SEA & THE SILHOUETTE.

From fashion to travel?.... an interesting jump, isn't it?
Well, I just came back from my Aruban vacation and wanted to share my memories with you before it faded away. I had taken a short break from globe trotting (precisely 3 yrs) as I was blessed with the miracle of my life, my SUNDARI, my 2 yr old daughter. From now on Sundari will be an integral part of Sage&Slingback, as everything I do these days mostly revolves around her. I am sure you will love her too. This vacation was special for 2 reasons. First) ARUBA  was always on my wishlist and my wish came true. Second) this was my first vacation with my SUNDARI, though during my last vacation to Egypt she was in my tummy.
Aruba is a small Caribbean island, 19 miles north of the Venezuelan coast. It's known for it's white sugary beaches and turquoise waters with a daily everage temperature of 82F.  Arubas official language is Dutch and the local language is "Papiamento" which is a mixture of English, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese.
 

 Aruba, one happy island!!! Where shall I begin?


A huge, colorful tiled wall mural greeted me at the entrance of the hotel with a "BON BINI" sign...

The weather played a major role in turning this vacation to a memorable one. It was very hot and windy but fortunately not humid.  Sundari had a ball making sand castles and giving a sand scrub to her daddy dearest.

I am more of a "Sunset" person than a "Sunrise" and the sunset here in Aruba is so beautiful, I would say easily the second best to Hawaii. I watched the sun going down with a Mojito in hand,  on all 7 days of my stay in the island.

I love these coconut trees (will attribute it to my Manglorean roots) set against the backdrop of the pale blue skies and the Ivory building.

Our gorgeous friends visited us everyday during lunch time. Ms.Sundari called them "SCARY MONSTERS" as they were after her french fries.

Hmm... this one is my personal favorite, a beautiful beautiful shot. It almost looks like it's superimposed and is absolutely picture perfect!
Ms. Sundari stands still for a moment and her daddy dearest captures the moment-Precious!

My posts are incomplete without the mention of FOOD!!
When in Aruba, eat like a Aruban. I found this amazing restaurant that served traditional Aruban Cuisine in a very modern way. Would highly recommend it to all those who are planning to visit the island in the near  future. This place is owned by the couple Harmen (the chef) and Daniela (the hostess).
You can visit their website http://www.soenchis.com/ and  if you like any particular dish, write to Daniela and she will be more than happy to share the recipe with you.

It's  a lovely creation by owner Daniela, absolutely drool worthy. 2 lemon sized holes are drilled on the Frozen crystal tear through which you scoop the fruit salad. You have to special request for this particular dish when you make reservations as only limited quantities of this are made.

The stuff inside the "Crystal tear"....

Here's to more....

WTF

I am going through a gamut of emotions as I am typing the text for my first post on "Sage& Slingback".  Happy, excited, nervous - all at the same time as I  finally have a space where I can share my thoughts, interests and passion with the world.

What is a better way to start my first post than share my knowledge about a topic that fascinates me the most - FASHION.
WTF, the album in this post, showcases the premier luxury fashion of 2012, mixed with the mass market fashion and is beautifully captured by my young, talented friend Reema Rao.

Reema is a student of business administration at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and she sees photography as simple stills of how someone views life around them.  She has her own photography blog called "More than 1000".

I have some beautiful memories associated with the making of this album. From the design stage to the final editing it was an exciting journey all the way.
Reema and I wandered the streets of Chicago, hunting for locations - carrying clothes, make up and the camera equipment.
We shot in restaurants, cafes, prairies and even a church. The free spirited "us" had a blast while shooting for this album and for all the hard work we put in, we treated ourselves to a sumptuous meal at the end of every shoot.

I hope you will enjoy my colorful debut on the blogspace, and if you did, please feel free to leave behind a creative comment.

 Here's to more....