Scars of Time

Time changes a lot many things in people. Time heals, time wounds, time withers, time replenishes. That's what time does- Change. It changed who I was and it is changing who I am. Be it the kind of person I am to the kind of moods I have. Time decides it all. I have changed with time inside and outside. The length of my hair has grown longer and I've grown quieter. 

Friendship happens

A lost friend always hurt us. Broken friendship is like a broken glass, pick it up any time , no escaping the cut. I am not going to bring objectivity into this article but cerebration.

How do I enter into a situation where I become incapable of holding onto a friendship?

Irony? Another person is doing it good. She is balancing the friendship with the same person exceptionally ( suspiciously) in a better way.

Parents

“I know you are going to make it”, said my father while I was going to enter the centre for my M.A. entrance examination. I had not been able to study anything at all. I barely got one day amidst my university exams and other high priority course entrances to prepare for this one. Papa wants me to get through this however. When I said “Papa, I don’t think you will have to wait too long, three hours is too much. I hardly know anything”. My Papa induced me with his faith. It somehow gave me a supernatural power; it made me believe in myself. My papa is my superhero indeed.

Book Review: Love across borders - Stories of love, connection, and friendship that transcend the physical divide

Source: Google Images

 

Cover: Beautiful. The sand depicts the deserts that our countries have in common.

Pages: 109 with adjustable font since the book is available only as an ebook.

 

Language: English, clear and lucid narration

Price: Rs.184

 

Publisher: Indireads

Quality: Very Good

 

Flow: It’s different for different stories, but overall a smooth flow.

 

 

 

The modern girl's manifesto

It's 2014 and some people still seem to be stuck in the Middle Ages as far as mental attitudes towards women and girls are concerned. To facilitate their smooth teleportation into the current day and age so that they are not blinded by the contrast from their own mental timeline when they reach 2014 from 32 B.C., I hereby declare a girl manifesto to re-inform them lest they be in  unfortunate possession of seriously twisted ideas of gender roles. And in this Time- Spaceship we will carry several of our Indian brethren too. Men and women alike. Happy journey to all aboard!

That thing called Smile

This is it!', I said to myself, closing the books. It was one of those days when I felt terribly low. My semester end exams were going on and tomorrow was the subject that held the highest number of credits and here I was simply turning the pages of this 1kg book, my mind refused to take anymore of the shear stress and bending moment.

I had no idea about what to write as my first article for the blog and the deadline was smiling at me, a wicked smile.

Focus and Productivity

            When was the last time you were truly productive? I don’t mean when you were busy, not one of those eighteen hour days where you were exhausted, but had nothing to show for in the end. The last time when you were so involved in work that you forgot everything around you and your entire focus was on the work at hand, and the end results were extremely satisfying.

Book Review: You Cant Fight A Royal Attraction by Ruchi Vasudeva

 

ISBN: 9789351060574

Publisher: Harlequins Mills and Boons

Price: Rs. 125/-

Blurb:

The last thing Rihaan needs in his life is to play a host to a woman who drives him crazy! Saira is gorgeous, yes, but she's also widly infuriating.

Yet every time she comes within an inch of him he finds his normally iron-clad control slipping further and further away...

Wanting to protect herself from more heartbreak, Saira knows she should keep her distance from Rihaan -but there's something about him she just can't seem to resist... Little does she know that Rihaan is hiding a secret!

When it comes to light will it tear them apart -or raise their passion to new, more majestic heights?

Delhi vs Mumbai

I am a proud Mumbaiite, Navi Mumbaiite now, but it's the same thing. Once you have spent the major part of your life growing in Mumbai, you are always a Mumbaiite, right?

As a kid, Delhi was my summer vacation destination with most of my maternal relatives and cousins staying in the capital city. And when we were in school, at least once during our Delhi stay the Mumbai vs Delhi argument would come up. I and my brother used to defend Mumbai (then Bombay) like how!

Book Review: How I braved Anu Aunty & co-founded a million dollar company ~ Varun Agarwal

Source: Google Images

Title: How I met Anu Aunty & co-founded a million dollar company - a true story

 

Author: Varun Agarwal

 

Rating: **** 1/2*

 

Cover: Anu aunty illustrated, standing in front of Varun's world & what's in it. Clearly an impediment.

 

Pages: about 250 in medium font.

Language: English, clear and lucid Price(less) at: Rs 140

Publisher: Rupa Publications

 

Quality of the book: Very Good

Fonts: Readable

 

Characters: Four main characters. Rest supporting.

Narration: First person

Flow: Smooth

 

Staying cool in the summer is important for many reasons that include health, fashion and comfort. From an uneven complexion to frizzy tresses, from hot air blows to room heat, from confused stomach to summer clothing... Pesky warm-weather issues:

SKIN:

Exfoliate for clearer, smoother skin

 Exfoliation removes dead, dulling skin debris to prevent congestion and improve hydration from toners and moisturizers.

 Befriend H2O

 High temperature and outings leads to dehydration, which results in headaches and dizzy spells! Eight 8-ounce glasses of plain, filtered water every day help maintain critical moisture balance of the body and skin, and assist in detoxification. (If you drink caffeinated beverages, you must triple the amount of water you drink!)

Blemishes 

Pimples can be more prolific in summers due to heat, sweat and extra oil. And, unfortunately, they're not limited to the face (“There's also backne and buttne :D”) Regardless of where acne pops up, Use a glycolic or salicylic-acid cleanser and make sure everything you apply to your skin—from makeup and facial soap to body wash and sunscreen—is oil-free so you don't further clog pores. Keep your face moisturized not greasy!

Eczema 

This skin condition—characterized by dry, scaly discolored skin that may or may not itch—is commonly caused by stress and heat. It tends to show up around the feet, elbows, knees, neck, and underarms. Avoid triggers like perfumes and detergents, which can make the irritation worse, and opt for gentle fragrance-free cleansers and moisturizers.

 Heat Rash 

When temperatures and humidity level rise, skin heats up and flushing can occur on any area of the body—with or without a bumpy, inflamed appearance. Apply a topical over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream for three days to bring down the inflammation or antifungal treatment.

FOOD:

A big wedge of watermelon

 Made up of 90 percent water, which keeps you well-hydrated. Loads of vitamins A and C content, has no fat and is packed with lycopene, an antioxidant which may aid in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease. 
 

Citrus Fruits

 Oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes, are among the most cooling of all fruits. Aside from their delicious taste, citrus fruits can keep you healthy and looking younger. Citrus is considered a super food for healthy skin due to its wide array of phytonutrients that function as antioxidants, including flavones, anthocyanin’s, polyphenols and vitamin C. Citrus is also considered to be especially important in digestion as it helps aid in the breakdown of rich and fatty foods. (Best energizers!)

Kulfi

 This will probably upset gelato fans, but of all the icy, creamy desserts out there, kulfi's best one for summer. A traditional Indian ice cream developed to melt slowly in the heat of the Indian subcontinent, kulfi tends to be creamier and denser than its Western counterparts, with flavors such as rose and mango and cola J . It's served in matkas (little clay pots) that keep it even more insulated. Street vendors sell popsicle-like versions.

Korean fried chicken

A trendy food in South Korea that’s caught on around the world, Korean fried chicken has won over as a crunchy finger food for hot weather. Koreans have perfected the holy fried chicken trinity: crispy, thin skin that still retains some gooey fat underneath, a strong spicy flavor and delicious moist meat. (Recommend it with cold beer or soju and a side of pickles.)

 Shaved milk ice

Known as “cotton ice” in Chinese, this Taiwanese dessert has become popular across East Asia in the last few years. Instead of plain crushed ice, this version is made with frozen condensed milk that's run through a shaving machine to create thin sheets of white milk ice that piles up in folds.

Affogato

Affogato means "drowned" in Italian, and we really wouldn’t mind being dunked into a sea of this Italian dessert. A scoop of vanilla gelato is scooped into a cup and a shot of hot espresso is poured on top. The result is a beautiful swirl of semi-solid ice cream and streaks of golden, bitter coffee. Adding a shot of Amaretto or coffee liqueur ups the flavor.

Lemonades & Limeades

Made for sitting on the porch.

·         Honey Limeade

·         Pepper-Mint Limeade

·         Best Lemonade Ever

Juice Drinks

 Favorite fruit coolers.

·         Cool Watermelon Slushes

·         Rhubarb Slush

·         Lemon Berry Slushy

·         Pinna Colada Slush

·         Pineapple Orange Slush

Sodas & Floats

 Old-time refreshers.

·         Cherry Fizz

·         Vermont Maple Float

·          Lemon Lime Float

·         Gourmet Root Beer Float

·         Italian Cream Soda

Iced Coffee

 Caffeinated quenchers

·         Cappuccino Cooler ·         Easy Iced Coffee ·         Iced Mochas ·         Cappuccino on Ice ·         Vietnamese Iced Coffee CLOTHING:

Wicking fabrics Are man-made fabrics designed to relieve body of perspiration by “wicking” moisture away from the body and speeding up the evaporation process, thus keeping the body at a stable temperature. These fabrics are most commonly used in athletic or specific outdoor clothing, and they help keep the body cool during activity. These fabrics are made with a special weaving process that works in tandem with the body’s cooling process. Manufacturers who use these fabrics have adjusted the weave or added special coatings to manipulate the fabric to their needs. Cotton and linen: all-time favorite fabrics to chill in heat! HOME :      It's hot enough to melt a bushman's boots. But cranking up the air-conditioning is not the only way to stay cool. Try a desert trick. When the air outside is dry and cooler than the air inside, hang a damp sheet in an open window. Incoming breezes are cooled by the evaporating water.  Block the sun. Closing curtains and blinds (ideally with sun-deflecting white on the window side) can reduce the amount of heat that passes into your home by as much as 45 percent. Make a "cold compress." Fill a cotton sock with rice, tie the sock with twine, and freeze it for two hours before bedtime. Then slide it between the sheets. Rice retains cold for a long period because it's dense and starchy. If not any of above all works… just jump into a nearby pool and have a cool poolside party swaying your hands, legs and hairs   Vitasta

7 reasons to date a guy who drinks

The association of mankind with alcohol has been since time immemorial! In the words of William James- “The sway of alcohol over mankind is unquestionably due to its power to stimulate the mystical faculties of human nature, usually crushed to earth by the cold facts and dry criticisms of the sober hour.” Alcohol lands you in a different zone altogether. Yes, you are then in one of those zones where you feel you have all the authorities to dictate things. 

30 things to do before you turn 30

I had been reading a lot of write-ups like "25 things to do before 25" , "20 things to do before 20" ," 50 places to travel before you die" ,"10 places to shit before you get caught" .

So I was wondering whether the writers had done any of it themselves, I have not done any of it so ...voila...since I am approaching the right side of 40 so thought why not I share my list...

                                         30 things to do before you turn 30

Book Review: The Other Side by Faraaz Kazi and Vivek Banerjee

About the Book:

Title: The Other Side

Author/s: Faraaz Kazi and Vivek Banerjee

ISBN: 9789350880760

Publisher: Mahaveer Publishers | www.bookpremi.com (as mentioned on the back cover)

Language: English

No. of pages: 320

Year of Publication: 2013

Buy from Flipkart

A slow rasping sound made me turn. I jumped back, the cell phone leaving my hands and smashing against the concrete floor. Someone was seated on the chair, rocking back and forth. Through the fallen light, I could see those hands placed on the arms of the chair, two gruesome wrinkled limbs with ugly boils plastered over the black skin. The red bangles on its wrists shone in my eyes, momentarily blinding me. That thing and I call it a thing because I could sense it wasn't human as no human could have such a hideous form, as vile an existence as the one seated opposite to my horrified self."

From a honeymoon in the hill that goes horribly wrong to an obsessed lover who wants his first love in life and in death; From a mentally deranged man who collects body parts of various women to stitch together his dream girl to a skeptic who enters a mansion of horrors to win a bet and much more, this book is filled with scenarios that are guaranteed to give you goosebumps and sleepless nights. 'The Other Side' is a collection of thirteen tales of the paranormal; a world that our eyes refuse to see, our ears deny hearing and our senses ignore the feel of. This is a book for someone who is brave enough to take up this invitation to journey through uncharted waters along with the authors, who were inspired by some bizarre experiences to pen down this work where the lines of reality have been blurred by the footsteps of imagination. Each story takes you on a tour de force of unadulterated horror and draws upon the deepest fear in the human mind- the fear of the UNKNOWN!

10 lessons to learn from Gabbar Singh

Gabbar Singh, loosely translated from hindi means the proud lion. He was true to his name and starred in the movie Sholay that truly immortalised him. Sholay was and still is one of the most successful movies of bollywood. Amjad Khan who brought Gabbar Singh to life on the silverscreen, did complete justice to the beautifully written script. It was not just the powerful dialogues but the actor's persona and his rendition of the character that has etched Gabbar's memory in our minds forever.

Indeed, Gabbar Singh is the most quoted bollywood villian of all times. Not just this, with some seriously good script writing by Salim - Javed, there's timeless wisdom in Gabbar Singh's character. Gabbar was
more than just a ruthless dacoit he was also a management and marketing genius. Just have a look at all that we can learn from his enterprising character:

Five things to do in Kolkata

Kolkata, more lovingly called the City of Joy is a place you must visit at least once (I recommend multiple visits though) if you stay in India. This place has something for everybody. If you are not already mesmerized by the architectural beauty of the city, the endless misthis here are sure to win your heart. Making a list of just five things to do when you’re in Kolkata is a nearly impossible task, but I’m trying my best to keep the list to the bare minimum.