My mom's experiment and experience with the new moto E

Smartphones have made us smarter!!! 

Before the age of smartphones, I normally slept during travel. But now, I watch movies, listen to music and even blog while travelling. I am not wasting a single minute of my life because of this smart invention. It maybe about using a dictionary or finding a recipe or getting the right lyrics, everything is at our fingertips. I still remember those days when I got my first smartphone. I couldn't sleep at all. I kept on looking at the mobile screen, playing endless games and exploring different options. Maybe our generation is smarter than our parents when it comes to technology. Nobody ever taught me how to operate a smartphone, but when it comes to my mom, I taught her everything including how to swipe. 

I recently gifted my mother moto E. This is her first smartphone which she insisted on buying. So, I thought of surprising her with this new phone. I thought once she got the phone, she would be extremely happy and she was happy, until she realized how difficult it was to operate. She couldn't even swipe properly and unlocking the phone was a bigger task for her. I couldn't stop laughing at her plight, but poor my mom, who struggled very hard but never gave up. It felt like teaching A B C D for kindergarten kids. I had to start everything from the scratch and teach her even the simplest things. When she finally started operating the mobile phone, I felt like a proud mom myself!!!! 

If you think, buying a new smartphone for your mom is an easy task, then the answer is no!!!! This is what happened with me...

Once I taught her how to unlock and use the phone, her questions seemed to never end.

But then the final blast came from my father.

No matter how many questions she asked, no matter how many times she pressed the wrong button, no matter how many times she called and troubled me with stupid queries, I am very proud of her. She behaves like a teenager when she is using her phone - excited, happy and full of energy. I never thought she would get so involved. 

Now she downloads her favourite songs, uses facebook, whatsapp without any trouble, googles her favorite song's lyrics and even tries out new applications. I might eventually forget my first smartphone experience but will never forget my mom's. Answering her endless questions, that too over a phone call, is hell of a task!!!!

I am happy that I chose to start her smartphone experience with moto E, which has taken a few falls from her, and endless rough tapping on the screen, and also, gave her enough battery life to experiment with the phone. So, thank you, new moto E for, making my mom technologically modern and standing by her side during this new phase of her life!!!!

This post is written as a part of IndiBlogger contest in association with Motorola : http://www.startwithmotoe.com/

Kellogg's wale Guptaji ka nashta!!!!

First time when I met Guptaji's crazy family near jogger's park, I wanted to meet them once more. Their son Rohan is very naughty and cute. And of course, I had lots of fun with him. Guptaji's wife, Shalu seemed very nice and invited me to their house for lunch. Being new in the neighbourhood, I agreed to their invitation, only to realize later I had committed a sin!!!

When I told, kitkit aunty next door about my plans of going to Guptaji's house for lunch she was shocked.

"Oh my god, betaji. Why aren't you going there for nashta (snacks)? You are going to Guptaji's house for lunch? It is unbelievable"

And when corner gali wale Popla uncle got to know about my lunch plan, he guffawed. He said, "Finally, Guptaji found someone to invite for lunch. Otherwise nobody visits them for lunch and Shalu often complains about it".

I was seriously confused. I mean, why wouldn't anybody visit Guptaji's crazy family for lunch? So, I called kitkit aunty and Popla uncle home to clarify my doubts and when they explained about the mouth watering "nashtas" prepared by Gupta family, I decided not to visit them for lunch but for their exquisite, unique "nashta".

Now, my menu is ready and I have already called up Shalu asking her to prepare it for me. She sounded a little sad for cancelling the lunch plan and was equally excited to prepare her kellogg's nashta for me.

Item 1: Line pe laane wala nashta

I chose this snack mainly because I love all the key ingredients. It is made of Kellogg’s corn flakes, tomato and onion and cheese. Me and my husband, we both love cheese. The entire concept of crunchy corn flakes and onions with soft, juicy tomatoes with a flavour of cheese, made me drool over this “nashta”.

Sounds yummy? Then check out this video to prepare your own “Line pe lane wala nashta”

Item 2: Best tiffin wala nashta

Cornflake coconut laddoo, is very easy to prepare and definitely, looks very yummy. I chose this "nashta" because it has lots of dry fruits and tell me, who doesn't love a tasty, healthy laddoo? My husband loves sweets and so, one sweet dish has to be included in my menu.

This recipe is very simple to prepare and less time consuming. Check this video to prepare Corn flake coconut laddoo.

Item 3: Remote wala nashta

I feel the menu is incomplete without a healthy drink. Hence, I chose almond, coconut shake.  The best part about this shake is it has chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream and also, the richness of coconut. Blanched almond makes it healthy and tasty. There is one more reason why I chose this "nashta". I am more curious to see how Kellogg's corn flakes blends along with these other ingredients.

If you want to try this recipe, here is your video:

My menu is ready and I have already informed Shalu about my favourites. So, today evening we are going to Guptaji's to have some yummy snacks. I seriously never knew so many dishes can be prepared out of Kellogg's corn flakes. If I knew, I would have tried many of them by now and people would be drooling over my "nashtas". Now I will definitely learn all the interesting recipes from Shalu and Chef Ajay and prepare some yummy snacks for my husband. 

By the way forgot to ask you guys, 

"when are going to Guptaji's for nashta?"

For more recipes, click on this link and discover a whole new world with Kellogg's corn flakes : https://www.facebook.com/anaajkanashta  

: https://www.youtube.com/user/kelloggindia

And if you want to meet the crazy Guptaji's family, check this video: 

Food heaven - Singapore...

I have never visited Singapore or eaten authentic Singaporean food!!! But, I have an unspeakable bond with this beautiful country where I had planned to work and spend the rest of my life. 

Let me rewind a bit,

In 2011, I had a got a good job offer in Singapore. I had resigned from my current job and packed my bags and waited for my visa to arrive. It was in those two months, after doing enough research, I knew more about Singapore than any Indian living there!!!! Whenever, you plan to travel to a different country the first thing you "google" is about restaurants, then maybe other stuffs like movie theatres, holiday spots, recreational activities etc. But the first thing on your list has to be about food. 

Being a vegetarian, I had my own insecurities of travelling to Singapore. Hence, my task was to find restaurants which provide good vegetarian food. After a few days of neck deep analysis of restaurants, I realized Singapore is a bliss for foodies like me. My entire assumption of vegetarian food not being available was wrong, however, the menu was lengthier for non vegetarians!!! Once satisfied, I gave my nod to Singapore. Ah, the most painful part is after drooling over those yummy food for two months, I couldn't travel to Singapore due to visa issues. Pity my taste buds!!!

Click here for Vegetarian Restaurants

Even today, whenever I look at some yummy Singaporean food, I drool. Literally!!!! And thanks, to Far East Hospitality for giving me an opportunity to go through those pages and drool some more and satisfy my taste buds once again through visuals. It would be even better if they parcel me some food from there so that I finally get to taste the mouth watering food of Singapore. 

There is only one food of Singapore which I can write about here - Popiah, which is more or less like a spring roll. Popiah is one dish which I thought I can prepare at home and fulfil my desire of eating Singaporean food. Most of the online sites said Popiah is very easy to make and homemade Popiahs are the best. So, just after losing my heart over the visa problem, I thought of bringing Singapore in to my home. Even in India, I love spring rolls and by the description of certain websites, I believed Popiah is the best of the spring rolls available in the world. Hence, I began my experimentation. But even after several attempts, I couldn't get the  Popiah skin texture right and failed miserably. If we ignore the mistakes, it still tasted delightful. Now I don't know if what I prepared was the authentic Singaporean Popiah or not, but I tried. I am sure after reading this you may all want to try preparing popiah at home and trust me, if you get the Popiah skin correctly then it is a very easy dish to prepare. 

Source

Popiah can also be made with egg, pork and other non vegetarian ingredients (just making the non veggies happy) but you can also make it without them. I had tried an Indian-ized version of the dish by replacing many of the ingredients which was not available. More like the Chinese Manchurians we get in India with a tadka on top!!!  

You can check this video for Popiah recipe, but this is a slightly difficult one. Google for more easier recipes and you can modify it like I did!!!! 

Now the question comes why did I choose to prepare this dish at home amongst the variety of other cuisines available? 

This looked easy to prepare and healthy. And also, my taste for spring rolls pushed me into preparing one. 

Source

Well, it's been three years since I experimented with this dish and failed in all my four trials and finally, I gave up. But definitely, I want to try it once again with all the right ingredients to get that flavour of Singapore which is still stuck in my head and not reached my tongue!!!

Life without good food

Is like a painting without colours

The flavours you savour with each bite

Takes you into a state of trance

You crave for it more and more

And images haunt you all night

Pay a visit to haven of food, Singapore

Your taste buds would experience

A pinch of everything, just right!!!

Vegetarian food in Singapore is not a myth!!!

So, for all the foodies like me, who drool over the images of foods and by the mere memory, it is time to switch on the gas, pour in some oil and experiment with some Singaporean food or even better, book a holiday in Singapore - a country which never fails to amaze me.

One suggestion - stop looking for Indian hotels in foreign lands. Eat their food, experiment and enjoy the endless variety you get to savour. I feel vacation is incomplete if you don't taste their food!!!! After all, food defines a land with its spices, sauces and ingredients. Give your taste buds a rejuvenation therapy in Singapore... 

PS: After my friend visited Singapore the first thing she told me was how amazed she was looking at Singaporeans who are slim, fit and fat free (majority of the population). May be we should seriously give a thought about their food habits, so to flaunt a curvaceous slim figure and of course, to remain healthy. 

***** All the collage images are downloaded from various sources via google. Only in the shuffling and scrambling is done by me!!!!

Discover a whole lot about Singapore - hotels and cuisines here : http://discover.stayfareast.com/ and during your next vacation do not forget to check it out!!!!

This post is written as a part of IndiBlogger contest in association with http://discover.stayfareast.com/

My share of happiness...

Happiness is a state of mind and as per my husband, any person can remain happy as long as he/she wants to be happy. But external factors do make an impact on our lives and we, subconsciously and unwillingly, become unhappy. Like the reasons for unhappiness vary from individual to individual, reasons for happiness can also differ!!! 

If some people find happiness amongst the love of family members, some may find it by earning fame and money, some may find happiness in materialistic things and some, like me, find happiness in those simple things which might not even matter to others. So here goes a list of things which makes me invariably happy. There may be many more to this list, but penning down those which comes to my mind when I think about being happy.  

 Family time makes me happy. My husband is often travelling and busy. Hence, whenever I get to send some time with him, chat, laugh heartily and watch a movie together, I feel my day is complete.

 I find happiness whenever my dad gives me a hug. It normally happens when I am depressed and crying. The moment he hugs me, there is a sense of comfort and protection and maybe that’s what makes me feel happy from inside for having such an adorable and loving father.

 All the animals in the world make me happy. I love it when dogs bark or even sneeze, I love it when cats curl and sleep with me, I love the way how cows moo and enjoy being scratched etc etc. In short, I love animals, even pigs, and so, whenever I am sad I spend some quality time with my cat. Their innocence and unconditional love, makes my soul happy.

I love travelling and visiting new places. If I am about to visit a beautiful place, then I don’t sleep for a week out of joy. I start dreaming about my vacation and counting days. I start reading about the place, its history and making itinerary. Travelling can never fail to amuse me and it always makes me extremely happy.

Eating good food makes me happy. Being a foodie, I love eating good food. I normally don’t experiment with food with the fear of eating something bad and spoiling my mood. Yes, it does happen to me. If what I eat is not good, then I get angry instantly. And whenever, I am in a bad mood, I go to my favorite restaurant and eat my favorite food to relax my mood.

Now a days surprisingly, cooking also makes me happy. I used to detest cooking before, but now whenever I cook something good, which is appreciated by my husband, I feel very happy. I have no words to explain that joy of victory.

Good, bad, small or big, any kind of surprises make me happy. During college days, my best friend made sure I get a surprise gift or cake, especially when I am least expecting it.

A good, peaceful sleep makes me extremely happy. I enjoy sleeping and can never get bored of it!!! While I get grumpy due to lack of sleep, I also become joyful after an uninterrupted sleep.

 Reading a good novel and learning some good vocabulary makes me happy.

Most importantly, writing a good article makes me happy. Whenever I write something which is appreciated by people makes my heart jump in happiness. 

There are many moments which makes me happy. Watching FRIENDS (TV series) make me happy, playing cards with family and friends make me happy, getting a new haircut makes me happy,  fighting for a right cause makes me happy, meeting some old friends make me happy, getting drenched in rain makes me happy, a long romantic drive makes me happy and so on. This list is endless, and I am happy about having so many things which makes me happy!!! 

Watch this video to re-live some of your happy moments : 

Check this link to find your sip of happiness : http://CokeURL.com/96jnc

Power of being together

I was going through a bad phase in life. Married but living away from husband was no bliss. I was constantly in tears and pangs of depression made my life miserable. I just wanted to be with my husband and wondered why God was not listening to my prayers. The visa processing was taking forever and I kept sulking at my bad fate. Even an optimistic person can also become pessimistic during the worst days, but I was never an optimistic person. I always saw the negatives in a situation and feared thinking about the worst. So, when my visa processing was getting delayed, I feared I would never be able to unite with my husband. I was completely low and needed an energy boost up.

Most of my friends were either busy or living abroad. I was never very close to my relatives and the people who were close to me were extremely busy, including my parents. Hence, I felt lonely in my own home town. I felt depressed and cried often. My husband did not know how to react to my mood swings as he was helpless too. I joined a few classes, but dropped out. I started cooking and burnt few vessels. I started writing, but the words seemed to run away from me. Yes, I was sad, lonely, depressed and disheartened.

During one such lonely day, I asked my niece and nephew to join me for a walk. As my nephew is interested in photography, I suggested we go to "end point" and click some pictures. I needed to get out of my house and take in some fresh air and talk to some people. Me and my niece had reached the spot earlier and my nephew joined in after his badminton class. We walked till the end of end point, clicked some pictures and were heading out, when we saw some college students organizing an event on the lawn. It looked interesting and hence, I suggested we attend that event. 

The event banner read, "Light up the night" and we had no clue about it. Thankfully, we had just sufficient money for the tickets and the event was lighting up hot air lanterns. It seemed interesting as we had never tried it before. The only problem was I was feeling little "old" for the crowd. The crowd was mainly college students who were having the best days of their college life. I, on the other hand, studied in the same university four years ago. I still would have felt comfortable if my friends were around. However, once the event started we were taken into a different world altogether. It was not the event which made me feel alive from inside, but the people around. The so called strangers made me feel happy from inside. The long lost happiness made its way back into me through those college students. 

Their happiness, their dancing spree, their friendship, their laughter, their brewing romances made that evening memorable to me. I knew I lacked everything what those college kids possessed, yet, their vision of life made me smile and laugh and enjoy and definitely come out of my depression. It is so strange how people affect our lives. I was going through a rough phase because I was away from my husband and a bunch of college students brought me out of it without evening realizing. 

I normally like to be alone, lost in my own world. But that evening I realized how important socialization is. Being part of a crowd, connecting with them brought back my smile. After all, that is the power of being together. Not necessarily with a known face or a known soul, but even with those unknown strangers who spread optimism and positivity through their smiles. 

 This post is written for https://housing.com/... After all what can express better the power of being together than our sweet home, where love finds a new definition, families emerge and makes a four walled house, a fun filled home!!!

Start a New Life!!!!

I have always lived in comfort. My father made sure that I never lacked anything in my life and everything I desired was given to me even before I asked. Being a protective father, he was not very comfortable with me staying at hostels. And, even I wasn't ready to put myself under the pressure of living somewhere far and doing all my work all by myself. So, I decided to pursue my higher studies in my home town. No hostel life, no bad food, no rats in the room. Life seemed fine and comfortable.

As the years passed by, I started to feel something was missing in me. I felt I had not seen life at all. Apart from the same old house, same old Scooty pep, same old roads and same old people, I was not exposed to anything in life. No challenges to challenge me or difficulties to question me. It felt as if I was completely dependent on my parents and had no life of my own. Hence, I decided to experiment with my life and break out of routine after college. I decided to move to Delhi and being a South Indian it was the most difficult choice for me. 

There were many people whom I had to convince and it was not an easy task. My parents, having heard many stories about Delhi, assumed it as the most unsafe place on the planet. And surprisingly, my college lecturers and Dean seemed more concerned than my own parents. Some assumed I was running away from my parents, some assumed it was because of a boy, some assumed I was chasing an ex, some assumed I had gone mad. But nobody understood when I said, "I am bored of this place and life. I need a CHANGE. I want to be independent and explore my life."

When I landed in Delhi, it was more of a shock to me - Cultural and mental!!!! It was so different. It was overpopulated and crowded. Being brought up in a small town of Manipal, Delhi seemed impossible. I just wanted to pack my bags and go back to the comfort of my house. And the house in Delhi, was a single room, which was not clean with only a cotton mattress. I had no money to afford the luxuries of Delhi. I remember taking a cycle rickshaw ride to reach the bus stand, then taking a bus to Metro station, then after half hour Metro ride one more cycle rickshaw to reach my work place. Yes, I went through all this trouble just to experience something. So that I will be able to define myself better. Having the support of friends and their family, I slowly started getting adjusted to Delhi. Their food was different, their climate was different and also, their way of expressing. 

I too had, my share of bad experiences in Delhi. A drunk guy tried to molest me publicly and had to run away from there. An auto guy dropped me in some slum area saying that was the address I asked for. Irrespective of having gone through this, after three months, I was a different person altogether. I hardly fought with anybody publicly before, but after the Delhi experience, I have become ten times more brave and confident. Now, I can go anywhere alone and lead a comfortable life. Now, nobody can object or stop me. 

After four months, I travelled back to Manipal due to unbearable Delhi winter and a damaged nose which required immediate surgery. But for sure, this Delhi experience shaped me as a person and has helped me to move to Bangalore later and start over. This Delhi experience made me different from other people back home. This Delhi experience made me strong, brave, and courageous. I was a timid, homely, daddy's little girl who grew into a bold woman after Delhi. 

Sometimes, these drastic measures teaches a lot of things in life. A new life, new house, new people, new environment, different cultures and new difficulties make you grow personally. Some people did not understand when I said, "I was bored of Manipal and I wanted to experience something new" but to hell with them, I am a better person today. So, change is warranted as it helps you to change your perspectives, attitudes and approaches in life. After all the only constant thing in life is CHANGE!!!!

This post is written for Housing.com and for more information about them, do visit their website https://housing.com/ 

Also, check their video: 

A happy Soul...

The moment I saw his face, I was on cloud nine. Normally, I don't like kids, especially the cranky ones. I often say "I love babies as long as they are others'. So, when they cry, call their mom". But this child seemed different. He looked happy. He slowly looked at me and smiled and went back to his games. He was maybe four months old then, but looked taller and more active. He was crawling and slowly moving his cute butt while Hindi songs played in the background. That's where I fell in love with him. 

I saw him closely for almost eight more months. He started babbling in front of me, crawling, standing and even walking. Actually, he never walked, he started running. And spreading joy in all our lives. 

Why did I like this boy so much, when I normally don't get along well with other children? Here are few of my realizations-

1. He was an active child. In fact, over active. His activities never seemed to stop. Even when he started walking, he would walk less and run more and fall down. But get up immediately, look around smiling, run again. That made him different from most of the kids I had seen. He was never lethargic, but always doing something, always engaged.

2. He was a less cranky child as well. I have always seen him smiling. Not that he never cried, but once the mother held him tight, he would forget all his sorrows and smile again. He wouldn't scream unnecessarily like most other kids. He wouldn't make those shrill sounds which normally gives me a headache. 

3. He was very intelligent as well. Just when he was four months old, he would look at objects when we made corresponding sounds. He would immediately look at the cat when said "meow" and also, he was able to associate different objects. He would look at the bulb when we touch the "switch". I have always had an admiration for smart people and so, I liked him instantly.

4. He was a very social child as well. He mingled with everyone and was very friendly. The only sad part was, he hated men, and he was extremely comfortable with women. So, he would get all scared and cranky if any man wandered near him. 

5. He loved Bollywood item numbers. He wouldn't eat if Bollywood item songs were not played on the tab. He would be so engrossed watching it that he would forget the world and even forget that he was eating. As per my observation, he liked songs in which “women” were dancing and the only exception to his choice was "gangam style". Apart from that he liked "Sheila ki jawani" and those pathetic Rani Mukherjee songs from the movie Aiyya. 

He was happy, handsome, smart and active child. Thanks to his mother for giving him the right kind of food and keeping him dry so that he would get a good night's sleep. I am sure, if children are hungry or wet or insomniac, they would be cranky, dull and crying all the time. So, this one very important lesson I have learnt from her so that my future born is happy like him. 

*** Now he is a school going boy. And he has become cranky, stubborn and dramatic. He is learning how to manipulate his parents and get what he wants. May be it is time to put him back in pampers, so that he becomes a happy baby again!!!! 

This post is written as a part of IndiBlogger HappyHour in association with Pampers pants :  http://www.rewardme.in/tag/Pampers 

Nothing like home!!!!

When we decided to shift to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), believe me, we were scared like those infants trying to walk for the first time. We were scared of falling and getting hurt so bad that we would spend our lives mending this one mistake. Lots of voices were heard on our way till here - "Are you crazy? It is a very rigid country", "There is no freedom for women", "There is no life", "People are beheaded there", and worst one "king will remove your eyes if you look at other women". And these voices grew louder by the day, and by night, we were hallucinating things and screaming in our dreams!!! Carrying this baggage of fear, we decided to face it once and for all. We wanted to know if it was really that bad, we wanted to know if we would sulk, we wanted to know if we would swim across without sinking, we wanted to experiment and push ourselves beyond own comfort level. And one fine day, we did it.

My first impression of KSA -mainly about the airport- was bad. It felt as if my life shifted from a colour movie to a black and white one!!! Everything seemed silent and slow and colourless. I hated it. I was almost in tears, wondering, why I had decided to question my capacity. I kept looking at my husband who was standing in a long immigration queue. I felt helpless that night. I wanted to run away to the most comfortable place on earth, my house back in Manipal. I cribbed and longed for that comfort, thirty minutes after landing in KSA. After immigration, we both came outside the airport only to feel the heat and see a deserted land. There was no greenery. There were no people outside. There was no honking, or noise. There was a calmness and being brought up in India, I detested that silence. That silence, once I boarded the car, slowly started choking me. I couldn't breath and I looked at my husband unable to hide my emotions. He nodded, saying, everything will fall into place. 

After about forty-five minute journey, I reached my house in KSA. The moment I walked in, I was in love with it. Though it wasn't completely furnished it simply looked beautiful and it felt like home. My house and I was happy instantly!!! Let me rewind a bit - post marriage I lived in our parent's house and never felt like home. It was always "their" house and not "mine". So, this house in KSA gave me that feeling of belongingness. This house made me feel I can even survive in the land of KSA. This house made me smile that night. 

The next day morning, I woke up with some extra enthusiasm. I cleaned the house, scrubbed the floor, went shopping and we bought furnitures for our home. We started decorating the house slowly, step by step and enjoyed every bit of it. That loneliness which was hovering me had completely vanished. This house made me feel that our decision of moving to KSA was not wrong. Our optimistic nature which was crushed under the voices and stingy airport, got a new life inside this house. 

It's been almost a year since we moved to this place. And our home is completely decorated. This is a home where I bid my husband "good bye" every morning and welcome him home with a smile every evening. This is a home which is filled with joy and happiness and a lot of fights!!! This is the home where I cook his favorites and this is the home where he pampers me with so much of love. And most importantly, this is the house where I started blogging. 

Even today I wonder, if we would have ever sustained in KSA, if it hadn't been for this house. Even today when people mock at me for shifting to KSA, I smile and say "wish you could visit me, I have such a beautiful house there". This small area inside the four walls is my KSA, my heaven, my life. And the feeling I get when using the word "my", simply can't be expressed. 

If you desire to have your own house or looking for a short term stay, check out this website for more information :  https://housing.com/lookup

Unspoken love....

Before reading this post, watch the video below which beautifully tells a tale of bonding between a father and his daughter :

I was not sure if I will be able to participate in this HappyHour conducted by http://www.hdfclife.com/. Hence, I thought of not writing a post to avoid the future disappointment. But after watching this video, I knew I had to write. Not for the HappyHour but for the happiness this video filled in my heart. It might have struck an emotional chord in your heart as well, but for me it was more than that. 

After losing my mother, my father became my world. And for him, I was the center around which his world revolved. Coming from a poor family background, he couldn't offer me the luxuries as a child, but when his business grew I don't recall a single day when he said "NO" to me. He wasn't pampering me or spoiling me. He was always careful about my expenses, but tried hard not to burden me. He always said "I have struggled in my life so that you live a peaceful and happy life". I am sure that's how parents are. They work hard, they earn money, they save for us, for our future just to make our lives comfortable. 

During my college days, my college fees was hefty and I wasn't sure if taking an educational loan was advisable. Some people insisted that I should apply for a loan as that would make me responsible in life. But it was my father who was very reluctant about this. He worked day and night and paid my college fees but never burdened me. Today, if I can think over my options and not worry about the loan, interest it is all because of him. 

He had a financial plan for me. He took care of my college fees and added expenses and made me financially secure. Most importantly, he also made me an independent person. He supported me at every step in my life, but never intervened. He always told me that it is my life and only I can take decisions. Starting with what dress to wear, which college to attend, which job to choose, whom to marry, was all decided by me. He just gave a nod. That nod sometimes was silent and sometimes limited to a few words of wisdom. These few words and tales from his own life inspired me to do better in life. He knew, all that needed was inspiration which guided me to walk in the path of learning and self exploration.  I don't know if he is proud of me or not, but for sure he is not disappointed by me. He doesn't express his emotions too much and hardly appreciate my hard work. But deep down, he knows, his daughter has learnt from her choices (good or bad) and that makes her independent. 

He never stopped me from doing wrong things or bound me by the rules, but, he let me fly and discover my own identity, my own land and my own freedom. If it's not for him, I wouldn't be the kind of person I am today. 

This post is written for IndiBlogger HappyHours in association with HDFC life. For more information and a secured life for your children, do visit their website  http://www.hdfclife.com/

Sleep peacefully!!!

I don’t have kids. I don’t have any in hand experience, but have seen the plight of many mothers whose children don't sleep at night. May be after seeing their situation, I am scared of having a baby!!! The most important thing in this world for me is sleep. I still can’t understand how somebody can compromise on their sleep to have a child. “Once you have a child, you will get the hang of it” is what my friends often tell me, yet, every day I pray to god to give me a child, who like me, loves to sleep all night (and all day if given a chance) and wake up as a happy dancing baby like the baby in this video!!!

My friend, I must add best friend here, who suffered a lot during the initial few years after delivery. She would look exhausted in the mornings and very tired. Her problem increased once her baby boy was six months old. He wouldn't sleep till 12 am and woke up for every two hours. He would sleep during the day, be lethargic. And by evening all his activities would begin. She was worried and even I was, after observing how quickly she was reducing weight. Singing lullaby and telling stories were tried, but there was no difference in the sleeping time table.

 After a lot of discussion and planning, this is what she decided to do:

His bed time ritual started in the evening itself. As he would play more in the evening, she would sit with him and play along. She would engage him in a variety of activities. And when he would get tired, she would push him to play more. The idea was to get him so tired  that he would sleep immediately once on the bed. Adding to this, she started cutting down his afternoon bed time. In the evening, he would be extremely drowsy but she wouldn't let him sleep. I have seen the boy dozing off while playing. The plan was working and her baby boy started sleeping for more hours in the night and catching up with the normal routine.

The regulars were also followed like a hot water bath before sleeping, applying some talcum powder, changing into comfortable clothes and of course, putting him in a diaper.  And yes, the baby started sleeping for more hours and comfortably. Our mission “make the baby sleep” was successful!!!

My one more friend also has a baby boy, but she has never faced any problem owing to his sleep. He would sleep undisturbed all night and wake up fresh in the morning. Nothing “extra” was needed to be done!!! Some lullaby, mother’s warmth, milk and the right diaper were sufficient for the boy. But some children have a lot of problem sleeping in the night and god bless their parents!!! When I asked my father, he said my mother normally sang a lullaby while making me sleep in a cradle made of a saree and without any issues I would sleep peacefully all night long. I hope my future kids also follow me!!!

This post is written for IndiBlogger HappyHours in association with Pampers!!! 

For more information you can check their website :  http://www.rewardme.in/tag/Pampers

The bucket list!!!

Life can get complicated, tangled or smooth as silk. But on this journey everybody gets their share of trouble. It may be losing someone, financial crisis or if our luck is bad then it is both!!! We, Indians have a different approach towards life. We don't live in today, but we live for tomorrow. Indians are working all over the world, as we go out of our comfort zone to make money so that our future is secure and comfortable. Funny part is, even my father who is 63 years old doesn't want to spend money now but save for his future. This future worries us and till we die, literally till the last day, we would be compromising on our desires to save for the future.

Dreams and aspirations differ with individuals. If my brother becomes wealthy overnight, he would still start up a business pursuing his ambition. If my sister becomes wealthy overnight, she would start her own garment factory. If dad becomes wealthy overnight, he would buy me a house and ask me to move back to Bangalore. If my father-in-law becomes wealthy overnight, he would buy shares and land and invest that money wisely. So, every person's dream is different. Their idea is different. But becoming wealthy overnight will not give us a tension free life or satisfaction. We still want to work hard, earn our own money, enjoy our success and make our future secure.

Now becoming filthy rich overnight is not going to happen. Hence, me and my husband made a pact that we will work hard, save for the future, but unlike our parents and relatives, we will not compromise on the present. We have made of list of activities we want to do before we are old and gold. But fulfilling this is not so easy as money and time becomes a major constraint. If I have been given fifty years off  from my normal life, with sufficient money without having to think about the past, present or future, this is what I would do:

1. I would go on a world tour. Travelling has always been my passion. Even after marriage, we make sure to go on trips, but if it is allowed I would go on trips every weekend!!! I love to take long vacations which never happens due to money problems as we would have to quit our present jobs to take such long vacations. Me and my backpack would want to visit every country, every province in the world except Iraq and Syria and oh! Now Libya too!!!!

2. It is not only about going on world tours, but living in those places and learning their way of life. May be take some low pay jobs, work in a restaurant, meet new people and have interesting conversations with them. Make new friends in every city and not be so serious about life. It was always about studying hard, getting  a good job, earning money and saving them!!! What happens if I just take a low paying job and live in the present like people in the USA do? This is exactly what I would do. Explore life in each of the countries I visit.

3. Now that I am in these countries then I would want to try out all the adventurous activities like canoeing, kayaking, white water rafting, Canyoning, rock climbing, snorkelling, surfing, windsurfing, mountain biking, horse riding, hiking, bungee jumping, sky diving, scuba diving and many more!!!  

4. I would want to focus more on my writing. I am a not great writer to earn my living out of it, but it is something which gives me immense happiness. I stopped writing for a few websites as it was difficult to manage with my full time job. May be once life is not about money and time and job, I would want to write about my travel and give more time to my blog. May be some day, I want to write a novel and for that to happen, I need to spend a lot of time in learning and improving myself. 

5. I want to have as many romantic days as possible with my husband. We were always in a long distance relationship and even after marriage things did not change as he keeps travelling because of work. Sometimes I wish he was in a different job, but changing job means lesser pay and insecure future. If future is secure and we have enough money, I would want to spend every single day with my husband. Be it travelling or adventurous activities or being a waitress, I want every day spent with my husband. After all, love suffers the most in this race towards money!!! 

Wow!!! I am so happy thinking about all this. I wish I wouldn't have to worry about money, future, jobs. I don't know if life is really so complicated or we make it. Why can't I just live my life fulfilling my dreams and enjoy every single moment and die peacefully? Why can't I spend my salary buying gadgets or eating or travelling? But like my dad always says, "Plan now and be tension free or else when you are old and have no money, Indian government won't bear your expenses". Hopefully, some day I will save enough money for the future and start exploring life. 

This post is written as a part of IndiBlogger HappyHours in association with IDBI federal life insurance. 

For more information click on this link: http://bit.ly/BefikarUmarBhar

And watch this video: #BefikarUmarBhar

My new Valentine!!!!

"For me, every day is Valentine's day!!!"

 I guess, wives satisfy themselves by this famous quote when they don't get to celebrate valentine's day. Unromantic husband/boy friend or hectic job schedule or endless travelling, might not allow you to enjoy a day, which the whole world believes to be an auspicious day for Lovers!!! If you ask me, I fall under all the categories above - unromantic husband: check, hectic job schedule (not mine, but his): check, constant travelling (it's him again): check and I have one more interesting fact to add - living in KSA: Oh damn!!!!

Since I began dating him, I have never celebrated Valentine's day. Why? Because he doesn't believe in it. Because he was out of India. Because I was stuck inside a house unable to organize anything. Because my life is in a mess!!!! Having forced to live separately and alone, I have found my peace in solitude. I enjoy being alone. I enjoy my routine. I enjoy watching movies/series all alone. I enjoy singing songs and dancing like nobody is watching (nobody would be watching anyway). Recently, I began to enjoy this "me time" and after watching the ASUS zenfone advertisement I have realized I am the best gift to myself. 

Here are my few realizations why ASUS zenfone is a better Valentine for life, than my husband (I am sure he is going to shoot me for this)

1.      Now a days husbands (universally) are so preoccupied in work they don’t even have time to appreciate their wives. I mean, we spend so much time decorating ourselves, glued to the mirror, just to hear “you look beautiful” but nah, that won’t happen any time soon. “If I start wasting time, who will pay for your cosmetics and clothes?” would be their response, when we interrogate.  Time is wasted, peace is lost and outcome of all the hassle is a big fight!!! I have decided to stop whining about all this. Just click a selfie and admire your beauty and if you want more, upload your picture instantly on facebook, instagram and viola, so many comments!!!! ASUS zenfone let's me upload hassle free and I always look beautiful through its lenses!!!

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2.      Then there is this usual complaint which I am forced to listen.

“Seriously, how much do you talk? Don’t you ever get tired?”

“Stop repeating the same thing again and again”

“I am bored now. Can we change the topic?”

And this is my favourite –

“You always explain way too much. I understood it long back”

Hence, I have decided to talk less and make him realize the value of my speech!!! But so far, looks like he is enjoying and getting comfortable with the silence. I was not, however.

So, obviously once again ASUS zenfone scores here as it lets me talk endlessly with increased battery life and good streaming for video calling!!!

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3.      ASUS zenfone lets me live tension free!!! Wherever my husband is, I contact him through skype or message or call and I would breathe when I know, he is just fine!!! After all, a woman's heart!!!! 

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4.      Through ASUS zenfone I am connected to the outer world. People wish me on Valentine’s day or birthdays even when my husband forgets to do so. Some even send me surprise gifts and more than anything, in spite of being in a deserted land of KSA, I can send home gifts and wish them!!!

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5.      But the most important reason why ASUS zenfone is a better valentine because it never leaves my side. Whenever I am sad, I click a selfie or record a song or play some loud music and enjoy the evening. Even though I am alone, it never lets me be one.

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So, it is official that I am living in a “mobile” world, always travelling and on most days away from my husband. There are no second guesses that ASUS zenfone is my valentine for life making me feel alive every day and special, of course!!! 

*** This entire post is fictional. Any resembles to any character, alive or dead, is purely coincidental. My husband is the sweetest husband (I do not want to jeopardize my monthly pocket money for flipkart vouchers) and I do not own ASUS zenfone (it would be nice if they decide to gift me one). 

You can also check this video for getting some inspiration (for next Valentine's day, may be) : 

If anybody wants to buy ASUS zenfone and win a trip to Singapore, please check this link :  http://www.flipkart.com/asus

This post is written as a part of IndiBlogger HappyHours in association with ASUS zenfone.