"...Some rain must fall"(First guest post on ze blog)

It’s monsoon time, girls! And it’s time to put away those shades and take out your umbrellas. That’s right, it’s the gloomy season but don’t let it get to you so be the savior and brighten it up! Be the one to bring in colour and fashion to the rainy days! Here are a few must-haves you should embrace this season-

Image Courtesy- Glamcheck.com

1. Coats: Well, this only counts for those girls who live in places where it gets really cold during the monsoons. It becomes so cold that you’re shivering, so it’s best to get the layers on. Wear a sweater or a coat. But brighten it up by wearing some bright coloured jacket with jeans or shorts, whichever you’re comfortable with. Find some great ones at Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Tradus, Yepme with brands like Arrow, Wills Lifestyle, Fort Collins etc.

Image Courtesy- Aliexpress.com

2. Flat Boots: NOT leather ones, leather does not fare well in the rain, so don’t take those out of the closet no matter how great they seem to look with your outfit. If you don’t have boots, then wear sneakers. They are your go-to shoes and you can wear it anywhere. Make sure they have rubber soles to prevent your fanny from hurting when you are hitting the pavements. Find some great ones at Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Tradus, Yepme with brands like Alberto Torresi, Carlton London, Steve Madden, Clarks, Shoedeal, CAT etc.

Image Courtesy- Yebhi.com

3. Shorts or Capris: This is a time to protect the lower half of your body from getting wet, so wear your shorts or capris when you step out. Wear dark colours to give you warmth or bright colours to make you happy. Either way, you’re not going to escape the puddles, so wear whatever colour you’re comfortable with. Find some great ones at Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Tradus with brands like UCB, Global Desi, People, Only etc.

Image Courtesy- Lyst.com

4. Shirts: Wear loose and big shirts because if you get wet from top to bottom, then god help you from the pervs on the streets. Wear some awesome graphic tees with your shorts and sneakers! Find some great ones at Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Tradus, Yepme with brands like UCB, Vero Moda, Chemistry, UCB, People etc.

Image Courtesy- Mec.ca

5. Hoodies: Hoodies look great with jeans or shorts. And it’s best to wear them when it’s just drizzling and you know it’s going to continue like that the entire day so you don’t have to carry an umbrella, just wear a hoodie over your shirt, put the hood on when you step out and you’re finished! You look cute too! Find some great ones at Flipkart, Jabong, Myntra, Tradus, Yepme with brands like Campus Sutra, Espirit, Yepme, Puma, Lee etc.

All these sites have great discounts, especially during the monsoon season! So make haste when the season arrives! But if you want more discounts, coupons and offers, then check out this and find your ideal price with deal of the day!

Disclaimer-This is NOT a sponsored post. I came across Dealstan and quite liked their collection, specially paired with their unbelievable prices! If you have been following ze blog for a while, you must know how broke I'm. So, when I suggest a website for great discounts, you know it's the next best thing to getting it for free. So, what are you waiting for? Click away!

Breakup shorts and another blogger meet

I considered myself to be pretty much superstition-free for the first eighteen years of my life. But as soon as I turned nineteen, I found out that I wasn't superstitious for all these years simply because I didn't have an option to. I needed to wear the school uniform, eat the same food every day, go to the same place et cetera et cetera.but once I went to college, I suddenly started imagining that my exams won't go well if I didn't wear the same blue and white striped tee every day with the same pair of denims and wait for it, the same underwear too. Consider eight exams back to back in the heat of April. Let's observe thirteen seconds of silence for those who survived these semesters sitting around me.I think they were the happiest lot when we discovered that we had only four papers in the final semester. I also made sure I took the same bus every day, had the same fish spring roll from Monginis(it had to be second from the left) and sat at the same place for studying(I even refused to move if someone asked me to shift a little so that they could sit). Are you thankful that you didn't go to the same college with me? I thought so. So, moving on to my MBA, I got over this absurd dressing rule partly because I was growing up(feel free to replace the word 'up' with 'old', I really don't mind any more) but mostly because I was dating and there was high probability of any of my boyfriend(s) turning up to surprise me after my exam. Instead of feeling liberated, I was paranoid and tried to make up for it by having the same breakfast, waiting for the same rickshaw wala and metro no matter how long it took, sitting with the same crowd and not wearing a watch. Given the examples, I don't think you'd be surprised if I tell you that these are my breakup shorts and this is my breakup blouse. I've worn these twice(both of them together once and only the blouse another day) with a boyfriend and we broke up on that day, both the times. The most suspicious part? On both the days, we started the day in a great mood and were having one of our good days(relationship-wise) and hadn't fought in near past. Still, we broke up. Since then, I've decided to wear these only with my girlfriends because the best part about your girlfriends is that they never break up with you. I also suppose I could call these my breakup shoes since they have been there during both the breakups but I've had more than ten happy days with them. So, I'd assume I don't have a breakup shoe and thankfully, I was carrying different bags during different breakups and wearing different accessories too. So, I don't have a breakup bag or a bunch of breakup accessories either and I couldn't have been any happier about it!
                                             Now, if you are done explaining to your younger brother in great detail how education has failed to enlighten me in true sense, let's move on to the next part, shall we?
                                                                                                                                 To much chagrin of bloggers from other cities(if I dare say so), we Kolkata bloggers are a tightly knit community and with the kind of bonding that we have, we could jolly well have opened a sorority house or something equally pink. Of course with yours truly leaving for Mumbai in a month, it would remain a dream. Let me just wipe a tear or two. Yes. So, given the perfect hosts that we Kolkata bloggers are, no blogger from any other city leaves Kolkata without meeting a few of us, if not everyone. So, when this lovely beauty blogger Sheetal came to Kolkata for a visit, we all decided to meet her at Wise Owl-this nice little cafe near Golpark that is crowded and charming at the same time since they take ages to bring your food and therefore, you can sit for ages without any disturbance, other than the shouting of course. And thanks to the kind of gossip only we can imagine of, it was definitely an evening well-spent. Just spare my fat legs for a month or so. I promise to get back in shape. Soon.

Striped shorts, bag, spiked loafers, neckpiece-B.K.Market, shirt-Miss Chase, lipstick- Orange Punch from Colorbar

Picture Courtesy - Anu

I hope to start the Sisters of the Travelling Pajamas post that I couldn't stop gushing about by this month. Till then, take care and keep it stylish.
                                                   Much love,
                                                                   Soumi

Crossroads...

You know those over-hyped, cheesy yet somewhat significant junctures of your life that you can never be prepared for? Like going to school, starting college, losing your virginity,getting started with alcohol, getting married, having a baby et cetera? Well,putting an end to one's academic career(read leaving college)is one of those too.You think it'd be some grand affair with graduation cloaks, recalling funny stories about each other and shedding tears about not being able to re-live those days again, promising to stay in touch no matter what and all but unless you are some leader in your batch being equally popular among students and teachers, always organising cool events, helping your friends out with the most impressive job in your pocket, it's another one of those days when you don't feel like dragging your ass all the way back to that pathetic campus where you have been bullied or discriminated against, yawning through another set of lectures from the faculties you so hate from the bottom of your heart and finally getting drunk with a bunch of acquaintances over how this institute has failed you and your dreams. And I needn't turn up at my farewell to know that.
                                   As far as I'm concerned, mediocrity has always been my middle name. I'm not pretty, I'm not extraordinarily ugly either.I never topped my class but never came last either. I'm nowhere close to having my dream job but I DO have something to fall back on for psychological comfort(yeah, I don't think I'd be any less broke or dissatisfied if I go to Mumbai for this job but I couldn't survive the pressure
of seeing others get placed and scoring a zero for a week, let alone so many months),my love story would never go down in history but it's definitely my favourite.
                                                                          Given all these grand examples, it's a no brainer that I was never any teacher's favourite anywhere. I didn't make friends who'd die for me either. Basically, had I not been there in the class,people won't have missed much. I was pretty much invisible.So,I'm having a really hard time coming up with one good reason for showing up at the stupid campus one last time where no one cares much about me and the feeling is very mutual. The thought of pretending to be having a good time while boredom gets the better of me just doesn't sound appealing. And even though I shared a very personal bond with my students during my short stint as a private tutor, none of the teachers in my schools or colleges ever inspired me enough to delve deeper into the subjects they were teaching. Besides, my career has suffered a lot at different times for not sharing a personal equation with any of my teachers.
                                                                                                                      But,at the same time,unlike many of my other friends,I'm not angry at anyone. I have studied Leader-Member Exchange Theory and believe in it wholeheartedly. I find it very normal to accept that everyone would have a favourite and I calmly accept this fact also that I'm no one's favourite. It doesn't bother me at all. I'm thankful to God for making me normal,allowing me to have a normal life,giving me results worth at least thirty percent of my hard work and blessing me with this beautiful heart that stretches like rubber and engulfs the person I love once I love them. I'm thankful to God for making me sensitive enough to feel every ecstasy, failure, disappointment, hatred, heartbreak, passion and still not be overwhelmed by it(okay,maybe I should have excluded the heartbreak part but never mind). Moving to an alien city with an unimpressive job,leaving my family,friends and the love of my life behind,scares me beyond imagination and I'll try to fight it for as long as possible. But when I sense the end,I'll just let go and surrender to fate completely. The tears won't stop but there'd be no regret.
                                                   Speaking of regrets,poila boishakh(The Bengali New Year)is known to be a family affair among us Bengalis and my family being one of those where no one seems to be agreeing with anyone else over anything,it has always been a quiet day at home having bhetki paturi(bhetki fish steamed with mustard paste), chingri shorshey(mustard prawn) or mangsher jhol(mutton curry) for lunch.My parents don't see any logic in going out to fancy Bengali restaurants and have Bengali delicacies that are no more cooked at Bengali households and I've always regretted spending an uneventful poila boishakh. But with my bunch of girls making plans on that very day, it was anything but quiet this year. We met up at this quaint little place called Cafela near Rashbehari and boy, did we have a scandalous evening! The pictures are more than a month old but you can still see the sparkle in my eyes, right?

Anarkali gone wrong and worn as a maxi dress-tailor-made from Gariahat Market(not from my regular tailor,duh!), shoes, pouch- Simpark Mall, denim waistcoat- New Market, rings- B.K.Market and New Market, lipstick- Maybelline Bold Matte MAT 4

Picture Courtesy- Anu

P.S. I'm almost getting over multicolored outfits and I have to admit that Anamika Khanna hating them has helped accelerate my decision. So, expect a lot of monochrome and tone-on-tone on ze blog in the coming posts. Till then, take care and keep it stylish.

Springing out...

Spring is here in my city. Or should I say summer? Subtlety is not the strongest suit
of Kolkata weather these days. Gone are the evening breezes and the surprise drizzles.
The cuckoo doesn't sing near my maama-baari windowsill any more either. The agression
in my love and the subsequent pain aren't entirely gone but I've learnt to hide it
carefully. The sheer romance of sucking on to a soggy ice cream cone while taking long
walks are gone too. Gone are so many of my other childhood dreams!Love is very much
there and it's the only thing that makes me believe in life. I still feel like a trapped
princess just as I used to twenty three summers back. No knight in shining armour came
to rescue me back then and no one would come now. But meanwhile, I've learnt to
tone down my fairy tales to suit my mundane life.
                                               Talking of what is NOT mundane,Jhaal Farezi
is becoming THE place I tend to hang out with my girls at.The quirky decor, the fun food
at VERY reasonable price, the option to just sit there and chill out for HOURS make it a
favourite with all of us. And trust me, it's totally worth travelling for an hour-changing
four autos!And, hold your breath, fellow health freaks,they serve vada pav without butter!
And, they have enough brains not to bring you sugar satchets if you ask for green tea. #Win

Also, every time I go to Jhaal Farezi,for some reason or the other, I end up wearing maxis.
This time was no exception. Even though my separates look more like a maxi dress, they
are very much the thrifted tunic tucked into the maxi skirt I thought I'd never wear.

Anywhoo,a slow internet connection and a hectic schedule are making sure I don't get to blog more
than once every month but I got some very good news coming up for you lovelies. Our group
venture 'Sisterhood of the Travelling Pajamas' would be here soon and it's something
that the blog-o-sphere(at least as far as my knowledge goes)has never seen before! I can't
spill any more beans. You just have to guess and wait. I also have my very first guest post
coming up on the blog.The topic is a little different from the usual mood of this space.
So, I'm having a hard time fitting it in. But all would be resolved in no time hopefully.
Till then, all ya lovelies think peach and sip coconut water. *Kisses*

Tunic(thrifted), maxi skirt, spiked loafers- B.K.Market, ring- New Market

With my sunflower Nikita, who made it all possible

The Happiness Page

After surviving the continuous "Happiness is" followed by the particular activity the writer is involved in at that moment/the person they happen to be with at that time posts and #100HappyDays hashtag all over the Social Media, I thought it was time to delve deep inside and look for a definition that has always worked for me. So, here I am, writing about something many think I don't know at all-happiness!
                                                                                                                       Now, the tricky part about happiness is that it has no single definition, or so I found. It varies from person to person, situation to situation;it even depends on the changes in the constraints to attaining happiness. My dida blesses everyone placing her right palm on their head, closing her eyes and muttering an intelligible 'bhalo theko' as if being happy is always that simple. But if one gives it a serious thought, it's not farther from truth either. Music makes someone happy, books make some others happy. Some are happy taking their dogs out for a walk while some are happy just gulping a dozen of cupcakes down. However, in most of my observations, I found love to be a constant driver behind happiness. At times, it's so intense and passionate that we can see only the pain behind it, not the happiness. But it's always there, in some form or the other. Another imperative would be pain itself. A very popular saying goes that one doesn't understand the significance of light until they see darkness very closely. Likewise, until and unless one feels pain, owns up to it, absorbs it all and then gathers the courage to smile again, one hasn't known true happiness. The journey through pain prepares one for the light ahead, teaches them to appreciate it. As for myself, I've seen pain pretty closely, both physically as well as mentally. I've loved it with all I had. But if I'm asked to choose between silent tears on my pillow and a warm smile in his embrace, I know what my choice would be. Do you know yours?

Blouse-Metro Plaza, floral pants-B.K.Market, shoes-Simpark Mall, neckpiece-gifted, cuff and ring-New Market

Feelin' Lucky!

If something is meant to be, nothing can stop it from happening. Ever since my internship with TCS came to an end, I have been sad beyond words. Unitech is where my heart belongs. It's nothing more than a bunch of sky high buildings without any character but I've so many memories attached to this place that it's always going to be special for me. Looking at the overcast sky from my eighth floor cubicle, having tea at one of the roadside stalls(also known as 'jhoops'), being scared of stepping on the heap of cow dung that can be seen just about anywhere, going down and having bad phuchka, momos with what looked like a worm in the sauce, chewy and at times even wet bhutta, lassi with dust particles inside...memories were aplenty. And it was always, always about the people associated with the memories. The company I have been recruited for would never have an office in Unitech. So, chances of returning to my favourite place didn't look that bright. But as fate would have it, another internship landed in college. Until the interview, I didn't even know this was Unitech Cognizant. Couldn't stop thanking my stars when I found out finally! So, life should be pretty much close to perfection soon. Meanwhile, my favourite host took the responsibility of watching my calorie intake(the other way round) one fine afternoon when we girls dropped by her den. I've been obsessing over pastels for a while now. So, you are going to see a lot of pinks and peaches on ze blog in the coming days. And another piece of advice- if you already haven't tried the gajar ka halwa icecream at Scoop, please run. It's one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Dress-B.K.Market,neckpiece-gifted,rings-New Market,shoes-Simpark Mall

With Anu,Nikita and Johanne

Where art thou, my Valentine?

With the blog-o-sphere full of Valentines' Day posts and red, pink and white cute somethings and gift ideas and mushy rumblings, can yours truly be far behind? But given my obsession with pain, you won't be disappointed if you are expecting something other than a lovey-dovey post here. Yes, love  is magical. I don't deny that. I'd never deny that. I've been in love. I've seen how colorful and happy the mundane things look when you are in love. I know exactly how one blushes after breaking into a sheepish grin in the middle of a class, thanks to a stupid piece of happy memory. I know how perfect it feels to wake up next to your loved one and see the sun rays playing on the curtain behind their head.
                                                                                                      But, contrary to what Acrhies and its cousins would have us believe, Valentines' Day is as much about the pain and heartbreak that come along with love as the happiness and bliss. As many of you might know,the origin of this day lies in the popular story that Saint Valentine of Rome was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were not allowed to marry. Before his execution, he wrote a letter to the daughter of his jailer and signed it "Your Valentine" as a farewell. Does this heart-wrenching story actually encourage the roses-chocolates-teddies-candles-waltz extravaganza we indulge into every year on this very day? Shouldn't it rather be a day when we remember all those fated lovers who struggled all their life to be together and either died in the process or achieved success only when they were too tired to relish it? Shouldn't we thank God on this very day for being lucky enough to be with our love so easily? Shouldn't we be thankful that the ones we fell in love with loved us back? Shouldn't we be thankful that we were allowed by the rest of the world to fall in love? Shouldn't we be thankful that our dreams came true when we were young enough to feel the ecstasy it brought forth? And shouldn't we shed a tear or two for those who didn't turn out to be as lucky as we were? This deprived set is a lot bigger than we think- the in-numerous number of people who fall in love with people of same sex, married people, people from different castes, religions, race, creed, country? In short, the ones whose love stories don't have a certain ending like that of ours. Don't these less fortunate ones deserve a little more than our sarcastic comments or judgmental glances?
          So, this Valentines' Day, walk up to the person you made fun of the other day- be it a beggar who claimed to be a millionaire before his wife died and his daughter-in-law threw him out, a friend with a forbidden love life or the daughter of the domestic help who had a love child. One kind word costs nothing. One hug would leave you warmer and lighter. One prayer won't bite into your quota of happiness. You make someone's day, their smile and blessings would make yours automatically. Because happiness is a privilege and this is the only way of thanking the superior power for blessing you with a bunch of it.
                                                                                        The pictures are the leftovers from the Look Book-2013 of Howrah Bridge that created quite a stir on the social media. I don't look conventionally pretty, thanks to the oiled hair, no makeup, acne, blackheads and the sun but some pictures are all about their nostalgic value. Besides, looking pretty was never a part of the checklist. Remember the blog introduction?

Palazzo-B.K.Market, white shirt-New Market,hat and ring-borrowed from Anu,bow tie and jacket-Howrah Bridge
Styling, picture and location courtesy- Anu