We shared our favorite easy listening songs in our last post, but with New Years Eve soon approaching, most of us are in the mood to party and celebrate! So to get you in the festive mood, here is a recap of our favorite high octane, “bolly-pop" music from 2013.

1)      Dilliwali Girlfriend (Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani)

This is arguably the best album of the year and I loved all the songs from this movie, from Badtameez Dil to Balam Pichkari. But if I had to pick one, I’d choose this fun and flirty number that you can’t help but get up and dance to! It doesn’t hurt that Deepika’s looking gorgeous and Ranbir’s busting some slick moves.

2)      Lat Lag Gayi (Race 2)

This is a great club song that also has some surprising Arabic sounds in the middle. The fusion of the two styles creates a chilled out song that’s perfect as you get ready for a fun night ahead!

3)      Nagada Sang Dhol Baaje (Ram Leela)

Navratri garba just become cool, ya’ll! And how can it not, with the addictive folk beats in this song and amazing choreography in the music video to boot? When I first heard this song, I found it curiously similar to Dhol Baaje from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (HDDCS), an older movie directed by Sanjay Leela Bansali. But it didn’t take long to realize that the two songs are very different. Sadly, unlike HDDCS, the songs and chemistry between the actors are all this movie had going for it!

4)      Tooh (Gori Tere Pyar Mein)

The lyrics of this song are utterly ridiculous and I’m slightly ashamed to put this up as it might suggest I condone how it objectifies women….but sometimes you just wanna dance to something mindless and this catchy song makes that happen!

5)      High Heels (Yo Yo Honey Singh)

The song may be a rip off the 90’s hit song Ole Ole (from Yeh Dillagi) but you can’t deny the fun, summery vibe that this song brings. Perfect for any house party you might be throwing this holiday!

6)      Bad Girl (Mickey Singh)

This song is a new find and it took a while to grow on me, but I’m now obsessed. I love how this is a fusion of house beats, Hindi, Punjabi, and English! Never mind the fact that the music video is clearly “very inspired” from Robin Thicke’s video for Blurred Lines with scantily clad women sauntering around the video against a white backgrounds doing inane things like lifting weights and wearing boxing gloves.

Hope these songs have put you in the party mood! Any songs that you would add to this list?

"Save the Date" invitations sent out in the shape of a boarding pass

I had my baby shower about a week ago. All I knew was that it was to take place on a Saturday afternoon. My sister and some dear friends handled the rest of it - everything from sending out the invitations (I just provided the guest list), planning the theme, figuring out a venue to setting up decorations. Being a bit of a micromanager and someone who can't help but get involved in planning things, it was really difficult for me to just take a step back and have everyone do the rest. Ever since the baby shower planning had started, I would keep asking Shruti, "So, how's the planning going? Do you need help? Is everything under control?" Luckily, she just chose to ignore me and as you can see from the pictures below...everything came together beautifully and I had the BEST time!

Left: Nails painted different shades of blue. Right: Baby pictures of myself and my husband along with books for the baby (Dr. Suess and a Thai lullaby book)

The venue was a surprise for me. I was led to believe it was taking place somewhere indoors. My husband was in on the scheme as well. As he accompanied me in the cab to what I thought was the baby shower venue, he made up some excuse about having to pick up something from a friend's place first. Well, that the venue ended up being at that friend's outdoor terrace! Everyone yelled "Surprise!" when I arrived, and then the party started! I loved the theme that Shruti and my friends came up with - all about travel to different countries. Given how much my husband and I enjoy traveling and experiencing different cultures and are constantly planning our next trip, the idea was perfectly appropriate! The cake pictured a cute little baby sitting on a globe with the words "Arriving First Class". The party favors were adorable luggage tags in the shape of sandals, and the food was from different countries (Indian, Thai, Mexican, and Italian). I also received the baby's first books to start his reading collection - for example, Dr. Suess's "Oh The Places You'll Go". How apt! Even the games were centered around the theme of travel, languages, countries, etc. I was so genuinely touched by all the little details that the party planners thought of and the work they put into planning this. I'm so happy I got to enjoy a special occasion in the company of amazing people on a beautiful summer day outdoors.

Perhaps my days of traveling might be put on hold for a while...but hopefully, not for too long. This baby's gonna be a globe-trotter, if I can help it!

 Oscar Sunday (or as I like to call it, a girl’s version of Superbowl Sunday) is the biggest night of the year for the Hollywood stars. For mere mortals like us, it’s an occasion to watch the Hollywood hunks and beauties sashay up the red carpet. It’s a time when we allow ourselves to be seduced by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and feel like we’re part of the action, even if for a moment. It’s also an opportunity for us to critique outfits, hairstyles, and bodies like judges of a cruel reality show. Last night, I threw an Oscar Party at my place where we did all of that…and more!

In my top 10 list of unique summertime activities in the city, MoMA PS1’s Warm Up 2012 is definitely up there. It’s an outdoor live music series held every Saturday during the summer at the MoMA PS1. Lest you become confused like I did, this is NOT the MoMa (Museum of Metropolitan Art) in Manhattan but the one in Long Island City. But don’t let that deter you – it’s just a quick subway ride to get to this museum in Queens. Upon arriving, you’re led into the courtyard of the museum where there’s a giant urban installation called Wendy. Beyond the installation, there’s a DJ playing what is called “experimental music”, a cryptic name for what is basically not mainstream music. Self-described as ethereal-lounge-eclectic, if that makes any sense. Regardless, the whole laidback vibe and relaxing music was refreshingly un-New York (I was almost reminded of my days in hippy Austin!).