Lloyd Summit 2016

The Lloyd Summit 2016 event with Blogadda was a great opportunity for women professionals, business women, entrepreneurs and those working in the corporate world to know that nothing is impossible for women. There were many sessions where I got to hear about many experiences from CEOs, Writers, Singers, Professionals, Comedians and people from different fields explaining how a woman is not less than a man when it comes to any field.

1. The Opening Chat with Apurva, Urjita and Bhawna made me aware of the issues and household problems when it comes to women writing about sex erotica novels and how they are frowned upon by their family members. Urjita and Bhawna gave their experiences when their family supported them and how there were 18 writers for their novel 18+ wherein the main focus was on sex humor and the stories about these 18 personalities coming together and making their book a combination of humor and boldness. These novels were also being sold at the event and Apurva and other writers were signing the book for the attendees.

2. The CXO Panel with Nipun, Shijini and Reena were quite open about the issues that women face in today's world. Shijini spoke about her inspiration when she saw women from Delhi working late nights and not fearing despite Delhi being an unsafe place while Reena said that her father wanted her to work and be independent as she needed to stand on her feet even after getting married. Nipun said that he introduced unisex machines to appeal to both genders and he also added his own experience where a customer was cheated with regards to the after sales service by a repairer. Reena sais that the meaning of beauty means celebrating oneself and Nykaa being a brand wherein women can easily access the app and also read articles about tips on enhancing their beauty.

3. The Dare to Be with Neeti and Sonam who came individually was more appealing due to the experiences that were shared by Sonam and Neeti who belong to the entertainment field. Sonam's session was pretty short and she showed us a video of her song while Neeti was fun to watch where she said that she has received assignments wherein the sponsors spoke about women empowerment but asked her about charging high fees. She also laughed at the fact that she was referred to as "Dear Sir" in written applications. I had a blast hearing her humorous experiences and how she faced the gender biased world when it comes to comedy.

4. The Future of Work with Sonali, Rega, Deepali and Neha was more informative wherein Deepali mentioned that one should consider their career not as a 100-meter race but as a marathon. She being an experienced advisor was more brief about women taking maternity leaves and being considered non-working after their delivery. She also says that women should spend the money to have maids and a driver so that they can concentrate on their work and it helps them in the long run. Rega talks about her training session where she allows her employees to learn on their own and guides them at times. It was interesting to hear these women entrepreneurs share their experience and talk about different working experiences.

5. The Fireside Chat with Venky was the most entertaining one where the host introduced him with cheers and he representing the KKR team made the crowd even more lively. He spoke about how Jai Mehta asked him to join the team and he became the CEO without having to give any interview. He also said that one should be honest and confront the people openly (as he spoke about how he had to inform Saurav Ganguly about the team change) instead of avoiding any confrontation. It was interesting to hear how he planned a strategy during the bidding sessions and the marketing team was managed by him to give the exposure to all the sponsors of KKR.

6. The Good Girls Show with Varun was entertaining where he spoke about his early childhood and school days where his friends had a different idea about children being born and how he was made to leave while the Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua song was played. He said that feminism is not about equality but about one gender oppressing the other and I completely agree with him on that as feminism these days is misunderstood.

7. The Lightening Pitches introduced 3 entrepreneurial women who were from different fields and they spoke about their websites they plan to launch soon and how they will be a tough competition to the already famous brands like Amazon and Flipkart.

Bollywood Then and Now

Whenever I watch Bollywood movies nowadays, I just cannot fail to compare the olden days to these days and here are some instances, wherein the fair comparison was established:

1. Mother and son bonding: We have seen so many movies where the son used to share a great bond of love and where we remember Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor in Deewaar fighting for the love of their mother.

Then we had movies like Karan Arjun where the twins Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan too was shown to be so in love with their mother and buy her bangles and dance with her.

Now we have Brothers and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo where each brother is born from a different mother. Imagine how tough it would be for these brothers to have a bond with their step mom. I can't even imagine as who is the legal child is a question with no answer.

With regards to the songs as well, we can see a huge difference:

Mothers used to sings songs like Bada Natkhat Hai Yeh, Krishan Kanhaiya as the son used to irritate the mothers a lot but in a mischievous manner.

Now, mothers sing Maa Da Laadla Bigad Gaya because the mothers aren't sure about their DIL or SIL.

2. Heroines Being Introduced: We used to often see heroines being introduced with a song where they used to express their desires, talk about their costumes and dance along the roads while reaching home. These songs can include "Hawa mein udta jaye, mera laal dupatta..." and "Sapne suhane ladakpan ke"


However, with times, girls have stopped having dupattas and the all they want to sing is "Chittiyan kalaiyan ve, ho meri chiitiyan kalaiyan ve" while in some movies, the heroine is introduced with short pants or skirts and seen smoking and drinking like Katrina Kaif in "Mere Brother ki Dulhan" singing "Dunki dhunki dhunki lage"



3.  Hero impressing the Heroine: Olden days, the hero used to stalk the heroines by singing songs like "Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra, Zulfon Ka Rang Sunhera...."

But nowdays, we have songs like "Ladki beautiful kar gayi Chull" and "Baby ko Bass Pasand Hai" where the boys feel that the girls will be impressed if they know their likings and talk about a beautiful making the boy Chull. Still don't get the meaning of the Chull word but anyways...

Earlier, the boys needed to impress the heroine with a set of flowers and by standing outside their windows to get the girl come running out of their homes and hug them.

While these days, girls are quite tough to impress and need the boy to go through agni-pariksha before falling for them. Example: In Sultan, Anuska was impressed with Sultan after he won a wrestling competition. Here it was still a wrestling competition while some times the boy needs to lie or disguise himself as another person to impress the girl. Example: In Tamasha, Ranbir hid his identity and in Rab Ne Banadi Jodi, Shahrukh Khan had to disguise himself (although he looked the same but Anushka couldn't recognize him). How tough it's become today for the heroes.

4. Love Triangles: These were common in olden times where we had one heroine and two heroes mostly like Sangam where both the heroes were in love with the heroine and she loved only one till the end.

Now, times have changed, preferences have changed and the girl who has two lovers also gets confused about whom to choose and whom not to. Like Student of the Year where Alia loves both the leads and in the end gets confused. She tries to impress her boyfriend by flirting with the second one but instead falls for the second one when her first one loves her and sings "Ishq wala love". Oh Gosh! I'm myself confused. BTW, what's the difference between Ishq and Love? Nevermind.

There are also other love triangles where the two leads struggle a lot for their love but in the end, the heroine is taken away by a third person. Example: Dostana where Bobby manages to get Priyanka and John and Abhishek are left to kiss each other...Just feel so bad for both of them.

5. Hero and Villain tashan scenes: Movies like Sholey are remembered for the great action sequences and the hero being a little comical by saying "Chakki pising pising and pising" and when Dharmendra gets into the angry mood, he says "Mein tera khoon pee jaunga"


Gone are the days where the hero used to think about drinking the bood of the villain. Nowdays, we have Dabbang where Salman is shown saying "Mein tum mein itne chedd kar dunga ki confuse ho jaoge ki saas kahan se le and ...." Oh my, really meanings also have changed.

6. Periodic and Historical movies: Movies like Devdas and Mughal-e-azam were remembered for their great war scenes, action sequences and love stories. The hero used to meet the heroine in hidden places that were away from the eyes of the public and their parents. Movies like Devdas showed the two heroines never meeting each other. The heroes were never seen dancing as well.


Now we have movies like Devdas and Bajirao Mastani where the two heroines not only meet each other but also dance to songs like Dola re Dola and Pinga ga pori pinga. It's quite cool, I must say. And then again we have Mohenjo Daro where the couple can meet anywhere without the fear of the public or her father. The heroes dance at Malhari and Mohen-jo-daro and their steps are way too modern. May be we don't know how modern and how fast they were in the BC era.

7. Horror and Suspense movies: Movies like Bees Saal Baad, Gumnaam, Woh Kaun Thi and songs like Kahi deep jale kahi dil and Gumnaam Hai Koi used to make horror movies seem way too scary and creepy. There were no graphics used then but the music used to give goose bumps where it was mainly a female walking in a white sari and holding a candle in her hand that was considered to be scary. I still don't get why white sari and a candle is considered scary and why did they consider females singing in a sad tone scary with the BG music as "aaa...aa....aaa."

Horror these days doesn't need a heroine walking with a white candle but we can see flies and animals taking their place. Like we have Khamoshiyan where a butterfly was shown to be possesed and Phoonk where the crow was the lead aka the horror element of the movie. No need of corpses when birds, insects and animals can be so scary.


8. Hero fighting with Villains: Earlier, the hero used to have a very tough time beating up the villains and they had to use all their body parts to defeat them. Climb on them, smash their heads, kick them and so on. If the villains have too many goons, the hero sheds his blood to fight them all.

Now why do we need the heroes doing all the hard work when technology is so advanced. In Dabanng and Rowdy Rathore, we can see that the hero just flies in the air and kicks almost 10-20 men in the air before he lands to the ground. His shirt just flies away and the villain starts trembling. This is super cool.

We don't even need villains these days where the heroes themselves do all the things needed by a villain. May it be Baazigar or Dhoom, the hero himself kills the good people and robs banks and then either dies in the end or redeems himself. Sometimes, viewers sympathize with the heroes as afterall they are the leads and look so handsome to be hated.

9. Love stories: The love stories in earlier days used to be emotional and sad most of the times and when we reached 1980s to 1990s, we had happy endings where the leads used to unite after fighting with their opposers, villains and parents. Movies were also named Daag: A Poem of Love and Ek Duuje Ke Liye. How romantic!


Now we have happy endings with movies but the stories are completely different. They mainly fight among themselves or not realizing they love each other and then finally unite. Parents permission is not even required as most movies don't even have the leads having any family. Example, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Jab We Met. Also, movies these days have different names like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. What has a toilet to do with a love story? May be they can show a love story with toilet paper rolls and the pot. Nobody knows.



So here I've listed the difference between the Bollywood then and now. You can also check the Seven Memorable On-Screen Brother Sister Jodis

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Goa - My Birthplace #WOW

Planning a trip 

I had never been to Goa until 2011 when I visited this beautiful state despite it being my birthplace. It was when me and my family were planning a trip and we had just 4 days that we could spend. I decided to visit Shimla but my mother said that we should visit our hometown, Goa. I was stunned at first but later I agreed to visit Goa and spend sometime. The fact that was making me unsure of my visit to Goa was the fact that it was summer and the heat in Goa would be a torture for us. Also, this state is polluted that was a matter of concern for me. It took us 2 weeks to decide on the hotel and the places we need to visit in Goa and when everything was finalized, we left for this state the next day.

The first step in Goa

The travel time was 14 hours and we finally had reached Goa via a private bus and the entire travel time was a pain wherein we had to sit in just one position and the seats too were uncomfortable. The hotel in Mapusa that we booked was away from the place the bus dropped us that made it even worse for me to like Goa. We checked in and the food served to us was Goan food but I kept comparing the taste to the taste of the food we get in Mumbai and my mother scolded me for being so nasty about everything in Goa.

Sea waves calling me

We went out in the morning the next day and I watched the city from my balcony and heard the sound of the silent sea communicating with me in its own way saying "Why Erika?...Why have you been away from me since all these years?...Why have you never even thought about seeing how I have been in the hope of seeing you one day?...Was it me being just an ordinary state or was I in no way appealing to you? You ancestors have lived a happy life here and have had a great respect for me, then what's stopping you, Erika? Did you never think about me at all?" Hearing these words brought tears to my eyes as I've been very rude to my own native place. How could I not even think about visiting my homeland? I was truly being heartless and that's what I realized when I came here. I was guilty and hence was taking out my frustration on everything and everybody who was near me.

This is the Photo that captured me which I clicked in Mapusa:

Watching Goa smile and hug me in its arms

It was similar to what I see in Mumbai but it was the first time I felt connected to this state, Goa. I don't know what was this feeling like but I just remembered how my grandparents and great-grandparents lived in this place all their life and were born and brought up in this land. This state is not just a piece of land for me but it's the land that's a part of me and it was calling me all these years whose voice I refused to hear. My hometown, my native place Goa wanted to make me a part of it and it kept reminding me that my ancestors have lived here and hence I need to respect that fact and visit this place to see how beautiful it is.

Watching my ancestor's house in ruins

The same day, we visited the place Assagao where my grand father owned a house but the house was nowhere to be seen. It had been ages since my parents visited this place and hence the house was in ruins with no trace at all. That made me really cry a lot and it hurt me that I never ever even tried to see the house of my grand-father and this factor would pinch me all my life.

The Goa market made me connect to myself as a Goan

We then checked the Goa market wherein people spoke to us in Konkani. It was so musical to my ears to hear so many people being able to speak my mother-tongue and it felt as it they were a part of my family. That's the magic of visiting a native place is what I told myself. As I kept checking out the market, all the sweets like bowl and bowlinia reminded me of how I used to grab these sweets when my mom used to bring with her from Goa when I was a kid. Gosh! I had missed so many things in my life and I just wished I had been there that time.

End of our trip

We kept visiting beaches in Goa and the last beach we visited was Calangute whose fresh air hugged me deeply into my thoughts and wrapped me around itself. The people, the atmosphere and the food that made me experience myself, talk in my mother tongue, make me eat pure Goan food and walk on a land that represents me, all made me feel so special and so proud of being a Goan and finally visiting Goa.


This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

A classic modern look #BestZapStore

This second curator is a completely different look than the earlier one that was more traditional but this look is more modern and classic for parties, discos and special occasions.

Dress and Clutch:

Here is the beautiful red dress that was the best one I could choose among all the other apparels. The lace at the bottom and the top simple look made it a perfect party wear and it looks very stylish. The matching clutch is the same one that I had chosen for my sari earlier and look how well it goes with this authentic dress. What could be better than just holding a clutch and walking in style in a party!

Accessories:

The next image is a reflection of my accessories...My style...

1. Watch:
I just can't help but admire the watch . It's a nylon strapped analog watch that's looks so mesmerizing and perfectly in synch with the dress that my hands automatically added it to my store. It's damn stylish and elegant.

2. Bracelet:
I love bracelets don't come out as extraordinary and have more diamonds that represent the purity in the style. This bracelet is very delicate and beautiful that can replace any sort of bangle and with a dress, a bracelet is a perfect match.

3. Ring:

Anything better than a diamond ring? It may not be a true one but it's definitely needed when we wear a dress and hence I added it to my look. It has nothing extraordinary and it matches the bracelet and the overall look of mine.

4. Earrings and Chain:

I love the color and beads of the earring and chain and even though their price range is completely different, their pattern and design is the same and this dress requires accessories of this pattern to complete the look.

Shoes:

Heels go best with dresses and this red dress needs to have a classy plump that just fits best with the entire look. There could be nothing better than this red satin plump and the price too is simply perfect.

Decor Items:

I couldn't stop myself to think of the atmosphere and what could be the decor items used. This red rug on the floor, the red clock on the wall and the lamp that just lightens up the mood and feel are the items that went well with my look.

This completes my look and store curate which represents a traditional look and a western look that's two sides of a coin.

 Link to my store: https://zapstore.com/s/erikalui

I am making my own store for the #BestZapStore activity at BlogAdda in association with Zapstore.

My Zapstore - A reflection of my style

I love creating scrapbooks and lookboards and have an account with different ecommerce websites that are known for their fashionable clothes and accessories. It couldn't be better to write a blog about my hobby as I keep creating different looks with Limeroad and Blogadda has given me an opportunity to create a collection of items that describe me and how do these items describe me as a human.

I never used to think about my fashion sense being good as I always wore clothes and chose my fashion accessories based on my comfort level. I used to try to match my accessories and dress as much as possible and that made my friends appreciate my style statement and they used to keep asking me from where have I purchased my accessories and clothes. That made me take more interest in fashion blogs and now after visiting Zapstore, I have created 2 looks that I would like to share in my blog posts. The first one is as follows:


Link of my store: https://zapstore.com/s/erikalui

Sari:

Why did I choose this?

Here you can see that that I've chosen a beautiful Golden Ethnic Route Sari and a matching Gold Half Sleeve Blouse. The reason for choosing a gold sari is because I have a fair skin and gold matches it perfectly and the red color makes it look perfect for any occasion like a wedding or party.

How does it reflect my style?

I love silk saris a lot as they are a true symbol of ethnic wear and it has elements of pride and prosperity. I am not rich with regards to money but my values, my culture and my soul makes me look rich which differentiates me from the rest of the world. This sari isn't heavy in weight nor in terms of the embroidery and design and can be worn even without any jewelry piece as it's just elegant. Anyone can carry this sari with ease and hence, I have chosen this sari to bring in a new look in terms of tradition and fashion.

Accessories:

Why did I choose this?

i. The red studs look perfect with the sari and also when I wear saris, I prefer to wear studs rather than long earrings that may look out of place and not synch with my look. The sari is already quite elegant and these studs suit it the best.

ii. The gold and red chain has both the colors of the sari that match it perfectly. As the sari has a lace material and the fall of the sari matches the design of this necklace.

iii. The silver ring is not a true one but it looks beautiful with the diamond shape representing a flower.

iv. The challa matches the design of this sari perfectly and when I would wear it in the waste, there couldn't be a more special accessory for me.

v. The gold bangles are simple and have no special design which was needed to balance my look.

vi. The golden watch is itself the best part of all the accessories that has a simple shape and looks completely formal that completes my look.

How does it reflect my style?

Accessories are a very important part of a woman's look and they are often known as a women's SHINGAR without which her look isn't complete. As seen in this picture, I have added red studs, gold-plated necklace, silver ring, silver challa, gold-plated bangles and a gold metal wrist watch. These all accessories have a combination of gold and red that matches the sari I've chosen perfectly. Each jewelry piece is a reflection of me wherein the studs represent my love, the necklace represents the simplicity in me and the ring with a diamond specifies my purity.

Clutch:

Why did I choose this?

This Beaded Flap Red Clutch is the best ever clutch I could find for this silk sari as it is simple and sweet in terms of the look. There's nothing extra ordinary stuff about it and can go in with any costume like a sri, dress, casual look or even western wear. This is the reason I chose this.

How does it reflect my style?

The fact that this clutch can match any style is why it reflects me. I don't want to flaunt a clutch that is expensive or difficult to carry and this clutch can match any costume in red irrespective of the type of costume.

Sandal:

Why did I choose this?

I don't prefer wearing high heels when I wear a sari and this sandal is the best thing I could find that matches my sari and would be comfortable in wearing.

How does it reflect my style?

The simplicity is the main factor that I was looking out in my sandals as my sari has all the elements like the best design and the gorgeous look that my sandals match perfectly.


Overall, my Zapstore is an ultimate station for any woman who needs to carry herself royally and she needs to put on simple makeup as her look is complete with a designer sari, beautiful accessories and a simple clutch and sandals.

 I am making my own store for the #BestZapStore activity at BlogAdda in association with Zapstore. 

#AdviceThatMattered The best colleague I could ever get

I was working in an IT publishing company 2 years ago and it was when I was quite bored with my job as it was getting repetitive to keep doing the same job and it was not a position that would help my career growth. It had been almost 1.5 years that I was working at the same position without any bonus or increment and my colleagues had already moved to another company with a better pay and position and I was stuck in the same position without any help from my manager and team leader and they had made me responsible to train newbies. It was getting miserable for me as I had my own family duties that made me worry a lot. With the increasing commuting rates and taxes, I wondered if leaving the job would be right or not.

My colleague who was working with me since the start of my job and who was my trainer knew about my worries and he was the one to guide me then. He informed me about a higher position opening in the company and told me I should apply for the same. I did not know whether I should apply for this position as many employees had been rejected in the interviews and those who were selected were also finding it tough to complete the training process. It was my trainer who insisted that I apply and he promised to guide me further with my training. I applied for the position and got a call after 2 days for the interview. As it was an internal interview, the questions were not that tough and I managed to clear the exam. After clearing it, the only thing that I remembered and wished was to thank my trainer for his support without which I would not even have the courage to apply for that position.

My trainer then kept making a note of my duties and he was helping me at every step and what help I could not even get from my friends in my office and my manager, I got from him. He was really very kind and he was selfless as he wanted me to achieve my goals and move forward in my career. Whenever I needed references, he was the one to help me out as to which website I need to visit and what software I need to download. He never spoke rudely to me and it's only because of his advice that I've learn to never set back and cry over my fate but instead search for the best opportunities and apply for the same to move forward.


I am blogging about my dreams and the people who helped make them true for the #AdviceThatMattered activity at BlogAdda in association with Stoodnt.

Advice that helped me #AdviceThatMattered

I was in my final year in college and I had still not been placed in any company even in my final year. I was highly disappointed as I had not been able to attend many interviews due to my ill-health and hence had missed out on great placement opportunities. The interviews that I had managed to attend did not go well and I managed to pass 3 written tests but couldn't get through the interviews. I was very upset as I was told by my friends that getting a placement through the college is very important and if I wouldn't manage to get through, it would be very tough for me to manage to get a job outside.

I remember the day when I went to college to get signatures from all my professors so that I could manage to get a leaving certificate and this was when I met the placement officer of our college. It was the second time I had met him and the first time I had a chat with him. He was very strict and hence I used to keep avoiding to talk to him about my placement but this time he asked me to sit and tell him what I was planning about my future. Here is what we discussed that day?

Are you working at the moment?

No, Sir. I  am still looking out for a job.

Where have you tried?

(I was confused as to what to answer as I had not yet applied in any company since there weren't any good openings and the only thing I managed to do was make an account on Naukri.com) I am searching for openings on Naukri, Sir.

Naukri? That website doesn't give you good opportunities. You are an average student and very good in programming. You should have been placed by now.

(I always felt he did not like me or considered me below average but this was not the case. I kept silent.)

What's your preference? Which company would you like to work in?

I prefer to work anywhere in Mumbai, Sir. Whichever company recruits Software Engineers and I don't have any specific choices.

I know of a company that's Sewri who are looking out for trainees and you would be paid Rs. 2500 as a stipend which is given to new trainees.

(I was shocked at his reply and felt he was mocking me.) Rs. 2500, Sir?

Yes. That's the starting and after 6 months, you would be getting their normal salary of 15,000.

(I was completely blank that moment as I knew that travelling would itself make me spend Rs. 3000+)

You should definitely apply in this company. (He looked at me sternly as he knew I was doubtful.) I know the stipend is less but it would be the best opportunity for you. Also, this experience would be counted and would get you a better salary in future.

(I thought for a while and listened to him as I had no choice. It was either to struggle for a new job or take what was offered). OK, Sir.

After this discussion, I applied for a job in the company and got selected. It was tough to work there for 6 months with just 2.5K but it is now that I realize it was the best decision I had taken. Because of that experience, I got better opportunities today and my salary is the best package among my friends. If I had not listened to my placement officer's advise, I don't know if I would manage to earn the amount as I do today but certainly I listened to him and it was the best advice I got till date.

I am blogging about my dreams and the people who helped make them true for the #AdviceThatMattered activity at BlogAdda in association with Stoodnt.