BITTERSWEET LOVE

So happy to be back in the cool embrace of good ol' Bangalore, where the rain makes me nostalgic and want to stay home, cuddle up with a thick book, a nice cuppa and just stay lazy all day. Cuddling up with someone special would have been even better and that's one of the many reasons why long distance relationships suck.  

I have always shared a bittersweet relationship with the rain. During my childhood days, I was scared of the pitter patter on our roof and it was always a challenge for me to be alone in a room whenever it rained. Outside the house, I had a lot of fun jumping in and out of puddles and walking in the rain, purposely not using the raincoats and umbrellas that were designated to protect me from getting wet. Although it did not boil down very well with my folks whenever I reached home wet to the bone, shoes filled with water and mud. Perhaps the thrill of doing something forbidden was what made the entire experience more fun and enticing.

As a college going girl, I learnt to appreciate the rain indoors, watching it pour from the windows of my room and from the balcony of our hostel building, consumed by the fragrance that is emitted when the first drops of rain touch the ground. Rain to me spelled romance, stolen kisses and slow dances with MLTR "I wanna dance" or Eric Martin "I love the way you love me" playing in the background. The most complex relationship I've shared with the rain was in Mumbai. It was a daily struggle to commute during the monsoon, with the average time taken to get a "Ricksha" being half an hour. The "Ricksha Maharajas" also particularly favoured the season for their annual strike activities. The no.of shoes that were massacred during the course of one Mumbai monsoon was so phenomenal that I've seriously lost count. It was the rain that made me closer to the Mumbai stench that I so abhorred as we were all broiled up in the same flooded streets most of the time. The chaos, the filth and the inconvenience were just another side to it because what Mumbai rains also did was bring out the warmth in people, makes them more approachable and makes them approach more. I have shared a rickshaw ride with many strangers, some of whom were men - something I would never do elsewhere, except mm.. maybe in Mizoram. It all starts with a smile, and a simple gesture, "Would you like to share a ride?" or, "Which way are you going? Can I share the ride?". Asking for such favours or accepting such offers never seemed weird but rather so natural. Such is the beauty of Mumbai rains and it's effect on people. No wonder, it has it's on profile on Indiatimes.

Nothing beats Bangalore rains though, as it brings in a wintry flavour that tempts me to dig out those well-buried winter boots and go jacket shopping. The "romance quotient" also gets higher as the weather gets pleasant and the fragrance of it can be felt much stronger. Well, it's mostly the sweet side of our relationship that prevails here...

IIMB Football ground after a heavy downpour on 2nd May 2011 (As seen from L 403)

  

The story of an "un-reversed" reversible belt

A few weeks ago, I bought a “reversible belt” from ZOVI. I was really happy with my purchase as it turned out exactly similar to the way it appeared on the website. Since the design is so simple and minimal, it immediately became a staple item in my wardrobe. One thing that I need to confess though, is that, even though I had initially purchased the belt 1) for the look 2) for the material - it's genuine leather 3) and for the reversible nature, I have never worn the belt reversed. The reason – “I did not know how to actually reverse the belt” nor did I bother to go up to anyone and ask them about the process. Working in the same company that sells the belt, I would have easily got my answer within one phone call with a product expert or by talking to any of my colleagues.  Even if I were like any other customer, I could have called the customer care team who would have helped me instantly. But for some reason, I have never tried any of these things, content with wearing the same “black” side of the belt. 

Then, a revelation came to me in the form of our Photographer Hemanth, with whom I had checked out some belts which were kept aside for product shoots. That's when we came across the same reversible belt; which immediately became the topic of our conversation. I was all praise about the belt and told him that the only issue was that I did not know how to reverse the damn thing. Then, Hemanth, like a pro quickly showed me the steps and I could not believe that I have never tried it. All I had to do was slightly pull and twist the buckle!

So, here I am, sharing my story with everyone. Just in case there is somebody like me out there who needs to learn how to reverse their ZOVI reversible belt.

P.S. Male readers, don't fret yet, thinking this post is not for you. The same theory applies to men's reversible belts as well.:)

All you have to do is pull & twist the buckle and bingo! you've just moved from Black to Tan 

My take on online shopping

The proliferation of online shopping sites has certainly made life easier for consumers. The biggest advantage of online shopping is the ability to compare product features and prices without having to run around much. Information asymmetry is reduced and consumers can make rational purchase decisions by going through product features and googling for more information whenever required. Prices are also much more competitive for most online stores as the cost involved in setting them up is much lower than brick and mortar ones.


Personally, the main reasons why I like online shopping in order of importance are:-
1. Access to the latest fashion - Thank God for international retailers like ASOS which offer free worldwide delivery and Chinese online retailers offering fast fashion clothing at rock bottom prices.
2. Time Saving and Convenient - I used to love the thrill of shopping (I still do) but corporate life has left me with very little time. Moreover, life in Mumbai was so chaotic with the flood, the traffic and the work culture that I almost lost my zeal to shop. Shopping is much more fun when it is done in a leisurely manner and not when it has to be done in a rush. Online shopping became my saving grace, giving me an inexpensive international shopping escape.
3. Well informed purchase decision - No pesky store staffs pushing a sale and just by the click of a mouse, there is so much information accessible.


I am not reluctant to buy anything online, except maybe for things like vegetables and heavy furniture. What are my favorite online shopping items? Well it's shoes, clothing & accessories - primarily because I can have access to better brands and products online. Even though I have never bought cosmetic products online, I am quite comfortable in doing so especially if I know the brand or product I have to purchase. Perhaps the reason why I have not got into the act so far is because I normally do such shopping at the last moment or impulsively when I see products in store shelves (they are much more easily available too) . Products that are of high involvement in nature and are "think" products require much more information to be displayed such as the no. of thread counts and material information for a bedsheet, the list of ingredients for a cosmetic product and detailed features information for a gadget. Who knows, in the future, there would be ways to measure and showcase the freshness of vegetables without necessitating touch & feel. There would be virtual showrooms enabling us to experience furniture and study their details intricately. That would be the time when online shopping has become a way of life and not a mere phenomenon.