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Friday, May 24, 2013

Fun-tastic – Beat the heat weekend party!!!


These days, a finger food appetizers meal isn't enough to please guests in the parties- to really impress one has to tickle their comforts as well as their taste buds.
I made it a point to pamper all of their senses and make it a memorable summer party for all. To start with I decided to have a fun terrace party. My husband instantly pointed... But its Delhi summer honey.. !!! I had my own plans and followed them confidently....

Blowed up our summer special inflatable large swimming pool and got it ready on the terrace with cool water, aromas, petals and tea light candles around. Decorated my terrace wall with lights and charming paper lanterns. To keep it all even more cool I rented a few water fans and placed all around my DIY venue.

For seating I chose to go low floor in coloured fabrics and cushions. Had placed my wooden dining table in the corner to serve as a buffet table and decorated it with florals  and beautiful cultlery. For entertainment, we got the best of soothing music 1(spell ghazals) and simple ice breaking games. Was I  set??.... not really. My order in restaurant goofed up and refused last moment. With no other eatery ready to take such a big order and perfectionist me didn’t want to settle for anything lower than what my guests would love dining on.

5 hours left in my hand, my last resort was to land in a grocery store and pick the best easy to cook items to help myself. My heart echoed try Kitchen of India (since they took a generous space on the shelf and looked absolutely tempting). I picked up a Chicken biryani mix, a veg biryani mix, a mutton kolhapuri mix and few ready to eat packs of paneer durbari and said WOW to myself, I was quite impressed with my assortment which was very much Indian (as loved by the guests) and yet easy to cook and eat. To compliment it all I got packs of pita bread that can be toasted lightly on the spot on a electric barbeque and few light appetizers.
Got the best of juices and fresh fruits for mocktails to quench everybody’s thirst.  With generous amount of help from my husband, I was done with our home dinner menu in less than the expected time and it all tasted divine. With all the preparations completed, I felt proud of myself, the venue, food, decor everything looked spectacular. Now we waited for the guests to arrive... and here they were at dot 7:30 PM and sun set added to the whole lighting effect and earned me many compliments for my decor.

Dressed in casual summer attires, we had super fun in the pool, under the sky, with a chilled glass of mocktail in each hand and soothing ghazals playing in the background. With food ready to serve, we were happy hosts and helped our guests grab the most of the menu no matter their stomachs allow or not. They also didn’t mind as the food was incredible... thanks to Kitchens of India gourmet range!

Earned ourselves 10 on 10 from every friend who joined us that evening... they left with happy memories and cool smiles. Our effort paid off!
What an evening it was!!!... I said, glancing through that day’s photographs on my laptop.







Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Turning fantasy into reality.... We Chit Chat!!



“Whoever you meet on the path called life helps you explore yourself a little better.”
These words are of one of my friend who loves to go philosophical. But this time she was right, even though for me there are many more people whom I have not met or talked to but have helped me see my life in a different way.

Latest technology trends have opened many grounds for us, from  blogs and books to social media and television, even if it is pure entertainment that we indulge in, it still makes us realise the importance of having a laugh or switching off our minds for a while. Usually I hate talking on phone, (wonder how people stick to it for hours), and prefer chatting, some how it gives me more freedom of thoughts. Coming back to the list of people I would like to chat with, on the newly launched WeChat group, actually there are many but I am hereby giving the top 10 of my list.......

My Mom
Soon after I entered my teenage, God took her away from me. The days when other girls dream about their prince charming, I have grown up seeing her in my dreams. But I am happy and feel lucky to have met her atleast that way. A chance to chat with her no matter how would be divine for me. Even if I get short of words then, still the feeling of her being there to listen to me would be eternal.


Sophie Kinsella
Any girl in her 20’s who likes to read would love reading her books, she is one of the reigning stars in the chick lit genre. Though Shopaholic series are her most popular ones, but my favourites are-The Domestic Goddess, Remember Me? and Can you keep the secret? I still re-read them every few months. I identify with the lead characters and have fun with them. Chatting with Sophie would mean talking to all of my, those, fav characters in a go.


Aamir Khan

Like many other Indians, I liked Amir Khan and his acting skills. Loved many of his movies like Andaz Apna Apna and 3 Idiots, though disliked many as well, one of them being Gajini. But it was only when he did Satyamev Jayate, I started admiring him and his work. He worked towards betterment of this nation like a true citizen (afterall how many of the celebrities do we see doing such work, no matter how much he earned through it, is small in comparision to the awareness the show generated), then he took his mom for the sacred ‘Hajj’ fulfilling his duty of being a true son, he turned down ad endorsement offers worth a few crores saying it lacked social relevance. WoW! A personality to salute in todays day and age, when we see people going gaga over money and fame. Surely it would be an honour to talk to him once in my lifetime even if it means a small ‘Hello’.



Sexy- The little girl in the movie Cheeni  Kum

Do you remember her? Yes she is that tiny 9 year old girl, who was dying of leukaemia in the cool humourous movie Cheeni Kum also featuring strong actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu. She was the cherry on the cake in this movie. Confidante Swini Khare gave life to the whole storyline with her small role. With a few days life left to live, she had it clear how to have fun in those days and live life to the fullest. Inspiring and adorable to watch. Would like to chat with this life inspiring small girl ‘Sexy’ to have some fun together and may be talk about those adult movies she was craving to watch... lol.

Oprah Winfrey
Guess, everyone who knows her, would like to meet her once in their life.  An inspirational lady of substance. You would be amazed to know she was fired from her first job because she was called ‘unfit for TV’, and today she is topping the list of 10 most inspiring personalities. There is so much to talk to her about from her success story to her life of being Oprah.

Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Bhagat is an Indian literary icon, yes I too love all his books. But more than his books I loved his sense of acceptance towards the changing Indian society. He left his high profile banking job in Hong kong because his wife had got a better paying job in India, only to become a house husband or a stay-at-home dad for his baby. He utilized that spare time to write his books,  which turned him into a bestselling author of the nation. His started a revolution, and till now I don’t know of any other male who has taken such a step. Moreover, his articles and blogs oozes not only fantastic style of writing but also opinions that matter to every women out there. A today’s man who understands that he shares this society with females of similar calibre and respects feminism. Being a feminist writer myself, I have enough to chat about with him.

Mark Zukerberg
We all know him! His name is a book that tells the story of social media. My introduction to social media was through his baby that’s ‘FACEBOOK’. I am not a media junkie but I adore his intelligence which produced this idea. Afterall I found my husband among many other friends through it. Let’s Chat Mr. Zukerberg, now we have WeChat!

Walt Disney

Every girl on this planet, grows up reading fairytales, dreams of entering a princess castle in real and meet her favourite damsel turned princess characters. It was he who turned this dream into reality for us with his Disney parks. His name is synonymous to the cartoon series we have seen in our childhood, which still adds smile on our faces. Yay!! I can talk fairies with him.

Andrea Sachs
You guessed it right! She is the same size 12, casual chic who doesn’t hesitate before eating that burger with extra cheese and still makes it to one of the biggest fashion magazine as assistant to the editor Miranda Priestley, a job for which millions of girls would die for! What next? She dumps this high profile job but still get positive feedbacks from her boss and makes it to her dream job. She was the one who motivated me to take up Mass communication and my career got a direction. What a luck, if I get to chat with her!

Vidya Balan
I never realised she was one who appeared in that slimy role in the popular TV series ‘Hum Paanch’.  Look at her today, she has created a niche for herself not only in Bollywood and also amongst the Indian women. She looks glam and carries the national attire Sari with grace and elegance. Atleast I can get tips on wearing sari perfectly (my brother’s wedding is coming up), apart from talking about her journey toward being the best in bollywood. What a boon for a movie buff like me!

Tanya Chaitanya

Wondering who she is? “All the women, You are FEMINA!”  She is the editor of my most read magazine ‘Femina’.  Every time when I get my hands on an issue of Femina, first thing I read is the editor’s note, and each time I utter the word ‘Awesome’! I would like to know how she gathers her stories, and frames it to such engaging content that every time I pass a bookstore I can’t resist picking the new issue of this magazine.

That’s my list of top 10 people whom I would like to chat with on WeChat Group. Hope it turns into reality and does not remain a fantasy!

[Created for Indiblogger & WeChat contest - http://www.indiblogger.in/topic.php?topic=81

Also check out the amazing WeChat - Chat with anyone, anywhere commercial on you tube here}

Thursday, May 9, 2013

DIY Hair!!! Romancing with my tresses...

Growing up to the age when fairytales remain age old tales and we start believing in what’s real. From Bollywood to Hollywood, we idolize the actresses for their amazing tresses and dream to have similar hair ourselves. We even end up feeling jealous of that girl next door or on the metro for having such perfectly set hair every time.

Deepika and Kareena’s on screen looks leave us wanting for more and we think we too deserve to have gorgeous natural hairstyle. We try to copy their styles but our uncooperative hair leave us shattered. Our daily worry is to style up our hair and in turn it frames our mood for the day. Good and the bad hair days!

Today lot of us take the easier way and go to a saloon and leave it up to them to either turn you into an enviable princess or an OMG item to talk about at the gathering. I play it simple mostly, by either choosing a hairstyle for myself on web and instructing my stylist to apply the same or DIY my hair with many tutorials available online, provided my hair behaves.

My choice this time is Athena braided hair accessorized with a glam headband complimenting my floral summer dress and I am ready to rock. What’s better, a matching headband for my mini me (my daughter) and out we are for a friend’s kid’s birthday party. I and my mini Diva earned many applauds in the evening and all thanks to Tresemmé hair products, that made my hair life easier, as GLAMming it up is no more a rocket science.

Guess our market was waiting to adorn such a product that can turn a normal girl into a stylish chic and give her ramp ready hair.  Yes, ofcourse, you have to do it with confidence and right technique (watch Tresemmé’s you tube video for this perfection), like I did.... VIOLA!

Tresemmé helped me leave stunning impressions by wearing my hair like a diva. I styled my hair like a pro at home in a jiffy and it turned my belief into my trust in this amazing product. Braid or bun; twist or turn or naturally loose, style it yourself and romance with your Tresemmé tresses, it won’t let you down!

[Post done exclusively for the indiblogger's TRESEMME's RAMP READY HAIR contest ]

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