While we may laugh and brush off FOMO, it can at times be a very real thing. With borders slowly opening up and travel pictures once again creeping into our timelines, I’m sure everyone is starting to have some serious wanderlust. You know what that means, it’s staycation time. Our group managed to do a quick mini-vacation to Puducherry to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Birthday girl Manchal Katari picked out the spot, a stunning villa in Auroville, with a close-to-nature feel. I’m talking fruit orchards, brick detailing and open to the sky showers. Needless to say, we had more than our fair share of pool time and even more time spent taking pictures. Isn’t that what true friendship is? A gal pal willing to go to great lengths to get that perfect shot for you. Thankfully, once we were out at our birthday lunch at La Villa, the staff happily obliged and got us our group pic. Our better halves heaved a collective sigh of relief.
Earlier in the week, and in good ol’ ‘Chen Chen’ The Folly at Amethyst was the place to be. It was ‘pop up’ central with something new for every day of the week. And I mean that literally. We loved ‘Beyond Sustainable’ by Elemental Stories, fairly self-explanatory, with everything from fashion and home décor to beauty and skincare. Studio Rigu was super popular, and the ladies were queuing up for their slinky ombré kaftans. Shweta Mahtani, showed us around, telling us about her passion project and how she’s converting one person at a time, in the sustainable movement. Next up was the latest edition of the Lime Soda pop-up, who, by the way, are celebrating their fifth anniversary. We saw the usual focus on homegrown brands along with quite a few handmade elements. Everyone’s favourite was ‘Oh Scrap’, famous for their upcycled products.
Winding up the week was the launch of Toneez Wellness at Nanganallur attended by the city’s health and fitness conscious. We saw quite a few slim-fit tees and toned biceps, inspiration indeed, for us to take those next steps in our fitness journey.