ECLECTIQUE.

         The salwar kameez is a dress that is worn on a daily basis due to its comfortable cut. Salwar or pyjamas are cut wide at the top and narrow at the ankle. On the other hand, churidars are common variants of the salwar. These are trousers that are tightly fitted by the legs and a little longer to make it look like a set of bangles are resting on the ankle. The extra material makes it easy for the person to move and sit down because the cut is already tight in the first place. As the top, a kameez (tunic) or kurti (loose overshirt) is partnered. A whole lot of prints, styles, designs and price range of salwar and churidars are available in the market. Even if it's for daily wear, it still is hard to choose one when you are put in a situation with so many jaw dropping pieces.

Thank you for making time to read my blog post. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing  about the beauty of my country's fashion and culture!

                          Until next time, 

                          Khushi Ramchandani :)

Photos taken by Czarina Castro

As a child to a pre-teen, I loathed reading because of the blank pages full of words I couldn't comprehend. My mom urged me to read the classics, but I ended up putting the book down after a few pages. My family was exasperated with me because they all loved reading and their huge collection just shows how much they do. I went on and on about how reading and books are boring and they were just a waste of time --- Oh, how wrong I was. One time, I saw my sister reading one of the books in the Percy Jackson series (Mind you, it is a starter pack for a beginner bookworm) and I found myself in love with it. About a hundred books later, here I am, completely and madly in love with fictional characters and their worlds. 

Everyone encounters what they like and dislike in life. I've found books that I have absolutely adored and books that I felt disconnected to. From a bookworm to another, the best book out there is the one who will break your heart the most and the plot that will turn your heads around. Through all the books I've finished, I found myself going for the fantasy, fiction and action genre. I just love the thrill and the suspense that comes with it, not to mention the universes that were intricately created and crafted. I've never really been into classics, but I'm trying as hard as I can to do so because I believe that books are considered classics for a reason and I'm looking forward to start reading soon.

The Red Queen series is one of those books that broke my heart and challenged my mind to solve the missing puzzle pieces. It's one of those dystopian young adult novels that are in trend right now, but I assure you that Red Queen stands out among them. It is not the cleanest book for it sheds a little bit of blood, but what matters the most is the essence of the story. It was written by the best-selling author, Victoria Aveyard. Victoria graduated from the University of Southern California and she wrote Red Queen a year after. 

Red Queen focuses on two factions of the world, the Silvers and the Reds. The Silvers or "silver blooded" are the ones blessed with different powers. It ranges on from water manipulation to mind manipulation. While the Reds are deemed to be the ordinary citizens, the book describes the Reds to be filthy and have streaks of white hair because of their unfavorable conditions. In short, the Silvers look down upon the Reds because of their lack of capabilities. Although, Mare Barrow, a Red --- finds out that she holds the power a Silver can only acquire from birth. Once the royal family found out about Mare's abilities, the kingdom has gone into chaos and she found herself entwined with the people who brought pain to her fellow Reds.

Without giving anything away too much, this book is realistic. Yes, it is fantasy, but Mare's personality holds true to reality, as well as the other characters. The first time I read this and thought about Mare's decisions, her decisions were not the smartest and due to impulsiveness. I shall point that Mare is only fifteen years old in the book and all her life, she was not privileged to get a quality education. Unlike some characters in other books, they were smart and wise at a young age, yet no one has taught them anything alike. What I love about Mare and Aveyard's writing is that she doesn't hide the unpleasant qualities of her characters in her books. Sure, I have grown to hate it, but it just shows that no character is perfect and it shows not just the tip of the iceberg. With those elements, it just makes you love the characters more. What I ABSOLUTELY LOVED about the book is the plot twist. Plot twists are things that you do not expect to happen with the ongoing plot, it usually occurs on the climax of the story. The plot twist literally broke me, because it was written so well and the queen is as cunning as she could get. The Royal Family is ruthless, but the secrecy is far more cruel than family itself. One point to Victoria Aveyard, none for Czarina!

Glass Sword picks up when the kingdom has fallen into the wrong hands and Mare has to find a way to protect the Reds who are normal and just like her. Throughout the book, she builds allies who think the same way about the new sovereign of the kingdom and they want justice given to all Reds, as well as Silvers. 

First and foremost, the relationships in these series are realistic and build up slowly, just as any would in real life. Mare's abilities and cleverness are tested in this book. She may not be the smartest, but she proves to be clever. She and Cal work hand-in-hand to restore justice in the kingdom and get the throne back to the right heir. Personally, I don't entirely agree with her decisions in the book, but it payed off in the end because she made one of the biggest sacrifice of her life. This book contains an amount of devastating deaths of characters that I have grown to love, but I guess it adds up to the thrill of the book. The story has definitely turned into a dark turn, but I found it less entertaining than the first book, but I find that it's always the second installment of the book that have the dull moments. Though, that's just my opinion. This book made me realize how vulnerable Cal is than the first book --- everything was taken from him and yet his stands tall, though the book shows how much anger and how lost he felt when it came to finding his right place. 

This book may have disappointed me slightly, the entire plot itself makes me want to read more of it because it deals with someone my age and life changing decisions. This book has taught me that sometimes there are no right decisions, one just has to choose which is the best out of all of them and life throws those situations at us sometimes. 

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Calligraphy by Czarina Castro, 11H

             One of today's trends doesn't only focus on fashion and music, but it also focuses on art, from modern to contemporary. From all the exhibits and museums I've visited, art will never have a limit. It is boundless, ageless and elegant --- from the strokes of the painting or the sketch of the charcoal pencil, it represents the innermost thoughts of the artist. No color, stroke or sketch would mean nothing, then it is not considered art. For me, art is the simplest, yet most complicated to understand. Yes, it is easy to splat a color there or draw symmetrical lines on a canvas, but does it reach out to your audience? As a young artist, I find myself asking the same question over and over again. Needless to say, I'm still learning the essence of art, but that is the meaning of art for me. 

             For about a year now, I've been doing calligraphy, specifically Modern Calligraphy. Calligraphy is the means of writing in a more formal way with distinguished strokes and curves. It has rules to follow, like, how to hold the pen or the proper way to make a down stroke. My aunt gave me a wooden holder and various of nibs from Paris, but I never got to learn the form of calligraphy for it was too detailed for me. As a student I want something light, yet it looks as if I made an effort to do the lettering. The difference between the traditional calligraphy to modern calligraphy is that the latter does not need rules. Modern Calligraphy is the opposite of the traditional calligraphy, for it breaks the rules and it is based on personality. That is the very reason as to why I decided to learn modern calligraphy, not only that it gives me freedom, but it also stemmed from my childhood, where I used to do a lot of lettering.

             I've wasted ink and paper, it may not be advisable, but that's one of the many struggles of being an aspiring artist. I've used gel pens, brush pens, paint brushes, pencils and many other materials you could ever imagine. Although, my favorite is using watercolors for it gives off the look that you gave your best effort (in which, you did!), but it took less time. What I absolutely love about modern calligraphy, it doesn't need to be perfect or straight because art is not about perfection. It is about imperfection being the masterpiece because it means that our imperfections are something we shouldn't be ashamed of, but it is an equivalent of a masterpiece.

   - C H L O E R E Y E S

Art, as we know, portrays the culture of a country. I am an Indian and am proud that my culture is known for its art around the world -from fashion to rangoli (colored rice art)

 to henna tattoos. 

Katrina Elena Photography

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Minor detail: most people have a misconception regarding the origin of henna or mehndi (as we call it in India). Such beautiful art has been originated from India, not Bohemia.


I hope you enjoyed this post and learned a thing or two about my culture! :)



Until next time, 

Khushi Ramchandani