Trip #3 is the most recent one, a short getaway with dear friends who moved cities a few months ago. It was something we talked about for months & as the date drew closer, my excitement (& anxiety) mounted! I can’t remember the last time I visited in the rainy season. While I will be sharing some vlogs from the trip, now that a month has passed I thought it’d be a great time to share some memories through a little photo diary (all captured on my phone)

The Idyllic Vistadome Journey

There’s a lot of ways to get to Goa from Mumbai – road (car / van / bus), train, flight. I have definitely tried them all. While a flight is the quickest, the inaccessibility of the airport is the reason I usually chose the overnight bus. Tejas, who I was travelling with suggested travelling by the fancy vistadome coach on the Jan Shatabdi. It was one of the highlights of the trip, with panoramic views of the Konkan (which is so lush at this time of the year!)

I think I packed light for the first time in my life – a simple, streamlined wardrobe that was both location & weather appropriate. I’m wearing a crop top, Fjallraven kanken sling as well as nylon cargo / trackpant hybrid (that have lots of pockets & repel water, double whammy!) I wore Crocs & didn’t carry any spares because they were just the only thing I needed. Accessories were super simple- gold earrings, a couple of my favorite rings & my treasured HMT watch (I should’ve skipped the watch, considering the weather).

Beach Day

Mom hooked us up with amazing rooms at our favorite resort in Benaulim, a village that sorta feels like home. It was nice to take Rydell & Tejas around, to show them my favorite spots & introduce them to the local vendors for kadak chai & freshly made steak pav. We intentionally abstained from planning too much & just decided to take each day as it comes. One of our first major outings was an afternoon at the beach, which is luckily just walking distance away. We settled in at one of the beach shacks & since I was feeling adventurous, I thought it’d be fun to try urrak, a traditional Goan liquor distilled from cashew fruit.

The urrak (with limca) was so refreshing, we had to get a second round! Afterwards, we took a nice little walk on the seashore as the sun set.

Furry Friends

It was my second time at the same resort in just a few months (I was there with mom in the summer) so I had befriended the local cats & dog, & I was delighted to see them remember me so we could pick up where we left off!

The cats are so wonderful (they’re both female, with completely divergent personalities) & the dog is large, brown & extremely friendly! I made regular detours to feed the cats throughout the day. The dog roams where she wants & she would find us outside our rooms or on our walks.

A day trip to the city

On our last full day in Goa, we hired scooters & took a day trip to Margao, the nearest city. It’s customary for non resident Goans to visit the local spots & bring our favorite foods back home with us.

We started the day by heading to the choris stall (local Goan sausages – they’re to die for), dropped by Zantye’s for some cashew nuts & decided to lunch at the iconic Longuinos.

I had taken slightly ill at this time so I decided it’d be a good idea to have a shot of cashew feni (very potent local liquor) which has long been considered a home remedy for cold & cough. Drinking it feels like you’ve set your oesophagus on fire momentarily. I’m not sure if it helped with the cough but it did succeed in get me day drunk, I’m quite the lightweight.

Five days passed by in the blink of an eye, but I’m reviling the trip through the photos & video! All of these were taken on my Pixel 6a. I hope this inspires you to try something different on your next getaway. x

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All my life, I’ve always felt like I was a city-dweller only, but the last year or so I’ve been feeling very disjointed about living in an apartment like I want to grow vegetables & take walks in the sun. Goa trips bring some respite – I find myself savouring every part of farm life – from cooking, to overseeing the animals; I don’t even mind the long walk to the nearest supermarket.

These photos were taken back in the village a few years ago – I spent most of my childhood summers there & got pretty acquainted with the facades of all the nearby homes, most of which were built in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, and many of them have been unoccupied ever since I can remember (which is the better part of three decades). Some of them are in states of decay even – most suffer from collapsed roofs, which end up being the weakest part of the home (terracotta tiles held up by wooden rafters). The walls are strong – they’re not built with cinderblocks or mud bricks, but laterite stone cut into the shape of bricks.

In the last decade or so, things have been changing somewhat rapidly though – there are a lot of new homes being built, either in previously open spaces or over demolished older Indo Portuguese villas. The new homes are all generic & extremely ugly, but that’s the cost of development I guess. The villas are gorgeous but aren’t too practical to stay in & the cost of restoring or maintaining an old home can be pretty high – they were all built before electricity & running water.

The house from these photos was always a favourite because of the distinctive resting lions on the gate posts – it wasn’t too far from my ancestral home & the sight of it was comforting even if I’d never met the family that once lived there.

But on one trip back home in 2019, we saw signs of an impending demolition & bricks to support a fresh construction. I’d carried one nice dress on the trip, so one afternoon I dressed up a bit & begged mom to take photos by the gate. A few months later, the home (& gate) were torn down & though I haven’t been back since January, I’m sure the new construction is coming along in full swing. I’m very glad I have these, even though they are just slightly vain outfit photos on the surface, they remind me of nice things.

The lesson I take away is that things will always change, & a lot of that change is out of our control. What we can do is savour the experiences we’re having in the moment, & enjoy the memories in the future. x

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A couple of months ago, this space turned 12! I can still remember starting this blog as a way to chronicle interesting happenings in my life during my first year of college. Even though I’m not as regular here as I used to be, I’m grateful to have this space to come back to, to write, document & reflect.

While this space is public, it still feels very much like a diary and reading posts from a decade ago makes me smile & cringe in equal measure. In these last few months, I feel like I’ve made a lot of small changes & set some much larger ones in motion.

Going Home

The year started out quite promising with a trip back home to Goa. I always look forward to these & I hadn’t visited in almost two years. It was dreamy – after many months of being cooped up in a very urban setting, we walked many miles everyday, cooked many fresh amazing meals, visited family, plant spotted & took a lot of great photos.

I wore very little makeup, accessorized with my favorite chain necklace & made sure I wore comfy shoes. My new pair of 90’s style bermuda shorts & me were totally inseparable.

Goa is always fun to visit but this time I found myself considering the viability of staying? I mean sure it’d be a big adjustment, but what if?

Making Ceramics

While on the last days of my trip, I decided to take a course in ceramics. It’s something I’d always wanted to do but kept putting off but after spending months at home consuming pottery videos on youtube (throwing stuff on the wheel can be so calming to watch!) I finally signed up.

It was just a beginner’s course but in a very idyllic setting. I also had the privilege of having an amazing teacher who was both very experienced & extremely patient. Handbuilding my first piece was a thrill & after our ten sessions we over, I made the decision to continue practising at home.

Buying all the necessary tools pinched a bit but it was also quite exciting to commit to this new art form (new to me, at least).

I spent a few weeks in April working on my ‘first collection’ & even set up a new instagram account. I experimented with two clay bodies (an ivory white & a lovely toasted brown) & there were some failures & frustrations but that just made the successes even more special. Pottery does have such a long production cycle though – building may be one of the more laborious steps but there’s also the refining, bisque fire, glazing & glaze fire. My pieces are carefully drying with me & I can’t wait to see them finished! I’ve even made a few small gifts for friends. Here’s hoping that the kiln gods will be on my side.

Moving Forward

Now that you’re up to speed on what I’ve done so far, it’s probably time to discuss my immediate plans. I’ve turned into a total homebody & I’m not complaining. I’ve managed to cut down on buying new clothes & using (or donating) pieces I already own. I’ve taken to needle & thread for the first time since school – just to mend things, but I hope to experiment with embroidery.

Remember when I wrote about getting into houseplants last year? I got a lot more. I did lose a few but most are thriving, & it’s been a very enriching experience. A few days ago I decided to get into growing food. Doing so in an apartment has it’s logistical challenges but I’m starting with onions & it’s fascinating to see how fast they grow.

I hope to knock learn a few new skills in the next couple of months but for now I’m enjoying the stillness at home & the simple routine of watering my plants, playing with the cats & cooking a lot of wholesome meals. I just bought some kimchi so I’m gonna try & make kimchi fried rice tonight! x

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H&M dress + bag // SheIn earrings

Photos by Sheila Vaz at Cavelossim beach. 

A few weeks ago, we were in Goa – it was a rather indoorsy, relaxed vacay but of course we did a few walks to the beach.

These photos were snapped on our last little walk in September. It was still quiet & lovely, but there were also labourers working hard to build beach shacks; the surest sign of Goa’s peak season.

The weather was perfect – it was golden hour, that time before sunset where everything’s bathed in that magical, warm light. I was sad about not having beer, but at least I had mom, & a lovely book for company. We looked for a calm spot & found this place by the lifeguard station, where we met some some tourist kids – sisters who were having the time of their lives, playing with the stray dogs in the area. It was truly wonderful to see how caring & careful they were with them – each one of those six-odd dogs had names, & followed them around everywhere! I took a couple of dips in the surf & we left – just in time to catch the poder (baker) making his evening rounds. It was a perfect evening, & I want to remember these little details for as long as I live. x

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Splash Fashion dress // SheIn earrings // SheIn iridescent fanny pack // Casio retro watch // Nike Roche Flyknit sneakers

Photos by Sheila Vaz at Karma Royal Haathi Mahal

I’ve been making a conscious effort to get a more streamlined wardrobe. I congratulate myself everytime I get a nice solid coloured basic because it feels mature & grown up. But the feeling doesn’t last…

Prints will always have my heart – the brighter the better! I’ll almost always pick pop colours over solid basics, & that’s ok. Because with personal style, you really don’t have to choose. You can be one person on Monday & a different person on Tuesday. So this is how I dressed, one super chill vacation day last month. I’m back in Bombay now but there’s a lot from Goa to show you, still. x

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H&M dress // Ray-Ban round copper flash sunglasses // Vans espadrilles – tropical peach

Photos by Sheila Vaz at Karma Royal Haathi Mahal

How’s everyone doing? It feels like forever since I’ve properly written a post here, so I just wanted to say hi. It’s been an amazing couple of months but equally hectic. Kinda proud that I’ve been really regular with videos but it’s hard to find the chance to blog too. And then it becomes this weird vicious circle – I’m sure many other bloggers can relate.

My birthday is in less than fortnight – since summer in Mumbai is not my favorite time, I’m taking a tiny little workcation to the Nilgiris in early April, so I’m definitely really excited to be there after two years. Living at home with your parents can you a little complacent, so I’m also trying to get better at adulting, simple things like being more proactive with my health, or figuring out how to better manage my personal finances or file my income tax returns.

But yeah, things are generally good & I wouldn’t have it any other way. x

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H&M dress // Ray Ban round red mirror gradient sunglasses // Lulu & Sky bomber jacket // Native Apollo Moc sneakers

Photos by Sheila Vaz

I’ve always maintained that hot & cold are very relative terms, at least with respect to the weather. Mumbai (home, for most of the time) & Goa (the ‘native place’ are both on the west coast of India & both have insanely tropical weather – which means lots of humidity, scorching summers, intense monsoons and not much of a winter.

Just because it doesn’t get seriously cold doesn’t mean it isn’t nice. In fact, ‘winters’ in Mumbai & Goa (think early November to mid February, if we’re being generous) are characterised by exceedingly pleasant weather & it’s hands down the best time to explore both places on foot & just generally do stuff outdoors.

Anyway this is just a casual winter daytime outfit I wore last month in Goa. A casual black tshirt dress, sunglasses, comfy sneakers & a bomber jacket in case in gets chilly. Somehow my bare legs can take cold much better than my arms!

I also filmed a Get Ready With Me video taking you all through my winter skincare & makeup routine… you can watch the video below & visit the video page for a full list of the products used.

At the start of 2017, I decided to do a beauty detox which was basically a makeup shopping ban. Part of me was skeptical about doing it because beauty shopping has always been a huge weakness (even if I don’t wear that much) but I’m happy to say I’ve made it through with just one mascara purchase in 2017!

I’m pretty pleased with myself for making it though & I’m looking forward to placing an order for a few things. The whole point of the detox was to break myself out of destructive shopping habits & really think before every purchase.

I am thinking of writing a post about what I learnt so let me know if that’s something you’d like to see! x

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AJIO dress // Daniel Wellington watch // H&M mules

lips- Guerlain KissKiss Matte in Zesty Orange (full review here) | nails- LYN Vegan nail polish in Genie in a Bottle

Photos by Sheila Vaz

The dress I’m wearing here was actually a whimsical sale purchase. I was really drawn in by the print – there’s tropical vegetation, a house, a cat, monkeys! I always like playful prints & I found this just charming, that I even bought a blouse version of it for mom. knew that I just had to wear this in Goa. Oh & by the way, do you spot actual, living monkeys in any of these pictures? There are even a couple more farm animals in there.

We shot this outfit on the road just outside our ancestral home in Goa. These pictures suddenly make me very sentimental because I’m intimately familiar with the area. Some of these photos were also taken by the church, where the walls were freshly whitewashed in preparation for the upcoming feast. x

SPECIAL– I’ve teamed up with Casetify to offer you 15% off on any phone cases on their website. I’m especially obsessed with their personalised glitter cases, which actually have liquid glitter floating inside & are super rugged! You get to choose everything from the font / placement of your name, to the colour of the glitter. You can use the code 15MAGVAZ for 15% off on their website, & they ship free internationally.

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November in a Nutshell

The first few weeks of November were spent working & catching up. We had just gotten back from our previous Goa trip (where I was largely without internet connectivity!) so work got kind of piled up. It was quite a productive month for videos though. I sat & edited the vlogs from my Goa trip. I was really excited about these because I vlogged around my ancestral home & village, it was a side of Goa that most tourists don’t get to see. Part 1 & Part 2 of the vlogs are now live. I honestly do think that these might be the best vlogs I’ve ever made & the response I’ve received from you all has been overwhelming – in the best possible way!

More Goa Travels

The last part of November was spent on another Goa trip with the fam! Since I’ve started blogging (& then vlogging) over the years, all trips, even though they may appear glamorous usually include a lot of work. This time however, I wanted more of a vacation & kept work to the minimum. For nine days stayed at an amazing villa, spent afternoons soaking in the jacuzzi, walked to & spent time at the beach, ate delicious Goan food & sipped on shandy – pretty perfect if you ask me!

Of course I did get some work done, & you’ll probably see it on the blog & YouTube channel throughout December!

November Favorites

I filmed a monthly favorites video on vacation, sharing my favorite new acne treatment product, a new skincare brand discovery & a great new multi purpose body balm that I’ve been loving for tattoo maintenance / aftercare. You can watch it above or head to the video page for all product details.

Etc.

watching… The usual TV shows & a lot of Impractical Jokers on vacation. Somehow those idiots never fail to crack me up. In movies, I finally saw Easy A a few days ago & I absolutely loved it! I’m still confused as to why it didn’t achieve Mean Girls-like cult status… maybe not as many quotable lines? It’s on Amazon Prime in India if you’re interested in watching!

listening to… Little of this, little of that. I’ve been listening to this groovy early 70’s instrumental album (I think it’s jazz?) called Accadde a… (it’s Italian & seems to loosely translate to It happened in… or Made In…) Accadde a Bali is my favorite song but they’re all quite interesting (the song about Belfast has a lot of bagpipes!)

In current (pop?) music I’ve really enjoyed Portugal. The Man’s Woodstock album. Of course I discovered it through the hit song Feel It Still but the rest of the album is also really great & my two favorite songs are Easy Tiger & So Young.

Finally, I also made a mixtape featuring some chill instrumental hiphop for the second month running, you can listen to my November Mixtape for free on computers or the soundcloud smartphone app, do check it out!

cooking… I actually did a little bit of cooking this month. There were some experiments with making a popular Indian dessert (you might know what I’m talking about if you watched my Vlune this year. I filmed it so it’ll be on my vlog channel soon. Also did a little bit of deep frying (I’ve never tried it before, it’s always been mom’s domain) & it wasn’t as intimidating as I thought, in fact it was surprisingly fun.

Looking Forward

December is hands down my favorite time of the year & I’m definitely looking forward to festive vibes & playing my favorite Christmas album. I was also feeling really inspired at the end of November so I decided to work a little extra on content this month. If you missed yesterday’s announcement vlog, I’ll be doing at least 10 vlogs, 10 blog posts (right here!) & 5 main channel videos. I chose these particular figures so I could have an extra creative output & still enjoy the month without getting stressed or crazy. I hope you guys will check out the blog regular & share your comments, they make me so happy. Thank you taking the time to read this – I’d love if you could share some things you’re looking forward to in the comments below. Happy Holidays! x

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