LIFE AS IT IS

  The day is already here when consumers are increasingly doing research about a product and the company producing it before making the final purchase. Consumers are now more educated than ever, which leads them to buy less, but buy better. 'Conscious consumption' is the trend of the future! Impulse buying has dropped in this pandemic for a variety of reasons. People are visiting brick-and-mortar stores less than before. Impulse buying happens when we visit the mall to buy a pair of shoes, but end up acquiring a dress and a pair of fashion earrings as well. Impulse buying also takes place online when we watch targeted ads on social media, or simply when we see that something is being sold at a discount. We land up purchasing things that we do not need and perhaps will not use more than a couple of times.  The Daily Star There are occasions when an item bought online does not even meet our expectations, but we keep it anyway. Who is the loser here? You and only you. However, be...

O ne of the greatest pleasures of life is to wake up to sounds of birds. The dawn chorus of wrens, robins, goldfinches, sparrows, and blackbirds usher in the Queen of the seasons. Sunny days, gentle breeze, and azure skies break free from the cocoon of winter to paint the world in all kinds of colours conceivable! The arrival of Spring is first felt in the songs of birds. They are the first thing that tells you that short days and long-cold nights are quickly coming to an end. You can tell from the hummingbirds that start visiting your backyard and the wookpeckers that tap-tap-tap on the branches of beeches and red maples that Earth is about to unlock its treasure chest. From the treasure chest will escape warm weather, soft breeze, yellow daffodils and purple crocuses, richly coloured florets of cherry blossoms, green grasses, and golden bumblebees. At the same time, Mother Nature is all set to don her best garb of green and when she does, it is a sight to behold and remember! The oak...

T ake a break to take care of yourself. We spend so much of our time working and taking care of others that we neglect our own selves. It slips our mind that we can only take better care of others when we ourselves feel our best. Self-care often takes a backseat in our lives. However, nurturing our own body, mind, and soul is imperative to living a more satisfied and successful life. Therefore, leave behind all feelings of guilt and take some time to focus on yourself and only yourself, if not every day, then at least a few times a week. How to self-care Self-care is referred to addressing the needs of our mind, body, and soul. Exercise, meditation, eating healthy, gardening, crafting, reading, listening to music, relaxing at a spa, journaling, talking to friends, etc. are all different ways to nourish our body and mind. Different things and techniques work for different people. Upoma Haq, a Senior Vice President at a multinational bank in Bangladesh, says that walking has been critica...

I t was the summer of 2013, I was strolling along Jamaica's Hillside Avenue and turning my neck every time I was hearing someone utter something in Bangla. It was my first time in Jamaica, a neighbourhood in New York city's borough of Queens, which boasts a large population of Bangladeshi Americans and is considered one of the most ethnically diverse places on the planet.  Jamaica is a slice of Bangladesh away from it. With 'deshi' men and women speaking Bangla on the streets in traditional garbs like panjabi, pyjama and shalwar kameez, streets lined with Bangladeshi-owned restaurants and grocery stores selling your favourite 'deshi' vegetables, halal meats, and foods ranging from shingara-samosa, chotpoti-fuchka, naan-kabab, doi-mishti, and halua-paratha to kachchi biriyani, tehari, Haji-r biriyani and bhat-mach-bhorta, Jamaica is an instant reminder of the country you have left behind.   For a second, you might even forget that this place is very much a part o...

G rowing up, a nicely folded-ironed handkerchief was one of the things I carried to school daily. I always saw my mother carry one in her purse, too. Those were the days when we lived simple lives. Our lives might have been simple, but it was because of the simple ways of living that we used to leave fewer carbon footprints in the environment.   Then times changed, I grew up, and hankies were replaced by disposable tissues. However, I have recently picked up handkerchief for use again. I knew I had one from my wedding day; it was bought because my mother wanted me to carry an embroidered hankie in my wedding purse. I rummaged around old things one Friday morning, and voila! it was there.  Hankies are things from yesteryears. As a result, you do not find them at stores any more. I looked up online and found some vintage hankies whose prices were as high as $20 a piece. Then I came across an American fashion label for women that was selling a set of four handkerchiefs for a w...

P eople have now resumed international travelling, although cautiously. With the emergence of a new, more contagious variant, Omicron, however, countries are placing new restrictions on travellers, making international travelling even more uncertain, more hectic. If you are planning on going abroad, plan well and plan well ahead of time.  The Daily Star link I have recently been to Bangladesh on a two-week trip to see my family. An earlier summer travel plan had to be canceled because of a COVID-19 lockdown that was imposed on Bangladesh to stem infections and deaths. In our case, it cost us a cancellation fee at the time. Because change is the only constant now more than ever, bear in mind that your travel plans may have to be changed or cancelled in the fluid situation of the world we live in today.  COVID-19 test You need show proof of a negative COVID-19 test to travel internationally. Please check with your airline and also read the entry requirements of the country you a...