Random in tandem?

Everyone has experienced that sense of déjà vu at some point or the other. But this?

Have you ever wondered how things fall into place, even the most random of things? When seemingly dissimilar things begin to display a pattern of some sort, in an intra-sectoral way! If you’re confused, don’t worry, I too thought I was when I first started this train of thought.

Well, it all began when I started noticing patterns to certain things – I pick a random instance and every time I looked at the watch on my phone, it showed a symmetrical element, whether it’s 13.13 or 20.02 or 09.09. I have checked this over several time bands across the day and one just can’t escape the symmetry. And it’s not like it happens everyday, it happens across a certain stretch of days – I sure haven’t calculated the time interval between days when it occurs and when it doesn’t and all the possible hypothesis regarding its correlation with various factors…c’mon, lets get real, if I were to start evaluating whether it coincides with the movements of the moon, I’d probably go loco….I simply ascribe it to being a random occurrence.

And then there’s the entire concept of it being a small world. Ok, here, I’ve tweaked the theory of six degrees of separation by swinging on a large dose of creative license. So, we all know what Malcolm Gladwell’s famous [and probably patented too!] theory is, so let’s call this the six degrees of connection – it’s funny how on whichever corner of the globe that one goes, you invariably find someone whom one either knows or someone who knows someone you know. I mean, how random is that or how coincidental is that? It’s similar to looking at the other side of the coin. I know it’s weird but it has happened to me and people I know. Sheer coincidence, I’d say with my rational thinking hat.

An interesting aspect of patterns in randomness can be attributed to a person’s psychological profile. What might seem as madness to one person might be a method to another. For e.g. this might seem complete gibberish to you, it strangely is making sense to me. And no, I’m not smoking anything.

En plus, what might suddenly become apparent as a pattern might just be a Johari window opening in one’s persona. For e.g. some years ago, I saw the movie Sisterhood of the travelling pants - 1 [SOTP]. Frankly, I don’t even remember the movie too well and my reaction to the movie would be at best a comme ça, comme si. The other day I was discussing my favourite TV shows with a friend and I listed Gossip Girl and Gilmore Girls as the top ones for me. My friend is so clueless about TV shows that I began wondering as to why I was having a discussion on it with her in the first place. So for her benefit, I began tracing back to their more famous erstwhile roles in order to explain who the leads were. And baam, it hit me. Both Blake Lively and Alexia Bedel [leads in the respective above 2 shows] were leads in the flick, SOTP. Strange coincidence, I think. Now that the Johari window was open on this, I made sure I watched Part 2 even if I had to stay awake on my late night flight to Singapore.

While I muse through lands of more gobbledygook ness and their possible liaisons, I must say that the only thing that is deliberate about this piece is my attempt to infuse a sprinkling of French, which I am dedicatedly learning now at the Alliance Française, Bangalore. And the only tangible thought remaining now is to wish everyone a Happy Easter and À votre Santé! Cheers to new beginnings and to each one thinking more laterally and creatively and ofcourse, managing to not go loco in the process. À bientôt until later.

Gifting Options Made Easy & Unique

Occasions to gift are now available all around the year unlike the hitherto customary practice of annual gifting that was typically restricted to only birthdays. Nowadays special days like Friendship Day, Women’s Day, Valentine’s day, Mother’s Day, etc have added a whole level of extra zing to our everyday lives. Add to that, the concept of gifting JLT or Just Like That and we have before us the dilemma of what to gift.

While we may have some of the answers to this some of the time, how do we ensure that we get it right for each of the myriad gifting options right through the year. There are ways to gift and there are ways to gift…. Most people tend to focus on a type of gift. Then go ahead and pick up a gift from that category. I do too, well most of the time! These gifts could be serious (books, watches, etc.) expensive (jewellery, sunglasses, etc.), outings (dinners, picnics, etc.), sweet (candles, chocolates, etc.), cute (stuffed toys, photos), plain (vouchers), trivia (earrings, clothes), silly (captioned tees) amongst others.

I believe that one occasion befits a unique and special way of gifting that goes beyond merely selecting a type of gift. The gift ought to clearly show the amount of thought and care that has gone behind it. I call these themes – they are basically ensembles of gifts, interwoven by a common thread – they are smart ways to dress up your gifts and make the occasion more memorable.

Here are 5 successful themes that are guaranteed to add a lot more excitement to your gifts. These are ideas for gifting that friends and I have used in the past or in turn have received. The birthday basket ideally contains a medley of gifts along with a master note that explains the theme and conveys the birthday wishes. I use the note in lieu of a formal [and sometimes boring] birthday card.

Hand-made: In keeping with the current trend of being anti-consumption and ecologically friendly, a friend of mine included one hand-made gift as part of the birthday gift basket she gave friends all year around, from glass painted bottles to homemade chutneys, from baked cookies to crocheted doilies, aromatic candles to beautifully decorated photo scrap books, etc. – Needless to say, we were all immensely touched by the enormity of the gesture.

Colours: Bringing together gifts in a kitty, linked by different colours is ideal to wish the person a truly colourful year ahead with all its resplendent glory. Ensure each gift is of a unique colour - choose colours of the rainbow or a family of colours. Blend those mauves, fuchsia and purples or experimenting with the summer splashes of yellow, white and orange or mix whatever are your friend’s favourite colours. Tag each gift with a note on what each colour signifies and special wish, and there’s many a hue added to an otherwise standard gift. Go the distance with even the small touches like ribbons and little cards in the same colours and you would have delighted your friend.

Pamper Hamper: This one is strictly dedicated to being pampered. There’s a whole world out there in the pamper segment – everything that’s guaranteed to make one come out feeling more beautiful, more confident and more loved. From spa packages to beauty treatments to weekend holidays to expensive cosmetics. One friend’s birthday pamper hamper had the following weird yet exotic assortment of gifts: A French manicure and an aromatic pedicure at a top beauty salon; a totally impractical yet completely wild layered knee-length skirt [never mind if she wore it only once, she zimply loved it!]; an aroma pack with candles, incense, oils, etc.; a low maintenance plant with the prettiest flowers; a DVD [chickflick naturally]; a pack of scented soaps; and chocolates from a premium chocolate boutique. Everything that you need for whatever the mood.

5 Senses: Amongst my favourite themes, here we celebrate each of the senses – smell, touch, taste, hearing and sight – and dedicate each gift(s) to each. A wicker basket that I recently put together was accompanied by a little poem and note on each of the 5 senses and was created by combining the following – touch [an outfit, a spa massage package]; smell [aromatic candle]; hearing [a home A/V of photos and videos ];sight [painted glass bottle, framed photo] and taste [cupcakes]. This works almost as a universal theme and a number of gifts can be categorized into any of the 5 senses.

Body, Mind & Soul: A step forward from the 5 senses theme is arrived by including gifts for the mind and soul. Books, board games, etc are examples to stimulate the mind while for the soul, anything that makes one more aware, more relaxed and more introspective. My set of gifts for the soul were a Chinese tea set, complete with colour co-ordinated table mats and a video/photo scrap book. Perfect, because I love drinking tea and my chai-time sessions, either solo or with friends/ family are very special – my time to de-stress. And the video, with messages from friends and family, all duly video graphed and beautifully edited, that it brings a tear to my eye and remains my never-failing upper whenever I feel low. Just right for the soul, u’know.

SO here they were – the famous 5 star themes. As you will realise, the idea is to think a concept and then link gifts using that same thread of thought. Happy gifting! Cheers!