Research & Blog

One of my favourite pairs of sneakers? Nike Peg 38 FlyEase, aka EasyOn. My first ever laceless sneakers from a few years back. Not slip-ons, but proper performance shoes with a zip closure and discreet velcro strap. Super secure, and untied laces? A thing of the past. Why it matters: I’m an amateur runner (well, jogger) and a good run for me is all about flow — playlist dialed in, weather cooperating, zero interruptions. All check… until halfway through, I notice my laces und

Ever been on the market for something specific — exactly how you imagined it? Like that perfect all-rounder bag… or that water bottle that’s big enough but not too bulky.  For me it was that perfect lipstick shade. You know the one that makes you feel like you’ve got your life together?  After much trial (and mostly errors), I did manage to zero in on 'the one', only to discover a few months later… it’d been discontinued. 🫠  We know there is method to this madness; often dri

"Does anyone have any injury or restricted movement that I should know about?" A simple question, yet quite impactful.  I'm someone who takes a minute (or ten!) to try a new form of exercise 🙋🏽‍♀️ especially in a group setting. It's mostly self consciousness about how I'll be seen faring. Over time, I’ve come to realize just how much trainers can influence here- their vibe and approachability, sets the tone. One of my fav pilates studios in Amsterdam, has trainers who start

Ever been on a date when you can’t wait for your friend’s fake emergency call? I have been on a few of those; and admittedly I did have an instance when it was my date who got the emergency call before I did. Lets talk about this encounter I had years back. I had matched with someone through an online platform and after some initial messages, we agreed to meet at a popular wine bar in a lively neighbourhood of Amsterdam on a Friday evening. He too was from India, Bombay; move

Small moments of reflections and gratitude It was Saturday evening, my fav time of the week, and I was headed to a friend’s farewell party at a local brewery. She was leaving Amsterdam for good and had sent an open invitation to her friends to stop by per their convenience. I arrived halfway into the evening with the party already in full swing; the weather holding up, people mingling, beer fuelling the banter, in short, great vibes all around. I got a pint and circled around

A tall glass stuffed with straws caught my eye as I was waiting at the bar counter for my G&Ts. There were all kinds of straws in it – colourful, twisted, straight, steel, paper – all bendy though. Bendy straws… ever stopped to think about something so inconsequential? About a century back, when the only kind of straws that existed were straight, a man named Joseph Friedman invented bendy straws . He noticed his daughter was having trouble drinking out of straight straws as

To be a ‘sporty’ kid in India in the ’90s meant that you could be part of the ‘sports quota’ and access certain privileges when it came to college admissions. I was not a ‘sporty’ kid, and in fact was proud member of the ‘good grades’ group, thank you very much. Academic excellence took full precedence in defining a child’s success, which naturally then became the primary focus for parents, sports was secondary. Things are however changing, but we’ll talk about that another t

It was Feb 2021. My company had just gone through some change, and much like a new term at school with new classmates, we were starting afresh after being shuffled into new teams. My boss at that time, whom we’ll call J, was a senior leader at the company. He was observant, direct in his communications, and a visionary; someone whose approval I sought. J organized an outing for the team to get to know each other better, and the plan for the day was to golf! The greens were b

They say that the 'only disability in life is a bad attitude'.  It has taken me 30 something years to figure that, this in fact is true. I give credit to my wonderful family and friends for this realisation and dream of a world where this is the universal truth.     My name is Nikhita, I am originally from New Delhi; and now, after some in-betweens, am living in the beautiful city of Amsterdam.    I have 15 years of professional experience in the consumer retail industry and