Riot of Colours at Kalakshetra

 The most exciting aspect of Kalakshetra is the colourful fair. A riot of colours that never fail to excite even if one doesn't want to really shop.
Guess what I bought from here?

The painstakingly done applique from Odisha, some of them carved from a single cloth.

 The colourful glass lampshades from Rajasthan, throwing a riot of colours around when lit

Judgement Day

Neem Wood bowls- my favourite for serving snacks




Brown lights are not bad too- Bamboo lights



Ceramic and Neem wood ware from Manjari Kanoi Pottery. They even ship across to you.

Wood and metal from Indore, I picked a lovely metal sun

My favourite- mini pottery

Wood/ bamboo flowers not like the real thing but maintenance free for dry flower arrangements



Love the simplistic style of terracotta pottery

Colours for the feet

jewelled on naturally found stone, uncut

the joys of silk

colors for the floor

my fav grass baskets- can never have enough

Grass coasters from Varanasi

and now glass

Bengal silk

MP Chanderi silk





Pochampally



Andhra leather lamps




Slurp



Ikat my fav

So What Did You Buy at the Datkaari Haat?

I happened to know that the Dastkaari haat is back in Kalakshetra at a very inconvenient time. When I was not in town. Which means I missed three days counting from the opening day and that means the best of the loot is already being used in someone's home and here I am just lusting about it.
The haat is back in Chennai after a gap of 2 loooong years and believe me, we have almost lost hope of it ever coming back.

So this Monday I rushed home from office, getting impatient at every signal, dumped my stuff at home, waved a cheery good bye to the husband who was busy on a telco (tell me something new) and almost ran the entire 5 minutes distance to the gate of the haat grounds.

in the first round, I just looked. My learning from past experience has been to just look first, identify the stuff you want to buy, of course ensure there are plenty of them just in case it doesn't get over when you come back the second time.

The next round I began to buy.
My first purchase was the leather bag from the Calcutta stall.

Then I picked up three door mats- the thick ones that really last long.

A blue cotton kurta material and a green-gold silk one.
Two silk kurtas in black and orange from a stall who claimed to be the ones stitching for Fab India.

I saw a lovely matka silk saree in red and parrot green that I fell in love with but did not buy.

Of course I was not satisfied with these and went back the next day to pick up more stuff.
I picked up a couple of leather pouches to house my medicines/ creams/ chargers etc so that they can be organised inside the bag instead of being all over the place.

And then I picked up a few wooden combs which smell very nice and woody as one combs the hair. It is said that it does not cause static and therefore prevents hair breakage. Whatever.

And finally, recalling that I want to beautify the garden and that the pots that I had bought from Valluvarkottam craft fair nearly a decade ago still survives, I bought a few colourful planters.

I wanted to buy more but then controlled myself and headed back happy but not satisfied.

Back

Well I am back from my holiday and just raring to go (not!)
Funny how kids are so resilient. The moment they came in, they badgered me to give their gift- the Titan watch that R Mami gave them and the rail museum paper weight that R Mama gave them and rushed out of the house into the neighbour's house to show their spoils off!
While the kids did this, all eager and excited to be back, we were lying / sitting feeling exhausted- the Husband making noise at the sorry state of the house and getting back to his beloved blackberry and I was feeling all exhausted and ready to hold a pity party and generally feeling that I should have stayed there for some more time.
Of course, nothing like home- your own room/ cupboard/ bed but nothing like being on a holiday with relatives. I could really do this for ever- have the whole wintry day ahead of me- peppered with breakfast, lunch, dinner, gossip, languishing in the sun lit garden, having a host of cooks and helps to do your bidding and someone to run around with the kids as they go wild rolling on the grass.
And the icing on the cake- some shopping thrown in- I finally managed to do Dilli Haat though I found it a disappointment- maybe because I was not in a buying mode and because I can get these at any of the dastakari exhibitions that happen every year in Kalakshetra.
It was a long holiday but not a moment to spare. I couldn't do any of the things that I had planned to do. Except the Dilli haat and taking the kids on the metro.

Why You Shouldn't go Chaddi Shopping with the kids

Because
1. They keep saying chaddi chaddi in loud amused voices
2. They keep pointing at stuff and grab the wares and check them out
3. They point and laugh at the underwear ads
4. They stare at the mannequins
5. They try to open the trial room door and then ask loudly- why is it locked? Where will Dadda go then?
6. They teach other kids in the store to come and look at the mannequin who in turn proceeds to lift the T shirt and inspect in further detail.

Gujarati Missiles

July has been a sinful month of flying trips, hotels and culinary delights.
I had a chance to go to Ahmedabad and was generally feeling depressed at the thought of another overnighter leaving the kids behind.
But Artnavy's recommendation of shopping at Sanskruti a shop she loves (which was a powerful endorsement btw!) gave me enough reason to get super excited about the trip.
I had almost forgotten how the sun sets late in the western part of India. It was wierd that the place was all bright even at quarter to 8 and it somehow gave me a false sense of the feel that it is not late enough and I took it very slow- shopping, bargaining, snacking, eating, until I saw the time and realized with a shock that it was nearly 11 pm.
So Sanskruti was the first stop- in the sense, I barely dumped my bags in my hotel room and walked out and got into the cab straight into Sanskruti.
The shop was a treat- even though I didn't really explore beyond clothes for self. I picked up 6 kurtas at less than Rs 3000- this when the sales person was not willing to sell- he went on saying- we don't have in your size, or select fast we do not have time, stuff like that which made me want to smack him or complain to the Management. He also gave me a look of great disgust when I challenged him that the size he has given me is several sizes smaller and refused to find another piece that fitted me. Well, inspite of that, I loved the stuff. Totally my style.
I also picked up the lovely colorful bird wall hangings made of cloth and strung together using beads, with cow bells attached in the end, and similarly made wind chimes and a pair of horses for the kids. All picked up from the street vendors.
I would have bought more if I had a house large enough!
We had the most amazing Gujju thali on both days - a deviation from normal behaviour- no non veg at all.
The thalis are so cheap that I was tempted to buy in bulk!! Rs 130- Rs 150. The usual fare would be a green veggie, a potato, paneer, a lentil (moong/ chana type), 2 fried stuff- samosa, vada, patra, dhokla, 2 sweet dishes, khichri, roti, poori, buttermilk (slurp). More than paisa vasool.
My agenda of having the various Gujarati Missiles like Fafda, Dhokla, Thepla etc was accomplished.
We even did stuff like visiting the Amul parlour and seeing the automatic dosa making machine (not in action unfortunately) and having phuchka on the road.
A totally fruitful trip in terms of shopping and eating atleast!!

Discoveries in this New Year

The party was fun...at our office terrace in Pondy.
We had an amazing chicken biriyani and chicken 65 dinner prepared by our cook. There were other things but I don't know what they were as they were vegetarian
The plum cake sourced from Geeta Bakery in Pondy was awesome. The husband says the guy started from that small hole in the wall shop and owns the entire street now. Just look for that when you go there next.
The husband tok me to another tiny bakery called Fortune Bakery of his younger days and we tasted something called a butterfly bun. a spiral shaped vanilla flavoured fruit bun. It is yumm. And it gets better as you reach the core of the bun- yummier and creamy and sinful.
We also discovered a new store in JN Street called Outfits - has imported & branded westerns for adults & kids. Mostly manufactured in Bangladesh. Picked up lovely shorts and pajamas for the kids
We also saw 3 Idiots in Adlabs... A total fun movie. They have done a great job using the book as a base. Added a lot of entertainment quotient which is otherwise missing in the book. A lot of punchlines and scenes have been picked up from 5 Point Someone though the placements are different. The best ones go to Aamir Khan offcourse.
But the story element - the gold thread that links the Pearls of Wisdom is completely the author's imagination which is the only way this book could succeed as a movie. But we should all know that by now. Look at Harry Potter movies. Aren't so many things different in them?
If I were in Chetan Bhagat's place (Kya Bold Aspiration Hai!) I would be totally justified in wanting my name right at the beginning of the casting and prolly I would have set that up in teh contract whether they would borrow 2 % or 100%- how else would the movie come about if not for the book?
And by the way the popcorn in Adlabs is Rs 50 for a bucket. Heaven!
The movie put me in such a good and relaxed mood that I did not want to rush back to Chennai.
Stayed for another day and came back on Saturday armed with a pink periwinkle (yes I buy that yet again) and a pretty red pentas plant.
Oh, and a gem from Tejas
Mamma- Tejas eat his fish fry
Tejas opens the mouth eagerly and spits the "fish fry" out- ugggh yeh to mutton hai (this is muttom)
Mamma- torn between annoyance at her plans being foiled and pride at her son's taste buds

Notes from Yesterday

A Long Girls' Day Out
It is so much more fun because a working day was duly bunked and one of us came down specifically from Bangalore- we don't let work or distance get in the way of fun.
The agenda was eat, gossip and have fun
Which called for
1. XL buffet at Residency Towers Main Street- 5 trips each to the buffet atleast! We ate enough to last till today's breakfast but even then we feel we did not do enough justice. We didn't even touch the vegetarian, ate only half the desserts and half the salads and 2 varieties of juice. I strongly feel God should have given the option of external stomach. It's the stomach that is the culprit-the mouth and brain is always ready to take it on.

2. 2012 at Sathyam- can you believe it without popcorns?
The movie seriously freaked me out. But WTF? Africa becomes the safest place to rehabilitate? Someone was predicting India is going to become the most powerful nation? Get your basics right man! Anyway Phoenix I want to join you in the quest for someone to lend that few crores you were talking about. And oh, I do not have a billion dollars, I am a poor swimmer and a poor driver. I do not know how to fly a plane and I run really slowly. What are my chances?

3. Coffee Day at Ispahani- a huge brownie sizzler with ice cream and coffees. The servers did not disturb us- wonder how they guessed we are not the drink eat and rush types?

The only minus point was that I broke my yet another sandal (I am seriously worried- why do I break so many sandals- but AD directed me to a small shop and I got a really stylish jeans material slipper for 100 bucks. Made me seriously rethink this buying of expensive sandals in Metros & Kobblers that break at a single twist of the foot or stumble at the uneven roads.

Shanghai

Long long ago we had worked on Shanghai as a concept for one of our creatives. Little did I know that one day I would find myself walking the same streets of Shanghai (not)!
Because we were mostly driving! Sadly I did not feel the real spirit of Shanghai- no walks, not much haggling & shopping, no sightseeing.

We stayed in Shanghai Sheraton - a hotel with yummy breakfast spreads- I freaked on chocolate based baked stuff and midnight chicken sandwiches that came with a huge not-finish-able bowl of the most sinful potato wedges / french fries

So here's what little we did there...
A little shopping at Pearl market- a closed market with shoes/ garments/ bags in the ground floor, pearl in the 1st floor and electronics & others in the 2nd floor- a huge-ish fake market with lots of bargaining potential. I picked up some sovenier magnets, a coat necessiated by the sudden orange alert- a drop of 10 degree in a day, and a pair of kalaiedoscopes for the kids which they simply love peering into.

This are pics of flower baskets that are mounted on the road sides- I simply loved them.

The next day we were taken to Shanghai Huahai Quanjude Roast Duck - a dynasty style restaurant. Note the traditional attire and the uncomfortable looking shoes with the heels in the centre We had peking duck, fish, caramel apple, and various other meats and non meats. The next day we were taken to xibei- a modern chinese restaurant. This time I was more particular about clicking snaps.
Blueberry Tofu
Cabbage Salad Fish that was so well marinated that the bones were also softened
Tofu again - it came with a sauce made of shallot + soya sauce + vinegar that was majorly yummy
sort of pizza with spinach-ish greens
lamb, beef, pork
dimsum with that yummy mustard plus soya sauce
very very gamey lamb strips Gala finale at Karaoke Bar

The last day was spent airport hopping- Shanghai to Changi. I was down with fever so spent most of the time sleeping, and the balance time shopping aided with paracetamol.

I had to pick up a couple of whiskeys for a colleague and Absolutes for the husband.

They had this roll in the good times promo and I got to roll a coin in the slot machine. To my surprize I got a 50 Sing Dollar voucher which was well spent on a Vogue Sunglasses worth 146 Sing- the cheapest I could find!

Tejas is very J- why didn't you buy a pair for me?

Then I got another go at the roll and got a 5 Sing dollar voucher which I handed over to the lady in Security as I had no time to spend them... Lucky lady.

And offcourse the presentation in the conference was well appreciated!

Disaster Shopping Trip

So here I define the recipe for a disaster shopping trip...
1. The husband proclaims that "my wife will take you (client) for shopping- she knows everything about shopping"
2. The husband indicates vaguely that they want to buy modern Indo-western boutique type dresses - which I translate to smart short kurtas (Indian naa)- like the ones I buy from my secret boutique in Gurgaon
3. I do a broad game plan on where I am going to take them (the firangs) - which means which direction we will go that's all
4. They ask me what is the plan- like a detailed one. I don't have any detailed one offcourse- it's going to be played by the ear
5. I don my marketing hat- which means I know nothing and am going to ask you to tell me everything right now and decide on the spot the solution- I ask them what they want to buy- They indicate 2 above and say they don't want to go to the westsides and fab Indias and all.
6. Marketing hat donned again- grope grope for some clue- even say that the best boutiques for Indian clothes are in Delhi so as to not raise their hopes too high, until they mention Amethyst and casually drop in some designer names...
7. Bell rings and I curse myself for not doing my homework on designer stores and for never frequenting designer stores for that matter
8. Madly recalls the few designer stores she knows Evoluzione, Silkworm, Rehane (that I happened to notice a day ago and knew what it is as had attended a seminar in which she was one of the panelists) and Ritu Kumar and acts ultra-knowledgable of the happening designer boutiques in Chennai
9. As we go in to the stores, rapidly scans the in-store magazines for ads/ reports of other designer boutiques and gets to know of a few more like Collage- and act even more knowledgeable
10. Gets into Titanic as they wanted to buy something for the kids and ends up spending more than them on 3 bags which she doesn't really need but buys them all the same as they are at a discount and from hidesign (salsa).
11. Goes to Spencer's mall as they want to buy some specific teas. They don't find the tea, but I stumble on the escalator as Ojas wouldn't move out of the escalator and therefore broke my sandals and ended up buying a sandal I don't really need desperately.

For Masks

and Other Artefacts from South East Asia ....
Visit on ECR road after Spencer's in Axis Bank building as we move Southwards from Chennai
Keep looking at your left lest you miss it.

Man Mandir

Every woman worth every single thread in her sari must visit Man Mandir Saree Shop in Khader Nawaz Khan Road Chennai.
For Designer saris in various price ranges, classy, sophisticated, exclusive, away from the crowd type sarees. Also has designer lehangas & not so great salwar suits.
More than anything else I love the feel of the store, and the sales guys seem to pick the right stuff for you. A whiff of fresh air from the usual Silk sari stores.
Check out the window & in store display- they bring it down every night and replace with a fresh lot next morning. And the best part is that like most other designer sari stores, they also offer free finishing- attaching falls etc- makes ones life a whole lot easier.
Oh, and I love the way the sari shop people wrap the sari round you and brings over the blouse piece over your shoulders to simulate the complete wearing experience.

It Feels So Good...

...When the TV is not working on a holiday.
...When you are in no mood to cook and you have lots of leftovers or the Hubby declares that he is eating outside today or you find a dish (prawns) tucked inside the fridge that you didn't know of.
...When the maid is on leave and you are despairing at the work load and the door bell rings and lo and behold a substitute sent by your maid turns up for work.
...When you discover that the artisan fair is still on and it's the last day and you rush to visit it and come back with a few good purchases...a bamboo log converted to a flower pot, brass knick knacks, ettikoppa holders and dress material.
...When the first leaves of a sheared plant emerge after nearly a month, much to your relief.
...When someone mentions that it was good to have you in their city and it felt like the old days again.
...When some people make an effort to make you feel welcome to their home and city.
...When people pitch in to help you from all sides in organising a big day.
...When you go for shopping and find stuff that you wanted.
So this was what the last week had been about!

Shopping Behaviour Study

So what does a kid (Tejas) pick up if he is left free in a store with a shopping basket-
2 Treat Jim Jam
2 Tropicana tetrapacks
B Natural 1 l pack for Dadda
1 Lays Spanish Tomato Tango
1 Lays American Sour Cream and Onion
Kurkure
Gems
Dry Fruits

What to Do when you are taken to Pondy on yet another weekend

1. for starters- insist that you should be back the same night. So that your Sunday is not disturbed
2. Go unprepared so that you don't have to stay there in case of emergency. Also get just enough clothes for the kids to last for that day only
3. Take a book to read on the way and in Pondy and then don't read it
4. Stop at your prawn farm if you have one or else stop at any prawn farm on the way and take a lot of pictures for blogging purpose (that can be posted as a separate post)
5. Insist that you have lunch (prawns) outside and not get cornered into making dosa yet again.
6. Take an auto and go shopping with the kids and MIL and end up getting frustrated at the way the kids are pulling down bales of cloth and stepping on them. Buy common stuff like rubbersheets and white cloth for redoing your dirty (pee, puke, drool stained) pillows - that way your need for retail therapy gets cured without hitting you really badly
7. Finally bargain with the dholak wallah that you see on every trip to Pondy- he will start with 300 plus for the smallest dholak and you start with 50 bucks and continue shopping. After coming out of the shop- scan the surroundings for the aforementioned dholak wallah and deliberately go in his direction if he hasn't already appeared in front of you apparently out of nowhere. Just before getting into the auto to go home, agree for Rs 100 a piece and pick up two- Now this strategy serves many purposes- you get a good bargain, you don't have to carry it all around while shopping and the kids finally stop troubling you.
8. Prepare for going back- get packed and ready and plan to eat in a restaurant on the way back.
9. When hubby informs that he needs to return next morning for an hour long early morning meeting, make a big fuss and then work out the mathematics and agree to stay back on one condition that he buys your night dress and clothes for next day and dinner and promises to leave for Chennai next morning by 10 am. (Actually it would have been cheaper if he just went back and returned next day by bus)
10. Put the kids to sleep (using the newly bought rubber cloth) and go for a drive by the beach and a midnight dinner at GRT and finally get your hubby to yourself.
11. When all plans of leaving by 10 am goes kaput because the hour long meeting converts into just a long meeting, manage to stay as long as it takes for the chicken to get cooked (by MIL), grab the hubby for a shopping trip as soon as he is free and go for the Pudhumai exhibition (Pondy Handicraft) oppostie Gandhi statue on the beach (the empty tents were seen courtsey the midnight drive on the beach and a clever guess was made that there might be an exhibition going on).
12. Spend lots of money on buying almost all the wooden puzzles that you were rooting for since the past few months (and post the pics in another post). Also manage to collect their business card so that in case of emergency they may be contacted for buying puzzles (this the husband failed to do when he bought the puzzles last time and I had been looking allover Pondy just in case I spotted the shop somewhere).
13. Go back in generally high spirits which will leave the husband wondering whether the fuss last night was just to get him to buy you new clothes.
Optional: One could also buy mosambi from the fruit stall located right next to the building (conveniently) and make lots of mosambi juice which the kids will decide for once not to look at and therefore will be gulped down by self (because hubby is in a meeting)

Good Food, Good Gossip and a Makeover...

...What more does a girl need!
And that too when it's done on a working day.
Went to City Centre on one afternoon and met up AD for a lunch and some fun in Lifestyle Stores.
We looked at the various groups of people at City centre and wondered how many of them were like us bunking office and chilling out in the mall.
We wanted to try out something at the foodcourt but what to do? Our favourite Copper Chimmney followed us there also. We had a good meal of Panchranga kabab platter which has a good selection of 8 kababs, a mutton rogan josh and rotis with lots of papads. We had a hearty gossip session and wistfully noticed a mother of 2 sitting at a table and just wished, for once it pays to be an SAHM. Take the kids out any afternoon of your choice and chill out in a near empty restaurant.
We straight went down to Lifestyle's cosmetic section and zeroed onto the Maybelline counter to attempt to cross out one of the points on my things-to-do-before-I-am-40 list. Yes, there was a makeover session on. So for the first time in my life, I allowed myself to be silly- sit perched on that stool behind the counter- with a large silver mirror and get made-up - allow them to pamper me, praise me (which they are trained to do I suppose), and ignore the wierd looks that other shoppers gave me- well, I have done that before so what is given, comes back to you right!
We sat across each other so that we could observe the various steps in doing make-up and find out if the concealers and loose powders really made a difference.
We got concealers, loose powders eye shadow- dual - grey & brown, eye liner above and eye pencil below, mascara, lip liner, lip color, lip gloss, blusher... We tried various combos of eye shadows and I was given secret tips on which actress preferred which eye shadow! As if that made a difference to my purchase choice!
Ok, for once I felt I wouldn't look out of place in a City Centre kind of place! All made- up and browsing at the uppity stores!
I did a few purchases- lipsticks as usual and got nailpolishes free.. Now anyone would have thought I am going to buy the entire range of make-up products but no- the predictable me bought only lipsticks. Why did I bother with the makeover then?
Anyway, I am glad I know which eye shadows will suit me so that I can take that kit out and mix colours.
Ok don't make me tell the various steps in make-up- go here for makeup and here for some tips on eye shadow shades.
PS- the jute bag in black and silver - my birthday-let's say- perk, is lovely- thanks!

I am in the 5th Month

5 months gone buy since I last succumbed to the temptation.
I haven't even looked that way for fear of succumbing.
5 months since I went on an overdrive.
Flirting with various models. Indulging myself to the highest limit till I zeroed on quite a few of my liking.
I nearly broke my heart when I ditched the older models for the newer ones.
I have a tough time every morning in deciding which one to favour for the day.
In the harem of the models that I possess, I have my own favourites, some for regular use, some for specific occassions, some for specific activities, some to coordinate with the rest of me.
Some are ignored or rather cherished so much that I feel they are too good to be exposed to the elements. And when they go past their prime, they are neither good enough to be seen with nor bad enough to be ditched.
A few days ago, I found myself breaking my resolute. My feet automatically taking me to the objects of my desire. My heart weakening with excitement, my mind picturing the ah-inspiring looks they would evoke once on me...
With feverish excitement, I slipped each foot delicately into the inviting sandals, twirling round to admire the dressed up feet in the clear mirror, walking up and down like a model on a catwalk ramp, looking at hubby to see if his eyes light up with appreciation, observing my 5 month old purchase in disdain...(how old and worn out they look in front of the newer ones) and with bated breath I asked...
How much?

Hair Cut Stages

Every Hair cut is done in the following stages-

Stage 1- You skim through all the styles in the catalogue- most of them with firang faces and imagine how each will look on you.

Stage 2- Give up and ask the stylist to guide you, giving your overall preferences which would normally be - desired length and whether you want something new or same cut.

Stage 3- The stylist advices you and describes a style that is suspiciously similar to the current one, even though they give a different name or bring out the subtle differences between current and future intended style.

Stage 4- You either agree to the intended cut murmuring a small prayer to the Almighty or command- just maintain the same style.

Stage 5- This is the most important & also dicey stage- the stylist clutches a small fraction of your hair and you watch in the mirror as he indicates this is the length he or she will remove. Now as objects appear closer than they really are in the car rearview mirror, hair length appears shorter than they really are in salon mirrors. If you agree to the visible length to be cut, mentally add atleast 10% to it for your hair will be shortened more than it's seen.

Stage 6- Washing/ Conditioning- fairly harmless

Stage 7- Cutting- fairly harmless again as long as you don't die in shock at the length of the hair cut off and don't panic and stop your stylist in the middle of the cutting. As they say, if r@pe is inevitable, just lie back and enjoy it, you leave everything to the Almighty & the stylist in question- knowing/ rather forcing yourself to believe that (s)he knows his/ her job the best and you the owner of the now fallen locks ought not to interfere in the process.

Stage 8- Drying- this is the stage when the stylist will comment how frizzy your hair looks and how your hair could benefit greatly using a particular brand of shampoo or conditioner. And then the said stylist will graciously add that since your hair is not so damaged, it's ok if you use just the conditioner- (see how much I have reduced your expenses by suggesting you take only the conditioner)

Stage 9- Reality Strikes- you look at yourself in the mirror, they hold a small mirror helpfully behind you so that you can see the lovely bounce in the back side but you may or may not end up looking as hot & glam as you imagined.

Stage 10- Escape- This is where you make a dash for it before the stylist weilds the promised conditioner bottle. If you shuffle your heels even a little, you are forced to go to ...

Stage 11- Where the stylist bring the bottle to you- which will normally be the one the salon is forced to use by the corporate decision makers, reads out all the benefits and hand you the bottle. You will look at it, read the labels armed with new found knowledge and then look up into the expectant face of the stylist willing you to ask you how much? Now this is not going to come cheap. If you are ok with it- ask for the price else just say not today,s ometime later and make a dash for it- before you register the disappointed look in the stylist's eyes.


The point of this post- I got a new haircut and while hubby laughed at me, I think I am liking it- It's getting better as the oodles of conditioner that was put is wearing off.

Kiss of a Perfume

A woman should wear fragrance wherever she expects to be kissed
said Coco Chanel
A perfume ought to enter the room with you and leave a mild lingering trail when you leave the room- not like people smell you before they see you and feel your heavy cloying presence long after you have left the room!
My first memories of perfume dates back to the time I must have been about 8-10.
- My grandma's complaint that Grandpa always picks up a Charlie! To date I do not know why because I do not really like that fragrance.
- the crisp and warm smell of Old Spice that Dad used in his younger days
- Mom's Opium by YSL- I still love that perfume sweet, spicy, powdery.
It must be the past link that made me love heavy, oriental, warm, woody and spicy fragrances like- Poem, Obsession, Organza, Ysatis along with florals like in the initial years of my career in the "scent company". I would swear by these styles and my liking reflected in my choice for most fragrance projects.
I was told that once you start really appreciating the structure of a chypre fragrance you have arrived. It is a structure that really grows on you- you need to learn to appreciate it rather than naturally like it I suppose. I took nearly 3 plus years to appreciate and like sophisticated chypres and the more modern transparent/ fresh/ watery fragrances.
I fell in love with
-Knowing, Gucci Rush, Miss Dior and Arden Beauty & Pleasures.
-Flower by Kenzo, Miracle & Sensi for their feminine floral accords.
I inducted hubby into the chypre family with Kouros and Paco Rabane so that I get to smell them everyday as he is a liberal user of "scent"
My legacy of love for perfumes and the way my nose flares up as any wanted or unwanted odour drifts past me is passed on genetically to Ojas & Tejas-
- They raise their arms to be liberally sprayed with deo everytime hubby uses it
-they mention- smell -whenever they suddenly get a bad/ good smell

Lingerie Lessons

Just when you thought that you know of all the uses of lingerie, here comes this study that talks of how there is more to this garment than meets the eye
A friend who worked in a lingerie factory once enlightened me about how complicated the manufacturing of innerwear is, infact I visited Intimate Fashions factory and was absolutely itching to lay my hands on them- may be grab a consignment before they got shipped and take them all home with me.
Giving the well deserved respect to the complications of manufacturing, the milestones that most women pass through while lingerie buying would be-
1. The first time- bought by mom & given to be worn
2. The first independent purchase
3. Innerwear for the Trousseou
4. Innerwear used during pregnancy
5. After pregnancy
6. Chasing-the-mirage-stage- waiting to be back to normal
7. Deeply-regret-vital statistics-is-permanently-altered stage
So I woke up one morning and realized that stage 7 has crept upon me and it's time I stop hanging on to the relics from the past and take the bold leap.
So I walk in to the Chennaite's destination for Lingrie wear- Naidu Hall- give a glance towards the pukeworthy styles displayed along with the clueless saleswomen and drive straight out to Globus. I brace myself for the long hours in the trial room exprimenting with various arbit designs and styles until I find a few styles that suit & fit me.
Enter the apparently clueless but seemingly expert innerwear consultant who is eager to guide me during my purchase. I dismissively mention her my preferences and needs and she gives me the most expensive and delicate looking pieces in vibrant and feminine colors to try- just for size. For the first time in life I note that they actually fit well. Delighted I ask for similar styles at half the price or less because I am habituated to think in the larger picture terms-how does the price compare to a kurta or a top or any other outerwear. Out came the most behenji style unflattering pieces in standard black, white & tan guaranteed to turn the man off if something naughty is on the agenda. No laces, no frills, no fancy but still cost as much as a Fab India short top or men's kurta- just putting things in perspective.
As I often say- no amount of professional training can work in real life situations- we are all just common consumers and we behave like one even though our formal training teaches us various arts of negotiation and marketing gimmicks. So the lingerie consultant practiced her consumer behavious skills on me who was a very easy target- she played on my obvious attraction for bright, cheerful colours and prints and laces and slyly suggested that I buy a few ordinary ones and just 1 or 2 "horribly" expensive ones for occassion/special occassions. Now the cool me who is definitely not over the hill just because she is a mamma of 2 and plans to age in style played right into the trap and did an impulse purchase of various colours/ styles/ prints/ material of innerwear.
For the first time, I was explained while buying, on what styles would be right for me. I did no random trials but every piece she gave me was deliberately selected keeping in mind that I am on stage 7 of the buying stages.
I finished in less than an hour and that was my most satisfactory experience in innerwear buying.
Coincidentally the saleswoman's name was Juliet (local undies manufacturer!)

Off to School Today

School Bags - Red & Black

Water Bottles- Black

Tiffin Boxes- Steel (Mamma says no to Plastic)

Hand Towels

Bath Towels for Swimming Days- 1 with a tiger print & 1 with fish- we quarreled for the fish- none of us want the tiger

New Undies

New Shorts/ Shirts (Uniform only for 2 days- poor Mamma is cheesed off that she has to take care to find neat clothes everyday- uniforms would have been easier on her)

Hankies

Sandals

All Labelled with Mamma's Golden/ Brown Nailpolish!!

We were more interested in buying toy cars from Lifestyle store but Mamma & Dadda wouldn't let us go - we had to even do a demo of wearing the bag in the store!

We go for an hour today and for 2.5 hours from next week

The school has recommended what snacks have to be given each day. Friday is Mamma's choice snack though!