Shopping

Wedding Sales

Is there special discounts for people who shop for weddings? Something like a end-of-season sale or a stock-clearance sale? With five weddings to my witness (all my cousins mysteriously decided to get married in quick annual succession), I can safely vouch that an immense load of things (necessary and not) are bought. Also, the bride-to-be's favorite part of her wedding is the shopping.

In a Big Fat Bengali wedding, you will end up shopping for some really random but obvious stuff. The respective families buy an absolute array of items for each other. Cosmetics. Clothes. Underwear (!) Toiletries. Wrist watches. Crockery. Travel bags to fit all of that in.

Honestly, the shopping really isn't half as exciting as they claim. Take for example, shopping for clothes for the bride and groom and both the families. One for the mother-in-law. One for the father-in-law. One for the auntie who is the father-in-law's sister. One for the auntie who is the mother-in-law's sister. One for the uncle who is the father-in-law's brother and another who is the mother-in-law's brother. And you're in a real soup if there happen to be multiple brothers and sisters. 

I'm not even going into the picking and choosing. Let's just say, I've spent more than enough fruitless ventures into innumerable malls, shops and kiosks to know better.

Yet I fail to grasp this strange obsession of brides-to-be with shopping. You'd think they have taken the "shop till you drop" motto too seriously. Countless hours of bickering, hankering, sweating, walking and a good few blisters later, the smiles of glee on the shoppers' faces can easily compare with the smile of a fat kid about to jump into a huge slice of mud pie cake. Well, at least there have been other (worse) times I've lost my faith on humanity.

50 Questions: Fifty Shades of Grey

I do not enjoy pain. Obviously, I hated the book. But it did cause me to ask these questions, in no particular order:

1. How many times was the word "flush" used in the book? 
2. Why does Anastasia "blush" and "flush" so much? 
3. How is it possible that at twenty one years of age, she didn't have a single relationship?
4. How did Christian become so wealthy?
5. How can anyone be sexually attracted to another person on the first meeting?
6. Why is Ana always scared?
7. Why is Ana always whimpering?
8. Why is Ana so helpless?
9. Why doesn't Ana not protest even after realizing that Christian is using sex as a weapon to blur her senses?
10. Why is it that she had to be a virgin?
11. What purpose does her alcohol intolerance serve?
12. Why would Ana's reading of many British classics cause her to set high standards for potential boyfriends?
13. If Christian is a super-busy CEO who doesn't have time for interviews, how does he continually visit (and subsequently, bed) Ana?
14. What does Christian do anyway?
15. How can anyone base an entire relationship on having sex?
16. Why does Ana let hormones rule her reason?
17. If one does not feel comfortable, why can she not say it with conviction?
18. Why is Ana forever "scared" in Christian's presence?
19. How did this book become a bestseller?
20. Why are Ana and Christian always f**king?
21. Do Ana and Christian ever talk about anything other than sex?
22. Does Christian only want Ana's body?
23. Even if Ana falls in love with Christian, why can't she get over him?
24. Why is Ana so impractical?
25. Why does Christian view women as objects?
26. Why does Ana believe Christian when he calls her "brave", because she didn't cry when he spanked her?
27. As someone so inexperienced as Ana, how do such passionate sexual thoughts awake in her?
28. Why does she not admit that she likes Christian?
29. What is the Inner Goddess and "subconscious" crisis?
30. Why is Ana so typical?
31. Why is Christian still chasing Ana to make her his sex-slave, even after she refuses him?
32. Why does it not creep Ana out that Christian is into BDSM?
33. Is it always that ease to climax?
34. Why is it mandatory for Ana to have beautiful skin?
35. Why does Ana take orders from a complete stranger?
36. Why is there nothing in the book apart from sex?
37. Is it advisable to step into a relationship if one is unsure?
38. Does Ana like being at the receiving end?
39. Why does she want to let Christian mold her into something she's not?
40. Why is sex so important?
41. What was so bad about Jose as a boyfriend?
42. How can Ana let Christian boss her around with clothes and food and cars and even her own lip?
43. Why should it be so gratifying to know that a man craves your body, and your body only?
44. How can Ana allow Christian to take her, whether she wants it or not?
45. How can anyone like to be taken advantage of?
46. Is E. L. James into BDSM?
47. Being a woman herself, how can E. L. James portray her leading lady in such a succumbing, vulnerable pushover?
48. Why are all the subsidiary characters flat types?
49. Does Ana have any other shade than a mewling whimpering wuss?
50. Where are the rest of the shades of Christian Grey?

I'll end this post by saying that, Fifty Shades of Grey may be a bestseller, but it surely is, and will be the worst book I've ever had the misfortune to read. Peace out.