1st Birthday Series: Beautification

With a party on the horizon and two women at home (wife and daughter of mine!), it is but natural that the personal preparations started as early as all the other preparations for the 'Day'.

It was a matter of discussion ever since Jenny was born about when her ears should be pierced.  Call me a 'softee' but I was totally against the idea of 'piercing my daughters body' (even if it just for an ear ring) and would have preferred to get it done when she was old enough to want it.  However, the experts (on the internet!!!) are of the opinion that the earlier the ears get pierced, the better, as the young kid would hardly realise that anything happened.  

So, I kept postponing this matter and finally agreed telling that when Jenny's grandparents would come, they could all go together (without me) and get it done.  But somehow, all this changed with the advent of the birthday.  How could we invite dozens of guests for Jenny's party and have her not 'dressed up'!  A woman needs to look her best at her own party!

Plans were made...the official family photographer was summoned (my sister!) and we went to the new Joy Alukkas centre on MG Road.  The place is really something else...the area is vast...the treatment is courteous...and the glitter and glimmer is intoxicating.  We told what we were there for, and they took us to a different floor so that it would be calmer when 'the deed needed to be done'.

There is a reason why I don't like going to jewellery stores.  I mean, at the end it is gold...how different does one ring look from another and so on...I like to keep it simple: decide on a budget, decide what to buy and get the first thing that satisfies the said criteria.  As simple as that.  However, when one accompanies women and if it is for an occasion and not just simple shopping (as if buying gold is ever simple!), things reach a whole new level.  Sales people are nicer...selection is bigger...and confusion increases!  They had the cutest studs available, in perfect sizes for Jenny which perfectly fitted out budget.  But things are never this simple.  Turns out, these are studs for noses and are charged per piece!  

Well, finally we found a pair that looked really nice (had to stretch our budget a bit, but what the heck!).  Now came the part where I intended to leave Jenny in the capable hands of her mother and aunt.  Which father can bear the sight of tears on his first born daughter's face?  Again, I was proven wrong.  Apparently, it is better if the father held the daughter as he had the firmer grip.  Yeah, right.  To cut a long story short: ears were marked and pierced (gun shot)...baby cried briefly (very briefly)...and dad ended up drenched in sweat in such a manner that people thought Jenny had relieved herself!!!  The day ended with a very satisfying dinner at Samarkhand.

Step 2 in the beautification process is the hairdo.  Jenny's was easy...wife took her to the beauty parlour and got the hair trimmed.  Regular readers might remember my previous post about how Jenny is cursed to have her father's hair.  So, as of now, nothing much can be done there.  But wife also has been wanting a change in style for sometime.  After hearing the recommendations of my colleague, we got her an appointment at Bounce.  Wife went for haircut...daughter and I bonded, while treading the footpaths in front of UB City and making Jenny play with the fountains.  Wife got her haircut...was not sure if she liked it or not since it was different from the earlier 'Kerala cuts', but I liked it (that's what matters, right?).  Again, the evening ended with a pleasant take out dinner at Plantain Leaf (we like eating out and keep finding excuses to do so!).

That more or less covers the beautification part.  The next part would be about getting Jenny the right dress.