CHANGE
is an amazing term. It never changes, but it does change everything else.
Every person should try to change the way they see the world. At least, for the
sake of change.
Talking
about the way we see the world, I think of visually impaired people sometime.
They are devoid of the very verb SEE. I have closely associated with visually
impaired people in my family and friends circle and have seen how they
visualize what they can’t see. Many times, I have subdued about them for their lack of
vision while at times I have admired their capabilities. The world they see
through their minds, I can neither see nor describe in my words. It’s far
beyond my imaginations.
Like
Megha (watch video) there are so many people who see the world in much
different way than you and me. Megha is pretty. She is fun. She is playful. She wants you to play #Dare2Stare with her. And she is
looking for a change.
Thinking
of change, the world is a perfect example. It came into existence due to a
change, it evolved with changes, it survived among change and it is still
changing. Now to see this world full of changes, I had to start changing myself. I never knew how it started, definitely not sure how it is going to turnout. But
in between lies my beautiful journey of life.
Traveling
is the first lesson to take on while signing up for the course of Change. But
it never occurred to me that the way I see ‘Travel’ will change when I add
strong reasons behind it apart from fun and happiness. Ever since I was a
little girl, I enjoy visiting places. Not alone beautiful hill stations and
tourist spots but I also love traveling to villages and small towns where the life
blends naturally with nature. I think travel goes beyond seeing something
spectacular. From tasting their cuisine to talking to the locals and know about
their lifestyle to sometimes even find out their folklore and stories,
traveling is always fresh. Perhaps this is the core reason behind ‘to change the
way I see the world’. I was able to see the balance, which kept me going.
That’s when I realized that, this balance is what I need to absorb from the
world. Being stable isn’t very easy, but after you travel you learn to manage
the toughness in it.
Secondly, to retain what I see and feel in the travel. Photography is an art of observation. It
reminds me things long after I have forgotten. It is a feel of loving and
living the moment. Photography is not only about finding something interesting in an
ordinary place but also challenging to make others to see through my eyes. It helps me not just to relive those moments, but to refresh them. My mobile photography
has made enough captures of such beautiful moments that I never wanted to miss.
Every time I click, it spins a story along with it. The story tells about the differences I saw which made me click - its uniqueness, the small
blissfulness, that quick fun and sometimes deep thoughts behind it. Everywhere I
traveled, photography accompanied me. I think this is the second lesson to
take. Need not be a Pro, but definitely photography will change the way you see
the world.
While
travelling and clicking, I was wondering what would be the third lesson. Being
myself, Yes. After all a personal space where I can feel myself and express
myself was very much needed to elaborate what I conceived from my first 2
lessons. Writing paved the way. I started my nibbling and there it was, my
CHANGE. I’ve been writing ever since and in everything I wrote, there lies a
minute detail about how I see the world and myself in it - with a change. There
is no defined path to change, but everyone lays their own. This is how I
changed the way I see the world.
Dr.
Agarwal Eye Hospital wants people to change the way they see the world in
general and eye donation in particular. And I take this as an opportunity and ask you all to take the Dare2Stare ChallengeHere and to Pledge your eyesHere. Because, 80% of blindness can be
avoided by donating eyes.
Remember 'To make a change, You have to be the
change'.
Inspired by Game Of Thrones, one of my favorite series. And Arya Stark is my favorite character other than Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow. Needle is the name of Arya Stark's sword. :)
Do you watch GoT? If yes, who is your favorite character?
After the longest Commercial Break we ever had, Mr. Crumbles and I are back again for the phase 3 of the #CrashThePepsiIPL. This time it is to VOTE. Basically, Voting symbolizes Democracy. Voting has built Empires and even brought down Dynasties. It is the SUPER of the super powers. And in our country we use voting to its fullest potential, whether we cast our vote or not is another story. From politics to reality shows, from best actor to the worst movie, from favorite fairness cream to playing XI of the IPL matches, voting is everywhere. In this era of hashtags and likes, voting has attained a complete makeover. Along with Mr. Crumbles, I’m voting for the best ads in the #CrashThePepsiIPL activity in association with BlogAdda from 8th May to 14th May. Are you? Get ready to Cast Your Vote! Because, Every vote means a lot!
And this time it is about voting for final winning People’s Choice PepsiIPL Ad to be featured on TV during the last leg of the Pepsi IPL. Advertising is Catch 22. Love them or hate them, we can neither live with them nor live without them. Perhaps this compelling madness pushed us to write this post.
Before we cast our vote, today again we decided to sit and watch the finalists one more time. Crumbles told me, ‘Take your bathroom break. Grab some snack to nibble and another Pepsi not to grumble. Wear your thick glasses for not to miss the potential ad to be shown on TV.’
Challenging the ads we usually watch on TV, this year’s #CrashThePepsiIPL campaign Ad entries were bit wacky, quirky, romantic, thoughtful and what not. Still at most times there were even blatantly dull ads. So far there have been 5 winners picked by the esteemed jury. Have a look at themhere. Now our job was made easy – we made up our mind to vote for the potential advertisement among many best entries that already made its way to thefinalist gallery.
Out of many ads we watched, two ads impressed us both.
#1 - The Perfect Partnership by Saachi Agarwal
This is a stand out Ad in the entire finalist gallery, for obvious reasons. It’s the only ad that is completely animated, of all the efforts made by actors and actresses in the other ads Roy and his better half Girl in this ad have been perfect. It’s the only ad which carries the color of Pepsi from the start to end, every frame of this ad has the Pepsi Blue and Pepsi Red highlighted to perfection. The viewer of this Ad is kept in the feel of Pepsi’s spirit throughout. The love story is so cute and catchy, the “wink and laugh” from the girl and the made for each other marks on their hands contributes well for the romance. And what place on earth other than a Big screen at the PepsiIPL match could be better to find your better half? This ad is a perfect partnership of a well thought script and the top notch sketching skills of the maker. Now we know that PepsiIPL is the secret to #ThePerfectPartnership. We vote for this as our first pick of the people’s choice ad.
#2 - Burrp by Karan Sagar
This is one burpy ad of all, Lol! It connects to everyone who has had a Pepsi and burped while watching a PepsiIPL match, which roughly comprises of more than half of the population in India. The ticking clock in the background score during the 5-10 seconds of the ad, gives a perfect picture of boys who wait to grab the remote from the girls to watch the PepsiIPL match. What comes next is the most burp-iest sound ever made in any ad. Burrrp! Burrp! Burrp! - we counted 6 and the girls were off the couch. The burp at the end tells us all the fun the boys had with PepsiIPL. We vote this as our second pick of the people’s choice ad.
We believe these two ads will make a mark if they go on air. And hence we VOTED!
Kids are playful, crazy, creative and a lot more. But do you know that kids are very detail oriented? Yes! Their attention to details is so perfect that even a small change can’t go unnoticed by them. They know what they want and these days, we love giving it to them!
I loved this video for it is such
a cute and heartwarming tale of this adorable little girl, Yashi. Oh, you must
watch how she is so specific about her Stefie and how the magical Wish Master
fulfills her wishes. I loved the kid's imagination on how her wishes come true.
The video brings me happiness and smiles.
But is it possible to fulfill
every kid’s wishes? Well, if only we turn out to be a genie or a Santa or got
the help from the modern day Wish Master.
The summer is for everyone, but
it’s always special for kids. Every kid awaits the summer to unleash the fun
and excitement within. This summer I have a childish task to perform. My
cousins are celebrating their first son’s first birthday. So what’s the task
for me? I’m supposed to organize the birthday party. How difficult is to
conduct a party for kids? I would wanna take back my word “Childish Task” after
my planning started. I definitely needed a hand and of course a mind to
complete my plan.
I started off with planning the
venue, cake, food and other logistics. That seems to be the easy part and here
comes the tough one. My cousins told me that there would be a handful of kids
invited for the party. And I had to make plans to entertain them after the cake
cutting. I’m fond of kids, but entertaining these many kids is like mass
babysitting during a 20-20 match. Every kid will be wishing for something in a
birthday party and fulfilling every kid’s wish is OMG.
With technology, planning,
creativity and a perfect partner I think I can still stand on my feet at the
end of it. To engage and entertain the kids, I along with another cousin
invented few interesting games like Mummify the Daddy and Caterpillar Race
while my next task was to focus on choosing gifts for the kids. Gifting is joy.
Receiving gifts is even more joy. That moment when we see a happy smile in the
faces of our dear little ones, nothing can replace it.
I reached out to one of the most
reliable shopping destination, Flipkart, where the gifts and
happiness can be delivered in a jiffy. I hopped onto the mission with a big
smile. With three days to go and Flipkart having an exclusive section for Baby
& Kids, I started my hunt for perfect gifts that makes kids play and learn
the fun way.
Moving around was easy with the well organized filters, categories of various flavors and recommendations. It was like going around a huge Kids Store with a best catalogue in hand, I ended up adding the following gifts to My Cart.
Colors intuitively attract kids and they would love hands-on experience. Finger Painting is one such activity that will let the kids open up their creative minds and feel the colors with their bare hands. The “Toykraft Getting Started with Finger Painting” was the perfect choice.
Girls love the kitchen right from the early age. But gifting the regular kitchen set was not on my mind. I wanted something innovative and unique. When I laid my eyes on “Funskool Play-Doh Breakfast Buffet”, I was excited myself. Given a Play-Doh she can cook anything out of her imagination and this looked like a yummy choice.
Scribbling and Nibbling are kids favourite pass time. I saved the nibbling for myself and looked for some fun toy for the scribbles. “Fisher Price Doodle Pro Travel” came up as the topper. With this magic doodle parents can save their walls from their little doodlers.
Boys and Trains go a long way together when it comes to play time. I wanted to add a train set to my cart, which was affordable and tough for the boys to play with. “Thomas & Friends Take n Play Thomas at the Sodor Lumber Mill” was right at my finger tips. This is the best way to keep the boys busy while the Moms do their chores or watch daily soaps.
Now I had to surprise the birthday boy with my gift. My Nephew has been curious with shapes since he started to grab things. “Hamleys Shape Sorter Cube” will be a perfect birthday gift for him, where he can feed his curiosity with colors and shapes recognition. I bet my cousins will love to see their little one challenged with my gift.
While I was going through so many kids gifts in Flipkart, the “Peacock Senior Architect” grabbed my attention. This is so similar to the building blocks set my brother and I used to play when we were kids. This piece of art brought back my childhood memories. Those were fun days and I remember how my Mom boastfully placed the finished piece in the showcase out of our reach. I immediately added this to my Wishlist, thanking the Wish Master - Flipkart.
Now I’m all set to rock and roll the birthday bash making#EveryWishFulfilledfor the kids. I should say without Flipkart, this mission planning wouldn't be so much fun.
I have written this post of my choice of 5 Great Gifts for Kids on Flipkart for #EveryWishFulfilled Campaign.
This is a tasty story about Mr. & Mrs. Iyer. What makes this a tasty tale? Let’s find out.
Everyone plans ahead and well for their honeymoon. What nobody can plan, surprises. It’s not necessary that romance blooms only in chill hill stations or amidst scenic views. Love is unexpected and crazy. Cupid had cooked a best romantic dish for Mr. & Mrs. Iyer on their honeymoon enroute to Shimla.
Delhi was the only pit stop and with one day’s stop over there, nothing was planned. The long but quiet train journey in the Grand Trunk Express, ended at 06:30 AM in New Delhi. This is their first visit to the Northern part of India.
Mrs. Iyer was already hungry with her habit of early breakfast, which Mr. Iyer was not aware of. As soon as they got down at the busy New Delhi Station, her eyes were already looking out for some quick breakfast at the station. But Mr. Iyer had other plans. He seem to have planned to visit all the monuments in Delhi that day, before they leave for Shimla. Now this is a perfect newlywed couple situation, the wife hungry with no plans and the husband busy planning for photography sessions.
Mrs. Iyer followed the lead of Mr. Iyer and took a taxi to visit the India Gate. Surprise that she did not raise the voice of her grumbling stomach in hunger. Once the couple reached India Gate, off went Mr. Iyer busy clicking his pretty wife in front of the Monuments. “Say Cheesesssss” and he zoomed in on her face for a click and that’s when he noticed the gulping throat of his hungry wife. She was having the pretty smile on her lips though, not disappointing her excited husband.
Mr. Iyer smiled within himself and went close to Mrs. Iyer. Moved the hair on her face and whispered in her ears, “Are you hungry?”. She nodded with a lovely pussy cat face with wide open eyes and said, “I can wait for the photo session to complete”. Both smiled for a second thinking on how stupid Mr. Iyer was (after all it’s the Husband who is always stupid and lovely). But Mr. Iyer had no idea about the places to eat in Delhi. Now was the moment where he needs to put his pretty wife’s hunger in front of the monuments.
He took out his smartphone and looked up for the restaurants in Delhi based on their current location. Wolah! There was one right behind their view of India Gate, Cafe Lota. Mr. Iyer pointed his finger behind Mrs. Iyer and said, “There’s a good place right there, let’s take a walk”. Grabbed the lite luggage in one hand and the happy wife’s hand with his other they started walking. The camera was hanging but behind his shoulders, a sign from Cupid that the romance is cooking.
The couple reached the restaurant and took a table for two. The menu was presented and he took it. Asked her "Close your eyes for few mins and visualize the monument we saw. And I will order". She was happy and worried too, "He doesn't know my taste buds, how's he gonna order". She held his hand and closed her eyes.
Within few minutes, “Open your eyes” he said. She was surprised to see all her favorites in front of her. Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Omelette, Poha, Coffee and mouth watering Cheesecake, she was on for a treat. She smiled big and started eating, didn’t mind to ask him to start first. Eventually he too joined her breakfast feast. She was still holding his hands as she ate. Now that’s the aroma of love!
Over the coffee she started, “Okay, what other monuments are we going to visit today?”. What he said next swept her off. “Let’s make this our first food journey together. I’m replacing monuments in Delhi with the best restaurants in Delhi”, he said. She was awestruck and all smiles. They both sat together and mapped out their day with Dhabas, Kebab Corners, Chat Houses and Tandoori Joints. Before they headed out on their journey, Cupid has served them the best dish called “LOVE”.
Images Courtesy - Google
PS - This short fiction has sponsored links from #AskMeDotCom.
I happily headed to pursue my food journey during my stay in the city last few months. And I have enough stories to share with you all. This time i was sure to visit more restaurants in Bangalore and to try different cuisines. Having said many times that I like to eat out and so I am excited to write about my experiences. I don't claim to be a connoisseur of food but I think I know enough of food and tastes. Talking aboutrestaurants in bangaloreor let's say, any other place, our opinions are often based on our first visit. First impression is the best, as they say. This saying goes well with the food. If we dislike the taste on our first time or get a bad experience in a restaurant, we are unlikely to try it again.
Catering to our senses - visually appeasing, smells good and the mouth watering taste - Fine dining is indeed a stylish affair. From Arabian treat to Continental variety to our very own authentic Indian meal... I have always found my Food Journey a delectable experience.Zaitoon, High Note and Sahib Sindh Sultan - These restaurants tops my list of fine dining restaurants in Bangalore. These are my family's top picks too. Many times tried, and tested. And on our every visit we have delicious story to talk about. One Friday afternoon after Jumma prayer, we decided to head out for lunch. But where? It was already passed 3 and still undecided about the place. After surfing online for the best restaurants in Bangalore and what they offer, we all pointed our finger at this one place after learning that they serve Buffet. The Kebab Room, which was situated on the 1st floor of Vapour Room at Indranagar.
After parking our vehicle in their spacious parking lot down in the basement, we went in with no much of expectations. We thought this is going to be another normal Indian restaurants. But as we entered, the ambience of the place is very welcoming and impressive. the tables were neatly laid and those colorful lights hanging from the ceiling gave the interior a warm welcoming feel. As it was almost late afternoon there was no crowd and we had enough privacy. But still that no crowd atmosphere gave us an inkling that what if the food was not good here. With a bit of wavering mind, we settled at the corner table. We decided to try both non veg and veg buffet.
As soon as we place our order, they served us salad and a fruit platter to start with. Neatly sliced watermelons to chill the summer heat. I think it is a good idea to start with fruits and end with desserts. They brought in a tray of papad and a cup of buttermilk.
In another few minutes, Chicken Shorba was served. It was hot and spicy. Then came the variety of Kebabs. It was like, if only we have enough space in our stomach to fill in with. Since I like the sea food more, I enjoyed the Fish and Prawn kebabs but Chicken and Seekh kebabs were equally good. The kebabs were cooked to perfection. The outer layer was crisp while the inner portion retained its juiciness to indulge our taste buds. It was a delight to nibble. After the unlimited supply of kebabs, Dal Bukhara, Paneer and Chicken gravy was served with our choices of Indian breads. Can we leave such authentic Indian meal without a Biriyani? No matter we have space for it or not. Biriyani was served hot. At the sight of its rich color, rich aroma, the evenly cooked steaming hot rice, tender meat, the Biriyani looked so tempting. After our hearty meal, it was time for dessert. Three different Indian sweets - Shahi Tukda, Moong Dhal Halwa and Phirni - were served. Sweet tooth I am, I loved all of it and even asked for one more helping. Especially Moong Dhal Halwa was awesome.
Other than food, the service was also quite commendable. No complaints as long as they serve me extra plate of dessert :P It costs Rs.500 per buffet. Would I go again? Yes, I would. And if you are someone who enjoy kebabs more than the main course, you would like this place. Mentioned here are some of my favorite places to eat, where we walked out with not just a happy meal but a delightful experience. My Food Journey Continues... Location - The Kebab Room, No. 773, First Floor, 100 Feet Rd, Indiranagar.
