Wednesday 9 February 2011

Hush Little Baby - AVANI's Favourite Lullaby :)

When Abhi's away, herez what I sing to AVANI and she loves it! :)

Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Mama's going to buy you a mockingbird.

If that mockingbird won't sing,
Mama's going to buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama's going to buy you a looking glass.

If that looking glass gets broke,
Mama's going to buy you a billy goat.

If that billy goat won't pull,
Mama's going to buy you a cart and bull.

If that cart and bull turn over,
Mama's going to buy you a dog named Rover.

If that dog named Rover won't bark,
Mama's going to buy you a horse and cart.

If that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little Girl in town.

So hush little baby, don't you cry,
Daddy loves you and so do I.

Tuesday 8 February 2011

OCMJEA - Oracle Certified Master - Java Enterprise Architect

This list is going to get updated as I progress on getting certified as a OCMJEA (Oracle Certified Master Java Enterprise Architect / SCEA (Sun Certified Enterprise Architect):

Links:
http://www.javacamp.org/scea/faq.html#book
http://www.coderanch.com/how-to/java/SceaLinks
http://www.coderanch.com/forums/f-26/java-Architect-SCEA
http://www.whizlabs.com/scea/scea.html
http://www.facebook.com/#!/scea.exam

Experiences:
http://www.selikoff.net/2010/07/16/jeannes-scea-5-part-1-experiences/
http://www.coderanch.com/how-to/java/SceaWallOfFame
http://www.coderanch.com/t/443250/sr/certification/SCEA-passed

Mock Tests:
http://www.javachamp.com/sun-certified-enterprise-architect-scea
http://www.exforsys.com/certification/sun-certification/download-scea-310-051-free-exam-simulator.html

Books:
SCEA for Java EE5 - Mark Cade
Headfirst Design Patterns - Elisabeth Freeman
Java EE5 Tutorial - http://download.oracle.com/javaee/5/tutorial/doc/javaeetutorial5.pdf

Saturday 5 February 2011

Change & Progress One Step at a Time :)

Heelllo and Welcome Back ! If you haven't noticed already, Life Less Ordinary now sports a Fresh New Look or at least, that was originally my attempt, as opposed to the last one which was simple yet cluttered. The biggest change, is the Labels - renamed to make more sense and dramatically reduced to a mere 10 ;) Google AdSense failed miserably in generating any revenues and hence occupies just one corner as opposed to 3 from my previous layout. Some of the posts that were saved as Drafts have now been published with the hope to abandon the "save as draft" syndrome ;) The last thing you may notice is that now you can actually React apart from Leaving Comments. So even though I missed on writing the quintessential 'Happy Anniversary to my Blog' post on Jan 17th when it turned 4 Years old, I was determined to make it look delectably appealing.

That is new about my Blog. What's new with me ? I am now well on my way to master my new found baking skills with the "Chocolate Sandwich Cake" with Chocolate Butter Icing topped with Roasted Flaked Almonds ! Never ever had the drive to put up a picture on my blog, but I am so excited that my very 1st attempt at baking turned out to be more than successful, that I can't help but share a picture of it with you guys ! :)


For the reciepe check this link out: I have been a Rachel Allen Fan for months now and this was a great starting point: http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/8948/chocolate-cake
But hey, topping it up with roasted flaked almonds is just an original addition :) by sayli yadav !

Njoy ! :)

Thursday 3 February 2011

The Closet - The Power of Organization !

How did I benefit from Organizing my closet ?

1: I save time - 20 mins flat with clothing hair n makeup is all it takes.

2: I save money - I never shop on impulse because I have my eyes, heart and my brain looking for only what I need and when I need it.

3: I feel great - segregating this way makes sure I wear a variety of clothing and that every piece of clothing I own gets worn!!

4: I look happy - I regularly give away what is good looking clothing that I have grown out to like to people who need it.

5: I have it all de-cluttered - "Less is More" is truly what my closet swears by: while I always manage to find occassion appropriate clothing I never really feel like I have TOO MUCH or TOO LESS - it's just right for any occassion... :)

Do you have a tip that would get me & the rest of the readers of this blog feeling happier and better ?? ;) Pen In... :)

Wednesday 2 February 2011

The Closet - Organize It !

While there are numerous ways in which every woman would organize her closet - To Segregate is the key and herez the way I do it (but I am so all ears to hear about an improvised version, so pen in your tips too). Also a top-down approach to arranging, topmost being the items that you frequently wear and bottom most being the ones you wear occasionally.

1: Exercise Gear:

a) Track Suits
b) Swimwear

2: Night Wear:
a) :) whatever that means to you ! :) ;)

3: Work@Home Mom Wear:
a) Harrom Pants
b) Tees to match

4: Casuals:
a) Daily Wear - Jeans, Tees, Leggings, Tunics
b) Holiday Wear - Camisoles, Tops, Shorts, Skirts, Casual/Day Dresses, Cotton Trousers, Capris etc...

5: Evening Wear:
a) Embellished Kurtis
b) Cocktail Dresses
c) Maxi Dresses
d) Evening Dresses (My version of "I am Red Carpet Ready Gowns" :) )
e) Prom Dresses / Ball Gowns (I obviously own neither of the two but this could be a category in your closet if you have still kept that prom dress or attend ball room dances) ;)

6: Formals:

A formal suit ideally works best as a complete set (waist coat + blazer + pencil skirt + trousers + dress)
There are numerous ways in which each can be put together to give you a feel of variety dressing.

This would also include Salwar Kameezes and Sarees that you would wear to the office and no place else.

7: Sarees:
I always, yes, always "used to" wear sarees for ceremonies and they are categorized purely by occassion (and if you live in the same city as your huge friend circle and relatives there'll be aplenty)

a) engagements
b) weddings
c) receptions
d) family dinners
e) baby showers / naming ceremonies / festivals / other family events

8: Summer/Winter Jackets & Coats:
Unfortunately have to make place in Abhi's and AVANI's closet :p :)

9: Sweaters/Cardigans/Shawls - again of which I own a countable few are folded away out of sight since jackets is what gets worn 9 months out of the 12 that I live here in the UK ! :(

10: Drawers:
Hold all the etcs..

11: On 3 hangers go the following accessories:

a) Stoles
b) Mufflers
c) Belts
d) Scarves - again of which I have None ! :) ;)

Sadly, I still haven't learnt how to use scarves with any outfit - hopefully I will save that for one of you to teach me :)

Tuesday 1 February 2011

The Closet - I scream HELP ! :(

You're invited for a party and while it is okay to be a little late, you loose all sense of timing and make a dissappointingly late arrival : reason : you could not decide on what you should wear inspite of having a pile of clothing that could last a lifetime !

You read SALE, in you hop and out you come with a hole in your pocket and bags you can barely manage to hold ! You come back home only to realize those clothes that made you feel happy instore, don't really make you look happy at home !

Its yet another Monday, you are up in time and yet land up late for office and this time it isn't the traffic, its the fact that you spent loads of time hunting for the right shirt to match your trouser and then another couple of minutes for a cardigan & a belt to match. Just when you've found those, you realize your favourite pair of diamond/pearl studs just went missing and the watch you always wear with your formals shows the wrong timing !

Have you ever, even once, been caught up in a crisis like these ! :) It is cause your closet screams HELP ! It's time to spring clean your closet and have it reorganized. It makes your choices so much more easier and allows you a stress free start to the day.

Year 4 - The Fight for Survival !! :)

Hhhheeellllllooo :) Wishing everyone a Very Happy 2011! 2011 is the 4th consecutive year of "Life Less Ordinary". Going by the number of posts in the last 3 years, I don't have a great track record but that's all the more a reason to set myself a higher benchmark ! :)

Going back to all the posts that this blog has hosted - I have made and broken numerous resolutions and apologized more than a dozen times :) All for various reasons - the most common one being unable to post more often!

So while I am struggling to keep My Blog up to date, I thought the last day January of 2011 should be early enough to try n keep it alive ! I'd love to sum up the year that passed by , but this time I wish to look forward rather than keep up with the tradition of writing that "How 2010 Turned Out" post. More on that later :) ;)

While every year I have vowed by a fitness regime, kept up on my disciplined investment habits and put together a well thought out versatile wardrobe, this year I aim on doing something else:

1> Learn Baking - before I get out of this country
2> Upgrade my cosmetic counter to colors other than brown n beige - as in get refreshingly innovative with my Make Up !
3> Become A Sun Certified Enterprise Architect (SCEA) by the end of 2011 !

And while I am at it, I've got to keep up the last bit of effort to get rid of that muffin top ! :) ;) While you wish me luck for all of this I am wondering - what's weighing high on Your list of "To Do's for 2011" ?? :) ;)