Adulting with Adult Acne

I try and think back to a time when I had clear baby skin. Smooth and supple. Without the cruel mark-ations left by years of Acne’s war against my skin. Since I grew up in a pre-smart phone generation, I don’t have many pictures to ponder and admire my pre-pimple life. Life. Yes. Having acne changes you as a person. It affects every aspect of your being. Your personal and professional life. You become more self-conscious and your confidence will hit an all-time low. You will get tired of people asking questions about why you have pimples. Ha, as if you the answer to that question. And you will get more tired of people offering unsolicited advices especially the garelu nuske.

After 16 years of continuous struggle with acne, I can proudly say that I have tried everything under the sun. So, I will start chronologically because aap chronology samajeye. Pimples are natural at the time of puberty and its very natural to treat them as naturally as possible at this stage. So, that’s where the first mistake was made. Every skin issue is different and can arise from various reasons. It is very important to take a dermatological opinion before irritating the hell out of your skin with neem ke patte. I had a lot of Safi and way lot of fullers' earth (multani mitti), masoor daal, neem (of course) face packs. The result of all this you ask? Well, let me just say that people who did not know my name in college conveniently addressed me as the-thin-girl-with-a-lot-of-pimples-on-her-face.

After college I shifted to Mumbai and my skin just couldn’t behave itself. I had a really bad spout of not just pimples now but open pores, blackheads, shiny oily skin and oh nasty painful oozing pustules. And not only on my face but back (bye-bye deep necks) and chest too. I had trouble sleeping because ouch these shitty things hurt like hell. I had trouble looking in the mirror. I had trouble clicking pictures (and I love taking pictures). I had trouble meeting new people. I had trouble taking baths because no matter how careful I was, one or two pimples always got burst. Meanwhile I went a little cray cray doing all sorts of self-medications like baking soda, toothpaste etc etc. Since my skin was oily, I though keeping it dry would simply just cure everything. It was only recently I came to know that over drying leads to more oil production and hence more pimply babies. Shucks. I generally slept in these concoctions and would naively believe I will wake up with clean and clear skin.

Me. Every-night back then

At this point of time I also took all advices given to me very seriously. So, when someone suggested to apply my saliva just after waking up till it dries, I did it. When an aunty randomly stopped me in a supermarket and told me to wash my face with a mixture of dried orange peel and nigella seeds – I quickly called up with parents and told them to do the needful. They kept this concoction ready in bottles for me to take back (Just remembered, I still have a few left :D). 

When situation became out of control – and by this, I mean less face and more pimples, I finally decided to see a doctor. Why the delay you ask? Because somehow with everyone around me saying “it gets better with age” - I started to believe this blatant lie too. May I add - I was well around my mid-twenties by this time. The doctor immediately put me on oral retinoid treatment. I was skeptical considering the side-effects but decided to go for it, nevertheless. Apart from the obvious side-effects (duly informed by the doctor) the medications made my skin super-duper sensitive. I was supposed to cover myself completely in the sun or else I would look like a tomato. Plus, my skin would literally peel so no waxing for like 6 months or so. Which when I think back was good only – try going to a parlor with pimples on your face and you will understand what I mean. Aap yeh karva lo clear ho jayega, aap wo khareed lo sab sahi ho jayega. Anyways, the medication did work, my skin cleared up and bought a smile to my face. Now people were all like “Wow, where are the pimples?” 

The in-progress picture

Oops celebrated too soon. Acne was back and with vengeance. It was also around the same time I noticed a lot of hair growth on my face. Now whether a side-effect of medicines or hormonal issues who knows. Just what I needed - as if pimples were not enough. Phew. This time I took the approach of internal healing. After-all what goes inside your body will reflect outside. So stopped salty, oily food. Cut-out dairy. Lots of water, salads, detox waters and the face packs were back too. Thankfully this time, there were a lot of editing tools available to hide the imperfections. My darling friend, the cool gal S (previously mentioned here) helped and still helps me choose the best pictures for uploading. All I have to do is send a bunch of pictures and she replies with the best one – editing at proper places. Not just removing marks and blemishes but if required she adds up a dash of lipstick or blush as well (attaching exhibits of her talent below). 

Uneven skin tone? No Problem

Pimple se No-Pimple

The dietary restrictions failed to show up any results, and with my shaadi less than a year ahead - it was time for a new doctor. This one was more into cosmetic procedures. No eating medicines but a lot of expensive Micellar waters, Antirougeurs cremes and so on. She also suggested laser treatment and chemical peels and I (desperate for results) and with my never-say-never attitude went for it. So, I undertook these laser treatment sittings which pricked my skin and pinched my pockets. Laser was still better but Chemical peel was extremely painful, and I could only tolerate one. Result as expected was good and I was pimple free on my D-Day. Although on my reception day, the makeup girl did remark “aap toh bahut hairy ho” while applying base-crème to my face, with my sister-in-law sitting right next to me.

But like all good things, my clear skin days did come to an end.

Next bout of acne was all over my jawline and chin which indicated hormonal issues. This time it was gynecologist visits which opened another can of worms. Cut to this day – the struggle continues. Now pimples don’t surprise or disappoint me. I have accepted them as a part of my life and face. I also don’t give much though before uploading pictures now. Ain’t no pimple gonna hurt anyone. Though over the years I now have some knowledge about what works for my skin and what doesn’t. I do basic cleansing, cleaning and hope for the best. My bouts somehow also match timings with important events like marriages, vacations, people visiting etc. Thankfully we now have makeup products specifically for sensitive acne prone skin, so that helps. People however continue to ask why I have pimples and even after 16 years I have no answers.

Le Sigh. 

Love:
Sepo

Guest Post - Finding love in a big city

The best thing about blogging for so many years is that you get to meet and develop strong bonding relationship with other fellow bloggers. A relation so good that you can ask them to write a blogspot for you and they do so without batting an eyelash. I am lucky to have one such fantastic friend, also known as Vishal Bheero. Vishal has composed a beautiful post about his romance with the city of dreams ~ Mumbai. Read on to know more about it....

Settling in a big city comes with its own perks and can be cumbersome as well as tiring the time we take to finally zero in. On one hand, we strive to be accepted and defined in the big city we longed to go and make dreams happen that gives us an identity and on the other hand, there is the struggling period where we try to make things work for us.

The whole process can take a toll on our lives as it comes as a culture shock. We long for love and having a partner, say in a place, like Mumbai where everything comes unlimited. It’s a city that has always fascinated me where I found love. I had a love-hate-love relationship with Mumbai that embraced me. It’s tough to make things work for us with tiring travel in locals, jostling among the crowd to get down and hunt for an apartment within the budget.

How do one finds love in Mumbai, a city that throws limitless sea of opportunity and kick us in the bum, at times? It’s a question that plagues me. Love is like sea and water, totally free and scarce at the same time. The truth is that we need a shoulder to rely on and someone we can share our life with, laughing at mundane matters, kissing or getting intimate. You would argue that it’s a very selfish outlook at life.

Life is how we paint it: Choosing to play the victim or harnessing something beautiful to make our tale of big city something we will always remember. Love is one aspect of life where we spend lovely moments together, watching movies, traveling in cabs or local trains and enjoying the sea breeze at Chowpatty or Bandra Bandstand.

It’s a very tricky question, to find love in a big city and I don’t mean wearing blinkers to spot the hottest babe or hunk in town. It’s love, it will happen, some will argue. It can happen in the coffee shop at Barrista, Starbucks or CCD. What better way to bond with someone over coffee and getting to know each other before you hit it off!! I think it’s something that works. You can bond over movies, literature, dance or arts. Sometimes, you spot someone and the bells in your heart signal that he or she is the one you would love to share memorable moments with. I always trust my instinct and saw some interesting people at Church-gate and Fort. Nothing happened since I didn’t take the plunge in striking a conversation. I feel that you should take chance for we can never know.

I found love in Mumbai quite strangely at the library where I was studying. Saw her beautifully dressed in black Salwar and there was something about her. It was just that!! How we hit it off together is just another story!! I am not spilling the beans. Having tea together at the tapdi, sitting together to study or walking all the way from Church-gate to Colaba, I knew she was the one. She became a huge pillar of support for me and love grew. I don’t think that I can ever love someone the way I did. It’s was weird and mysterious. But, it wasn’t meant to be.

It was my tale of finding love in a big city and she would always complete me as a person. So, the trick dudes and dudettes, is don’t freak out when you move to a big city. Love will happen to you. Star with casual dating and hanging at the cafe, college campus or wherever it pleases you-watching the sunrise or sunset at Marine Drive, any takers! I just love the place for it flirts with romance.

Enjoy every single moment in the big city for you can never know when things will come to an end and longing for that time to come back again. Like love, it doesn’t! Create new memories with new people and the only thing that remains is love.

Hope you all liked the post, thanks a ton to Vishal!

Upheaval by the Inflation

According to a latest update, people are seen to be crying their eyes out while cutting onions. And it is not just because of the Sulfenic acid. The price of onions is apparently what is driving the middle class to tears. While the onions, tomatoes and pulses keep fluctuating and getting normal, what we as a user fail to notice sometimes is the gradual increase in costs. Household articles, groceries, public transport etc. is way more expensive than what it was few years back. The thing is we get so engrossed in our everyday day lives that we forget to sit back and see the happenings around us. Moreover the concept of super market shopping deters us to actually check the price of the stuff we blindly toss into our shopping baskets.

Picture Courtesy - blog.doctoroz.com

I had a revelation recently when while ordering Aashirwaad aata from my local vendor on phone. I asked him to quickly send across Rs 35 wala 1 KG bag of aata, he quickly corrected me to say its for Rs 46 and not 35! I actually started caring about these things when I first started cooking and buying my own groceries (roughly some four years back). At the very start the aashirwaad aata was probably costing Rs 35 and the same cost is somehow just truck on my mind. Blame the supermarket shopping for this! While I waiting for the Bhaiya to bring over my aata I did a quick recap of the things whose prices have rose right in front of my eyes. A few examples from the formulated list is presented for your analysis below.

SNo	Item	Before Price (2011)	After Price (2015)	Percentage increase
1	Auto Meter (Mumbai)	Rs 12	Rs 18	50%
2	Aashirwaad	Rs 35	Rs 46	31.42%
3	Amul Butter	Rs 24	Rs 32	33.33%
4	Amul Cow Milk	Rs 15	Rs 22	46.66%
5	Mutton	Rs 260	Rs 440	69.23%

These are just a few of the things I remembered and the numbers are definitely scary. Inflation is fine as long as our salaries also increase with the same percentage and curve. Sadly in most of the jobs it is not the case. So we the mango people continue to bear the brunt of the huge hole in our pocket after the 5^th of every month. And this is only considering the fact that you really only on home cooked simple meals. God save you if you are fond of eating or drinking out. Not only will the food and drinks be overpriced (A drink like Old Monk will also be sold at two times its price which by the way is Rs 100) the additional cost of VAT and service tax will increase your bill amount by atleast 30%, if not more!

Picture Coutesy - www.telegraph.co.uk

 I salute people with families, children, their education, clothes, food, bills… the list is endless. Just like our expenses and woes.

 *Long Sigh*

Love:

Sepo

The Inverse Relationship Between Salary and Expenditures

Come 25th of every month and you will find me cribbing and crying over the money I spent. The absence of money in my account makes me take my most financially sound decisions ever. Like last month I invested in a fixed deposit. What’s all the more depressing about the end of month period is that I get most of my bills during this time – the phone, internet and the most dreaded one- credit card bill. Now I am a credit card apprentice, it only been like a month or two. I still haven’t got a hang of using it. I flick it out at any opportunity only if it is just to pay for my overpriced coffee.
With the multiple digit bill playing a havoc on my mind and no money left to invest or shop. I am left with no other option other than to write about it.


The tragedy is that all my interests and hobbies are somehow associated with spending money. The guy who said “best things in life are free” was probably kidding himself. Or like Blair Waldorf once said, the person who said “Money can’t buy happiness didn’t know where to shop”. I am obsessed with shopping. Clothes, shoes, accessories, groceries you name it and I will buy it. Plus eating out is another activity I love. Trying out new cuisines at expensive restaurants on weekends seems like a perfectly harmless expense after a tiring week at office. My new found love affair with gourmet cooking means more shopping for expensive ingredients. And don’t get me started on the online shopping websites. While browsing Facebook the ads on the right hand side somehow force me to click on them. The harmless browsing somehow results in love for a fabulous piece of clothing. Your resolve for not buying it and closing the window doesn’t help because after this the ad think you loved will magically start popping up in every website you visit. The only available solution is to buy that shit and get it over with.


Book shopping for my Kindle is another pinch to the pocket. Now any sane person would know that reading a book takes on an average around 2 to 3 weeks of time (considering the fact that you only get to read a few chapters every night before sleep). So ordering them one by one every month sounds a good decision rather than buying all 5 together. Well, who will make me understand that! Knowing all this I will probably repeat the same thing next time as well. All these expenses however come back later to bite me in the arse later.


Trust me to also turn a simple activity like writing into a money spending spree. I suffer from a condition where by I just cannot write in the four walls of my home. My creatively is at peak in some nice café with soft music and strong coffee (Yes, the overpriced one). So most of my writings and posts are written from the air conditioned premises of this pretty little café I have managed to nail down in my vicinity. I take about 4 to 5 hours for a fully accomplishes piece of writing together with research/pictures and stuff. In order to keep the waiter away from forcing the menu card and giving me askance glances, I have to keep ordering coffee and appetizer tit-bits. So on an average lets day I write about say 8 articles per month, you do the math of how much this writing jig costs me!

Though a bit on an over spender scale none of the guilty pleasures described above are in any way illegal or overtly crazy. What I mean is that it’s not like I am indulging in gambling or investing in risky dealings. Still my spending and expenditure kicks the arse of my earnings. The major blame for this undoubtedly has to be the mind boggling inflation. From vegetables to apparels the rates sometimes give my head a spin. Simple things like a chewing gum which used to cost 50 paise during my childhood days is now for Rs 5. The cute little girl from utterly butterly delicious Amul has not changed but the price sure has hiked from Rs 14 to Rs 36. Alphonso mango is sold at Rs 50 per piece, I repeat PER PIECE here in Mumbai. Starting cost of simplest of the clothes on an average is Rs 1000. The cost of a cup of coffee is Starbucks or barista is enough for an entire month of coffee supply for your home. The rent you have to pay every month burns a huge hole in your pocket. Unless you take home a very fat cheque the chances are you are as disturbed as me.


Sometimes I feel one job is definitely not enough for survival. And I am strictly talking about survival not a lavish lifestyle. For lavish lifestyle you either have to find one of those fat pay-cheque jobs or doing multiple jobs or if you have a strong luck then maybe try for a lottery.


Love
Sepo

Of Meddlers and Nose Pokers

I really don’t understand what makes some people so interested in others’ affairs and activities. They leave no stone unturned to dig dirt, scheme and finally blabber what they know to who so ever will listen. Being a private person I like to keep my life a private affair and the presence of such meddlers irritates the hell out of me. Sometimes I just think on what drives these people into such extreme levels of interference. Is it boredom? Insecurity? Dearth of things-to-do? Guilty pleasure? Or maybe there lives are so boring that they find others’ more interesting.

The thing is some of these people hardly know where to draw the line. Ok, so I understand your desperate need to know stuff but must you just go on and on? Asking uncomfortable questions or at times giving unsolicited advice. I once lived with a girl who had a nose bigger than Cyrano de Bergerac (not literally). She just wanted to know everything – the first day she came, I was just done having talked with my friend and the first thing she says to me is, “your boyfriend?” I was like Oh-My-God, who the hell are you, my mom? And it did not stop there, she wanted to know the DOBs of all my family members and explain to me the importance of getting married at 25. A little cough or cold would result in her explaining me the Ayurvedic and antiseptic properties of turmeric. The girl did not even let me snot in peace.

Take the example of the much talked about AIB roast. Just about everyone has an opinion about it. Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan thinks it’s highly inappropriate even though he has not seen it. His movie Delly Belly full of expletives and double meaning songs is apparently very appropriate. Talk about double standards and hipocracy!

Photo Courtesy - pinterest.com

Then there are people who compliment you. They seem genuine at first, but slowly their ulterior motive comes into picture. After the customary compliment they will dig deep around the outfit with questions like “where did you get it from?”, “how much did it cost?” Now call me a prude but I just hate this kind of intrusion. You like my dress, I get it. But where I got it from is none of your business and it is under no circumstances ok to ask me the cost. I would practically gag before asking someone the price of their clothes or accessories. And the lecture on overspending is again totally uncalled for. Include in it the inability to understand the quirky fashion sense and cracking of lame jokes at its expense. Like calling the awesome evergreen high waist pants as maternity pants. The very in-season pleated skirt as childhood frock and dismissing the funky jewellery pieces as absurd. I know everyone is entitled to an opinion but knowing when to shut up I feel is the ultimate sign of being wise.

I am also amazed at this another category of people – the ones who are a mixture of gossip mongers plus snoopers. They are an expert at twisting the information they know, spreading it like wild fire around them and not caring a bit about the consequences it has on the people involved.Such people usually have a very orthodox thinking and mind you they can be found everywhere. Small town, big town does not matter. If they see you with a person of opposite sex, they will garner all sorts of rubbish in their minds. They will add more spice into the story and start the character assassination. But the thing that bothers me the most is the behaviour they display in front of you. They don’t say what they know directly, instead they give you a look which says they know it all. They whisper things in their comrades’ ears and laugh their hearts out thinking people are oblivious to their stupid private jokes. Little do they realize that it jeopardizes the simple harmless totally unromantic relationship between two individuals. It’s the presence of such people that make it difficult for guys and girls to be friends. And that’s also the reason why I sometimes crave for a gay guy friend. Who I can have fun without bothering about any bullshit people talk about.

There are all these people and then there is Kamal Khan! Have you guys ever had a chance to read his tweets? They are hilarious. Period. But they also signify a streak of something. I really don’t know how to point a finger at it or what to call it, maybe immaturity but it’s eloquent. We all have self-esteem, his happens to be twice the distance from earth to moon. But sadly for him the measure of his stupidity is four times more. I am ok with the fact that he considers himself to be so awesome, we all can put up with delusions. But his overtly derogatory remarks about others is totally unacceptable especially since he himself is such a loser.

Photo Courtesy - bollywoodlife.com

 Finally I want to understand why there is a ban on the documentary of Nirbhaya. We all know what happened, we all have read about the contents of the video on various news feeds. What is the point of banning something that raises awareness? And why is Mr PM not intervening, he talks about making India a powerful nation. Is this a powerful nation? Which cannot handle a documentary that is based on nothing but the truth.

Knowing the fact that even after indulging in such a grueling crime the rapist has no regret what so ever makes us girls even more cautious. Now we know that there are some men out there who are even worse than animals.

P.S I just re read the post and I guess I am just going through the phase where you hate everyone around you. That is the only reason I can have to pick a bone with so many people. And on a different note – how awesome is team India performing in the world cup. So Cool

Love:
Sepo

Vada-Pav: The Poor Man's Burger

Mumbai is synonymous with Vada Pav. Its importance here is less as a snack and more like a delicacy. People here swear by the Vada Pav. It is easily available in every nook and corner of the city. It is not an unusual site to spot people parking their Mercedes and BMWs to enjoy Vada Pav's and chai on the roadside stall. It is poor man’s paradise as well. Priced at a meagre 6 rupees, it is an easily affordable meal for the hand to mouth people.

 I had heard a lot about Vada Pav via TV, friends, movies etc before coming to Mumbai. So I was really excited about trying Vada Pav when I first came to Mumbai. And then one fine day I tasted it. I know a lot of people will hate me for this but I did not find anything special about the Vada Pav. I mean I am definitely not saying it was bad but yea I have had better things. So this whole hullabaloo about the Vada Pav seems a tad bit overrated to me.

I have seen people crave and die for Vada Pav and the whole madness just escapes me. I mean isn’t it just potato in the bread? Maybe this is something I will never manage to understand. Meanwhile day by day I cross paths with at least one person who is mad over Vada Pav’s. Someone who can eat one Vada Pav for breakfast and two each for lunch and dinner. Continuously day by day! Sheer madness I tell you...!

I dedicate this post to all the Vada Pav fans out there!

Served Hot From Mumbai..

Was going through some old pictures, when I spotted these beauties. Mumbai is at its best during the rains. Don't believe me? See for yourself...

 Sheer visual pleasure, right? 

Diwali 2011

A very bright, colourful and festive greetings to you all!
Diwali is such a bright (and noisy!) festival. The lights, the beautifully colored flowers and sweets and ofcourse brightly dressed people!

The crowed markets, the long queues and longer traffic jams, all remind us that it is that part of the year again. This year like every other year I made a rangoli , however unlike other years, this year I am hugely disappointed in myself! But I could not refrain myself from adding a pic of it in my blog like every year. You can pretend to like it and appreciate it via comments, to make me feel better you know!!

The picture has been cropped so that it looks presentable, atleast!

Anyhow, moving ahead, wish you all a very very happy diwali. May it bring you a lot of success, happiness and prosperity!!
God bless.

Lots of love
SEPO