The stranger

The thing we notice about a city is gawking strangers from every nook and corner. We feel threatened and cornered. The first week can be stressful and worrisome. Eyes follow us everywhere we go. The faces are hard and the expressions are rough. Sometimes it is difficult to see a friendly face and we feel like we are stuck in an alien world. Most nights, I have cried myself to sleep and contemplated if I should return back to my safe haven. However, a part of me was excited to experience the thrill and energy of the city. The secret is to accept the people for what they are and be open to new cultures. We would have to ease our beliefs to accept new ones. And the most important of all is not to judge people. The silent moody girl with her headphones might not be the cold type. The modern girl with her latest fashion look could be a friendly and sweet after all.  The people of the metro are people who have dreams and passion. They are weak and strong just like us.
The second important key is not to trust easily. I am not cynical and cruel. In a small town where we practically grew up, every person is an acquaintance or friend. In a metro, we are practically strangers cohabitating together. There is a slight gap behind belief and trust. Believe all but trust no one. We take our next step in the trust that the earth will hold us. We believe that the weather might be hot. The difference will help you acclimate yourself in a metro. And the most important of all, Trust your instincts, They are rarely wrong. Be open, be strong and let the metro grow in you.

Am I too fat?

Am I Fat? This question nags me every morning and night. Every time I look in the mirror. insecurity creeps into me and threatens to swallow my inner peace. As a small town girl, I felt like a fish out of water every time I went to a social gathering. I never knew the right thing to do . I put up a brave facade while my heart trembled. I never really knew how much fat is too fat. I am definitely not thin. But am I fat, I never really knew. Does physique mercilessly hold the antonym of thin? Or does it give a leverage as almost fat? Unfortunately, Our body weight and physique is not directly proportional to the quantity of food. Our food habits might contribute to the additional weight. But metabolism also plays a major contributing factor. The weight gained over the period is tough to lose and requires intense and dedicated workout. Weight becomes an obsession over a period.

Anyway I never knew the real reason behind this obsession. When a baby is born, she is considered cute. Somewhere along the line fat stops being cute and becomes a nightmare. We try various methods to lose the additional fat. Most of the techniques we try are harmful in the long run. Most of us do not have the patience nor time to do it the right way. The stress and life pushes us to a binge eating or starving. Either way it is wrong. The pressure surrounding us is so huge that we slowly lose our confidence. Most of us are used to hearing that we would be become beautiful if we lost a little weight. Does that mean we are ugly? Or does it mean that I expected to succumb to expectations. Why would not the world accept me with all my (extra) fat? Why should I carry it along with the criticism of people? Should I shrug it and walk away? Or should i be concerned? I never really know.

Hand Bag

I have always been a closet hoarder. Maybe it talks about my insecurity or my attitude for preparedness. My bag always had a lot of stuff in it , in addition to the things I actually need. It had my essentials, must haves and also my memories. Like all, my first bag was a furry tom faced in kindergarten. The size and colour changed as I grew. My high bag was so huge that it would put any world traveller to shame. Backpack was always a part of my life. I just held in stake a lot of things I might never need but just in case types. The first handbag was 240 bucks which I bargained from the  street vendor because of its colours and additional storage areas. I never knew anything about handbag brands, material quality , size and lot of technical jargons. Life was surely a bliss back then. The most shuddering thought was that the bag I was using might not actually being called a handbag. Yes every bag was named uniquely maybe for marketing reasons. But who am I to question it.

The handbag was categorized into different varieties based on their size and shapes. The small rectangular shaped bag with a long single rope  was known as the baguette. The round bag with the short handle was the bowler.  The slightly bigger rectangular bag with two short handle is the tote bag. The list goes on and on. Some of the international handbag brands include Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Mulberry, Saint Yves Laurent, etc. The Indian counterparts include Hidesign, Fostello, Bata, etc. After a series of hard bargained street bags of hues and shapes. I finally joined the brand wagon with my Fostello Shoulder bag. It is not the best in the market but we have start somewhere and it is special to me in its own way. It is a carry it all yet elegant.

Sunscreen

With heat over 38 degree Celsius across the country, sun damage ranks among the top woes of the summer.  It has become every woman’s war to protect her skin and fight against sun damage. Our skin loses its lustre and looks dull after brief exposure to the sun. Every other company is flooding the market with the sunscreens and sun blocks. Do they really work? We never know. Amidst the cream and the protective gear, I never really realised which one is more effective.

Before talking about sunscreens, let’s find know more about the sun rays. The sun emits two major kinds of rays, UVA (Long wave ultraviolet A) and UVB (short wave ultraviolet B). The UVA penetrates into the dermis and can cause premature ageing, wrinkles and also affect the natural immune system. The UVB radiation affects the superficial layer and can increase the chances of skin cancer. We might have noticed that the sunscreen we use displays the SPF batch and types of rays, it is efficient against. SPF is the Sun Protection Factor, which roughly translates into the effectiveness and the time duration in which the lotion offers protection against sun damage. In the case of prolonged exposure to the rays, a higher SPF range is recommended.

The sunscreen formulation also has loads of chemicals and minerals with specific functions. Some of the chemicals include Zinc oxide, Titanium oxide, Avobenzone, etc . However effective, it would be advisable to avoid direct sun rays between 10.00am to 4.00pm

Are we brand conscious?

Brands are Greek and Latin to me. The importance of owning a brand seems to elude to me, even after getting to them better. Maybe it is one of the perks of hailing from a middle-class family. The school never gave me an opportunity to learn much about them. Perhaps because of the strict uniform code and also I did not belong to that kind of a group. No offence girls. We are a gang of innocent girls breaking our heads and hearts over homework and the usual stuff. Even college did not teach me about brands. I did not even know the difference between two type of shoes or that clothing brands existed. I was cool till the metro hit me right in my face. Suddenly the brand of my watch and the type of shoe mattered a lot. It is true that ignorance is bliss. The more we learn about it, the more it pulls you towards it. To be clear, I am not a brand expert. But I have decided to explore if it can allure me into its greedy web. No pun intended. 

Greek and Latin of my Coffee

When did coffee start sounding like Greek and Latin?  The question nagged me on my almost first date. The ambience and menu card made me feel a little insecure and curious. The coffee shop I knew had a big almost golden black boiler, glasses believed to be clean and “Cheta” showing off his coffee making skills. And the coffee I knew was made of milk, coffee powder, sugar and the most important ingredient, Mom's magic. The menu card gave exotic names to my coffee, at exuberant prices. Two sips and 30 minutes later, I had a lot of questions on both the Café shop and my friend*.    

Cappuccino
Capp –po-chinno , I said struggling to get the right pronunciation.  “Regular” asked my friend. I am too embarrassed if meant the coffee or relationship. I settled for regular. What impressed me was the latte art on the top of it more than the strength of the coffee bean, the thickness of the milk, the silkiness of the cream. Six differences was the thought which popped up. Uncle Google came to my rescue and gave a whole lot of information enough to do a doctorate and some search suggestions too. Like the search options, the drink was a complicated too. I realized that people was addicted more to the ambience than to the caffeine. Cappuccino is nice and I know a few addicts. But if you are not one of them. Don't think of taking your taste bud to a doctor. You are just being honest and loyal to her Indian cousin.

Expresso
This exotic drink has put many in a spot and has fewer followers. Sweet tooth may be the culprit. We like our c's to be sweet. Be it coffee, chocolate or care. It is not surprising that we are leading in type 2 diabetes. Expresso is a strongly brewed decoction served in an extremely cute cup with sugar and no milk. She is ideal to make you work throughout the night. But she might not capture you in the middle of a get-together.

The list goes on and on based on the milk consistency, coffee bean strength and the presence of exotic flavours. Be it Caffe mocha, Americano, Macchiato, Irish coffee or the cold caffeine versions.  There are more than 50 versions of our favorite energy drink. Next time you visit a coffee shop, be it barista, Costa coffee or cafe coffee day. Just sit back and enjoy the company with a sip of the new flavors. You might even like it even more than the company. No pun intended

And I realized that the best coffee moment is I ever had is sipping mom's magic brew jabbering my worries away.

Watch

Watch is an accessory to me , an object to match my clothes. The first watch was made of plastic and had pictures of my favourite cartoon. It was digital watch as I found it difficult to calculate time. Relatives have always gifted me watches. The brand never seemed to impress my brain. The colour did. I always wore the watch on my right hand and was questioned on the same. It was a matter of convenience  to me rather than fashion. My favourite watch was a pista green strap digital watch with a fairy on the lid. However, metro had different plans for me and watch gave a different timeline. I learned a different story about the watches and it changed my perspective.

Brands came into my life , so did knowledge. The chronometer is the acid test of all watches. The watches should undergo different level of tests to be certified the chronometer. We would sometimes see the word 'chrono inscribed in the watches. This means the watch is not chronometre certtified. There are also different types of watches based on their movement. An automatic watch is powered by the movement of the hand. The quartz is the most common type and is powered by a battery. The manual watch is powered by manual winding.

Every watch manufacturer comes up with vaious series and brands based on on their design and specifications

Watch out this space for more