Ms V Supreme : the Grand Finale !

Hey fam!

How has time whizzed by so quickly??

On Monday the 25th we found out who would be crowned 2019’s Ms V Supreme, and it was down to these three finalists  – Aarthi, Haleema and Devika. I got to interview the girls before the semi finals and you can check out their interviews Here.

The girls made some time for me over the weekend and we got chatting on Instagram Live.

 

 

Aside from the fun banter during the chats I asked them 3 pertinent questions:

How are you feeling this close to the grand finale? 

How do you think you have grown from the beginning of the show until now? 

What expectations do you have going into the finale? 

 

So let’s check out what they had to say!

Ms V Supreme Finalist Aarthi

 

“I am definitely very nervous. We’re all prepping for it, we’re just going to give it our best shot! We were in rehearsal this afternoon and the entire group of girls have come together for group rehearsals as well!”

“There has been so much growth! First off, I have brushed up on my Tamil – I learnt Chinese in school – and I love that I get to embrace my roots. Definitely have developed more confidence and I am able to speak my mind with less hesitation”

“Of course my biggest expectation is to win the competition! I have been working very hard from Day 1 plus the sacrifices I have made, would make my winning this much more satisfying.”

 

Ms V Supreme Finalist Haleema 

 

“My growth has been tremendous! I came into the competition only with experience with hosting but through the tasks given on the show, have tried my hand at acting, doing the catwalk, dancing – among other things – so it has really helped me grow. It’s not simply about proficiency in Tamil and being well spoken. ”

” It is an honour to share the stage with Aarthi and Devika. I cannot wait to slay the stage on the finale with them!”

“I just want to give it my best, without disappointing myself. Coming this far means a lot to me, the stakes are really high. Honest talk: I’m feeling unwell with a migraine so I am trying my best to stay motivated and not let it bother my frame of mind too much. Hoping to get some time tomorrow to prepare even more for the Finals”

 

Ms V Supreme Finalist Devika

 

“I’m feeling oddly calm and I guess it’s because most of the competition has already been done and I am just going to do my best for the last lap. I had my freak out moment 3 weeks ago! Now that it is closer to the date and I have an idea of what’s in store for the finals, it doesn’t feel as scary. Also, doing this with Aarthi and Haleema helps – we’re in the same boat!”

“I have gained so much more than exposure from this. I have gained a sisterhood, friendships and perspective. It has been wonderful. This has made me a better person, helping me to evaluate the way I thought about myself, about competing and learning to be more open about my thoughts with my fellow contestants. As an advocate for sexual violence awareness, it emphasised that I need to practice what I preached”

“Much like what Haleema said, I expect myself to do my best. It has been quite the journey, having come this far. It is a privilege and responsibility to be in the Finals and to honour that, I just want to do the best that I can!”

Before we knew it, the weekend passed in a blur and Monday arrived, with so much excitement in the air!

I started off the day with a morning visit to meet the finalists in person, while they were rehearsing their respective skits for the evening with the rest of the Ms V Supreme family – former contestants who gamely joined the finale to help the finalists during their final tasks for the competition. That too, in front of a live audience for the first time!

After completing a quick live video to see how Aarthi, Devika and Haleema were faring, I took a gander at the main stage of the programme.

my announcement on Instagram for the finals

 

All recharged for the evening, I got ready and headed back to MediaCorp studios to meet the finalists again and interview the judges.

This time round, the anxiety was palpable with the girls. They were in the midst of getting their hair and makeup done, it was unusually quieter than their usual banter. The reality of being so close to being crowned was setting in. The other contestants were there in support and anticipation as well and they were dressed up to be part of the skits the three finalists had prepared.

 

During my interview with the judges Indra, Bharathi and Udaya, I asked them how their expectations differ today in comparison to the very beginning of the competition as well as what the audience watching from home should come to expect.

Unanimously, they expressed a great amount of hope and excitement for the girls, who have been preparing and working so hard for Ms V over the past 6 months. Which ties in to what the audience were to expect – a culmination of the finalists’ hard work showcased in the final tasks before announcing the winner of the show.

 

As we took our seats for the finale, I watched supporters of the three finalists get prepared to showcase their banners in support of their loved one. Their friends and family were there giving their full support.

We were hyped up before the show started with some help from local tv host and actor Elamaran Jr who definitely helped diffuse any tension by making us laugh the entire time, while briefing us on ‘live tv show audience etiquette’.

Lights, Camera, Action and the show began once the girls stood on stage! After the re-introduction of the girls and the host of the show Jaynesh entered the foray, we were treated to the individual acting skits by the finalists that included former contestants. That was followed by the judges comments on how they fared in the task.

Next up was a talent round that took me by surprise :O

Aarthi started off with singing in both Tamil & Chinese followed by Devika performing ventriloquism and Haleema performing a stand up comedy set. Totally unexpected and very refreshing.

Since this was a live tv show, I was surprised with how quickly time passed, how time was allocated for ad breaks and for prep in between the tasks like changing props on set etc.

To say it was nerve wrecking to wait for Jaynesh to announce the winner at the end would be quite the understatement. Friends and family of the finalists were making it known who they wanted to wear the crown.

I felt so much emotion because I knew how badly each of these girls wanted to prove their might in the competition:

Aarthi, the unassuming and young ingenue who worked through finessing her Tamil and growing into a young star…

Haleema, discovering that while hosting was a no-brainer for her thanks to her experience in the field, was adept at other aspects of what it took to win

Devika, who entered the show with no expectations to begin with, the gumption and amazing dance abilities to showcase as a bonafide personality ..

 

Meet the winner of Ms V Supreme 2019 – Devika !!!!

 

Tears of joy from beloved supporters in the crowd as Devika was crowned winner! A well deserved win for a woman with so much passion, dedication to her craft and enthusiasm!

And while Aarthi and Haleema did not win the crown, they won our hearts. I have so much respect and awe for the effort, sacrifices given to pursuing their dream. Well worth worth the blood, sweat and tears.

Like the contestants, I was not sure what to expect when I decided to be a part of the Ms V Supreme world. This was so out of my scope of work for the blog and I feared if I could take it on. I was cautiously excited to be part of a local initiative since support for my work in the local community has not been the best. Some view me and my body of work with disregard or disdain.

I wasn’t expecting to feel so welcomed. I wasn’t expecting to make friends and become so enthused with the entire process of the show and the girls. I wasn’t expecting to feel oddly sad after the winner was crowned because it meant I may not see some of these amazing people as often as I got to during this process. The judges, the production team, the contestants and their loved ones.

This was about so much more than about the competition itself.

Finding kindred spirits, working through my social anxiety to bring my own confidence forward to the foray. Pushing past fears surrounding my mobility and self esteem since the injuries. Feeling more connected to my people here in Singapore, especially the Indian community. Moving past fearing the backlash I thought would come my way as a big girl from said community.

Taking leaps of faith. Just like the girls and the entire crew did for the new and improved Ms V Supreme.

I truly hope you have enjoyed reading my posts about the show as much as I have enjoyed covering it. There is so much more in store for the blog and I look forward to sharing those moments with you 🙂

Sending you so much hearty Aarti love xxxo

Much gratitude to Mediacorp Vasantham, Violet Tales Pte Ltd, Gami Media, the judges and contestants of Ms V Supreme for making this endeavour possible 🙂 

chronically ill but make it Fashun

Hey loves!

So chronic pain and my injury have been kicking my ass this year and as a result I did not feature quite a few looks styled over the months, instead posting them on the Gram. But it is not fair for my readers here and I will make more of an effort to post them here first as I always have in the past! Not all of these looks were shot ‘professionally’ from the DSLR but I reckon you will like them all the same. Enjoy!

This will be in chronological order by the way. Also, most of them are sales items or outfits I purchased last year but never got around to wearing because of the injury. Life happens, expenses for my and the pets’ health cropped up a fair bit. So I will not add a link to where you can get the items unless they are still available because they will most likely be gone from the shopping sites.

 

Tomboy

The Midnight Wasabi lipstick from Fenty Beauty’s Mattemoiselle series has become one of my personal favourites!  

Both t shirt and denim shorts are from Forever 21 Plus. 

 

Night out with the Girls

Forever 21 Plus in size 1X 

shirt dress with collar

Getting dressed up has become a little infrequent of late so getting some makeup on and cleaning up for dinner with my girlfriends was so very welcome 🙂

 

Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day

sheer off shoulder blouse – Forever 21 Plus

Asos Curve jeggings in Uk 20 

Your girl does not find it terribly exciting to partake in Valentine’s Day but my girlfriends who own plus size retail store The Curve Cult had a neat event for their customers for the occasion and it was so much fun with some bubbly haha!

 

Women’s Day shoot and video 

off shoulder blouse and floral skirt – The Curve Cult 

I was so honoured to be a part of my friends’ from The Curve Cult’s passion project for International Woman’s Day featuring personal stories from a diverse range of Singaporeans.

Summer Lovin’

 bodysuit – Forever 21 Plus in size 1X

white jeans – Asos Curve in Uk 20

 

Geek Chic 

both top and shorts are from Forever 21 Plus 

cute comfy shoes from Hush Puppies

 

Polka Dotty

Asos Curve top and jeggings 

Oh I love this shirt so so much because it is so Yayoi Kusama inspired! Polka dots have been very popular this year in plus outfits and I have enjoyed wearing a few outfits in the print.

Cateye Help You?

 Sometimes we centre an entire outfit around an accessory or a makeup look right? I know its definitely not just me who does this! I have enjoyed getting myself cute pairs of glasses this year to add to my collection.

 

Baecation Please

Hubster and I had a much needed staycation at the Fort Canning Hotel, for some relaxation time. Lovely place!

 

Hey Kitty Girl!

The Asos Curve X Hello Kitty collection gave me LIFE!!

 

Heart of Glass

A little bit of Blondie never hurt anybody 😉

 

Date Night Velour

I love this suede-like dress from Rue 107. Purchased it in 2016 but never got around to wearing it!

 

Summer Blousey

this Asos Curve blouse is so comfortable and because it has lining I can choose to go braless if I want hehe 

 

Flared Up

The trend of flared, frilled pants definitely had me piqued too. Did l enjoy it? I’m not too sure. Also HAAAYYY Resting Bitch Face!

 

Pizza: a love story

this is an older dress from Rebdolls but I enjoyed taking these shots so much I had to share!

 

Uptown Girl

a look for a rare night out and about in town, wearing an Asos Curve tank top and pencil skirt

Pride 

I adore vibrant Forever 21 shirt and gave the flared Asos Curve pants another spin!

 

I got it from my Papa

Went purpley plaid with this Forever 21 dress for Father’s Day. The title is pretty accurate when you see the identical resemblance we share! Don’t believe me, check this out

 

UNCANNY right?

 

Retro Chicky

You know I don’t do flattering clothing – if I like it, I wear it. And this retro blouse was calling my name! Also, if I take pictures at home, rest assured our Jack Russell Schatzi will be in the frame. If she isn’t it is because she is being carried by the photog to get out of the shot! 

 

Weekender

 

 

Comfy in Crop

 

Romping

This cute romper from Forever 21 Plus was another purchase for summer of 2017 that I did not get to wear because of the injury so I styled it up here with this gorgeous blue lipstick – who else but Fenty Beauty! It’s a mix of 2 of the Mattemoiselle lippies. 

 

I was Beyond stoked to have this artwork of me from a talented artist made inspired by this look!

 

I really enjoyed this impromptu shoot

 

Weekday Casual

 

More Polka?

Another impromptu shoot I did in this dotty Jumpsuit from Asos Curve! Love the earrings, they’re from Pretty Little Thing 

 

Classic Combo

 

Tangerine Dream

I really love this satin Asos Curve jumpsuit and should have done a proper blog shoot! If you’d like to more of this let me know and I will happily get a more professional shoot done 🙂

I quite adored the makeup for this look, even if I say so myself.

 

Day at the Beach

Camisoles have been trending this year as well and it has been fun reworking it into my wardrobe since I only used to wear them back when I was straight sized. 

 

Aaaand that is a wrap for now loves! Which look/looks were your fav? What have you been styling up or added to your wardrobe this year?

 

xxxo Aarti 

 

Follow The Lights

*sponsored post

 

Hey CBH Fam!

How have you been? Thank you for your patience while I sorted myself out since the previous post. Now I’m back and ready to rumble!

Deepavali, the most important Hindu festival of the year is upon us and I was beyond excited when LISHA (Little India Shopkeepers Heritage Association) invited me to be part of a really momentous event to kick off celebrations for 2018. Every year, all of Little India lights up in its beautiful splendour to usher in the festival of lights. 2018 is particularly special as it marks the 30th year that these lights dazzle us with their ornate decor and colours and they will stay on until the 25th of November!

Having witnessed the lighting up event from the television for years, it was really special to be at the main event last Saturday 22nd of September. Now my blog always goes unnoticed in the local circuits since plus size blogging is not really ‘popular’ here so I was pleasantly surprised to say the least when I was contacted by LISHA. It is so wonderful to be able to speak about an event right here at home and close to my heart.

marquee leading to the seats for the light up ceremony

Every year sees a new symbolic theme is displayed across Little India. Last year saw elephants featured in the light up and this year we are graced by the celestial swan, Annapatchi. With 2 main arches across the entry to Serangoon Road and at the Perumal temple, 62 sub-arches across the many little intersecting streets in Little India, 7 vibrant colours and 2 million LED bulbs, the light up on Saturday was a dazzling sight to behold!

Let us have a look at the activities that were happening pre-light up!

We were welcomed into the event arena with a popcorn stand, cotton candy and most importantly this reptile friend!

Unfortunately, your girl was too chicken shit to snap a picture with the very friendly snake.. but the hubster – my official photographer – had a cute set of selfies with it!

I reserve judgement for the laughter that followed when hubster asked for the name of this yellow beauty. Mister Bean. Enough said.

Now, an Indian event simply cannot be had without singing and dancing so before the arrival of the President of Singapore Her Excellency Halimah Yacob to launch the light up, we were treated to lovely renditions of Tamil and Hindi songs from talented enthusiastic local singers.

Before the Guest of Honour arrived, I had a look at the booths that were on display for art and sport. The first booth was aptly named Little India Heritage Play Street, featuring Indian Heritage games for all to take part in. A modified version of the famous local street marble game Goli and medieval Indian board game Pachisi (which the Western world has modified and now call Parcheesi or Ludo) can be had every 3rd Saturday of each month at Campbell Lane. Playstreet Sg is a fun initiative by Singapore Wellness Association in a bid to encourage playtime in safe open outdoor spaces for the young and old alike. I love the infusion of games from the ‘good old times’ as my dad says, back when Singapore was a rural shipping port teeming with villages and community games. Child of the 80’s here vouching for the hours wasted playing Street Fighter on the computer instead of interacting with other kids and being outdoors! The President gamely played a round of Goli when she arrived at the event by the way … very cool.

The next booth was a sight to behold and a familiar thing of beauty to South Asians – the delicate art of Rangoli. Much like the Buddhist mandala, Rangoli/Kolam is a spiritual passion project that involves creativity, patience and a keen sense of concentration. Mrs Vijaya Mohan, founder of SingaRangoli is a multiple Guinness World of Record holder for creating the largest Rangoli pattern here in Singapore and she showcased some of her work at the booth that evening.

Us being lazier to actually take the time to create a kolam outside the home, typically purchase a plastic or stick-on version of it but there is something so ornate and compelling about the Actual work of art. For this event, Mrs Vijaya and her team creatively came up with rangolis created from clay. She has dedicated her craft to the various voluntary welfare associations or community projects and individually as a professional art therapist. You can access more of her work here. I am very motivated to create my own little kolam for Diwali this year!

Just like the mandala, the sky is the limit with the colours and variations for each Rangoli but the designs are symbolic of what we find in flora and fauna like flowers, birds, fish or pretty creepers. The Rangoli exhibits will be featured at the POLI site in Hindoo road until the arrival of Deepavali. Project Oasis in Little India (POLI) is a wonderful nook that features art installations and cultural performances. Fret not, my non-Tamil/Hindi speaking friends : the performances are carried out with subtitles if they are not done in English! It goes without saying that if any of the booths’ pique your fancy, do head down to the places I have mentioned that will be hosting them! Also, if you find yourself travelling to Singapore a month before Deepavali – this is just a smidge of the events to soak in the spirit of the festival, if and when you come to my little red dot island!

Mrs Vijaya Mohan and her wonderful team

The final booth at the event was yet another beautiful showcase of Indian art – that of sculpture and painting. The sculpture and artworks displayed were created by local sculptors from Thiru Murugan Sculpture & Arts Pte Ltd, whose work you can view firsthand as they work live at the Festival Village at Hastings Road. This will be LISHA’s exhibition at the Festival Village in collaboration with the sculptors and will be exhibited from the 6th of October to the 6th of November.

Meera, a Hindu mystic poet who referred to Lord Krishna as her Husband

Lord Ganesha – remover of obstacles, patron of the arts and sciences

Annapatchi – the Celestial Swan

After checking out the booths and watching the live singing performances, President Halimah Yacob was welcomed to the event with a garlanding accompanied by a beautiful welcome dance by Manimaran Creations,  local Indian performing arts troupe that was formed in 1979. Lord knows I tried to snap clear shots of the dance welcoming the President but everybody else was doing the same! Check out the link to the group’s facebook page I have added above for a better look at the dance.

Her Excellency President Halimah Yacob, along with her husband and other distinguished guests

I TRIED

After Her Excellency was seated, a beautiful neo-Indian classical dance was performed by dancers from local dance institution Bharataa Arts, and you can view the performance Here . As a former student of the classical Indian dance of Bharathanatyam, this was a sight for sore eyes!

After the performance, plaques were presented to organisations like LISHA, the Hindu Endowment Board and temples. They also pooled together a $100 000 donation to help the underprivileged communities. These tokens of appreciation signify the dedication they have in serving the local Indian community and the immense support they provide for events and festivals like this one.  Mr Rajakumar Chandra, chairman of LISHA in charge of organising the various events for Deepavali gave a speech and hopes that this year’s festivities will be interactive and fun for everyone.

After the plaque presentation, we had a little countdown to the light up and it was Glorious to see all of Little India lit up all at once!

The lighting up was followed by a Little India Deepavali  video and another stunning dance performance by Bharataa Arts’s dancers that you can view Here.

With that Her Excellency President Halimah Yacob took her leave and we were entertained by local Indian channel Vasantham‘s group of artists.

As much as your girl would have wanted to sit there to enjoy the live performances from Vasantham, her chronic pains kicked in and it was time to call it a night. BUT there are so many activities and performances ahead to check out .. and SHOPPING to be had so I will be a frequent visitor to Little India over the next month and I Will have more pictures and events to talk about so Stay Tuned 🙂

Deepavali and the major Hindu festivals celebrated in Little India, Singapore are predominantly celebrated the South Indian way. As a Northern Indian who was born here in Singapore and brought up wearing paavade daavanis, watching Tamil movies on the telly every weekend, and hey now even married to a South Indian .. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning over the years the unique ways different parts of India celebrate the same festivals. So some of what I saw during this event and learnt was novel even for me. And I look forward to learning more! We may speak different languages, eat different kinds of foods and drape our sarees differently,  but ultimately we belong to one. And for that, I will always be ever so grateful for my rich cultural heritage both from India and Singapore.

Aaaand here is a picture or two of yours truly from the event

Chat soon my loves!!

Inside Out

This is not a fashion post, sorry to disappoint. It’s a realistic glimpse into what these few months have been like.

A week.. or was it 2 weeks ago, time slips through my fingers these days and make no sense.. I had a breakdown. You know, the kind where you use your reserves until something inside snaps. And it came crashing down like a heatwave.

I prefer not to answer “How are you doing?” these days. It’s as if there is some expectation there from the person, to find out if I’m ‘over’ another depressive spell.

I am not okay and that is okay. There will be no facades. Those days of keeping up appearances to ease the discomfort of onlookers are gone.

Sure I hit a snag last year with busting the knee but it was a short one. This one feels all consuming.

I guess losing Hershey And trying to keep it together while facing social media backlash snapped the straw on this camel’s back.

In between curling up in bed and getting some sustenance during meals, I write to my therapist who I work with online. Which works better for me because the thought of dragging myself out of the apartment to see a therapist and interact with the world is not exactly reassuring.

As someone with chronic low grade depression otherwise known as Dysthymia, I make a concerted effort most of the time to banish the broody spells. But you do get beset with a major depressive episode more than the average person. So far I’ve been lucky that it’s reduced to once a year.

There were Years of a single episode. So I’ll take that progress and cherish it.

When you make a concerted effort to push yourself beyond the daily blues – meet people, be productive – it does take a little out of you because it Is an effort. So you go to bed wearier and wondering how you’ll do it again tomorrow but you take that leap of faith again and again everyday.

I give myself permission during this episode to be silent and to turn inwards. Not to make any important choices at this juncture. Not to make any plans. Setting very simple goals that will aid my daily functioning. I am listening in the silence. Accepting of the ebb and flow of pain in that silence.

Right now the most mundane efforts are victories. Writing this out is a victory.

When you’re not battling thoughts or emotions and have the ability to enunciate pain, that is indeed a victory.

I have been thinking about so much, too much lately. Am I a good human being? What am I unlearning? Where is this headed? Will I always have to keep these walls so high around me?

I’ve also been thinking about what I’d like to change.

I’d like not to be scared and tired. I’d like not to look down on myself. I’d like to construct a future and actually see it materialise. I’d like to stop seeing my failures as weakness.

To give you some history : I have been living with depression since I was 16. I began seeking therapy and medication from the age of 20. Didn’t stick to either forms of treatment for longer than 2 years at a time. Finally sought treatment again in 2009 and I’ve been on anti depressants ever since. The medication evens out the sadness by numbing it which is a boon and a curse.

The improvements over the years have been vast. In fact, starting this blog really helped matters for the first four years or so. Things began to get a tad difficult the more invested I became into my work and I guess this is some kind of burnout coupled with grief.

I refuse to be exhausted by the weight of my identity. So here’s hoping the grey disposition will dissipate with some rest and care.

If you ever need to talk or vent, please know that I am always here to listen. My troubles may feel all consuming but I don’t let it get to a point of an over indulgence. Self care does not have to be entirely selfish.

All my love, Aarti

The Return

Hello Curves Become Her family!

My apologies for taking such a long break from the blog, life had thrown a few curveballs and my attention was diverted for a good few months. I hope this return signifies being back to blogging on a more permanent basis.

To summarise whats being going on: My knee and back were still hurting a fair bit so I underwent an MRI to determine what was going on and changed physiotherapist. Progress is slow but there definitely has been progress. My lower back has some degeneration that’s been happening since I was 11 and the pain has gotten increasingly difficult to live with.

There was also a full month of dealing with a lot of trolls on Instagram that upped my nerves. Also, if you remember I had a brood of 5 pets – sadly we lost our oldest dog Hershey and its been a month since he passed away. We miss him so very much.

With a sort of blank slate after everything that transpired, I encouraged myself to start posting on the blog again so here we are 🙂

This look was slated for Spring but life was much too hectic then so its a season late but no matter. Here goes :

Dress – ASOS Curve (UK 20), Earrings – ASOS, Sandals – Hush Puppies

This specific style is refreshingly new on me, with ruched sides at the bottom but what really caught my eye were the prints and that beautiful shade of canary yellow. Admittedly I was unsure of how I would feel in this dress because its both long sleeved and ruched at the sides but much to my surprise, I really like it!

The dress come with a slip and you do need that since the fabric is quite sheer. It sits lower almost at the hips which is interesting. But I do not go for what flatters my silhouette – its whether I like it that counts – the feel of the fabric and its quality is what I go for.

This would be the perfect high tea dress, or for attending a Spring wedding even. Its not too dressy and is rather classy. Definitely more of a sunny daytime look.

The fabric has a mesh-like quality to it but it is very comfortable to wear even under the blazing hot sun!

Moving on to the little details!

Starting with the print

These gorgeous earrings that I purchased for a steal from ASOS.

The Makeup

The injuries had me staying home bound more than I fancied but with that came more time to play with makeup and here is a little fruit of my labour hahaha!

I used the Kat Von D 10th anniversary eye shadow palette on the eyes, shame I mucked up with the eyeliner – it was not meant to be that thick! Ah butter fingers.. For lips I have on the Fenty Beauty (can you love that brand any more for revolutionising diversity with its foundation range??) Mattemoiselle lipstick in the shade Freckle Fiesta. Highlighter and blush are from Zoeva.

I hope you enjoy this look as much as I have enjoyed creating it, and we WILL chat real soon xxxo

This post is dedicated to our forever fur baby Hershey