes everything.

You suddently have money and that makes you actually buy things you usually would think about 1000 times over.

You suddenly DON't have money and that makes you frugal beyond belief. You question the price / necessity of almost everything.

I got this new job (which is good) so then I bought myself a ring for Diwali. Fine. I can excuse myself for that (even though in the grand scheme of things, I'm an ass and I could have donated the 700 dollars to charity instead of watching my ring sparkle in the sunlight)

But, apart from this ring I have bought things I don't need. I usually would never do this, but I have impulsively been buying things! Not expensive things, but just any "deals" I see. Tar-jay has become my new place to be when I'm utterly bored. I go to their sale section and think "Ooo! new t-shirt!" or "OOo what a steal! $10 cool party shirt!" and then I buy them. I pat myself on the back for a job well done. I'm doing an awesome job of re-inventing my un-stylish closet!

SYKE.

I've just bought into consumerism. I have some amount of money so I think I should spend some of it. I do save a bunch each month, but instead of donating money to charity (which I always wish I could), but I spend it on myself. I am now the person I vowed never to become. I told myself I wouldn't be materialistic. But now I browse beauty / fashion blogs that offer all sorts of advice on "cheap fashion" and then try to follow their advice. Their intentions are good. MINE aren't because I've become a loser who hangs out Target too often (otherwise Target is awesome)

GOAL NEXT MONTH: DONATE 200 dollars to a good charity.

I know others have been hit very hard, Thanks to rich mothereffers and their awesome decisions, but I have been OK so far (thank you engineering degree) so I should help those less fortunate than I am and not be a dick and shop for things I definitely do NOT need.

but for those who still want to shop, i like these websites for good advice:

http://www.omiru.com/
http://www.cheapjap.com/

Congratulations to ME

I am now officially engaged to myself. I have bought myself a gorgeous ring from Jared. I can now proudly say that my first ring was NOT from my fiance, but from ME.

I actually don't want to wear an engagement or wedding ring ever. A marriage is something personal that's between two people. It doesn't need to be paraded around like a prize-winning thoroughbred. I'm so tired of women who define themselves based on the size of their rocks.

UGH.

When I went to Jared, the conversation went something like this:

Saleslady: "Hi! What can I do for you today?"
Me: "I'd like to buy a ring for myself"
SL: "Oh for yourself? Like a cocktail ring?"
Me: "Just a nice ring. yes"
SL: "Well right here we have right-hand rings.."
after 5 minutes of showing me their small selection of 'right-hand-single-girl-spinster-rings'
Me: "Well, what's on the other side of the store? Can I see those rings?"
SL: "Well those are more engagement ring style rings"
Me: "And?"
SL: "Well, you might not want to wear those on your right hand. You know they're meant for the other..they're romance rings..."

At this point I was annoyed. A ring is a fucking ring. The only person that SHOULD define WHAT the ring MEANS is the person who gifts it or wears it. "hi, here's a friendship ring for you'. "hi, marry me. here's your engagement ring".

WHY the hell does anyone else have a say in what a ring should be? IF i want to wear a fucking giant rock on my LEFT ring finger w/out being engaged, I'LL do it. I can wear a ring wherever I want.

Me: "M'am, I just want a nice ring to wear. I don't care to know if it's a 'right hand' or 'left hand' ring because I'll wear it on whichever finger I so choose so please don't define things for me."

Silence of about 30 seconds while the saleslady stared at me in shock. fuck you lady. show me the damn rings.

so she did show me around ALL over the store. I chose this one:


The gem is called citrine, 14K gold, pave diamonds around the citrine.

It's pretty, shiny, and I'm proud that the first ring I bought was for myself and not anyone else =)

Draining days of Documents

You know, you see and hear about how life after college in the working world is really fun. We're all young, nubile and perky (especially the girls get it? har har) We're making money, enjoying our independence, having sex with multiple partners with a side of no guilt (yea i wish), and relishing the silver years (golden is when you're old right?)

But no one ever mentions the amount of fucking tax is taken away each paycheck if you're single. No one mentions the monotonous 8-10 hours of work a day you do when you're a new hire. No one mentions the onslaught of bills, or how you actually DON'T get laid every weekend because you were too busy to get waxed.

I really hope the up-coming college graduates don't expect to live The Hills life where 1000's of dollars are shoved down your throat while you galavant across the town 'figuring yourself out'

The recent-college graduate life is actually a lot more difficult, tiring, and mentally draining. The fortunate ones continue partying after graduating with a bullshit degree with daddies' deep wallets. The rest of us have to try to figure out what we want to do with our lives in REAL jobs. THAT's a career in itself. I think finding the balance between enjoying your young adult status, and setting a good path for the future defines us at the stage. I hate how society / entertainment industry makes it out all to be a cake-walk and misleads the younger generation to thinking everything just comes on a silver platter.

This leads me to really hate the entertainment industry. But, that's for another blog post.

But, I do have to say my work is not as draining, since I have someone sitting next to me with a possible parasite eating her insides. It's exciting everyday to wait for it to crawl out of her (makes us all want to come to work) This one is all for you BZ. Now you're officially popular since legions of readers follow my blog.

WHEEEE! back to enjoying my early 20's.