Frieda Pinto in a halter neck top

I love the colors on this silk halter neck Frieda is wearing.  Don't you?

Lovely Pink Wallet

Isn't this Guess wallet pretty?

Purple Heels

Imagine wearing these to a party.

White and Black Heels

Think these look nice.  Especially the white.

Boots for the Rainy season

These boots are perfect for the rainy season and look cute too.  Don't you think?   Made by the French brand Aigle, it's called Chantelib Print rain boots!  

Ambi " Pure " Memories

It was a beautiful Sunday.  Bright and sunny. I was at home in Mvpa. It was my dad who suggested we go for a drive.  Mvpa and some of the nearby places are really blessed with natural beauty.  So we have plenty of great choices for a drive. We decided we would drive to Pala via Tdpa.

         In an hour we were ready. We took some grub to keep us going.   We all loved cheese, so we had a variety of cheese like Gouda, Edam and Gruyere with us. 

Mummy made cheese and pineapple sticks with cherries on the top.Cheese and pineapple is such a yummy combo, dont you think? Actually feel like having some now while I write. We also made some sandwiches, chicken and ham, bacon and tomato with thousand island dressing. There was also some Banoffee pudding in the fridge which we took along.  Some plates and glasses, tissues, towels, sanitizer, forks, knives, spoons, some water all went into our picnic basket.  And also a big sheet for us to sit down on. No fun without music right?  So we picked Shreya ghosal, Black Eyed Peas, tamil melodies by Ilayaraja and AR.Rahman and also some hit songs by Madonna, Seal, Aerosmith etc.  Then we all packed ourselves into the Porsche. 

And off we went. Needless to say we were really comfy in the plush interiors of the car. Conversation flowed.  We spoke randomly of this and that. Laughed for no reason. And Shreya sang softly in the background. We left Mvpa and passed through Tdpa with its lush natural beauty. Then we left Tdpa and was close to Pala with it's lovely Rubber plantations.   Everything was green.  Here and there, there were crystal rivulets of water flowing down.  Suddenly  we saw a leafy spot where we could park the car.  There was lots of shade with all the branches overhead.    Out came the sheet.  We sat in a circle and gorged on the sandwiches and nibbled on the cheese.  The pudding was soo yummy too!!  After which we all climbed back into the car and kept the roof open. No sun.  Just the trees and leaves.  It was awesome.  In 10 mts or so we fell fast asleep.   I don't know how long we slept but after what seemed like eternity  I woke up.  I felt something soft on my face.  It was a white flower.  White flowers were falling from above.  Thousands of them.  In fact our car was full of them.  On our laps.  On us.  Outside the car too.  It was like a floral carpet.  Slowly one by one everyone woke up.   There was also a refreshing fragrance.  Subtle and fresh.  It reminded me of the pleasant Ambi Pur scent we had in the car.  

  We got out of the car and walked in a daze looking at the falling white flowers.   It was my nephew who saw it first.  He was excited.  He said he saw sparkling water.  How true he was.   The water was shining and glittering.  Ethereal.  We took it in our hands.  Glittering as though light was radiating out of it.  Just like the light which comes out of diamonds...I splashed it on my face.  My nephew started to wade in.  We all followed.  We were in a trance.  We started splashing water on each other, laughing and having fun.  It was my mom who finally reminded us that we had to leave.  We reluctantly walked back.  Joyful. Ecstatic!!  We had almost reached the car when  my dad looked at me and said that I had lost weight.  He smiled and gave me a hug.  He had become ten years younger.  Everybody was looking at me.  I looked around and noticed that everyone was looking more youthful .  Everyone was looking their best.  We were all happy and smiled.  We all packed ourselves into the Porsche and drove back.  Blissful and contented.  Everyone was in a daze.  We relaxed and enjoyed the return trip.  Everyone was silent and thoughtful.

This was the most amazing and fantastic road trip I have ever had.   Now each time I get the Ambi Pur smell, I think of this beautiful experience I had. 

PS:  This post is written for a contest hosted by Indiblogger and sponsored by Ambi Pur.

Blue-tooth Makes the World Go Round

I am feeling soo excited and happy.  Jubilant in fact.  Joy is now radiating out of me, like a white light if you will.:)  It's actually a serendipity.  I knew when I woke up that something good was gonna happen.  Just didn't expect it right now.  In the morning that is.
Moving all my contacts from my BB to my Samsung has been on my "to-do" list for some time now.  I kept postponing it much like I did my Hindi lessons for my degree.  The day I got my new phone, I fiddled around and clicked a few buttons.  This being a smart phone, I had inadvertently synced alot of data from various social media. So I ended up with a whole bunch of contacts from day one itself.    
But in the back of my mind, I knew I had to transfer all the contacts which was in my BB.  Either manually or through some other method.  I'd heard my dad using the drop box and I was thinking I would first need to transfer data from the phone to my PC.  To make sure I was on the right path, I decided to do some internet research.  And that's how I discovered, I could do it via Blue tooth.  I've never used Blue tooth much before.   But today, I was nothing short of amazed.  Can you believe that technology can do this to people?

All I had to do was turn on Blue tooth for both phones.  Each phone scanned and detected the other phone.  I then accepted the devices or rather paired them. When I clicked the track pad on the BB, the option to transfer contacts was shown on the list.  I clicked that and the file was transferred onto my Samsung.  All I had to do now was accept the file. Voila!! All BB contacts with phone numbers on Samsung now.  I did a random test just to make sure.
All this happened in a few minutes.  I was over the moon!!
                                               God bless all the developers.

Always or Just Once?

Have you ever got a new phone and in a week, you can't  make calls?  Well, I was faced with this situation yesterday afternoon and I kept thinking "Why me?  Why my phone".
            The last call I was able to place was through Viber.  After that, I could not make any regular calls.  I would press the call icon and then a blank screen would emerge and vanish like a typical bug. I tried it on different people ( as though that would be the issue!).  Nothing.  No indication of a call. I didn't like the look of it. I checked online and there were various solutions like get a new SIM card, change Wi-fi settings and I tried all that as well.  All to no avail.  Would I have to take my phone to a mobile shop?  In between all this, it did occur to me that something had happened when I used Viber.  I had given the option Always instead of Just Once just before the call was placed in a dreamy haze.  Now I really did not know how to undo that.  So I uninstalled Viber and tried to make a call and voila, me phone was back to normal!!  And then I re - installed Viber and it still worked.  Only this time, I gave the option as Just Once.
 Now these are options, do you want to always place the call using Viber or do you want to make a call with it just once?
  Because when you give the option Always, the default app settings change.  And this is what happened to my phone.  So I could not make calls using the regular mode.  Now if you know how to change the default settings without uninstalling Viber, that's fine.  Otherwise just uninstall, place a regular call and then re-install.  And make sure you set the option to Just Once when you use Viber!!

Pssst: A secret conversation on We Chat

It was a bright sunny day.  I was sitting in the Kanakakunnu Palace grounds in Trivandrum when this whole conversation took place.  

Feeling bored, I was fiddling around with my phone when I thought I would try out this new App called WeChat.  Nobody would have guessed that I was having such an interesting conversation.  There was nothing special about that day.  The sky was blue and the white fluffy clouds with grey painted in here and there slowly drifted by.  The leaves were rustling and there were the usual love birds walking hand in hand or lying down here and there whispering sweet nothings which no one else could hear.  Occasionally they smiled and laughed, happy and care free, not bothered about what was going on in the world.  I sat there alone.
 I was at peace enjoying the beauty of nature and the serenity and maybe a bit pensive.  Of late I had begun thinking about the meaning of life.  My life!!    Many times I would awake at night thinking about what I was doing with my life.  Here I was trying to find out what I should do.  That’s when I turned on WeChat and who is there but Jose Silva.  Was this a coincidence?  Jose Silva was the founder of the Silva Method, a mind control technique. He wanted to chat with me.  I’m copy pasting our conversation here.  Make what you will of it:

Jose Silva:  Hi there  !!

Me:  Jose !!  I can’t believe this.

JS: What?

Me:  The fact that u are online right now and want to talk to me.

JS:  Y??

Me:  I was just pondering about life.  And here you are.  Is this a coincidence?

JS:  No.  There are no co incidences in life.  Someone once said that when the student is ready, the master appears.

This was heavy stuff. 

Me: Ok.

JS:  So what were you pondering about?

Me: Life in general.  Actually my life.

JS:  Yr life…wat about it?

Me:  I mean the purpose.  Of late I’ve been thinking it’s meaningless.

Js:  Every life has meaning and purpose.  You just got to find out

Me:  But how? 

JS:  Ask yr self when you are in the state of Alpha.

Me: Alpha?

JS:  Go to level using the 3- 2-1 method and ask yr self or your councillors.

Me:  The 321 method?  What s that?

JS:  That is the Silva method, which I discovered in the 40’s.  Each human being has immense potential and latent talents which will come out when in a relaxed state of mind.

I was intrigued. 

Me:  And…?

JS:  Practice the Silva method and you will know.

I was now wide eyed, curious.  I wanted more. And who were the councillors?  But I didn’t have a chance to ask that coz suddenly Kalpana Saroj joined our group.

KS:  Will it help me in my business?

JS:  Oh yes.  Not only your business but every aspect of your life.

I felt something deep stir within me.  I was touched.  Here was a Mexican- American sharing his wisdom with me or rather us.    I felt like seeing him.    Hearing his voice.

KS:  Jose could you come on video?

After a small pause  an image flickered and I heard ""No problemo"".  It was him.  He had a Mexican drawl.  Suddenly there he was.    Crystal clear.  He looked kind and genial.   There was something paternal about him.  He smiled .  I beamed.  He then said.  You must practice deep relaxation.  And then he went off video.

But now that Kalpana Saroj was here, I had many questions for her too!!  It was a golden opportunity not to be missed.

Me:  Kalpana, how did u do it? It looked like all odds were against you and still u made it!!  Big!!

KS:  I had no options but to go up from where I was.  And each time I achieved something , I discovered a new goal and went after that.   So here I am today.

As I thought about what she said I suddenly had an urge to shake my phone. I held it my hand and shook it vigorously.  And guess what?  Who comes online but the King of Pop himself!!  Michael Jackson.  I had forgotten that when you shake the phone while using WeChat you will get in touch with anyone else who is shaking his/her phone at the moment and MJ just happened to be doing that.  He was dancing and his phone was shaking at the same time.  I have always idolized MJ.  I mean no one can sing and dance like him.  I mean together. At the same time.    He was really innovative and went all out- even to the extent of new looks for new videos which meant doing things to his face as well.  He then came on audio

MJ: Hi

He said in that sweet almost girlish voice of his.

We all said Hi.

Me:  Michael you are soo talented. 

JS: Yes you definitely know yr life purpose

Me:  What are you doing nw?

MJ:  Dancing slowly to “”Remember the time when we fell in love…”

Me:   I always wanted to see you dance for a concert.

KS:   Me too

MJ:  I can dance for u now (he said shyly)

Suddenly we saw him.  Yes.  He had his glitter glove, the one studded with diamonds all over, on.  I think he had put his phone a bit away so we could see him.  And then yes!! He did the moon walk.  He slowly glided over the floor.  He seemed to be in a studio or something because there was a spotlight and his socks were sparkling too.  Then he slowly picked the phone and smiled.

I just could not believe my luck.  Here I was in Trivandrum and there he was, wherever he was and I saw him dance in person.  Ya it was almost as good.  I put my phone down and clapped.

We went back to audio.

JS:  Wish I could move like that..

KS:  Me too.  I think it would be a good exercise at the end of a busy day clinching deals!!

MJ: Thank you…Can I invite one of my friends to the chat?

Me: Sure

JS:  No problemo.

In between I noticed my phones battery was showing weak signals.  Aargh!!  Always happens when I’m having an interesting conversation or an important call.

Me:  Guys can you wait a sec?

KS:  Koi baat nahi.

 So I quickly moved to the laptop mode of WeChat.  What a relief!!  Thank God it’s so easy and seamless.  It’s kind of embarrassing if you end up taking a long time figuring out stuff in between a chat, is it not?

Anyways this is what followed:

MJ:  This is my friend Liz.

We all said Hi to her.

She then switched on the video and there she was.  Of all people Elizabeth Taylor!! 

She smiled.

Me:  Did you really wear a dress made of gold in Cleopatra?

ET:  Oh Yes!! 24 Carat Gold!!I have one of the pictures of that. 

She then uploaded this picture!!

We were awestruck.  There was no denying her screen presence.

KS:  And did they really pay you half a million dollars?

ET:   One million    US dollars.  It was a record at that time.  I was the highest paid actress.

Me:  May I ask you something about your mm marriage?

ET: Go ahead honey!!

Me: Why did you marry Richard Burton twice.

ET:  Beats the hell out of me, but he really made me feel complete. I have a picture of us.  Wait.

ET: I think we look good here.

I was just admiring the picture and thinking what a great pair they made when we got a ping.

Suddenly someone wanted to join the group.  A familiar voice then said

“” Mein Amitabh Bachchan Bol Raha Hoon “”

This was too much for me.  I was so excited!!  I have always been fascinated by the lives of the stars. I  wanted to know why he did not marry Rekha?  However the question that came out was

Me:  How is little Aaradhya doing?

AB:  The lil darling is fine.

Me:  I loved the songs in Silsila.

       There was a pause.  Then:

AB:  Aaah Silsila.

Suddenly my phone rang!!  An all too familiar voice said,”Where are you?  Did you forget we have dinner with Ammamma?”.It was Mummy

Yes. I’d forgotten.  I suddenly realized that it was getting a bit dark.  Most of the  lovers seemed to have left or were in the process of leaving.

I had to suddenly bid adieu.  They were all very sweet.    We promised to meet again on WeChat .  It was so much fun, people from all walks of life sitting in various parts of the world chatting and sharing pictures. I went home feeling lucky and happy.   

You never know when your life is going to change, do you?  I did not think that an app called We Chat could bring so much more excitement into my life.  No Sirree!!   But I sure am glad that I got it!!

PS:  This article is a figment of my imagination.  Nothing more and nothing less. The first photo showing the palace grounds is mine.  The rest is courtesy of the net.  This post was written for a contest sponsored by We Chat 

and hosted by Indiblogger.

My Royal Durbar Party with Kitchens of India

I've been really lucky with friends all through my life. Always had the best friends a person could wish for. Loyal and supportive, they have always been there for me.   It’s high time I showed them how much they mean to me.  I think I will throw them a party!  An evening for everyone to let down their hair and have fun;  an evening of music and laughter.

Yes, it has to be an evening, in the open air with the stars twinkling in the night sky.  Evenings always lend an aura of romance and magic. Since most of my friends will be busy during the week, I shall keep it on a Saturday evening.

I’m thinking poolside.  Water bodies have that relaxing and calming effect on you.  It has to be the ITC Mughal Sheraton Agra. For as soon as I saw their pool, I fell in love.  I have a feeling all my friends will like it too! 

A royal durbar theme comes to mind!  Carpets  and rugs on the floor with some silk cushions thrown in.

 A couple of hookahs would add a nice touch.   They would add to the feel.

  A Mehendi artist must also be roped in.  Just for fun!

 And of course a group of musicians who are comfortable with Ghazals as well as the latest hit songs so people can sing and dance too.

  Have to get a deck of cards as well!

We should also have a game of Bingo/Thumbola!

I like seeing twinkling lights in the night.  It always makes things appear magical.   So must remember to decorate the pillars with lights. 

Now for the dress code, I think with the ambiance ethnics will be just fine. Imagine all the girls swishing and whirling around in colorful ghaghra’s?

Now for the most important part- the food.  I want to stick with my royal durbar theme and I want to go for something consistent.  I don’t want to take any chances here.  At the same time, I do not want to cook myself.  I cannot compromise on the quality.  It has to be the best. 

And then it struck me-Kitchens of India by ITC.   They have "Ready to Dine" curries and desserts, masala mixes, chutneys and conserves!!  Best part is they have an online shop and will mail it to you!!  When it’s from ITC, you can be sure about quality , so no worries there. It's actually delicacies made in Indian Royal households of yore.  Food fit for kings now recreated by the celebrated chefs of ITC.
Am randomly going though their site and am confused.  So many mouth watering things...Strawberry Mint Conserve, Apple Cinnamon Conserve....yum!! 

I can imagine them melting in my mouth.  Would be yummy with pancakes and even puris. Think I shall order a few bottles of those.  You can even eat it plain.  Yum.    I know...I know..I’m working backwards.  But what can I do?  I have a sweet tooth and I love Indian sweets and these bottles just caught my eye.  So will finish choosing desserts, now that I am onto sweets.

I have zeroed in on two yummy dishes.  Just reading the names, makes my mouth water.  So here they are:
Jodhpuri Moong Dal Halwa - This is a Rajasthani desert made from moong dal simmered in milk and garnished with almonds and saffron. .Doesn't it look decadent?

Hazoori Petha Halwa is a sinful North Indian delight made from grated petha,cooked in ghee,milk and khoya garnished with raisins.  Mmm.

You can eat them straight from the pack or heat them they say.  I think with the sultry weather we have been having, I will serve them at room temperature.

Mirch ka Salan is something I have never had.  Am pretty sure most of my friends haven’t either.  It could be a dish of  novelty.

 For the veggies, I shall go with Paneer Malai and Mughlai Paneer.

The main course will be Vegetable Biriyani and Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani. 

I shall just buy the mix from Kitchens of India and voila I"m all set to go!! 

Now I want to give all my friends a small token gift.  I’m drawn towards the conserves…Apple and Cinnamon or Strawberry and Mint.  I’m confused.  They both look appealing with those pink labels and all. I think I”ll just order both.  Tie a ribbon around the necks and keep them on the table.  Guests  can pick one up on their way out.

I think I will enjoy organizing the party because I won’t have to spend too much time in the kitchen and that too when it’s a party, the more free time you get, the more time you can spend on doing other fun stuff like dressing up and all. And unlike my cooking if anyone asks me to make the same thing again, I can be sure it tastes the same.( Yes!  I will be ordering online again.)   Aaah. Thank you Kitchens of India.  Where were you before?
At this point, I can’t help but be grateful to be born in this era.  Imagine  our moms and gran-moms all had to slog in the kitchen.  Love you Kitchens of India.!!   Just love you!!

PS:  This post was written for a contest hosted by Indiblogger

and sponsored by Kitchens of India.

All the images are taken from the net.  Thank you unknown photographers!!