November 27 - December 7th:

Got to do a lot of things during these few days...Can't really track the events chronologically here but will try and recollect most of them...

• I went shopping with Vani to shop at Spencers Plaza. It is huge. Really...It can be compared to any decent sized mall in USA and what is better...They actually have enough car parking...No kidding! I went to only a couple of shops as I had to meet Showkath after that...I went to Fab India...A store everyone told was great to buy cotton salwars and kurtas from. Honestly, I just about liked it...You know...It is not a very shopper-friendly place. The supervisors including the watchman follow you everywhere you go and they annoy you by asking you if you wanted to buy everything you tried on...and they do not let you try on white kurtas...How am I going to know how it looks unless I try it? The watchman told me that if I try a black one I can figure it out...I was soooooo mad...I told him to keep his kurta up his #$%...
• I went for a small dinner with Showkath and Co to GRT Grand Days...It was amazing...The spread, the service, god...This is what I missed in Dallas. There were like 10-12 appetizer, like 10 veggie and non-veg dishes, and here is the best...About 20 desserts...yumm...Just thinking about it makes my mouth water...and all of it for just...Rs.350...Just $7.50.
• Then We did the garment and jewelry shopping for my wedding. Just buying all the jewelery took us like a whole damn day. At the end of which we were super tired and all this in spite of buying everything in the same shop.
• Okay so there is only one shop that I like when it comes to buying jewelry. Maybe that is because my mother knows a guy there very well that we get Amazing discounts and we also get great service and treatment. It is GR Thanga Maligai (GRT). Everyone knows this place in Chennai. It is huge and they have all jewelry you need. Another place that is small but also decent with some more modern designs in Khazana. I liked the patterns they had but their collection is no where in comparison to GRT's.
• Saree...Very important for the wedding and reception. I went to only three shops because I only had so much time. Given a chance I would have spent more time walking up and down of stores but in one way it was good that I finished the shopping in a matter of two hours. Thanks to Thameem and Priya.
• Kumaran Silks and Pothy's were my choice. I did go to Nalli and another so-called fake Kumaran but they were no very impressive. I bought my Chennai reception saree at Kumaran and my Bombay reception saree at Pothy's. Awesome selection they got and the treatment is good if you are going to pay big bucks. So I did not mind shopping in these places...Less tension and more work.
• Ghagra...I had to buy this for my reception in Mumbai. I again visited Man Mandir, Naidu Hall, and many other stores in Chennai. Really, I did not like anything in any shop but the ones in Man Mandir. Every thing else looked cheap or tasteless. Man Mandir really has class and they have a very wide price range. Please visit this even if this is not the store where you will buy your ghagra. Also remember that this store has more than just ghagra, they even have amazing designer sarees.
• Then you will need a lot of the fake jewelry or fashion jewelry as they call it. Let us see...Like...Hand set, chutti, necklace, ear rings, fake nose ring, etc. Which are for the reception and then you will need somethings similar for your wedding. Go to Jill Mill, it is a subsidiary of Sr Kumaran Silks and it at the entrance of Pondy bazaar from Panangal Park. They have everything under one roof. But they might be slightly over priced. If you want to buy something cheaper just walk down the road and on either side you will find stores...Try Narayani Pearls, they are very customer friendly there. Remember to buy the temple jewelry for your head. It is beautiful...
• In between on Dec 2nd I also went for my visa...read my blog on that experience...It rained the rest of the day and stopped me from doing anything more.
• Met a few of my classmates for lunch at Residency...Again..Food....Ah-mazing...What service...What quality...What quantity...pitchitanga po!
• Also got my beautician fixed up at Lakme for the reception makeup...Cost me around Rs.5,000. Did not know what I was going to get for that...But everybody told me that they would do the best work and so I took advises...
• Visited a few of my family friends in Chennai with my parents. It was a little tiring traveling in Chennai in car during rains...But hey it was worth the trouble as this would be the only way I could meet them before the wedding. Of course all these people are or have been very important to me at one time in my life.

This is all I remember trying to scrape my brain but I will add more as I remember things.