Postcards From J

I love discovering. A quaint store, an underrated food joint, local markets, a tree-lined lane (increasingly, a rarity in Bombay), second-hand books, quirky merchandise, a cool bargain, picture postcards (finding a nice one in Mumbai is an achievement) and just about anything. It's my curiosity that eggs me on to do these things. A local market in Goa While nothing beats an actual shopping trip and stumbling upon the unusual, of late I've been checking out a lot of e-commerce portals. A LOT. And it's interesting, too, to see how the Indian online shopping scene has exploded.  Flipkart made it fashionable, I guess. And then you had everyone from SnapDeal, Fashion&You, 99Labels and a host of others selling everything and anything. I used to wait eagerly for their newsletters to see what deal(s) I could score, especially watches from fancy brands. I wasn't completely on board though. For most of the time, I was happy being a win...

With the Feast of the Epiphany last Sunday, the Christmas season is over. The Feast marks the visit of the Magi (also referred to as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings) who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for Baby Jesus. Speaking of gifts, I've never grown up with the concept of "gifts" for Christmas. Except for having a new dress stitched for the festival, we pretty much didn't really receive any presents. Guess it was always a western thing. Much like having a (plastic) Christmas tree. However, in the last few years, my brother and I have bought presents for the children in the family. Mostly for younger cousins during Christmas. While it's fun to give and receive them, we always make sure they aren't extravagant. And that we remember it's the thought that counts. Cliched, I know. But very relevant. Personally, I prefer buying books and educational toys for children. I never buy clothes for anyone else. This time around, I was very su...

... are wished for you and your loved ones. Thank you for being a part of my blog and for sharing my journey, dear readers. Happy Christmas! Our li'l Christmas tree