Sole Love
Growing up as a small town girl, big city life and high-end fashion trends shown on the big screen never ceased to fascinate me. When Sex And The City hit the theatres in my country, and Carrie Bradshaw and her Manolo Blahniks became an overnight rage, every girl’s dreams included owning at least one pair of the iconic shoes. For me, it was a distant dream, but one that was never far away from my thoughts.
When I started working, my lofty dreams of spending a fortune on a pair of shoes (no matter how dreamy) went out the window, as I put away my hard earned savings for a better future.
Some years back, I met, fell in love with, and married my husband. He, like me, had resisted the urge to splurge on ‘feel good’ toys, putting away his pennies for a rainy day. Imagine my utter surprise then, when a year into our marriage we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl; as I awoke from my groggy post-delivery state, my hubby presents me with a beautiful pair of Manolo Blahniks, in a tomato red hue, and a card that read: “On the most exhausting yet exciting day of our lives, here is a beautiful and unique gift which will be your constant companion for a lifetime, just as you are to me”. Truly, a sole mate to match my soulmate. Both are much loved, always help me walk with poise and confidence, are the envy of all, and will stay with me for a lifetime.
CONGRATULATIONS, IDALINA MARIA, ON YOUR WINNING ENTRY! WE WILL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU SHORTLY.
Successful scion
The article on Ranbir Kapoor (The Son Rises, Jul 12) made for a pleasurable read. Over the past five years, films starring the actor are something to look forward to. His boy-next-door looks, easy charm, camera-friendly demeanour, ability to get into the skin of the character he plays, and flair for lifting plain vanilla characters and set them soaring high has made him the darling of the masses and the mandarins alike.
It is quite risky to experiment with offbeat films so early in an actor’s career. But the Kapoor scion has done it, and is successful in his endeavour to be different from the rest of the crop. He has come a long way from his Saawariya days.
From an aimless boy in Wake Up, Sid to the happy-go-lucky, commitment-phobic lad in his recently released Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, he has shown amazing maturity and has proven to be a full-on mass entertainer.
Parimal Edke, Abu Dhabi
The hard way
The article Fit as a Fiddle (Jul 12) was an inspiring read. Every successful person has an inspiring story behind it. On reading the article, I imagined all the hardships Grant Goes endured to gain his success. Life is not always a bed of roses, nor a bed of thorns. We have to be always optimistic and see the bright side, rather than looking at pitfalls and disappointments that may occur.
Success is not accessible unless and until we are ready to compete against all the hardships that come our way. Everyone should use the opportunities available to them, develop the willpower to face the hardships in their lives, and try their best to turn them into successes.
Mebin Varghese, by email
Women are from...
The Things We Can’t Admit to Ourselves (Jul 12) let many cats out of the bag, and how! While women have the unfair reputation of being chatterboxes and the inability to keep secrets, there’s actually more stuff in our lives that we keep shut about, than not.
Besides the ones mentioned in the article, here are a few more your mother, sister, wife, girlfriend or fem-ale best friend will never likely tell you... or herself! It’s not just a third child she regrets having — sometimes, she regrets having become a mother at all. Maternal fountain of love she may be, but there are times when every woman wishes she could turn back the clock on her reproductive choices and go back to her old, carefree life.
Then, another secret women will not admit, even over their dead bodies: that they don’t get men at all. Men famously complain that they cannot figure out the fairer sex, but the latter are as befuddled about the former, particularly over their indecisive behaviours. What else? We think we’re better at figuring out maps and directions than men (whether that’s true or not).
Hey, while we’re on the topic, how about an article on the things that men will never admit to?
Sandra Taylor, Dubai