Sale!

D mentions to me casually that there is a cotton collection sale on for three days. I jumped up and down in joy and wanted to know until when. D rolls her eyes and says " Its on for another two days mom". argh i have missed the first day. So I had to put half day leave and rush to the sale yesterday morning. I walked into Cotton Collection and there was some great Lovely Clothes. I was wondering why there was not much crowd. I was checking for the ever bright Sale sign which was missing. The prices looked normal too, thankfully heard the boom " Hey you are suppose to be at work!" From a good friend N. "I came for the sale men, better a half day than missing this" I said. "The sale is at the park street ware house" She says and gives me a nice pink leaflet. I looked at the leaftlet, looked at the clothes in my hand. Quickly dropped the stuff on the counter and ran out to get into a three wheeler. Reach park street and walk in the heat which was really bad. They had hired a huge ware house at the end of park street mews. It was full of clothes and more people grabbing this and that. I ran around picked up about twenty pieces and then turned around there was even another more hundred people in there. Then realised its going to be a disaster if all these people also wear the same clothes, put it all down. After wise decisions I walked out with jusst two t shirts for me and two for the kids. I think i am turning into a new leaf. Ran out again to catch a threewheeler with a faluda ice cream in my hand. Threewheeler guy : " Two hundred miss" Me : " Ioo aiye i am buying clothes at the sale, dont ask so much" Threewheeler guy : " I cant even come to the sale, my status is even worse" Just had to give him the money and get off at work.

Another Credit Card!

I have been so nice to the bank agents who call up about new promotions on credit cards and said nicely but firmly that no i don't want another credit card. With some types i have gone to the extent of explaining that personal finance and me are like a crumbling cup cake.

The last month and a half i have not run into shops and bought stuff randomly. I even cancelled one of the credit cards in a bid to turn over a new leaf.

Last Saturday was at the dentist with D when i realised i had no money in my wallet. So quickly popped to the ATM at the nearest bank. After taking cash i don't know why i walked up to the agent and told her that i want to apply for a credit card. Behaviour out of the ordinary is what i would categorise this. So i applied for a credit card ignoring all the promotional stuff. Have been feeling guilty all weekend about this new acquisition which i can cancel but i know i wont.

Maybe i will cut it up when it arrives. (maybe after i use it just once)

New Shop on Ward Place!

So latest buzz is there is a new place opening up in ward place which is going to have a flowershop, a coffee shop, a saree shop, jewellery, and house hold stuff like i guess artsy furniture coming up in october...

A new age life-style store is what i heard ( no not the lifestyle store in india but u know what i mean)

There is this big hype about it.. lets sit back and see whats on offer (at least window-shop if not anything else )

Discovering the Museum!

A last minute mad rush into pettah today. The crowds were so much less that usual new year crowds. Since i remember peak traffic starts at three usually on other years today at three there was not much cars. Made it into prince street the haven for toys. If anyone wants to buy loads of toys please go to prince street. So much of stuff for less that half the price i can clearly say 1/3 rd of usual price. I went a bit crazy looking at all the stuff and the prices.

Penguin Plaza is a decent shop where everything is arranged very methodically and u even have a place where u can sit and relax while the stuff is being packed. suggestion is take a three wheeler since u will never find a parking space there. Walking down the road is no fun since the method of communication by the cart pullers is whistle whistle or sing sleazy tamil song.

Stepping out after happy purchasin i saw this huge old buiding. Museum right in front of me. I am ashamed to say that i did not know that there was another museum right there in prince street. I mean all the talk of my love to colombo and i had no clue there was a Dutch Museum right in the middle of pettah in prince street.

Nope i did not rush in to polish up my bit on history. Thats for another day!

Full fit

My days of shopping for clothes are over. I am a new leaf. All this I owe to a middle age lady with a bad mouth and good smile. She just knew how to cure me from my odel, cotton collection and WI fashion days. Almost like therapy from hitting the shops. My search for one has always extended over the seas to India. Found the perfect tailor. Laugh at me all u want but I got all the blouses and shalwar kameez stitched only in India for some notion in my head that its perfectly done only there.
How wrong I was, the days lost waiting for a relative to bring the stitched dresses which are transferred from one cousin to another’s. By the time they do arrive, the style is gone. Just like the perfect hair dresser, the laundry man and the aerobics instructor (ok never mind that have not been making it to the class). The perfect tailor who makes u look great is a must.
Head on to Padmini Tailors at Orchard Building. If any of u have any other good tailors please do leave their contacts. I am done with buying ready mades for good. All these years wasted when I good have got it stitched in my unique designs. As M (best friend) put it to carry one with that “hippie child” look.

1/2 sale at CC

The word sale in bright red, how it beckons me like a light at the end of a tunnel. Best friend calls me up and usual chit chat and mentions that Cotton collection has a 1/2 sale. Was on my way to temple and i turned the car towards the sale (I did pray in the morning). Jumped off and raced into the shop. Half of colombo was in there grabbing clothes by the dozen.

As i walked in could feel the musty parana smell. Obviously old stuff, is that not the point you turn and leave. No i pushed shoved my way in and there i was with all these clothes. As usual the connection to the brain cells goes a bit slow when i see clothes. I grabbed quite a bit and was wondering why the hell were women standing and trying them on in the middle of the shop. Why could they not go into the dressing room. There i was with a arm full of clothes and trying to go into dressing room, there was no dressing room. They had been kind enough to lock everything up so we can try on like the house of fashion way.

Now i was in a dilemma do i do this but there were some guys who had accompanied girls and some of them were checking out not their girls but the others. While contemplating what to do i felt a stare, looked up to see a man staring at me then boru accent and "dont i know u". The girls arround me a few of them, although busy grabbing clothes like they were going to shut down all clothes shop, stopped to watch. I was silent for a minute trying to remember. Since these days the brain cells are a bit slow to register i cant remember a face. Racked my brain nope. no signal there. the silence between me and the man and the girls was deathly. Just smiled and mumbled and walked off thats what i did.

I did not try any clothes in fear of dont laugh but what if someone takes pics. ok all were trying it on top of what they were wearing but anyways.

Have i told how much i love clothes. Anyways ran home and locked myself in the room to try on the beauties. D was quite suspicous and started knocking on the door as if the wicked witch had come home. Had to let her in, give her what i got her. Everything fit like a glove. so excited and what a deal. Obviously will have to store it away and wear the stuff after there months since all will be walking around in half sale cc clothes........

Today is the last day for CC sale.

Credit card bills n jewellery

Went to school to pick up the kids and was silent participator of a conversation between two ladies S and L .

L : Did you go to the jewellery sale, it was so fab

Me cluelessly looking around had no idea what the sale was nor have I bought a rock recently (like in the last decade)

S : yes I looked nice stuff

L : I bought loads of stuff but my husband knows nothing

Me uh light bulb going off something does not sound right.

S : Doesn’t he pay your bills or u have a parents trust fund

I am still silent conversationalist in this talk, trust fund, wow

L : Credit card that he has given me, but he wont know

Me : Isnt your husband an accountant ?

L : yes he is a very important accountant (bit of boasting about the man with the numbers). I tear the first bill and wait for the second bill and he will pay without checking the balance is carried forward

S and me just looked at each other in shock…….

Bags N shoes

I have to say that Malaysia is so cheap for most products except clothes. They have far too many malls with so much goods, you start feeling dizzy after a big. It is so much cheaper than Singapore.

When I landed in Colombo airport was very worried with the suitcases of twelve pairs of shoes (not all mine) and seven handbags. Totally like un explainable situation. What with the shopping festival which is on for the whole of July I went a tad overboard with seeing the words “SALE” in bright red letters. It might be a disease but seeing the word sale drives me towards unexplainable purchase mode.

Shopping was not the only thing on the agenda. There are so much of things to do and frankly u need a week to look around at least part of Malaysia. They have so many theme parks, adventure stuff and loads of stuff to do with kids. So I am back in one piece with a burnt credit card and totally broke.....

Missing the Shoe Deal

In Chennai last week while window shopping, I came across this really good deal where you can buy two shoes and get the third one free. I mean is that not like the best deal and these are my favorite brand of shoes. I went a bit giddy for a moment there all these shoes beautifully displayed and I kept trying one after the other. My friend came up and joined me and inquired if I had decided if I picked a pair so I told her about the deal and said I am going to get three for the price of two. She just looked at me as if I have lost it and said hemm they are too expensive why do u want to get three shoes and also cleverly pointed out that my shoe cupboard was overflowing anyways. That sounded right at that point of moment and I left with just one pair in a bag.

Now sitting so many miles away I am totally repenting missing the shoe deal…. Feel like crying since they were really good lovely wedge heels. I mean where can u get nice wedge heels in Colombo. Well when u get it it’s so over priced. I mean if I had actually got three pairs I could have used them for a year right and never buy any more shoes for a year………. So upset. Wanted to text a friend and ask them to pick up the pairs was scared since I would have got a rude reply back ……..

The Makeover…….

Just like when the New Year dawns where my resolution to lose weight starts and fades by the mid of the year I decide its time for a change with my look. That’s because my birthday is in June. So this year just like last year I thought will go for a make over of my wardrobe. Usually its something more drastic like a hair cut gone wrong or trying out different make up (ending up like jojo the clown with the blush on cheek, still cant figure that bit of make up out). Since I had to go to Chennai last week went a bit cuckoo and picked out these new clothes to wear to work.

Walking into office in my new look my colleagues just stared. Why do I always manage to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. So now I am like an arty hippie type with all these kurta tops which should only be worn for yogi guru types and beads(definite yogic look). Even I have not managed to get to the yoga class which I have been planning to go to at least go the guru look right. Now need to stash this away and uncomplicated my life by slipping into my usual clothes and look.

Exams are over!

Well not mine obviously but little D's exams are finishing tomorrow and i am so relieved. I probably can sit through the exams in my sleep since my head is swimming with transport systems, fractions, prefixes and combien? ouch actually my head is aching.

Strangely, my shopping mania has been put a stop i have not been to odel in a month i think (oh god i am rehabilitated) or for a coffee in three weeks (has it been that long). Then again i have been mostly house bound due to car being repaired too. I am so looking forward to a weekend in peace at last........

Tomorrow St. Anthonys Feast so have to attend that as well. I think will start off being free in the evenings religiously...

What you see and what you want to see!

I was wandering around Odel one weekend, passing delifrance I saw a good friends husband reading the papers with a cup of coffee. So decided to bug him and went up and teased him that was he hiding here from the wife on weekends. He burst out laughing and told me to sit and have a coffee.

So I joined him was joking with him while looking at the mirror in front of me (I was people watching ok). If you sit at Delifrance in Odel facing the restaurant there is a big mirror where u can watch other people walking around. I spotted this lady (L) who we both knew and I saw her looking at friends husband then at me and quickly making two n two that this was not the wife he was sitting with. Watching her facial expression was classic and she kept walking this way and that way looking over at him. She could see my back but did not have the brains to look into the mirror to see my face. I told my friend this and he started laughing and trying to put his head down and keep the paper in the side and have conversation with me.

Now L who was trotting here and there quickly had one of those tube light moments where she rushed into the restaurant to get a table right behind us so that she could see who I was. But before rushing to her table she said hi to the friend’s husband but did not still look at me and ran to the table. She sits down to look at me (I was with a big friendly smile in my face). Her face literally froze (ok it was already frozen with the entire pancake and stuff that she had put on her face but froze a bit more). Then fake laugh (I hear load of that here for some reason) how are u dear and where is your husband and where is your wife? To the point or what! By this time my friend comes rushing in with a load of clothes and joins us. When I told her what this woman had been up to later she said I should have texted her she would have come up and burst out crying….. Maybe I’ll do that next time to make L’s Day…

I feel sorry for L because she has the biggest womanizer in town as her husband. She painstakingly goes into every gory detail about him to everyone she knows. So much that my mom has been updated about L”s husband and that too she met my mom maybe once.

Two nights in Chennai……

So all this ranting and raving about my miserable life, took matters into my hand and went to Chennai for the weekend. Of course the whole trip was on a programme and somewhat work related. But you can’t have the cake and eat it. Getting of at Chennai airport gives me a feeling of happiness and sadness all put into one. This is where I spent some of my happiest years of College life. Sadness was something petty the heat was unbearable. We keep complaining about our unpredictable Colombo weather with hot sun and splashing rains but Chennai was Hot with a capital H.

The whole weekend was filled with activities and only relaxing time was spent shopping for a couple of hours and meeting with best friend (another post for that) from college. We were trying to catch up with too much in a short while and I left with a feeling of not enough.

Shopping in Chennai is a big improvement from what it used to be. U name it you get it (I mean there is Benetton & mothercare). I was only able to make it to Spencers run around buying clothes (then regret not bought enough). Then do more shopping to buy Gifts (bribes) for the kids who were left behind at home.

Watched a last show Tamil movie, with some college students making their own comments and reviews about the movie while watching. Hemm if it was done here I would get pissed off. In Chennai I was laughing along with them.

Christmas Shopping!

The last few evenings have been spent visiting odel every evening to try and redeem the HSBC and Nexus points. For some reason I could not find anything I liked for myself. Since it’s the season decided to redeem points and buy gifts for the family. I keep visiting all the shops buy stuff and go exchange the next evening (Loads of hours have been wasted doing this)

Anyways I don’t know why I keep going to in but year after year I visit SLECC and BMICH for the so called Colombo shopping festival. Buy a load of junk and not use it. One of the stalls I saw a girl selling these M&S tops for cheap price but same top was sold for five hundred bucks more at a reputed shop. The same stalls same people same stuff and still I go like a prayer.

The only place I have not been able to get into is House of Fashion, since there is no way you can get a parking space there. It is always crowded. Arpico is like Christmas in paradise with so many decorations for sale did not know what to pick. Anyways the Christmas tree is up with usual décor done. Wanted to get a fresh tree but have no clue how to maintain it thought better not to risk new things.

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

Real Women!

The Cotton Collection Real women campaign is quite interesting idea. It reminds me of the Dove Shampoo campaign in India, but only difference is I think in India they had got normal women(not models, celebrities, or socialites) to Model. The Real Women in this campaign are well known and not normal average women (they are always featured in the photos of all the social gatherings). It would have been a big hit if they had used someone unknown to people. In the sense professionals, moms at home and I don’t know the average clientele which visits the shop all the time.

If I am not mistaken the ad for our forces, one of the girls is actually working in that particular force. It made it more real because the person who was wearing the uniform and doing the ad actually well deserved to wear it. No point getting Anarkali to wear an uniform and do the ad.

Paradise Found!

At last found time to stop at odel on Friday evening. The décor was simply superb. The parrots and peacocks did indeed take me to paradise. There must be so much time and care taken to plan something like this. It’s a feast for the eyes. They had beautiful wrapping paper with the same theme. Bought a birthday gift for S s classmate and got it wrapped with the parrots. Did a bit of window shopping and stepped out to have a juice and harpo’s pizza. There was just too much food around did not know what to eat. Wonders never cease I think I am getting out of the “buying clothes for know reason disease”. Hope this lasts through the season.

Stopped by at opticians care to get my new pair of glasses (librarian ones to look intellectual not that I need glasses to be one). Anyways told S to look at the TV and the nice elephant show. I mean what can go wrong with watching some elephants having a walk in the jungle. S Shouted “Oh mum that elephant has five legs look look!” . The light bulbs in the head did not go on immediately ignored him and was busy looking at the glasses. S shouted some more looked up to see the optician sniggering and the customers (old couple) clearly embarrassed. Look into the screen and see the elephant is indeed on heat or something. S goes on as all four year old do “so how come he has five legs tell me tell me” situations like this are vast and really I don’t know how to handle them. Did the next best thing picked up some glasses and told to bill it and left the place quickly. The glasses are intellectual not!!!! Big buying blunder to say the least...

Stopping At Paradise!

Strangely have not visited Odel recently. I think after Deepavali saga where the driver inquired whether we are dropping of sweets for odel I have not been there. Have been reading so much and hearing so much about the Christmas décor. Also noticed Harpo’s pizza van going out of Odel when I was passing by, which means they have opened a pizza place in the front entrance. This weekend its operation Odel (have to make time to reach paradise)

Thank god the weekend is long and I don’t need to work tomorrow. Just trying to remember when was the last time I stayed home on a Saturday. Oh damn I cant remember its been that long that a Saturday has been spent in relaxation.

Walked into work this morning and accountant rushes in to ask how her hair looked. God it was one shade gone wrong. I had to lie and say she looked nice (very Ronaldo the Clown Orange) . Maybe I should have been frank and told her the truth but then did not have the heart or courage to do it. Since I am planning to get highlights done and if it is a disaster would rather not know………