tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10195735542387527872024-03-18T15:43:49.347+05:30Straight TalkRajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-19426306029152642302020-11-13T18:18:00.003+05:302020-11-13T18:18:48.697+05:30How to use aromatic essentials oils in 5 different ways<p> I discovered the magic of essential oils or aroma oils a few years back. Ever since then I am hooked. At no point of time will you not find a few bottles in my home. These oils have multipurpose benefits besides of course soothing your senses.And I use them in multiple different ways mostly to create a spa like setup at home. Being a spa junkie these oils instantly help in creating an ambience that puts me in a relaxed mode.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8Y_M24mIBhqsN8y5az4YrqSadWXxfaTsB8WDppdn-P-AS3N2uRngj1U1p2crwkPo6EFxlASQlH7CkUEflR3EuBZ3Y7AI7wGBAIR7HmikW7UwVIcHQpI6NhzvB9Kihk4FknKF5rEFaypT/s2048/IMG_1248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Vasu healthcare oils" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8Y_M24mIBhqsN8y5az4YrqSadWXxfaTsB8WDppdn-P-AS3N2uRngj1U1p2crwkPo6EFxlASQlH7CkUEflR3EuBZ3Y7AI7wGBAIR7HmikW7UwVIcHQpI6NhzvB9Kihk4FknKF5rEFaypT/w300-h400/IMG_1248.jpg" title="vasu healthcare oils" width="300" /></a></div><p>Vasu Healthcare an Indian company that is 40 years old and is present across 40+ countries recently sent me samples of its essential oils to try and I must say I am really impressed. They sent me their lavender and tea tree oils which are 100% pure and natural and smell divine. Here is how I suggest you can use them too:</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>1) Use them in a diffuser</b></h3><p>I think this is one of the primary reasons to buy them. Put a couple of drops diluted in water in a candle burner. lavender fragrance has been known to soothe the mind and calm it. It acts as an instant distressed.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiox1snPtxY4cuKJxi7O_UYsjyvd6477HMdYt_vDKIYNJpzKP3usCxqqtEC9q_ckDNUIuo7qbBAI7i6tqnewmZ27zU_w4Ks04y3tMwHvjN4oLJ00fCgSuu9nUUjyoWryeNmd4hewtubXI5w/s2048/IMG_1255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Vasu healthcare essential oils" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiox1snPtxY4cuKJxi7O_UYsjyvd6477HMdYt_vDKIYNJpzKP3usCxqqtEC9q_ckDNUIuo7qbBAI7i6tqnewmZ27zU_w4Ks04y3tMwHvjN4oLJ00fCgSuu9nUUjyoWryeNmd4hewtubXI5w/w300-h400/IMG_1255.jpg" title="Vasu healthcare essential oils" width="300" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>2) Use them mixed with hair oils</b></h3><p>Put a couple of drops of these essential oils in your regular favourite hair oil. Each essential oil has a different benefit. Tea tree oil helps in controlling dandruff, while lavender oil because of its distressing properties helps in restful sleep, reduces headaches. In fact to relax the mind one can even put a couple of drops on the pillow cover just before sleeping.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">3) Use in Skincare</h3><p>I just recently made soaps at home and infused them with a few drops of these oils. They smell divine. Besides that one can even mix them with body lotions a couple of drops every night. Lavendar oil helps to lighten skin and is an effective stress reliever while tea tree oil improves skin appearance and has anti-acne and anti inflammatory properties.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm52j4xrS-27UIC73g_sYw7DLhaJIS5sFXJdHWzu8IdRHx5Atnl4n7-n82zRXhFFapavkw_NTL59vMOzJvuVkTd6GoRAXz6QqEwt4jF_tPOMvQ0iq_Uo369HaIENryVaoTwjcHOTECqYGR/s4032/IMG_1317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Vasu healthcare essential oils" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm52j4xrS-27UIC73g_sYw7DLhaJIS5sFXJdHWzu8IdRHx5Atnl4n7-n82zRXhFFapavkw_NTL59vMOzJvuVkTd6GoRAXz6QqEwt4jF_tPOMvQ0iq_Uo369HaIENryVaoTwjcHOTECqYGR/w300-h400/IMG_1317.jpg" title="DIY soap using essential oils" width="300" /></a></div><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">4) Use in making Candles</h3><div>If you are someone who makes candles at home and loves the aroma of essential oils then use these oils to add some fragrance to your candles and make them aromatic. Sit back and relax to the light smell of lavendar float in your house.</div><p>5) Use them to take steam</p><p>This is something I have to try myself. While taking steam if one has cold or in general to clear out the nasal passage put a couple of drops of any of these oils will instantly smooth the senses and distress you.</p><p>Purchase these Vasu healthcare oils from the links below:</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Amazon </span></p><ul style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36pt; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Tea tree: <span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.google.com/url?q%253Dhttps://amzn.to/3gHDdVP%2526amp;sa%253DD%2526amp;ust%253D1605273424725000%2526amp;usg%253DAOvVaw3CTu5xMnKAqmYRLLP7RSqq%26sa%3DD%26ust%3D1605273424736000%26usg%3DAOvVaw06YZh0p78JYqiR-XBVcuef&source=gmail&ust=1605357958897000&usg=AOvVaw3kn2dIsIpIdQVOyR0wrjmc" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://amzn.to/3gHDdVP%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1605273424725000%26amp;usg%3DAOvVaw3CTu5xMnKAqmYRLLP7RSqq&sa=D&ust=1605273424736000&usg=AOvVaw06YZh0p78JYqiR-XBVcuef" style="color: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/3gHDdVP</a></span></li><li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36pt; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Lavender: <span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.google.com/url?q%253Dhttps://amzn.to/2Px2iqy%2526amp;sa%253DD%2526amp;ust%253D1605273424725000%2526amp;usg%253DAOvVaw1BaMJE7OL_21rXbd3XBbqB%26sa%3DD%26ust%3D1605273424736000%26usg%3DAOvVaw2VIqvQ5X72p--4r7dDdmAx&source=gmail&ust=1605357958897000&usg=AOvVaw32z6KBzAuOFjn7Nsw1rHKN" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://amzn.to/2Px2iqy%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1605273424725000%26amp;usg%3DAOvVaw1BaMJE7OL_21rXbd3XBbqB&sa=D&ust=1605273424736000&usg=AOvVaw2VIqvQ5X72p--4r7dDdmAx" style="color: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/<wbr></wbr>2Px2iqy</a></span></li></ul><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; height: 11pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">VasuStore </span></p><ul style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36pt; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Tea tree:<span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.google.com/url?q%253Dhttps://bit.ly/33GCKQ6%2526amp;sa%253DD%2526amp;ust%253D1605273424725000%2526amp;usg%253DAOvVaw3phkdyz7GyLEKJ3rYDa1Mu%26sa%3DD%26ust%3D1605273424737000%26usg%3DAOvVaw1GvX8eAT5mcoTt0utGEefd&source=gmail&ust=1605357958897000&usg=AOvVaw1hIVTqK6B-yL8EM1aip9ew" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://bit.ly/33GCKQ6%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1605273424725000%26amp;usg%3DAOvVaw3phkdyz7GyLEKJ3rYDa1Mu&sa=D&ust=1605273424737000&usg=AOvVaw1GvX8eAT5mcoTt0utGEefd" style="color: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;" target="_blank"> https://bit.ly/33GCKQ6</a></span></li><li style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.15; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36pt; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">Lavender: <span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration: underline;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.google.com/url?q%253Dhttps://bit.ly/2PAd7Ir%2526amp;sa%253DD%2526amp;ust%253D1605273424726000%2526amp;usg%253DAOvVaw2lRFLKrN0Lnw7UECehqMXE%26sa%3DD%26ust%3D1605273424737000%26usg%3DAOvVaw3Oivkfblq1jF6AS2mEZ8oP&source=gmail&ust=1605357958897000&usg=AOvVaw3i20900Ebt38xI_TOTzUAQ" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://bit.ly/2PAd7Ir%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;ust%3D1605273424726000%26amp;usg%3DAOvVaw2lRFLKrN0Lnw7UECehqMXE&sa=D&ust=1605273424737000&usg=AOvVaw3Oivkfblq1jF6AS2mEZ8oP" style="color: inherit; text-decoration: inherit;" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/<wbr></wbr>2PAd7Ir</a></span></li></ul>Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-5208491780435120762017-08-20T23:19:00.000+05:302017-08-20T23:19:24.038+05:30Paris in just one day!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Solo.<br />
Solo for the first time.<br />
Paris.<br />
Paris for the first time.<br />
A day in a new country.<br />
A day trip in a new country for the first time.<br />
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Paris the city of love, Paris the city of love and Paris - the city of many of my wishlists was finally going to be ticked off this summer. The plan was to start a euro trip from Paris with one of my friends and then meet another one in Prague. However, the universe had other plans and my Paris itinerary was shortened from 3 days to just 1 day. Essentially it acted like a stopover to Prague as there are no direct flights to Prague from Mumbai and I had to anyways flight via Paris.</div>
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But I was determined to not let this dampen my spirits and make the most of what i can see and do in Paris in that one day that I had. Also, like i mentioned earlier, this was a trip of many firsts for me so I was really excited to make it a memorable one. And I am glad I did not cut this part of my trip because it was so much fun doing things all by myself, chalking my own itinerary without anyone else's preferences interfering mine and finding my way through the Paris lanes and public transport. Made me feel more independent, confident and was liberating at the same time. Seriously, even if it for a short while just try a solo trip and you'll know what am I talking about. And Europe with it's accessible transport everywhere is a great place to start out! </div>
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So that's about travelling solo, now going back to the Paris itinerary. Since it was my first time in Paris and I had just a day I wanted to ensure I atleast cover the key sights and here are some tips:</div>
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A)List down the key sights you want to visit</div>
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B) Shortlist the ones that are close to each other so that you dont waste too much time in commute</div>
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C) Plan this before the trip so that you dont waste time on that day and chalk it out on a map. </div>
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D) The above will also help you choose your accomodation. Plan your stay closest to the first spot you marked in your route map.</div>
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E) Choose a hotel close to a metro station</div>
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F) Pre-research on how to reach the hotel from the airport so that again, you do not waste time on that day. Youve got just some hours right?</div>
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So that's how I went about chalking down sights and I knew Eiffel obviously had to be a part of the plan I also wanted to have the best view of the city because so many blogs spoke about it, and yes also not miss out on some Parisian shopping and eating. So here's sharing what all I did there -</div>
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<b>First stop --> Hotel Elysees Bassano -</b></div>
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The airport has direct shuttle buses that take you to various parts of the city. I chose <a href="http://hotelelyseesbassanoparis.com/" target="_blank">Elysees bassano</a> as it is close to the famous champs de elysees and that is where i wanted to start my day. The bus dropped me at a stop that was 5 minute walk away from the hotel. The hotel was small like most in Paris but had all amenities one would require. And a lift and a great bed!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbO1b3GKJNZcPXEH6EwU5pWj9y629b_cnzR0LzjajNkNge92k9eaLyTDne0c7gBigpOU-Q-SanAhv-EnOtoPmWGizyayWKtciE7cY9fWVFlvaWiHe57jHBENF_pPAD3K3flMq4DqdFza9/s1600/IMG_2372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbO1b3GKJNZcPXEH6EwU5pWj9y629b_cnzR0LzjajNkNge92k9eaLyTDne0c7gBigpOU-Q-SanAhv-EnOtoPmWGizyayWKtciE7cY9fWVFlvaWiHe57jHBENF_pPAD3K3flMq4DqdFza9/s640/IMG_2372.JPG" width="360" /></a></div>
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<b>Next stop --> Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees</b></div>
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After a quick nap and a nice shower I stepped out to the nearest site. Arc de Triomph which faces the most famous street of paris champs elysees<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arc de Triomphe</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmhkvib0GyxeAYIvV4SyG4RoMC7OS9wb4OVnd0nQrAWrZVI_u9qQJ9FALeao5BrVCnQBNcb4syx5KhtwcVkGBhvvvdFU33svEkmdD8msR5CEO1M99V-RcGMYhsrt4LOLCaaQJlY_3so4k/s1600/IMG_2376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="paris blog" border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmhkvib0GyxeAYIvV4SyG4RoMC7OS9wb4OVnd0nQrAWrZVI_u9qQJ9FALeao5BrVCnQBNcb4syx5KhtwcVkGBhvvvdFU33svEkmdD8msR5CEO1M99V-RcGMYhsrt4LOLCaaQJlY_3so4k/s640/IMG_2376.JPG" title="Champs elysees street view" width="360" /></a></div>
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<b>Next stop</b><b>--></b><b> Laduree</b></div>
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How can a trip to Paris be complete without indulging in some french wine and macaroons. And which better place than the iconic Laduree to indulge in some. A walk at champs elysees has to include a visit to Laduree there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodQ5VN_LzwVb4Lq5oBhU6iNJkXYDSw3yn35dveqlv-_SpiOo66uoO65w7V8NnubeqxjnuhtAkhBuoUqPOxkiLXkwtvqWSHyYzjb98w6H5C-R1ScAm7N4mu8Pd6x4wIBwLkuenHtKtPXaE/s1600/IMG_2378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="paris blog" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodQ5VN_LzwVb4Lq5oBhU6iNJkXYDSw3yn35dveqlv-_SpiOo66uoO65w7V8NnubeqxjnuhtAkhBuoUqPOxkiLXkwtvqWSHyYzjb98w6H5C-R1ScAm7N4mu8Pd6x4wIBwLkuenHtKtPXaE/s640/IMG_2378.JPG" title="Laduree" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysbCDYUFkATCFP4YDiRFfslPTy02nSNvMHMrDYkDGfnZvJRuXwdBE_86XdPpJ-sHifqrbEza0-CVlXrztvqU5rIUT4fAxkNXF919qoeAX3PIrdpFgIUYxkl-x6Og2jS3-L4eBwrST7z61/s1600/IMG_2385+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="paris blog" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysbCDYUFkATCFP4YDiRFfslPTy02nSNvMHMrDYkDGfnZvJRuXwdBE_86XdPpJ-sHifqrbEza0-CVlXrztvqU5rIUT4fAxkNXF919qoeAX3PIrdpFgIUYxkl-x6Og2jS3-L4eBwrST7z61/s640/IMG_2385+%25281%2529.JPG" title="laduree" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b>Next stop</b><b>--></b><b> The Eiffel Tower, River Seine, Trocadero gardens</b></div>
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From Champs Elysees take a quick uber ride to be dropped at the Eiffel just facing the Trocadero. Now Eiffel has two sides - one facing Champs de Mar gardens and the other Trocadero gardens an station. I got off at the side facing Trocadero so that I could take the train then to my next stop.</div>
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Also, while at the Eiffel you can skip going on top to get the city view. there are lesser commonly known places to get the city view and a city view that has Eiffel in it too. Besides not going up the Eiffel will save you hours of waiting in queue when you are time pressed. </div>
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While I am making this sound so functional I completely forgot to tell you how the first sighting of this monument gave me the feels! Once i was done drooling i just went click click click. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ticking off bucket list</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikS3Xcvqtda2SlaAECgnavm7lcupRVnk0YJox58yjcaI7Soo3iXzu8b-Se-Kft-gDRFhh10UmSYNu1pEKQ8nh3be3WuSb7x-XCs7zORCLPWM_d0sNVTm3FIbt8cOMhqHnP6CiHON26DZT6/s1600/eiffel+from+trocadero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="paris blog" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikS3Xcvqtda2SlaAECgnavm7lcupRVnk0YJox58yjcaI7Soo3iXzu8b-Se-Kft-gDRFhh10UmSYNu1pEKQ8nh3be3WuSb7x-XCs7zORCLPWM_d0sNVTm3FIbt8cOMhqHnP6CiHON26DZT6/s640/eiffel+from+trocadero.jpg" title="eiffel from trocadero" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captured from Trocadero</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River Seine</td></tr>
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<b>Tip</b>: Cross the road and then click your pics to get the whole of the Eiffel and avoid being photobombed by hordes of tourists. While you are here do not forget to take home some eiffel keychains and magnets as souveneirs from the trinket shops. The walk from the Eiffel to Trocadero also covers the river seine. Trocadero gardens is a great spot to take some pretty pictures of Eiffel and just sit and admire its beauty. The metro station too is just a walk down the stairs. One can choose to come back here in the night to get an evening view of the Eiffel sparkling with lights.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcuxcpbXn5cIGoOhO272fd4ezCXtKT-GNWLDMGUgWSy7BOriI4vBqlfVk4pKXGVMMlDFC_uQaiyMjl_NB6Fag7EypZEsSPSAzqehSt4ppzmFZo97Oi4NZD7jIzIq90X5CUrrTEMqZ9VXX/s1600/IMG_2456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="paris blog" border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcuxcpbXn5cIGoOhO272fd4ezCXtKT-GNWLDMGUgWSy7BOriI4vBqlfVk4pKXGVMMlDFC_uQaiyMjl_NB6Fag7EypZEsSPSAzqehSt4ppzmFZo97Oi4NZD7jIzIq90X5CUrrTEMqZ9VXX/s640/IMG_2456.JPG" title="eiffel from trocadero" width="360" /></a></div>
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<b>Next stop --> Palais Royal and Louvre</b><br />
From trocadero walk a few steps down to enter the station. I didn't really know the route but there machines that help you plan the route map. The destination stop was Palais Royale Louvre Musuem and checked the fare and bought the ticket. think it was not more than 20 minutes to the destination station and the Museum Palace is just bang opposite the stop once you come out. Now since I was time pressed I didnt enter the musuem just marvelled at the beauty of the Louvre, the palace and the fountains from outside. It was a pretty place.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_avR2UzaUz78WX3sv2V-jcMty-iGtue9_jgcob0s7IoIiRMW_R_f6-rwHPsAS8s9TsMNTAPRUK26v7_VoGp2p6BIURTx-L7c2HfW5bFLmfuOIdb8ivFqP1mLN6hegS9olwK9LCciz0IHb/s1600/IMG_8981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="paris blog" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_avR2UzaUz78WX3sv2V-jcMty-iGtue9_jgcob0s7IoIiRMW_R_f6-rwHPsAS8s9TsMNTAPRUK26v7_VoGp2p6BIURTx-L7c2HfW5bFLmfuOIdb8ivFqP1mLN6hegS9olwK9LCciz0IHb/s640/IMG_8981.JPG" title="louvre palace" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAW_PhqGC57IgXFVdrH_3fEc5rVPiKUjd9S4xG59Jb_LapHdkV6tzz2P2WVrS2YCJBwub8GQAiAcQiNq-n05Rdwzp-e1GOICrYK7MmCYs3AUDXKlVLnRNtXhiK9tqbbkMGw8sKbqReat8/s1600/IMG_8982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="paris blog" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAW_PhqGC57IgXFVdrH_3fEc5rVPiKUjd9S4xG59Jb_LapHdkV6tzz2P2WVrS2YCJBwub8GQAiAcQiNq-n05Rdwzp-e1GOICrYK7MmCYs3AUDXKlVLnRNtXhiK9tqbbkMGw8sKbqReat8/s640/IMG_8982.JPG" title="louvre palace" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m_J1TCP_z4WeMJ4OaqIkslPVkUumJVPvqV8nIzHcmMyZPoh13HaFi6gklyeWNFS4KTsPHquNJWbnYtAQPDOPeKh_3c_q93CZz1qsN1C7HegDBFGnmd6pozcKOIcAewpckYJ0veYK_qkI/s1600/IMG_8983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="eiffel blog" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m_J1TCP_z4WeMJ4OaqIkslPVkUumJVPvqV8nIzHcmMyZPoh13HaFi6gklyeWNFS4KTsPHquNJWbnYtAQPDOPeKh_3c_q93CZz1qsN1C7HegDBFGnmd6pozcKOIcAewpckYJ0veYK_qkI/s640/IMG_8983.JPG" title="louvre" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<b>Next stop --> Perfume shopping at Fragonard</b><br />
Like I mentioned earlier, Besides trinkets I also wanted to buy something parisian for my loved ones back home. So i had researched on original french perfumeries and came across Fragonard on one of the websites. They have a wide variety of perfumes that will not pinch your pocket. I bought lots of them to give as gifts. They came for around EUR 17 each. The shop was in a galleria mall right next to the louvre that houses a lot of other french stores and cafes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VZrOh9fhwrpv6LLew0Cu5b4D3W7oev4nOOW20ZLOic4rYQFHbT84_aEflU2NaGwLMUY-t9nlG9GmhmLOV1k6KtI-ADMg9KIm3pI5cxh9qdrXzynG-RmzY00N8hsIc6IIPHounRXaVaHU/s1600/fragonard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="perfumes paris blog" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VZrOh9fhwrpv6LLew0Cu5b4D3W7oev4nOOW20ZLOic4rYQFHbT84_aEflU2NaGwLMUY-t9nlG9GmhmLOV1k6KtI-ADMg9KIm3pI5cxh9qdrXzynG-RmzY00N8hsIc6IIPHounRXaVaHU/s640/fragonard.jpg" title="Fragonard" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bought from Fragonard</td></tr>
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<b>Next stop --> City view from Montparnasse tower</b><br />
Now I didnt want to lose sunlight before my next stop. So i grabbed a quick snack and started out for Montparnasse tower. I chose this place to get the entire city view just before the sun sets. There wasn't much queue hence unlike going on top of the Eiffel this really didnt take any time. Sat here for a good hour just admiring the beauty of the city and Eiffel against the sun setting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiti4XYa7S2ubkerTVBzJ4PrEIFtxLcW7egkOlwY-A5nUyIhPDu-DwFwfW6ShMcnxfPEVppCnSY_Kz6UulbmnKn-YCxwuhSnoDzLJxIvItJEQulie0FhN0x5D4BVtspvuDksyTCqxhFSXRj/s1600/paris+city+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Paris blog" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiti4XYa7S2ubkerTVBzJ4PrEIFtxLcW7egkOlwY-A5nUyIhPDu-DwFwfW6ShMcnxfPEVppCnSY_Kz6UulbmnKn-YCxwuhSnoDzLJxIvItJEQulie0FhN0x5D4BVtspvuDksyTCqxhFSXRj/s640/paris+city+view.jpg" title="Paris city view" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1F5p_V8wy6sQIVUJTTMc_9OM4CSAHN88s5pUJva4QCmqxQ5-X5vsy7TGZ2CcIgY0uNN4hUGnuWP8ocM38-oc9ffMJx0GznjSS9dKvUQ7R0rNnIT9eptSdQkFsLejIOMR-Jvl-xIOyb4g/s1600/eiffel+from+montparnasse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="paris blog" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1F5p_V8wy6sQIVUJTTMc_9OM4CSAHN88s5pUJva4QCmqxQ5-X5vsy7TGZ2CcIgY0uNN4hUGnuWP8ocM38-oc9ffMJx0GznjSS9dKvUQ7R0rNnIT9eptSdQkFsLejIOMR-Jvl-xIOyb4g/s640/eiffel+from+montparnasse.jpg" title="paris city view" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eiffel from Montparnasse tower</td></tr>
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<b>Next stop --> dinner and back to the hotel</b><br />
After Montparnasse, i wouldve ideally liked to go back and see the eiffel by night with lights twinkling however, I was really dead with the jet lag and all the walking around and I knew I was going to come back to Paris someday with my husband and wanted to reserve that sight for that time. So I decided to call it a day with some good warm dinner and a glass of wine that I grabbed at a place called Sophia's just next to my hotel. Summer having longer hours of daylight really helped me cover whatever I wanted to. And I retired pleased as a punch looking forward to my flight next day for Prague.</div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-11344700122654630872016-06-12T19:58:00.000+05:302017-08-20T23:14:08.797+05:30A 3 day trip to Amsterdam - Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>"Whatt? 3 days? That's too less for Europe!"</i></div>
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<i>"This is like a trip to Lonavla.."</i></div>
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<i>"Are you sure you don't want to extend the trip?"</i></div>
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This pretty much sums up the reactions I got from everyone who knew I was travelling from Mumbai to Amsterdam for just 3 days. But believe me 3 days (excluding the travel time) is enough to cover this cute small city. And also this was going to be my first trip to Europe ever.. I didn't care how long or short it is. All that mattered is that I am finally making a vacation to my dream destination. And while Amsterdam may not be the best or the most scenic town to kick off one's European journey it is easily reachable (read non stop flight from <a href="http://www.jetairways.com/" target="_blank">Jet Airways</a>), easily accessible (by just walking or tram-ming) and to all those who are money-wise just like me the 3 day trip will not cost you more than what you would spend in Dubai if you choose a budget stay.</div>
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So here goes how I spent my 3 days in Amsterdam:</div>
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<b>Travel Date </b>- May first week. The weather was a little cloudy, breezy and definitely cold for a person coming from Mumbai (average temperature in the day 12 degrees and dropped to around 6 in the nights). the good part though was that the sunset was at 9:30 everyday which allowed us to enjoy daylight for long.</div>
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<b>Air Travel </b>- Non stop flight from Jet Airways - Mumbai to Amsterdam, 9 hours of travel</div>
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<b>Visa </b>- Schengen Visa applicable for all Indians. All details <a href="http://www.vfsglobal.com/netherlands/india/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<b>Hotel </b>- <a href="http://www.thetimeshotel.nl/en/" target="_blank">The Times Hotel </a>- A cute boutique hotel (most of the hotels are like this) which had canal facing rooms and big windows that made our tiny room look bigger and brighter with all the sunshine. All the sun light also helped us in getting up early to make the most of the day. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EgLMXcG8OnQpPXWD46aNJ7SGxNqjUesqzleP-HEei8kSqTiLuaHQQ8OFsjCaKRkSf2ftEaAXK38IIejbpcKcNPKWPMrhf2AOR6DYJyfpE-GcozxAgiZpDhsgYIV_8lKg0NbkOY-uCSMT/s1600/IMG_9246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Times Hotel" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EgLMXcG8OnQpPXWD46aNJ7SGxNqjUesqzleP-HEei8kSqTiLuaHQQ8OFsjCaKRkSf2ftEaAXK38IIejbpcKcNPKWPMrhf2AOR6DYJyfpE-GcozxAgiZpDhsgYIV_8lKg0NbkOY-uCSMT/s640/IMG_9246.JPG" title="The Times Hotel, Amsterdam" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the hotel</td></tr>
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This is located in one of the residential, more peaceful and non touristy area of the city Herengracht. (all the streets that have the canal bridge are called gracht). And hence, was a litttle expensive. But if you like me are keen on the view then this was pretty worth it. The free wifi worked well and helped us with our free whatsapp calls to our families to give them our daily updates. Breakfast was not a part of our package, so will not be able to comment on how good or bad it was.</div>
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Day 1 </h3>
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Landed in the morning, the train station is right outside the airport. Collected the <b>3 day Amsterdam pass for EUR 25 </b>that allowed unlimited rides within the city through trains, trams, buses and ferries. I then took a train ride from the Airport station to Central Station and then a taxi ride from there to the hotel ( on the instructions of my hotel staff). It sounds smooth but it wasn't the first time. Had to ask a few people at the airport for guidance. But the Dutch unlike some of their snooty neighbours are <b>very friendly and sweet</b>.</div>
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Post check in in hotel took a short two hour nap to catch up with sleep till my friend arrived from London. Once she did we went out to grab a quick lunch and explore the area outside and cover our days agenda. Our first meal in the city was at <a href="http://www.pancake.nl/en/" target="_blank"><b>The Pancake Bakery</b></a>. We ordered savoury and sweet pancakes and finished them in no time. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7Ix6vIFQ8MevNUhLqUTqRaEIR1BaB-eU4UitWRiSpfM68dQ0Bksby2XuImLyJ5QjW-8nH0Rdn-rGrXjTQdY0Sn-UhRu4j4FT21OVCz56RLUQiDI77FrM2uTT_7Di3_FrmKdA2VdvsyQv/s1600/IMG_9247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7Ix6vIFQ8MevNUhLqUTqRaEIR1BaB-eU4UitWRiSpfM68dQ0Bksby2XuImLyJ5QjW-8nH0Rdn-rGrXjTQdY0Sn-UhRu4j4FT21OVCz56RLUQiDI77FrM2uTT_7Di3_FrmKdA2VdvsyQv/s640/IMG_9247.JPG" title="Amsterdam Tulips" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tulips everywhere</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyloRLeJBPG0rs-e7pvQ2iU7v7qL1iOIKAXa1jBj7DvopCfAUT4ByIw_mroPdwvXZztcVaj3Nv59mvo3DOcL6Kvug9AcFMjdYWhxB26lPq99x6ZMnzFdMB52rwZnDAkfst5BxJUrsUDv-f/s1600/IMG_9265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Pizza Caprese pancake" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyloRLeJBPG0rs-e7pvQ2iU7v7qL1iOIKAXa1jBj7DvopCfAUT4ByIw_mroPdwvXZztcVaj3Nv59mvo3DOcL6Kvug9AcFMjdYWhxB26lPq99x6ZMnzFdMB52rwZnDAkfst5BxJUrsUDv-f/s640/IMG_9265.JPG" title="Pizza Caprese pancake" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pizza caprese pancake</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfRxdvFrEKshPUBXx28MEkVKUUjGDDJ7lE56xAyyytj3mknDVURPo2eSfvNf9SXUYBd_ZkmEqtCTqDyyidI2m2Q3BOhyphenhyphenph6OAHNq-fec4OiOWszwpyIc_gEWMS2aUo8qqWcvlTnKy6M9C/s1600/IMG_9268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dutch Pancake" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWfRxdvFrEKshPUBXx28MEkVKUUjGDDJ7lE56xAyyytj3mknDVURPo2eSfvNf9SXUYBd_ZkmEqtCTqDyyidI2m2Q3BOhyphenhyphenph6OAHNq-fec4OiOWszwpyIc_gEWMS2aUo8qqWcvlTnKy6M9C/s640/IMG_9268.JPG" title="Dutch Pancake" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dutch pancake with chocolate icecream - soo good</td></tr>
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Post which we took our first tram ride and landed at <b><a href="http://www.amsterdam.info/sights/rembrandtplein/" target="_blank">Rembrandt</a> </b>- the tourist hub. We walked to the <b><a href="http://tassenmuseum.nl/en/" target="_blank">Museum of Bags and purses</a> </b>(forgot to mention but Amsterdam we felt could be easily called the city of museums. They have museums for everything and anything. It would be safe to say they have a museum every 5 blocks). But it was shut. Most of the museums shut by 5 and have long queues. So do try to cover them in the morning.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaYfv2_saM2gOdOBck9StQsMEdvsqrndjPSEoX7y3M-3k2quBVvnilbPkUrjBYx1WZWjeXL0_YB7L-Y37hEsLid0XOEeWVJQO1VHednTIAo9tUWwspJMWAUwxph_jy_JJfOMxDlQoXzG1/s1600/IMG_9270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Rembrandt Square" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaYfv2_saM2gOdOBck9StQsMEdvsqrndjPSEoX7y3M-3k2quBVvnilbPkUrjBYx1WZWjeXL0_YB7L-Y37hEsLid0XOEeWVJQO1VHednTIAo9tUWwspJMWAUwxph_jy_JJfOMxDlQoXzG1/s640/IMG_9270.JPG" title="Rembrandt Square" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rembrandt Square - This is 9pm!! no sign of sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUy2F60YmOwGFgp2BFE8ScpigSTyrNGZmRXrU8glcmVlyXdMqpvL_teMA1LTEUVvTGX1KDbhnv0oRugPef194wUIxpv8tlwi3N-dlCz7hv9o2VNKjN04Ax7dDdAlvJVm9vbbkx_quboKfO/s1600/IMG_9276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cheese & More Amsterdam" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUy2F60YmOwGFgp2BFE8ScpigSTyrNGZmRXrU8glcmVlyXdMqpvL_teMA1LTEUVvTGX1KDbhnv0oRugPef194wUIxpv8tlwi3N-dlCz7hv9o2VNKjN04Ax7dDdAlvJVm9vbbkx_quboKfO/s640/IMG_9276.JPG" title="Cheese & More Amsterdam" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take home some classic Dutch Truffle cheese from here</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4J0Mjt3T02FlxA-NsArSVEOdnKPq0h9tsioLFy1LiKyn6o_wSsN7wpf5RLoWIiZtIc4FfxsdUMXUHNfe9E6yJH_iiQikguZXFHOUPtAMekYShRCLMqsCULGchN-c5XvJ72Y5Hl_HBt5rJ/s1600/IMG_9274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="treats and cakes" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4J0Mjt3T02FlxA-NsArSVEOdnKPq0h9tsioLFy1LiKyn6o_wSsN7wpf5RLoWIiZtIc4FfxsdUMXUHNfe9E6yJH_iiQikguZXFHOUPtAMekYShRCLMqsCULGchN-c5XvJ72Y5Hl_HBt5rJ/s640/IMG_9274.JPG" title="treats and cakes" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picked up some treats on the way</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGy23N_sMBRUcWJ4Qvz9wHHsuT6ypRjFSVuEV6ocrUPE9p7DTK_Do3yGkwzZND0qXVNHwkbFue6F9oRSG3AKHwDynqz2fNk1Isca_g-jSmx1ir4HuaogRsAJdXlI3pRJLRRLCVgZlXJEn/s1600/IMG_9280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="cakes amsterdam" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzGy23N_sMBRUcWJ4Qvz9wHHsuT6ypRjFSVuEV6ocrUPE9p7DTK_Do3yGkwzZND0qXVNHwkbFue6F9oRSG3AKHwDynqz2fNk1Isca_g-jSmx1ir4HuaogRsAJdXlI3pRJLRRLCVgZlXJEn/s640/IMG_9280.JPG" title="cakes amsterdam" width="480" /></a></div>
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Since I was catching up with my friend after long ( she stays n London post marriage) we thought of stopping by a pub. We had two glasses of red wine each ( to battle the weather). Damages for 4 wines - EUR 15 which is cheaper even by Indian standards. We then decided to visit the world famous <b><a href="http://www.amsterdam.info/red-light-district/" target="_blank">Red light district</a>.</b> Turns out it was walking distance from Rembrandt at Dam Sqaure. But not before stopping at these attractive shops for some cheese and treats. Bought the gouda truffle cheese that is made there locally. </div>
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The Red Light district is just like what they show in the movies however not sleazy. The whole street was lit up with red and other colourful lights with women dressed in their sexiest best standing like mannequins on display while people window shop and stare. We also went for one of the shows for the experience of it. The show basically has multiple mini shows. We saw around 3-4 and then got bored. it runs through the night and EUR 40 once you walk in you can stay there till 3 am. For those interested there is also a <a href="http://www.amsterdam.info/museums/sex-museum/" target="_blank">Museum of Sex </a>and a <a href="http://www.redlightsecrets.com/" target="_blank">Museum of prostitution</a> ( see I wasn't exaggerating about the "city of museums" bit after all!) to know how it all started.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihicOVOGWY8Q6ovU7vytGhVAr9y6NNkFzeQT4bnxguQI5r8l8lbX5UfHhW2A6c5kC6zjFo38u_SFqRzDYt56M9WIgXwS8kXhtahf-5v5g0pVTBLYIKzahcM7GhIYB6Rb3zhxPhZjBP4BiM/s1600/IMG_9282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="beautiful canal view amsterdam" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihicOVOGWY8Q6ovU7vytGhVAr9y6NNkFzeQT4bnxguQI5r8l8lbX5UfHhW2A6c5kC6zjFo38u_SFqRzDYt56M9WIgXwS8kXhtahf-5v5g0pVTBLYIKzahcM7GhIYB6Rb3zhxPhZjBP4BiM/s640/IMG_9282.JPG" title="beautiful canal view amsterdam" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry but beautiful!</td></tr>
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Once the stroll through the district got over we headed for dinner back to Rembrandt square. We found a small place that sold v<a href="http://www.happycow.net/reviews/maoz-falafel-muntplein-amsterdam-3288" target="_blank">egetarian falafels </a>(EUR 5 onwards). pretty yummy and filling and decided to end the long day we had.<br />
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Will put up more on day 2 & 3 soon.</div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-22114970342197409782014-12-06T19:39:00.000+05:302014-12-06T19:48:10.436+05:30Where to shop online from - Jabong.com<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">For me the only reason to <a href="http://jabong.com/" target="_blank">shop online</a> is to avail discounts on the brands I normally buy or to buy something really stylish but affordable from an unknown brand. Most of the times these two points are never ticked off either the known brands hardly have some offers, if there is an offer than the right size is never available. Or if there’s even something decent available from an unknown brand it is never worth the price. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">But offlate I feel there is one website that has totally upped it’s oomph factor and that is <a href="http://jabong.com/">Jabong.com</a>. From associating with Lakme Fashion Week to introducing their uber cool magazine The Juice to tying up with celebrities like Alia Bhatt for limited edition collections to bringing UK giants like River Island, Dorothy Perkins and New look to India. It has really kept the interest of its shoppers alive.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">Thus, when I wanted a pair of simple but affordable tan shoes to match my everyday wear I thought I should give the <a href="http://www.jabong.com/" target="_blank">website</a> a try. On entering tan shoes there are quite a few interesting options that come up.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIL9Y-6uzL42LomumZzNYh8VemRtQ07HC2l5qD5AVNJ1ZM3LKyWsFjbVZl-KE49l3W5xZ7IEfiLLpEMGT7hUeUNxTvVqIEHF-ommsmpoKid9sTCK_c6VPHKdqNMQfUTK2Jengn92qMR0s8/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIL9Y-6uzL42LomumZzNYh8VemRtQ07HC2l5qD5AVNJ1ZM3LKyWsFjbVZl-KE49l3W5xZ7IEfiLLpEMGT7hUeUNxTvVqIEHF-ommsmpoKid9sTCK_c6VPHKdqNMQfUTK2Jengn92qMR0s8/s1600/Slide1.JPG" height="390" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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On the left hand side there are different filters to help one choose from different barnds, sizes. I entered the budget that I wanted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On entering my budget there were quite a few options that I liked. But I shortlisted on the one below</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQma4M_j0C4bVsL97jO2GfVCNz6W3L2keLZ73WX9jQpmENopulYTW7GyDNBr0t6KMKP-e-Gh8j8JQ3AuSS5iB9ZaJa-BCchvj7lU8_sREjc_pJbDX-NMLhPvOCXMYs1jMw2DrCSnjBtKTX/s1600/Slide3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQma4M_j0C4bVsL97jO2GfVCNz6W3L2keLZ73WX9jQpmENopulYTW7GyDNBr0t6KMKP-e-Gh8j8JQ3AuSS5iB9ZaJa-BCchvj7lU8_sREjc_pJbDX-NMLhPvOCXMYs1jMw2DrCSnjBtKTX/s1600/Slide3.JPG" height="388" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">The site allows gives a good view of the product on zooming as well. It helped me to check if the sole is of good quality and non-slippery. There were some more colour options available too and the size chart also helps in selecting the right size for you for that particular brand.All the things looked fine to me so I went ahead and checked out and bought it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As soon I made the payment I got an SMS and an email id with my order details. the order was shipped and dispatched on the same day and arrived at my doorstep within the estimated delivery date.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In all I was quite happy with my purchase and the whole experience with jabong. Here's what worked for me and what could be better:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What worked:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Excellent delivery service</b> - No follow ups required, prompt intimation, no shipping charges</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Always on Sale</b> - There is always some or the other sale on, on the website that will tempt you to go check if your kinda stuff can be availed for lesser</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Premium and Designer Brands</b>- <b><i>Aldo, Mango, Dorothy Perkins, Tresmode, River Island, Veromoda</i></b> all present under one roof alongwith biggies like <b><i>Ritu Kumar, Manish arora, Satya Paul</i></b>. Need I say more?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>News and Style </b>- Gives you the latest updates on beauty and style trends. Good reading material before you decide on what to shop</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What could be better:</span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>Style filter for clothes and Accessories:</b> It would be great if they had a filter on the style of clothes (like v neck, round neck or maxi, mini etc) just like how they have a filter for sizes,brands and colours</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall it was a quite a smooth experience shopping on jabong. And next time if I want to also buy something from one of my favoruite brands without stepping out of my house I know where to login!</span><br />
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P.S.Look out for their GOSF 2014 offers. Some of the offers that I am looking forward to are</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy any 3 shoes for 999</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fcuk at upto 50% + extra 30% off</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Carlton London at extra 30% off</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy Shopping guys!</span></div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-79393206889331917012014-06-22T16:50:00.000+05:302014-07-02T20:14:52.081+05:30My Hong Kong & Macau travel diary - Overview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>My posts are slowly becoming a once in a month phenomenon, and because of that a post that I thought I'll write in Jan is seeing the light of day now. </i><br />
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Having been to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Dubai I was really looking towards travelling outside of Asia and in <a href="http://thetimesofmanyphases.blogspot.in/2013/05/checklist-2013.html" target="_blank">Europe </a>last year. However, the husband couldn't make a trip between July- September (which is the best time to travel to Europe) due to work commitments, hence it was back to good ol Asia again. Since, we were making this trip in December I thought why not coincide it with the New Years & my 30th birthday and make it a nice 7 day trip. That's how we started planning for Hongkong & Macau.<br />
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As mentioned in my earlier <a href="http://thetimesofmanyphases.blogspot.in/2013/01/a-luxuriously-affordable-honeymoon-in.html" target="_blank">travel blog</a> I like planning and booking for my trips on my own. That way I can ensure that I'v researched enough to know what I like and where would I like to go. It also helps in cutting down places that do not personally interest me. So with least interference from my husband I planned my trip with lots of help from tripadvisor and some other bloggers.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Airfare:</h3>
Since, our trip was in the peak period we booked our tickets well in advance to get them at a good price. We flew by Cathay Pacific and our Mum - HK non stop flight tickets were INR 28,000 per person. It is a 6 hour journey.<br />
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Visa:</h3>
Indians get a free visa on arrival to both HK and Macau. Hence no paperwork! Enjoy!<br />
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Accommodation:</h3>
Our 6 nights there were divided as follows:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>2 nights - The Metropark Wanchai, Hongkong - <i>Great location, 2 mins walk to MTR</i></li>
<li>2 nights - The Venetian, Macau - <i>Houses world's biggest Casino</i></li>
<li>2 nights - The Holiday Inn Express, Sheun Wan, Soho, Hongkong - <i>Not so great location, avoidable</i></li>
</ul>
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We decided to split our stay in two in HK as we wanted to explore two different areas. -<b><i> Bad decision!</i></b> Wanchai - Although a little sleazy, is full of life and vibrant with host of food options around however, Sheaun Wan (atleast the part we stayed in) is very dull after 7 with hardly any options for food. The whole area becomes deserted in the evening and in general felt very gloomy. Also we decided to spend the new years in Macau and hence we had to keep that part of the trip in between our HK trip. <b style="font-style: italic;">Bad decision again! </b>When it comes to space HK is worse than Mumbai.On an average hotels in this densely populated country has rooms that are big enough to occupy just a double bed. even a 5 foot person like me could hardly fit into the bathroom. Imagine our state of mind, when we were transferred from a palatial Venetian suite to a less than 30 sq m room.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Metropark Wanchai Hotel Room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Venetian suite - Love it!</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">Tip 1:</span></b> Always plan your Macau trip at the end. And no worries about transfers to HK airport there is a direct shuttle is what I hear.</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Itinerary:</h3>
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">Tip 2</span><span style="color: purple;">:</span></b> Keep the HK Map and the MTR map handy when exploring the city on your own.</div>
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HK Day 1: Arrive at HK. The Peak, Madame Tussauds, Sky Terrace</div>
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HK Day 2: Disneyland</div>
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Macau Day 1: Arrive and check in at Venetian Macau. Roamed around the Galleria in duty free shops, Casino Visit (supposedly the biggest in the world)</div>
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Macau Day 2: More shopping at Cotai central, Sands Cotai, Visit Hard Rock hotel,visit to City of Dreams. Celebrated New years at Venetian with a countdown and a live band</div>
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HK Day 3: Back to HK. Rest out the new year's hangover. Followed by a night at LKF (HK's most lively strip of pubs)</div>
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HK Day 4: Visit to Stanley Repulse Bay, Victoria Harbour - Avenue of Stars/Symphony of Lights, Ozone Bar at Ritz Carlton (the second highest bar after Atmosphere in Dubai), Ladies market at Mongkok (phew!! yes it was tiring but it can all be easily covered in a day)</div>
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HK Day 5: Leave for Mumbai</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: magenta;">Watch out for my detailed follow up posts on each of these days </span></i></b></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Restaurants and Bars:</h3>
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While it's difficult for vegetarians to explore street food and local cusisines here. The cafes and restaurants in every part of HK have plenty of options for vegetarians like me :) Here are the places where we ate and enjoyed our food.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Places where we ate</td></tr>
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HK:</div>
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<li>Coyote Bar & Grill - Wanchai - <i>Lovely mexican food</i></li>
<li>Mes Amis - Wanchai</li>
<li>The Spaghetti House - Wanchai</li>
<li>Burger King - The peak</li>
<li>Main Street Corner cafe - Disneyland</li>
<li>Beirut - LKF - <i>Lebanese food,one of the few places that serve sheesha</i></li>
<li>Ebeneezer's Kebab & Pizzeria - LKF - <i>owned by an Indian, both the pizzas and the biryani were yum</i></li>
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Macau:</div>
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<li>Golden Peacock - Venetian - <i>Indian food</i></li>
<li>McSorley's Ale House - Venetian - <i>American Food</i></li>
<li>Hard rock Cafe - Hard Rock Hotel</li>
<li>Venetian food court - <i>avoid the Indian food here instead go for the pizzas and falafel they are yum!</i></li>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Shop:</h3>
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Shopping in general in HK is slightly expensive. <b><span style="color: magenta;">Tip 3: Ditch the regular malls and try going to small boutiques and street markets instead</span></b></div>
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<li>Street markets - Temple street, ladies market, night markets - for mobile accessories, souvenirs, bargains on clothing, shoes and bags</li>
<li>Jonhston Road - There were lot of small clothing and accessory shops on this street with bargain deals</li>
<li>Sasa - Chain of beauty of local beauty store in HK. Take back home some hand creams and lip balms in cute packaging for your self and as gifts for friends</li>
<li>Duty free shops in Venetian Macau - If you want to buy a premium or a luxury item at a discount do check these shops out. Every designer brand that you can think of from Michael Kors to tory Burch to Bottega Venetta is available here. Not to forget the popular street brands like Zara and Mango are here too</li>
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This sums up my trip! Watch out for my more detailed posts on each of the days, incase you are planning a trip there.</div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-239565413920177242014-05-02T16:01:00.000+05:302014-05-02T16:01:46.871+05:30Where to get nose piercing in Mumbai?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Remember my post from <a href="http://thetimesofmanyphases.blogspot.in/2013/05/checklist-2013.html" target="_blank">here</a>? I've been wanting to get my nose pierced since eons. The only reason I was resisting is not because I wasn't convinced of the idea but because of two reasons a) I was scared it may react badly and will leave a scar on my face. b) I was looking for the perfect place to get it done. I wanted a place where they do gun shot piercing and was hygienic,experienced and safe.<br />
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After asking a few people I shortlisted on these 3 places:<br />
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<li><a href="http://alstattoostudio.com/Main.html" target="_blank">Al's at Bandra</a> - This is the place where I got my tattoo done. And was considering going there,but I got mixed reviews about this place for piercing</li>
<li><a href="http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/le-bijou_bandra-west_mumbai_jewellery-stores-accessory-stores-lingerie-stores/1341541475" target="_blank">Le Bijou</a> at Bandra - Recommended by a friend. But this place is really tiny and, also my friend had gone there a long time ago hence was not sure how well do they do it now</li>
<li><a href="http://www.goelcutis.com/" target="_blank">Cutis Clinic</a> at Bandra - Recommended by an aunt who had gone there to fix her earlobe piercing. This place is a skin clinic and they have trained people on board, super hygienic and professional. Thus this was the place i decided to go to. Click on the name and you can see their website and some pictures of their clinic.</li>
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The experience</h4>
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Having taken a prior appointment for me and a friend, the clinic sent me a message to confirm the same and a reminder on the day of the appointment. After arriving at the clinic, they seated us and asked us to fill a form , post which they took our profile pictures for their record.</div>
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They then escorted us to a room where they rested uson reclining chair. The doctor/skin expert came in and helped us decide the exact position on the nose where the piercng would take place with the help of a red marker. She then placed the tiny swarovski stud in the gun and shot it in my nose. I'll be honest here. I was dumb for a split second. It felt like a sudden THUD on the nose as if someone's hit you really hard on it. And there is after pain as well, which lasted for two days. But the expert was quite comforting and did try to console us saying it'll subside.</div>
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We were then each given an anti septic gel to apply on our nose for a week so there is no skin reaction to the piercing (<i>I also regularly applied oil on the piercing to make the stud loose, on my mom's advice).</i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first selfie post piercing!</td></tr>
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Overall I was quite satisfied with this place and would recommend it to anyone who wants to get piercing done.</div>
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Fees Charged: A little expensive compared to what other places charge- INR 2000 inclusive of the titanium swarovski nose stud. </div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-46375751830899560082014-03-31T19:16:00.000+05:302014-03-31T19:16:08.902+05:305 Step Easy Recipe - Honey Garlic Potatoes <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I love cooking. I find it to be therapeutic. But not the normal roti sabzi kinds (<i>thank god I have a cook for that</i>). I like trying out something new everytime. Most of the times this is also because I have some vegetables that need to be consumed so I just try mixing them together, or do an ingredient based search on <a href="http://tarladalal.com/">tarladalal.com</a> (<i>such a blessing for vegetarians</i>). And yes nowadays, I also draw inspiration from my favorite tv channel -<a href="http://www.foodfood.com/" target="_blank"> Food Food</a> (<i>they make cooking look so simple and interesting</i>).<br />
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So here's one such recipe that I made as a side dish with fried rice and stir fry vegetables. It is quite quick (as long as you use pre boiled potatoes) will not take more than 15-20 minutes of your time.<br />
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<i>The pictures have been taken with my Iphone 4 so excuse the quality.</i><br />
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<b>You will need:</b><br />
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2 potatoes - preboiled chopped legnthwise<br />
3 cloves garlic - crushed<br />
2 tsp honey<br />
1 tsp cornflour<br />
1 tbsp soya sauce<br />
1 tbsp chilly garlic sauce/ tabasco<br />
1 tsp sesame seeds<br />
A handful of chopped cashewnuts - these are optional but add that crunch to the taste and is my favourite ingredient for any oriental recipe<br />
3 tbsp sesame oil - can be substituted by groundnut oil<br />
Salt as per taste<br />
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<b>The process:</b><br />
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Sprinkle the cornflour over the potatoes. This helps the sauces to coat over the potatoes better.<br />
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Then pour the sauces and the honey as well as salt<br />
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Take a non- stick pan and heat it. Dry roast the sesame seeds and the cashewnuts for sometime and pour some of the oil.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoFhazB-Ht5wXBH8Ra5FWWhadBuIgmLwz7zpCHSBre9j072MPBVf8RDu1-2-nqtkxafYWFPuEZ62NHfcE10u2nKjOdlhuXypEQR15yvtlLQws-adOCUK1rUeEZhDDm7SlSsTzlLP9fe6S/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoFhazB-Ht5wXBH8Ra5FWWhadBuIgmLwz7zpCHSBre9j072MPBVf8RDu1-2-nqtkxafYWFPuEZ62NHfcE10u2nKjOdlhuXypEQR15yvtlLQws-adOCUK1rUeEZhDDm7SlSsTzlLP9fe6S/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="478" title="honey garlic potatoes" width="640" /></a></div>
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Toss in the garlic. <i>Tip : The later you add the garlic the stronger the flavour you get</i><br />
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Finally once the nuts, seeds and the garlic get sauteed well add in the potatoes.<br />
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Voila! Your dish is ready in just 5 simple steps.<br />
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Do share your ideas. I would love to hear and try them out!</div>
Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-77894967158901835652014-03-08T16:00:00.001+05:302014-03-08T16:00:09.906+05:30There you go again! - Time to make her feel special<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you are a woman reading this then send the link to your man and if you are a man reading this then go ahead :)<br />
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First of all - I am no feminist and I believe if you want to be respected you have to earn it. And that is why I take celebrated days like these with a pinch of salt. But for you my dear man, I have a message -<b><span style="color: red;">I really feel for you! </span></b><br />
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It all starts with Dec - Jan, when more than half of India has it's wedding anniversaries, then comes Valentine's Day and just when you thought you are done planning and gifting and making your girl feel special and loved, you are bombarded with women's day ads on TV and newspapers talking about sales and gifts meant just for this day.And there you go feeling pressurized once again, and to top it all she drops not so subtle hints asking you what's your plan for the day (guilty as charged!).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWC6r2Civjb1cQDoEt1R7eniHNrkqQxS5h3oYmvnflHkcz5keQThSke7GV9NXQGKlyJCYjbhxJwP9k8gpqQmKoAdDQP4q9h_5I8HsqTVzDvRxo_X3qHSyqYs6xqUtJIcrAqQ57uF6HZU2/s1600/International-Women-Day.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWC6r2Civjb1cQDoEt1R7eniHNrkqQxS5h3oYmvnflHkcz5keQThSke7GV9NXQGKlyJCYjbhxJwP9k8gpqQmKoAdDQP4q9h_5I8HsqTVzDvRxo_X3qHSyqYs6xqUtJIcrAqQ57uF6HZU2/s1600/International-Women-Day.png" height="426" title="women's day image" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy <a href="http://jokesie.com/">Jokesie.com</a></td></tr>
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But incase you have still not planned anything.. Do not fret, just tell her you have a lot of things planned and here some quick and pocket friendly ways of fixing things up (Yes! you can thank me later!):<br />
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Plan a movie date at home:</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wzVWrIxEg7Cy73Jdi5UYeUnSq-S6r-URp0jXmwYFTD0eAeXhBtZFaU5RKbE22nXcAbtuDcOiO9SgvOVaFR0PpsrU0crtAn9R8Acbrlt87oVWLz-z8lIXXduGzbsg_-wfjZHImHvmki0S/s1600/Movies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wzVWrIxEg7Cy73Jdi5UYeUnSq-S6r-URp0jXmwYFTD0eAeXhBtZFaU5RKbE22nXcAbtuDcOiO9SgvOVaFR0PpsrU0crtAn9R8Acbrlt87oVWLz-z8lIXXduGzbsg_-wfjZHImHvmki0S/s1600/Movies.jpg" height="640" title="women's day image" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: <a href="http://marriagesuccess.com/">marriagesuccess.com</a> </td></tr>
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Nothing beats the good ol charm of watching a chick flick with some pop corn, cola and icecream. Incase you have no DVDs a home, just browse through your TV guide. I'm sure Star world, Movies, HBO and alike have lots of women's day shows and movie marathons on their schedule. Just pick one up, let her enjoy the movie while you cook up some popcorn and call for a pizza<br />
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Chocolate Indulgence:</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKbJJgacDalUcdL4of4hrtLyiOeifsdYsRHAAgmVwe0QvnCPYbEXIllP4zRz2eyspv570OdRdEJtWEhyYeWiWEk70TouqkBhpm8IC-JMCwRaiWBRnG4o-eUijp-zGB0M5MmigLqV2wpJK/s1600/leo-26-cupcake-giftbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKbJJgacDalUcdL4of4hrtLyiOeifsdYsRHAAgmVwe0QvnCPYbEXIllP4zRz2eyspv570OdRdEJtWEhyYeWiWEk70TouqkBhpm8IC-JMCwRaiWBRnG4o-eUijp-zGB0M5MmigLqV2wpJK/s1600/leo-26-cupcake-giftbox.jpg" height="448" title="women's day image" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: <a href="http://ohcrumbscupcakes.co.uk/">ohcrumbscupcakes.co.uk</a></td></tr>
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Go give some business to one of the gazillion <a href="http://thetimesofmanyphases.blogspot.in/2013/01/cupcakes-cant-get-enough-of-them.html" target="_blank">cupcake </a>shops that have recently sprung up in your neighbourhood. Add a small personalised note - And poof! You are the best boyfriend in the world.<br />
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Book her and her BFF a salon appt</h4>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPifKRa9kFxLyt8rAmQ-HLjUkogrAbyHR12R39Qcmr_BZwpnxKuBesBX5psNqavqAqiTsdxi9ncOTO8Amo2vimY7PQbCGDREWoVvhk5dxHnzPVZc_6FtU7lFv30bvUwiwhdFRSJSo7WZ58/s1600/manicure-pedicure-females-hardship-international-womens-day-ecards-someecards.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPifKRa9kFxLyt8rAmQ-HLjUkogrAbyHR12R39Qcmr_BZwpnxKuBesBX5psNqavqAqiTsdxi9ncOTO8Amo2vimY7PQbCGDREWoVvhk5dxHnzPVZc_6FtU7lFv30bvUwiwhdFRSJSo7WZ58/s1600/manicure-pedicure-females-hardship-international-womens-day-ecards-someecards.png" height="356" title="women's day image" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: <a href="http://someecards.com/">someecards.com</a></td></tr>
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This may not be that easy on the pocket, but think long term -it's like killing two birds with one stone. Not only will your girl love you, her BFF will feel grateful and love you too. You'll be the new benchmark for the "best husband/boyfriend" in the group.<br />
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Be her slave for the day</h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyGoc9xQk32oKcuQxivPZ3yzFpU-fhS7Qe6fC3LBPfR2G8Az6LDrVj5fT99tSqYUfR4A88fI5K3hRRehK3oGFKc5WKUxZSdBgemzLR2DnQqWzwjSS8NhQlHvdfhtgq4oANaN4PY4K0q6Z/s1600/happy-womens-day_o_1177839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyGoc9xQk32oKcuQxivPZ3yzFpU-fhS7Qe6fC3LBPfR2G8Az6LDrVj5fT99tSqYUfR4A88fI5K3hRRehK3oGFKc5WKUxZSdBgemzLR2DnQqWzwjSS8NhQlHvdfhtgq4oANaN4PY4K0q6Z/s1600/happy-womens-day_o_1177839.jpg" height="456" title="women's day image" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Courtesy: <a href="http://memecenter.com/">memecenter.com</a></td></tr>
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I know you are always ready to help out, but for this one day just let her not leave the bed. You do the running around, serving food, get a magazine or two, while you do all the shouting on the maid. Bring the spa at home, give her a nice massage while she relaxes to the ligh fragrance of some aroma scented candles.<br />
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There you go. Hope your girlfriend/wife has a great day. Well as for me I thought I would wake up to some great smelling coffee and roses, but nothing of that sort happened! So I went ahead and planned the day for me on his behalf - some shopping and a dinner date coming up. Yayy!</div>
Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-15324990475111301942014-03-02T23:30:00.000+05:302014-03-02T23:31:20.735+05:30Monsoon Getaway to Goa! Busting all the Myths<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had started writing this post and had saved it in my drafts when I was half done. On a long drive from Pilani to Jaipur, I realized I should get back to my long abandoned blog. I’m back with lot of travel stories (some trips within India and some International) to tell. Let’s first finish the Goa one.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is kind of an annual ritual for me to make a trip to Goa. I just love the place besides every time I go there, there's something new to explore. However, I have always been to Goa during the winter or the onset of summer. But never during monsoon. I was always under the impression that Goa shuts during monsoon. And there's not much to do ,the only attraction being getting off season discounts in five star hotels. But on the insistence of a friend we decided to go there in the peak of monsoons - during the end of June and no, it didn't feel like a bad decision not even once.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegu35uVOygYh19BgGjPYoQRyGC62Tk4hwvRgeaILOaLGrz7XyjqWK8AzKmQs03mFXBivP8JW3Z-4gbzgnkroJHvXW5xTg-foxBWuC7tLPCQ6zKLUNmf4sD7-melTuEbU1yW5L0J-okqbZ/s1600/Goa+collage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Goa in the monsoons blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiegu35uVOygYh19BgGjPYoQRyGC62Tk4hwvRgeaILOaLGrz7XyjqWK8AzKmQs03mFXBivP8JW3Z-4gbzgnkroJHvXW5xTg-foxBWuC7tLPCQ6zKLUNmf4sD7-melTuEbU1yW5L0J-okqbZ/s1600/Goa+collage+1.jpg" height="480" title="Goa in the monsoons" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Goa in the monsoons</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Myth 1 – Goa in monsoons is shut</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While you may not be allowed to swim or do water rides, the beaches are open for people to take a stroll, Most of the restaurants and bars too are open.Everything that is super crowded and expensive during season time is available at steep discounts during monsoons in Goa be it hotels, flight tickets or even club entries. Let's not forget extended happy hours at every restaurant you go to :) Besides Goa does not receive that heavy a rainfall during June. It showers for 5 minutes and then stays dry and cool for an hour or so followed again by a 5 minute shower and so on. We hired bikes through out and wasn't difficult to travel on them in spite of the rains. Do carry a windcheater though to save you from the occasional showers</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjindZzI6UUVxefwnEA_2v3VfkVblk3GCoQJx2YJQ5Q3nMCBueFs_2YmUY2sIS4iuNqvNV4iR5RwuhyphenhyphenYm9Q5mhtYOAKGiEVSgZxiweiMyw-Y9TLcAm4Q9xbKs4gKWXDLbCyQuzUeaf_QjjN/s1600/Goa+clothes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Goa in the monsoons blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjindZzI6UUVxefwnEA_2v3VfkVblk3GCoQJx2YJQ5Q3nMCBueFs_2YmUY2sIS4iuNqvNV4iR5RwuhyphenhyphenYm9Q5mhtYOAKGiEVSgZxiweiMyw-Y9TLcAm4Q9xbKs4gKWXDLbCyQuzUeaf_QjjN/s1600/Goa+clothes.jpg" height="480" title="Goa outfits" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Goa Outfits</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Myth 2 –
Stay at a five star as there is no activity outside in the Monsoons</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This holds true only if you go to South Goa. North Goa on the other hand is pleasantly buzzing especially the Baga - Anjuna stretch. We wanted to stay in a boutique-y place by the sea side that was not very expensive and yet was semi luxurious. After looking for ages on trip advisor, we finally hit the nail through good 'ol Google search. Surprisingly this place is not that famous as yet. It felt like finding a hidden treasure - The <a href="http://www.aryansgoa.com/" target="_blank">Aryan's cottages</a> is right on the Little Vagator beach. A resort can't get any closer than this to the sea and all at an affordable price of just Rs 3000 per night (after some bargaining by yours truly). This place is beautiful (you have to see the pictures to believe me) and both service and the food are excellent as well. Infact we hired our bikes also from here again at a very affordable rate. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnfLV0lN_KEdvhSoDxKUxw30eakJefzZmQTTomKPJwzd7UUauK5JpM_j-3_70reMOKy4vVuiEAquIzMbPgruohtMfJ-7w5Gx0AJsmyUUzxBL30qeaauBqqC2Ssmao9Sjbzp1OfaJmA1q0/s1600/Goa+resort.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Goa in the monsoons blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnfLV0lN_KEdvhSoDxKUxw30eakJefzZmQTTomKPJwzd7UUauK5JpM_j-3_70reMOKy4vVuiEAquIzMbPgruohtMfJ-7w5Gx0AJsmyUUzxBL30qeaauBqqC2Ssmao9Sjbzp1OfaJmA1q0/s1600/Goa+resort.jpg" height="480" title="Aryan cottage goa" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aryan Cottages Goa - Best discovery so far</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Myth 3 – A
vegetarian can’t enjoy Goan food</span></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know
the first reaction I get when I tell people about how excited I am about my Goa
trip is “But what do vegetarians eat there?”
So this bit is to all my carnivorous friends. This is what we eat.
Honestly, it is not so difficult to find vegetarian food anywhere in India and
Goa is no exception. Although, the local cuisine mainly caters to sea food lovers, the restaurants would be more than willing to cook up some veggie food with the local gravy. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Out of the
four of us one is a sea food lover, the other a chicken eater, and the two of
us vegetarians who also eat eggs. So whenever, we would go to any place, we
would end up ordering almost everything from the menu.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went to
a good mix of shacks and restaurants for all our meals. This trip has been all
about hogging. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsd6m2uGDwQWLS98hyphenhyphenrBQPe0k5C7EfkxUIIS1-euvWknGC-Yr7yuJFSw0eEXy2YI_EcfBMSIjaHRXHj5fvsHQwFDZgh4PHB0VAcNDfCdq7IbMICmy3GWnFxgdbmys8QQsVL5QRYOA6KSEY/s1600/Goa+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Goa in the monsoons blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsd6m2uGDwQWLS98hyphenhyphenrBQPe0k5C7EfkxUIIS1-euvWknGC-Yr7yuJFSw0eEXy2YI_EcfBMSIjaHRXHj5fvsHQwFDZgh4PHB0VAcNDfCdq7IbMICmy3GWnFxgdbmys8QQsVL5QRYOA6KSEY/s1600/Goa+food.jpg" height="480" title="Vegetarian food in goa" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enough choices for veggies like me</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Places we
went to:<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Infantaria<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Sunny
side up<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Brittos<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Cavala<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Wishlist </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Suza
lobo<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Thalassa
(this is open only during season time)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Myth 4 –
All shacks and party places are shut in Goa</span></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While this
may be true to a certain extent but all the popular shacks in the Baga stretch
(Baga- Candolim- Calangute) are open all year round. Order your beer, with a
hookah and some small bites and enjoy the myriad colours of the sky while the
sun sets. While we were not keen to party in the two days that we were there,
all the bars that we know of were open.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MH4CNhuCzYFqbJALiwkRpQUH6l9qzihcCxZFQztMa6J0GdfmV73A26h1XrZoQgKGALPzb2zK1oseq2wvVZ3U-mXSta9rgKrOVgIUX8xM3lQ7CAWm4fQBXxO2O1OLMsWA5hyfhHDpu3Xf/s1600/Goa+places.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Goa in the monsoons blog" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-MH4CNhuCzYFqbJALiwkRpQUH6l9qzihcCxZFQztMa6J0GdfmV73A26h1XrZoQgKGALPzb2zK1oseq2wvVZ3U-mXSta9rgKrOVgIUX8xM3lQ7CAWm4fQBXxO2O1OLMsWA5hyfhHDpu3Xf/s1600/Goa+places.jpg" height="480" title="Places to go in Goa" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Curlies & Sunny Side up</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Places we
went to</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">·
</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Curlies<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">·
</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Andy’s
(This place has Karaoke every night)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Wishlist:</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">·
</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Sinq<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">·
</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">LPK<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">·
</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US">Club
Cabana<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If a nice quiet holiday with some bursts of music and partying is what you want then June is an ideal time to visit Goa.</span></div>
Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-38338933432617847292013-07-23T23:24:00.000+05:302013-07-23T23:24:10.746+05:30Postcards from my Instagram feed - June 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hello folks! Im visiting my blog after looong.. and the number of visitors to my blog has significantly dropped :((. Serves me right for not being active. But I've been busy with work and some other things including a short holiday to Goa!! And Ill be writing about this monsoon getaway of mine very soon. But before that I have to share my Instagram pictures from June that talk about the things and places I explored last month. Here you go:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHq5nrcN3UjKQqldQw6LEwHSEe7blzKAG8dYJlxTfjcBd1AjOlGtnIBy6-0trlNe6qJaZUrjg_IPsWEwoJPQjxQGEURS6fKD91ubGJLpbx-qsp_zy7aJvvDYeH2nX1L4jAOZYoEFJznasX/s1600/rainy+mumbai.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHq5nrcN3UjKQqldQw6LEwHSEe7blzKAG8dYJlxTfjcBd1AjOlGtnIBy6-0trlNe6qJaZUrjg_IPsWEwoJPQjxQGEURS6fKD91ubGJLpbx-qsp_zy7aJvvDYeH2nX1L4jAOZYoEFJznasX/s640/rainy+mumbai.JPG" title="blurry rainy day in Mumbai" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This super blurry picture was taken from my car while my brother was driving in one of South Mumbai's rainy lanes.How can any post in June/July not talk about the monsoons. Some may find the <b>Mumbai rains</b> romantic and some may love the weather. But me - I just think they cause a lot of inconvenience, especially if you rely on public transport like autos/taxis and generally add to the whole mess around. I can go on cribbing. But I shall not. I know our Eco system needs them. So rain gods please do the needful! </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYfgEjm4D3wKsuyiuy9AbhMin_74ROS-QrjyhRBJw9fftHAL3VE5QfcIX3LbpWDPl2jjJf_3PKGd9RAcsnC9qAzJnYJ9AplDjMYasHjiUHfn93Qu8edR6nMGaa3QwN9_djeBVqZQFOKoo/s1600/daily+mumbai.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYfgEjm4D3wKsuyiuy9AbhMin_74ROS-QrjyhRBJw9fftHAL3VE5QfcIX3LbpWDPl2jjJf_3PKGd9RAcsnC9qAzJnYJ9AplDjMYasHjiUHfn93Qu8edR6nMGaa3QwN9_djeBVqZQFOKoo/s640/daily+mumbai.JPG" title="Daily Mumbai review" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's new bar in Bandra, Mumbai called <b><a href="http://www.zomato.com/mumbai/the-daily-bandra-west" target="_blank">The Daily</a></b> that is slowly becoming my favourite. I have already been there 4 times in the last 2 months. Its small, hip, with good music and yes expensive drinks. Pictured here is my favourite drink of the moment Sangria accompanied by some cheesy Jalapeno poppers. Yum!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTqwsR1FsToZvsONMnfdk-QEBVd27jh4bN6WP9llkQyOX_jvgGBUmNQczy69vLy_j1uYJBauuQFMO5f_TBomEwELmNnrCaAOCZd63XXFmXzzIpZPz0z-pod9dUrTtdFjv1xNinPAMRUvm/s1600/irish+house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTqwsR1FsToZvsONMnfdk-QEBVd27jh4bN6WP9llkQyOX_jvgGBUmNQczy69vLy_j1uYJBauuQFMO5f_TBomEwELmNnrCaAOCZd63XXFmXzzIpZPz0z-pod9dUrTtdFjv1xNinPAMRUvm/s640/irish+house.JPG" title="Irish house mumbai" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Talking of bars here is a picture I took in Ladies' room of <b><a href="http://www.theirishhouse.in/" target="_blank">Irish house</a></b>. The place is full of these posters and coasters with these quirky one liners and some good music too.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4EwyqSFginSXqJ4KOfpQhm6NedL_1E67GCqnvsPUOOKVDidAwm0PI0-OSxsdiIUueTlST4eidOvujgiVYTwSgNBSHNe-Csdse-EemGWQvcBwDgIg7OY4OhbkjSLQL_vmC92s1Slvv0xA/s1600/mamgoto+mumbai.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4EwyqSFginSXqJ4KOfpQhm6NedL_1E67GCqnvsPUOOKVDidAwm0PI0-OSxsdiIUueTlST4eidOvujgiVYTwSgNBSHNe-Csdse-EemGWQvcBwDgIg7OY4OhbkjSLQL_vmC92s1Slvv0xA/s640/mamgoto+mumbai.JPG" title="Mamagoto Mumbai" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a foodie! I love my food and I love trying new cuisines, new restaurants. Not just because I get to eat something new but also because I get to talk about it with people and then I like asking "Oh have you been here?" Delhi's <b><a href="http://www.mamagoto.in/flash/index.html" target="_blank">Mamagoto </a></b>has finally opened in Mumbai in Bandra. My first visit there left me quite happy with their twist in South Asian food. And yes a picture for me to talk about :)</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDm8oEsS4hHQz-V9r_c9Fv2rQZV8qlheY74PqPgqZbOLZqJY9SNrHfXIOd-42SC5XT5VKWS5LkK8yo7hr5h1Ui3mDSF_BckVByIqJDtDH6oZ4ukpeQUD1rJgj3bZ8TjHSFa6tlqLmtHmCA/s1600/sunset+at+curlies+goa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDm8oEsS4hHQz-V9r_c9Fv2rQZV8qlheY74PqPgqZbOLZqJY9SNrHfXIOd-42SC5XT5VKWS5LkK8yo7hr5h1Ui3mDSF_BckVByIqJDtDH6oZ4ukpeQUD1rJgj3bZ8TjHSFa6tlqLmtHmCA/s640/sunset+at+curlies+goa.JPG" title="Curlies Goa review" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a glimpse of my Goa trip. this picture was taken during sunset at <b><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g306992-d952645-Reviews-Curlie_s-Anjuna_Bardez_Goa.html" target="_blank">Curlies</a></b>, Anjuna Beach. While the beauty of sunset was majorly covered by the gloomy clouds.. the entire feel of being at a beach in Goa just made up for it. Shall talk about my trip in detail in my next post.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Are you on Instagram. Do share your handle would love to follow you. Mine is </span><a href="http://instagram.com/rajvibhow">http://instagram.com/rajvibhow</a></span></div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-12696786439263332242013-07-02T23:45:00.000+05:302013-07-02T23:45:05.335+05:30How to wear red lipstick and not look dramatic!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know Red is old news. Infact the rest of the bloggers are done with reviewing red lipsticks, claiming their love for <b><i>Mac's Ruby Woo and Scarlet Ibis</i></b> and have moved on to the other colours.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But how many times have you excitedly applied red lipstick and then wiped it off thinking it gives clown lips or for the lack of a better word makes you look OTT and trashy. Well welcome to the club!</span></span></i></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">Like the rest of the world I too bought a lot of red shades, to find my 'the one' as mentioned in my earlier </span><a href="http://thetimesofmanyphases.blogspot.in/2013/05/5-must-have-lip-shades-for-yellow-skin.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">post </span></b></a><span style="color: #222222;"><b><i>Colorbar's Hearts and Tarts</i></b> is the one that suits my yellow skin the most. However, that was not the end of the problem. When wearing red I am always confused what makeup to pair it with. Especially with Indian wear (read while attending weddings) just a lipstick with no other makeup looks to plain no? I know the trick is to always pair bright lips with muted eyes but even a simple Kajal, eyeliner and neutral shadow would look to stark on the face. So I did some experimentation at home, and after some trials and errors here's what I found:</span></span></span><br />
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<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Always wear red in the matte form</i></b></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Skip kajal completely or apply a very thin line</i></b></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Apply eyeliner thinly and a thin cost of mascara</i></b></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Use only neutral eyeshadows like gold or copper</i></b></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Use a very neutral blush bordering on coral/brown</i></b></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also googled some pictures of actresses wearing red for inspiration that led me to this conclusion, here are they:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY0nL_gMY7jrKURq_A4xi-DaGAOW8PHtW5WY-hfRk61uEBZuoOYl3F4OOZC9jsBi6_BmzZvEvHN27cvVNCmGTGnXVMEVYmFtlt-HpbSL45DsDUVsCteKgArRVb4GzJtwPSFV-lrzBInPb/s500/aishwarya-rai-red-lipstick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY0nL_gMY7jrKURq_A4xi-DaGAOW8PHtW5WY-hfRk61uEBZuoOYl3F4OOZC9jsBi6_BmzZvEvHN27cvVNCmGTGnXVMEVYmFtlt-HpbSL45DsDUVsCteKgArRVb4GzJtwPSFV-lrzBInPb/s640/aishwarya-rai-red-lipstick.jpg" title="aishwarya rai in red lipstick" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomFsQBthzoYGEH4AmlIT4dTTdWuF4do_SyVL4pmPJzWfPARMQJW-WP62cbEIGpv0JCXFU_iNFo2ngCkMvkxI1HSE_TMD0hTG1JTmf5z4khr8MngmOHtGZVANb-nSd3V7R6r45sgs7hZi_/s747/neha+dhupia+red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomFsQBthzoYGEH4AmlIT4dTTdWuF4do_SyVL4pmPJzWfPARMQJW-WP62cbEIGpv0JCXFU_iNFo2ngCkMvkxI1HSE_TMD0hTG1JTmf5z4khr8MngmOHtGZVANb-nSd3V7R6r45sgs7hZi_/s640/neha+dhupia+red.jpg" title="neha dhupia in red lipstick" width="548" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oyEz5I0nLuc76bOvcWZZE1j3zCorSYSlcnsBuz01-2W7KJdCZSHAK4XKjmhh5aYQHOb87WsmHahId4wIjrpmX2fTPKycvI-xcp0Qwn1P1xC9YEQJvjmsHDC0_vvDZbB1Ll_TdbGvl4l-/s592/sonam+kapoor+red+lipstick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oyEz5I0nLuc76bOvcWZZE1j3zCorSYSlcnsBuz01-2W7KJdCZSHAK4XKjmhh5aYQHOb87WsmHahId4wIjrpmX2fTPKycvI-xcp0Qwn1P1xC9YEQJvjmsHDC0_vvDZbB1Ll_TdbGvl4l-/s640/sonam+kapoor+red+lipstick.jpg" title="sonam kapoor in red lipstick" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I tried this look on myself and here are my pictures:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>With flash</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E_zrPGZilrzh5u_tHvKcxF7ALRuXlMSnMvl6szaTaMJP88Qpy0gcnE392f3iEMjypCYUKckAihomaVftiaDjIxku047ubW6FfLvi5-vW5b1AAOOzjN1RTOyjuyHDuk4nby_0uB1A3GDt/s1600/Wearing+Colorbar+hearts+and+Tarts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E_zrPGZilrzh5u_tHvKcxF7ALRuXlMSnMvl6szaTaMJP88Qpy0gcnE392f3iEMjypCYUKckAihomaVftiaDjIxku047ubW6FfLvi5-vW5b1AAOOzjN1RTOyjuyHDuk4nby_0uB1A3GDt/s640/Wearing+Colorbar+hearts+and+Tarts.JPG" width="484" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Without flash</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8V3kFvyFaJOheIavVGhjOqimK4VkB1G89bVzAev_lJ_QipVIcUZlI37rUX_RM3NpjgDYCOA4Y8CVRV_QeXsI1Q9ttiOtznb5x11zqnzi0q3JM4sv3abDEqq3Uodwk_izNVvLiyIqjnmD/s640/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB8V3kFvyFaJOheIavVGhjOqimK4VkB1G89bVzAev_lJ_QipVIcUZlI37rUX_RM3NpjgDYCOA4Y8CVRV_QeXsI1Q9ttiOtznb5x11zqnzi0q3JM4sv3abDEqq3Uodwk_izNVvLiyIqjnmD/s640/photo+3.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>The products I used</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0vv4sobXwViSGKU9b6nXxcoiqOWKJ6VBAXmUeb2Hhgj79YCjbeSvjLI9iAJwcoaw1Gjk3xGEDU7a9To_BeHk6TrvqLJ8bKKTUkpd9rJL0KYyNJWZU1ZroN7NY6HaHaoqjdTINXNy23i3/s960/products+used.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh0vv4sobXwViSGKU9b6nXxcoiqOWKJ6VBAXmUeb2Hhgj79YCjbeSvjLI9iAJwcoaw1Gjk3xGEDU7a9To_BeHk6TrvqLJ8bKKTUkpd9rJL0KYyNJWZU1ZroN7NY6HaHaoqjdTINXNy23i3/s640/products+used.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Colorbar Hearts & Tarts</b> lipstick mixed with<b> Colorbar Obsessed with Orange</b> lipstick <i>to give that slight orangey tint</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The brown eyeshadow from the <b>Lakme 4 in 1 Eyeshadow quartet</b> - Silk Route</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>L'oreal Trumatch Blush </b>- Pink Grapefruit</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Revlon Lash Fantasy </b>Mascara</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Benefit High Beam</b> highlighter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Chambor</b> dark brown eyepencil - <i>to line my lower eye lid (instead of black kaajal)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Avon </b>eyebrow filler</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Missed on clicking my foundation and finishing powder - Used <b>Mac Studio Sculpt </b>N30 and Loose Powder N30</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you couple your red lipstick with? I would love to hear. Do drop your inputs in my comments box</span></div>
Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-70219594835887769962013-06-13T00:35:00.001+05:302013-06-19T17:21:17.578+05:30Truly God's Own Country - Munnar, Kerala<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I start writing about this place, here soothe your eyes with some green..</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZGV_DBiYv6omKF9NBDNcYyszDiR-XCzy6d5_sDKyuWO2xu7GBtTvtlTt8zDlY26NA40aim8Rfw68LIZaKhU3Pm4mbabIc-VqED0s8Q9XlpVWIfRPt0T2lyiR_2zYTTasgVIilCbtESRH/s1600/IMG_4428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZGV_DBiYv6omKF9NBDNcYyszDiR-XCzy6d5_sDKyuWO2xu7GBtTvtlTt8zDlY26NA40aim8Rfw68LIZaKhU3Pm4mbabIc-VqED0s8Q9XlpVWIfRPt0T2lyiR_2zYTTasgVIilCbtESRH/s640/IMG_4428.JPG" title="munnar vacation" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1inHFXO_q9VHixhfsOqAERaFrmEh0l57BScVARBTXVrjeD9imfVrqlTe7NMdpbeNYg3IU1V3K0_6sqtrYVajdQ388N06wYHvgCmUQbFu_FRFLSu3q8m1Pi04f5svxA3_NczFi97rcWVEc/s1600/IMG_4438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1inHFXO_q9VHixhfsOqAERaFrmEh0l57BScVARBTXVrjeD9imfVrqlTe7NMdpbeNYg3IU1V3K0_6sqtrYVajdQ388N06wYHvgCmUQbFu_FRFLSu3q8m1Pi04f5svxA3_NczFi97rcWVEc/s640/IMG_4438.JPG" title="munnar vacation" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VrM8ClYfOY0hiG8gwnc3GmbJ917Zd0VZMkvjrjEu4Ctq9ObbL-0rK-2mBpZUaAroEGR8BgA0EQfZFgl1S5VXVhIMb20exFTw27_UyaTPm6OSAp9hlaYHB7iaX8Enys8IJmmMOBsokozU/s1600/IMG_4479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VrM8ClYfOY0hiG8gwnc3GmbJ917Zd0VZMkvjrjEu4Ctq9ObbL-0rK-2mBpZUaAroEGR8BgA0EQfZFgl1S5VXVhIMb20exFTw27_UyaTPm6OSAp9hlaYHB7iaX8Enys8IJmmMOBsokozU/s640/IMG_4479.JPG" title="munnar vacation" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BEAUTIFUL pictures right?? Believe me my camera has not done half as justice to the actual beauty of this place. Probably cos these pictures were taken on cloudy and rainy September days. We took this trip last year in September. <b><i>After considering places like Udaipur, Kashmir and Kumarakaom within Kerala itself, we zeroed in on Munnar</i></b>, as my dad who is a member of <b><a href="http://www.clubmahindra.com/munnar-lake-view/aboutresortinfo.html#.Ubdrc_lge94" target="_blank">Club Mahindra</a></b> offered us some free stay vouchers for this resort. Although, we would have preferred to have explored more of Kerala by visiting Kumarakom/Allepey (backwaters) and Kovalam (beach) too, we did not do so as we had keep our vacation as short as just 3 days. Reason being, we just wanted a short relaxing vacation that would'nt be too heavy on the pocket. This was more like a break for me before I joined my new job.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About the place</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Munnar, is Kerala's tea country. Apart from the beaches and the backwaters, Kerala is also known for it's hilly regions like Wayanand and Munnar. Munnar just like it's Tamil Nadu counterpart is lush green, and a tea growing region. The weather throughout the year remains chilly and is one of the highest rainfall receiving regions of India.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Travel</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Munnar is a good six hour drive from Cochin. We flew from Mumbai to Cochin and then booked a cab (prepaid online) through <a href="http://www.taxicarkerala.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.TaxiCarKerala.com</a> for our entire stay which included the travel to and from the Cochin airport.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our flight tickets cost us a BOMB- Rs 10k per person. Actually we didn't realise that our travel dates clashed with <b>Onam </b>(the Malayalam New year). No wonder the tickets rates were so steep.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Accomodation</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As mentioned earlier, we stayed at the Club Mahindra resort in Munnar. My taxi driver mentioned that it is the best resort Munnar has, and it was originally a part of the Taj group of hotels later taken over by Mahindra. Since, we are members, the stay for us was for free. Again because of Onam, the studio apartments and the cottages were full and thus, we had to stay in a ground floor hotel room, which had absolutely no view. <b style="font-style: italic;">(A lesson learnt. Must check for local holidays before making travel plans). </b>From </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">whatever hotels I could see from outside, Mahindra did look the biggest and the best.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhda-NuEbIT2UqrRqmtzN_6M12Uvq0G90YZ6NaQFuKvm2W9rtl_D726zlnfh5gCS8RWIB-PQms5GZJRcrxGl45bqTalnjIGszveXeTs_Pdv3Zfb9lmFxqyPH5CBMO9rk1k0OZRlmUQtgpBj/s1600/IMG_4464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhda-NuEbIT2UqrRqmtzN_6M12Uvq0G90YZ6NaQFuKvm2W9rtl_D726zlnfh5gCS8RWIB-PQms5GZJRcrxGl45bqTalnjIGszveXeTs_Pdv3Zfb9lmFxqyPH5CBMO9rk1k0OZRlmUQtgpBj/s640/IMG_4464.JPG" title="club mahindra munnar" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Club Mahindra Munnar</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMkgEHNL3xpTPD7Jvl-ocTFFPJWrvbtFY0_7LZ2F1SM_Jk-9H_qwrs7m3an_Mit8tEFWUfFDwm2O0EuekBNZBOMBucwgHA119wmZAElNAy5eGqMeXD1gLwCi6SSnxw-Wm8fOtNj15b_S8/s1600/IMG_4471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMkgEHNL3xpTPD7Jvl-ocTFFPJWrvbtFY0_7LZ2F1SM_Jk-9H_qwrs7m3an_Mit8tEFWUfFDwm2O0EuekBNZBOMBucwgHA119wmZAElNAy5eGqMeXD1gLwCi6SSnxw-Wm8fOtNj15b_S8/s640/IMG_4471.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">View from the resort</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since, we did not get to stay in the cottages/studio apartment. We were slightly disappointed. Our room was like any other other hotel room. Not very small but not very spacious also. Forgot to take pictures of the room. But you can take a look at all the different rooms on tripadvisor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The resort is huge and has an in house club house, spa, 2 restaurants and a coffee house. There is no swimming pool as the weather in Munnar does not permit to have one outdoor pool. During our stay there we did avail the services of the Kerala <b>spa </b>there, and must say it was quite relaxing. The staff is extremely hospitable and friendly.The <b>food </b>is good if you stick to Indian, can't really experiment here although they serve all cuisines. They have buffet during lunch as well as dinner. One can opt for either buffet or a la carte. The buffet for members was around Rs 650 per person per meal. We had the best time enjoying their <b>filter coffees and pakodas</b> during evening overlooking the rain. They were yummm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things to do</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's not much to do in Munnar except for some R&R (relaxing and rejuvenating). However, we did do a couple of things there:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Visit the town and watch a Kathakali show</i></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISUUIGHM_0eB3Dc6lLbOGcPjSMk4O3REgbBKBQc4pzAbH-_HZ-PMGkMToCSRmLEJoQfEA0MFj2Dv6Klz65qM5vCSmodSSkpTFQuA5I6v_FR3jgRD-PZ1ajzSVN8NmVlsxPVpkB_dxsIJC/s1600/IMG_4492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISUUIGHM_0eB3Dc6lLbOGcPjSMk4O3REgbBKBQc4pzAbH-_HZ-PMGkMToCSRmLEJoQfEA0MFj2Dv6Klz65qM5vCSmodSSkpTFQuA5I6v_FR3jgRD-PZ1ajzSVN8NmVlsxPVpkB_dxsIJC/s640/IMG_4492.JPG" title="Kathakali dance munnar" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kathakali Dance show</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are all for encouraging local art forms. Also, I've never seen a live Kahthakali performance. So on one one of the rainy evenings we decided to check out the market and the Kathakali show. The ticket prices are nominal (around Rs 250). There's also one martial arts performance (name can't recollect). which my driver said is also an interesting watch.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Shopping</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the Kathakali show we went to the market to buy Kerala's famous banana chips fried in coconut oil. They are yellow in colour and yumm. We were also told to buy these various handmade choclates. And we bought lot of packets as gifts for our family. Also, worth checking out our sandalwood collectibles and the handmade massage oils and soaps.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Visit the highest tea plantation in the world - Kollukumalai</i></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsq2I8wLBAMExR7Xn1kgDpuUIRAozMqv3jcgHlMqgVHLitZh-O_hOJm65FisCglhvaEi6iMPnIGGuosS_s_Pgjat7-6DKf1PrwILR_RplAvGJjE75aG31XfSbJHna2HqG7tcxOHDYQ24dZ/s1600/IMG_4520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsq2I8wLBAMExR7Xn1kgDpuUIRAozMqv3jcgHlMqgVHLitZh-O_hOJm65FisCglhvaEi6iMPnIGGuosS_s_Pgjat7-6DKf1PrwILR_RplAvGJjE75aG31XfSbJHna2HqG7tcxOHDYQ24dZ/s640/IMG_4520.JPG" title="Kollukumalai Tea plantation - Munnar" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kollukumalai Tea plantation - Munnar</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You know what they say that it's not the destination but the journey that matters. Well, this place is one of those places. Once you reach there you'll feel no different than being in any other part of Munnar <b style="font-style: italic;">but the journey is one helluva ride!! </b>It's nothing less than sitting on a roller coaster, only this one is more scary. Being the highest tea plantation this lace is 7500 km above sea level and one needs to hire a jeep and trained driver to take you here, as the roads are very narrow and rough. the views on the way are spectacular, reminded me of some Scotland landscape pictures I have seen. But if you have a back problem or a heart problem , this journey is definitely not meant for you. This tour was arranged by my driver. (he didn't drive ofcourse). the jeep driver took Rs 1100 for a return journey. But it was well worth it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirck0MD-n_o80jpHVnrhhLgaBnpWK6svrtZs3iqNwNnffTBVwC-jDSKj1pPiXaUi4OofTAPx6-gUVqSRzwjeLspPwyHK_RLCJjcfRYSqkHHz2nvbJBGWrG6t8YAVhoQ8cM0BSo8Yge8zx/s1600/IMG_4526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirck0MD-n_o80jpHVnrhhLgaBnpWK6svrtZs3iqNwNnffTBVwC-jDSKj1pPiXaUi4OofTAPx6-gUVqSRzwjeLspPwyHK_RLCJjcfRYSqkHHz2nvbJBGWrG6t8YAVhoQ8cM0BSo8Yge8zx/s640/IMG_4526.JPG" title="Kollukumalai Tea plantation - Munnar" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Inside the Tea factory</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Other things that we missed out on but can be done:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Visit the Matupetty Dams - there's also boating there</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Visit the Rose gardens</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Waterfalls</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anaimudi National park</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The info for all these can be availed at <a href="http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/India/State_of_Kerala/Munnar-1091460/Things_To_Do-Munnar-TG-C-1.html" target="_blank">here</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Have you been to Munnar? How did you find it? Do share your stories and feel free to ask me details in case you are planning a trip there.</span></div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-31619916379059009652013-06-02T15:14:00.000+05:302013-06-02T15:15:22.467+05:30Postcards from my Instagram feed - May 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I switched from my precious <b><i>Blackberry to an Iphone lately</i></b>. Not out of choice. Mainly cos my BB died. Call me primitive if you want to but I never thought I'll be able to give up on BBM. The blackberry messenger was pretty addictive and although, there's always Whatsapp but there was this feature of Recent updates on BBM which was pretty entertaining. However, a lot of people started moving from BB to Iphone/Android and once my BB gave up I thought it's high time I did too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the one thing that I was most looking forward to on the Iphone is using <b><i>Instagram</i></b>. It's more or less like facebook where you can upload and share photos, but here you can edit and filter them as well.Thus, it brings out the photographer in you. Here's are some pictures that I clicked and filters and uploaded on my Instagram and the stories behind them:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXR3FIDJgOigcjmPO-jC4tyqorauO7yPBrYxMmqTo62fPqRozamqek-0h4ornyaXaLEqGLzi1NYLGFn3X_4So4qgfkE4yCu2Hvw3CsovnUVu86GVdzlxA4o0vShTlSzCznnTs53PJcROmX/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXR3FIDJgOigcjmPO-jC4tyqorauO7yPBrYxMmqTo62fPqRozamqek-0h4ornyaXaLEqGLzi1NYLGFn3X_4So4qgfkE4yCu2Hvw3CsovnUVu86GVdzlxA4o0vShTlSzCznnTs53PJcROmX/s640/photo+1.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tamilian thali at <a href="http://www.saravanabhavan.com/" target="_blank">Saravana Bhavan</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I was in Chennai and wanted to try authentic Tamilian dishes. I didn't know what to order after seeing the menu. So decided to order a thali so that I could sample lot of things at one go. Bad decision! The meal looked and felt too heavy for my palate.I could hardly finish all the things that they served for just around 200 rupees. Must be around 10-12 items. The Sambaar and Rasam were the best parts. And please STAY AWAY from the paan that they serve hear after the end of the meal. I almost spat it out. It was soooo spicy! One of the worst things that I have put in my mouth recently.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdgDHBimvoZT8UMf2POu42kg5KFoPlrRUio2FUlWZMIXj_k1_vYoPXQFvxakwiVBcc0dHdUuK2mcvFMEuNQ7Wr1gnIV3RgrlI_-YGFaQUn4InJeP2a1XJ_oQIVFE7T7ZqIon_0O1BbHwTp/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdgDHBimvoZT8UMf2POu42kg5KFoPlrRUio2FUlWZMIXj_k1_vYoPXQFvxakwiVBcc0dHdUuK2mcvFMEuNQ7Wr1gnIV3RgrlI_-YGFaQUn4InJeP2a1XJ_oQIVFE7T7ZqIon_0O1BbHwTp/s640/photo+3.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Orissa handicraft from Dilli Haat</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">I am a very touristy kind of a traveller. Whenever I go to a place I want to check off places that are usually recommended for tourists. On one of my work visits to Delhi I wentt o the</span><a href="http://www.delhitourism.gov.in/delhitourism/tourist_place/dilli_haat.jsp" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;" target="_blank"> Dilli haat</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">, besides looking for some phulkari dupattas for my self, I also bought this colourful handicraft from the Orissa stall. Just to spice up my dining table and also to do my bit to encourage these arts.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKnxrX6lJoOryXLDI21tpj3fhE2kk0A90QrZw1SLGKps3qs1h-OZyPvt_fqhpGUmbZDmVewQKSha8R1BtFzX3IuRvyF-n3zC6rdLLswrNgWE50n5FoR7rigX9bA5CR03LknLfFLMCIZEk/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizKnxrX6lJoOryXLDI21tpj3fhE2kk0A90QrZw1SLGKps3qs1h-OZyPvt_fqhpGUmbZDmVewQKSha8R1BtFzX3IuRvyF-n3zC6rdLLswrNgWE50n5FoR7rigX9bA5CR03LknLfFLMCIZEk/s640/photo+5.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Jenga @ Doollaly</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This place - <a href="http://doolally.in/home.html" target="_blank">Doollaly </a>a brewery in Pune ( a lil on the outskirts, quite a long drive from Mumbai) was discovered by my friend. Personally I am not a beer fan. But their <a href="http://mehtakyakehta.com/2011/05/16/doolallys-apple-cider-review/" target="_blank">apple cider </a>is sweet enough to turn non drinkers into fans too. They also serve vodka, rum and cocktails for non beer drinkers.We were a group of 8. Beer, Mojito pitchers, jenga and some really good music gave us good company. Totally enjoyed the experience!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rKpINNuZ0NML7vEAYJpemwCDy7qTbBsIE4bo4OZCK7q2HAGjnetF5N-BN7O7oDYsSm2V8YPRTDZi8wtnF8-HIIH4kJLO9aUxTd7wZrIBjz7B5Iiu-bB53mfpE7pENzHuCO9vDOMbC7jp/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rKpINNuZ0NML7vEAYJpemwCDy7qTbBsIE4bo4OZCK7q2HAGjnetF5N-BN7O7oDYsSm2V8YPRTDZi8wtnF8-HIIH4kJLO9aUxTd7wZrIBjz7B5Iiu-bB53mfpE7pENzHuCO9vDOMbC7jp/s640/photo+2.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This picture of a painting of a not so good looking woman wastaken at <a href="http://www.darios.in/" target="_blank">Darios </a>in Pune. From the same trip as mentioned above. Had heard so much about the place. The food and the ambience really lived up to it. Although I went there in the month of May, so couldn't realy sit in their apen air zone. But I'm guessing winter will be a great time to visit this place.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs7gtrrEag9KhVT_TQNeg0peug_Ty1lj631wSEI75SW2u3J3NHoLl8L7mnXwOP0X-l6BMPTUdVoDHlmWXQ1oH7YtXUZbNIxUeF8fgbkiQg_2zTBUCLSmu5MfiLFf0JrvoHkXAwIMTzL2T/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs7gtrrEag9KhVT_TQNeg0peug_Ty1lj631wSEI75SW2u3J3NHoLl8L7mnXwOP0X-l6BMPTUdVoDHlmWXQ1oH7YtXUZbNIxUeF8fgbkiQg_2zTBUCLSmu5MfiLFf0JrvoHkXAwIMTzL2T/s640/photo+4.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mango Margarita @ Sammy Sosa</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I love Margaritas. I love my Margaritas even more when they are served with some authentic yummy Mexican food. Mumbai has such a dearth of authentic Mexican restuarants. The only ones that are there are <a href="http://www.sanchos.in/" target="_blank">Sanchos </a>and <a href="http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/sammy-sosa_oshiwara_mumbai_restaurants/120865089" target="_blank">Sammy Sosa</a>. I know the month of May for some is fully welcome because of Mangoes. Not a big fan of them. But this Mango Margarita was a great accompaniment to my Mexican meal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That's it from my this month's Instagram feed. (Yes I am planning to make this a monthly post). Are you there on Instagram. Do follow me. My handle is @rajvibhow. Would love to see your pictures as well. After all, pictures tell great stories and I love stories!</span></div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-5352296519834980912013-05-14T00:31:00.000+05:302013-05-14T00:31:36.186+05:305 must have lip shades for yellow skin and my favourites<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><i>While the words "5 must have lip shades" may not sound like rocket science</i></b>..I feel that<b><i> finding the right shade that suits one's skin tone </i></b>within "the must have shades" is a task na? Any girl who is wee bit into fashion and beauty would know what the most in or the must have lip shades. But what I find most helpful is when I come across blog posts/articles that mention shades that suit a particular skin tone.<br />
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So I thought i'll share my bit of research with you all. I am yellow skinned, (I know most Indians are right?) but my skin has no warm tones just cool ones. And I've tried lots of reds, sometimes wasted money, by buying a particular lipstick and then not wearing it cos I feel it looks weird on my complexion. But yes! after a lot of trials I have across these 5 shades that are as distinct from each other as they can be, but yet suit my yellow coloured skin. <b><i>And the best part</i></b> - All of them are really affordable and super lasting as well!!<br />
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For me to judge a lip colour -a hand swatch is just not enough, because so many a times it looks different on the hands and when applied on the lips it looks different ( lip pigmentation has a role to play here you see!) and thus, I have put both hand and lip swatches for you'll to judge.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpSqmfafIuLfYqeSfbmlgW8s7lfYKvmIXdMw24accJ8mBLJlX8irzD9P-AdNiUl7IkR3YPUhCAziwm5C1ObNYWLHJwyru94RdICiT0Io44Ij4fIWsGdlrxucZTVrxbyHTfghn0ZDbjbck/s1600/DSC00834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpSqmfafIuLfYqeSfbmlgW8s7lfYKvmIXdMw24accJ8mBLJlX8irzD9P-AdNiUl7IkR3YPUhCAziwm5C1ObNYWLHJwyru94RdICiT0Io44Ij4fIWsGdlrxucZTVrxbyHTfghn0ZDbjbck/s640/DSC00834.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9nCcupepwwZqz4iP8FZfzfCrrJB-XfpvlvVZQ4KjJNakMLdi7PhfBXni3oM68rg-hEERuMEu6sHLkrWg1RAWdqSm8QgeBMR5FuN6jTHCj2p5HG0js1UvMz-0UbubABJUoEaUfm7tIuxR/s1600/lipsticks+for+yellow+skin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9nCcupepwwZqz4iP8FZfzfCrrJB-XfpvlvVZQ4KjJNakMLdi7PhfBXni3oM68rg-hEERuMEu6sHLkrWg1RAWdqSm8QgeBMR5FuN6jTHCj2p5HG0js1UvMz-0UbubABJUoEaUfm7tIuxR/s640/lipsticks+for+yellow+skin.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><i><u>#1 A baby pink lipstick </u></i></b><br />
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A baby pink shade for all those times when you want your lips to look naturally flushed. You know something that you feel like putting on when your mood is in between a sheer lip balm and a lipstick?<br />
<b><i>The one that suits me the most is</i> - L'oreal Infallible Tender Berry. (MRP - Approx 700)</b><br />
This shade when swatched on the hand looks purplish but is not! I had spoken about this lipstick in my post <a href="http://thetimesofmanyphases.blogspot.in/2013/01/loreal-forest-essentials-bigelow.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Love the texture cos its creamy and not very drying.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAlUnDo5EzLuoGzFdALu6OF_QzgOQIrR71F1diJB7pSbWJpVfrMNQVJz0YjVVL4zgQd4B1xPEfzxU7JOjhNFmUyRZuvP6iuRlJSeLRX8mf4y1j57QY2s0swb_FsrMaBVGrqj8FNHjkVu2/s1600/loreal+tender+berry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAlUnDo5EzLuoGzFdALu6OF_QzgOQIrR71F1diJB7pSbWJpVfrMNQVJz0YjVVL4zgQd4B1xPEfzxU7JOjhNFmUyRZuvP6iuRlJSeLRX8mf4y1j57QY2s0swb_FsrMaBVGrqj8FNHjkVu2/s1600/loreal+tender+berry.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><i><u>#2 A bright pink lipstick</u></i></b><br />
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Because you are a girl and you love all things pink! For those days, when you don't care what the world thinks, and want to wear pink unapologetically!<br />
<b><i>The one that suits me the most is</i> - Maybelline Super Stay - Stay with me Coral. (MRP - Rs 450)</b><br />
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Is it just me who feels that this shade shouldn't have been called Coral? You can look at the pictures above and below. Everything about this lipstick screams fuschia pink. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOl7yuGd2oPxzY_I6HXmGurWSQEEUMaQj9aW_r1zPNeZhNe6rzDOf_NgYQl6nL-XxihCNUmWYf48GO9g-Phie9xw0hrcDyx-2O3P8SvgiRtoJ66SxXIAsfRXVGWCbf2sSySmsm4QtyrNV/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOl7yuGd2oPxzY_I6HXmGurWSQEEUMaQj9aW_r1zPNeZhNe6rzDOf_NgYQl6nL-XxihCNUmWYf48GO9g-Phie9xw0hrcDyx-2O3P8SvgiRtoJ66SxXIAsfRXVGWCbf2sSySmsm4QtyrNV/s640/photo+2.JPG" width="366" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This pic is a lil blurry but the shade is much brighter in real<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
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(Btw Revlon Just Bitten - Sweetheart comes a close second here)</div>
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<b><i><u>#3 An orange lipstick</u></i></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://corallista.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Kareena-Kapoor-Book-Launch-Photos-In-Black-Dress-3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image <a href="http://www.corallista.com/" target="_blank">Source</a></td></tr>
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When I saw this pic of Kareena's I knew I had to get an orange lipstick. Not many girls can carry off an orange lipstick. But once you find the right shade, you'll love the sunkissed effect it gives to your face.</div>
<i style="font-weight: bold;">The one that suits me the most is</i><b> - Colorbar - Obssessed with Orange. (MRP - Rs 250)</b><br />
Believe me you'll really get obssessed once you start using this colour. This shade just magically matches everything that I wear.<b><i>It's not peach it's not coral it is orange</i></b> but yet does not look stark and blends so beautifully with my skin tone. I'm totally in love with this one right now!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Xn457MYiveYMeAyzZXnBZIqQo9shJvL6vj7l0WAi_DXqAqVAb3eWZ-KDF540GBtPwjhV7jXMemYIxuWG6C5VB-4Wd3xiYPZ7k7MmDpsr2tVvkU2G5anVo23XZJzGdwi75G1pkMYCZZwC/s1600/colorbar+orange+lipstick.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Xn457MYiveYMeAyzZXnBZIqQo9shJvL6vj7l0WAi_DXqAqVAb3eWZ-KDF540GBtPwjhV7jXMemYIxuWG6C5VB-4Wd3xiYPZ7k7MmDpsr2tVvkU2G5anVo23XZJzGdwi75G1pkMYCZZwC/s640/colorbar+orange+lipstick.JPG" width="316" /></a></div>
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<b><i><u>#4 A nude lipstick</u></i></b><br />
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On the days when you feel like you've all grown up and want to keep it subtle and classy!<br />
<b><i>The one that suits me the most is</i> - Chambor - Desert Rose. (MRP - Approx Rs 500)</b><br />
I had worn this shade <a href="http://thetimesofmanyphases.blogspot.in/2013/02/3-easy-looks-using-maybelline-color.html" target="_blank">here </a>with a gloss on top. Although, <b style="font-style: italic;">this shade is great and is the perfect nude for yellow skinned people without making them look tan ( a la Gauri Khan) </b>it is slightly drying and will need a gloss to be applied to avoid making one's lips look chapped.<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b><br />
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<img height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYaZRS00RmPLLt0H-aKBeVbBveR9HZY6EZy6nj5W1gHZ16hL_VrMTpiL-NRCc5t1WjbFslhnqyHwsoinwxhJu64AGbOmFLdhnudCwMXRAbO39pkaeNwDg9vMT6wnYndWyOG70IhXpl1m5/s640/Maybelline+color+tattoo+as+eyeline.JPG" width="480" /></div>
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<b><i><u>#5 A red lipstick</u></i></b><br />
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Because it is red and everyone's wearing it!!!<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">The one that suits me the most is</i><b> - Colorbar - Hearts & Tarts (MRP - Rs 250)</b><br />
I think when it comes to lipsticks Colorbar beats any other brand be it MAC, Revlon or Inglot! They are super lasting, super affordable and what a range! All colours are so apt for the Indian skin. I have tried many reds, reds from Indian brands as well but nothing comes close to this one when it comes to lasting power + red that suits and does not make you look cartoony/slutty.<i>(Disclaimer: I have not tried the much acclaimed MAC Ruby Woo, but I'm happy with this one currently!)</i><br />
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And the customary hand swatches<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDUrPms26ip6oE6rxbhmKMY51aP2kZYsUti6rC5_ZuUu049mr0dVbwqt9m35Hj-Zkzdb8uOqu_k6vJe0hwG9ck-wWvO5BmDGmWZ0IFrCPWqLxsXikdDtFpjfgOfkff6JXICV0vxR2dQEU/s1600/5+lipstick+swatches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDUrPms26ip6oE6rxbhmKMY51aP2kZYsUti6rC5_ZuUu049mr0dVbwqt9m35Hj-Zkzdb8uOqu_k6vJe0hwG9ck-wWvO5BmDGmWZ0IFrCPWqLxsXikdDtFpjfgOfkff6JXICV0vxR2dQEU/s640/5+lipstick+swatches.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So what are your favourites? Have you tried any of these? what do you think about them? Go ahead and tell me. I would love to hear!</div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-65692722887526690252013-05-10T00:55:00.000+05:302013-05-10T00:57:04.265+05:30Girls (TV show) Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I wrote this <a href="http://thetimesofmanyphases.blogspot.in/2013/01/tv-shows-for-girly-girl.html" target="_blank">post </a>about which girly TV shows to watch, fellow bloggers <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10500929811457428397" target="_blank">Marlen </a>and <a href="http://www.mademois-elle.com/" target="_blank">Jamie </a>recommend saying I should watch Girls.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img height="383" src="http://www.chatelaine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Girls-TV-show-cast.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Image <a href="http://www.chatelaine.com/living/january-events-2013/" target="_blank">Source</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reason why it was not included in my list was because I had seen the pilot episode but somehow I was little grossed out by the in your face sex scenes,foul language etc. But then Gossip Girl ended and New girl season 2 was getting kinda boring so I thought why not give it a second chance. And boy! was I hooked. I finished watching 2 seasons in flat three days. The reason why I have still not seen the season 3 is that it is still in the making. So here's more about the show and what I like/dislike about it..</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Plot</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the Pilot was first aired a lot of publications thought it is this generation's Sex and the City. If you think about it you can't really blame them, there are indeed many common points. 4 single 20 something ladies, best friends, New york city as the backdrop, based on love, sex and relationships, protagonist is a budding writer and the list goes on. The Sex and the City comparison basically summarises the plot. I would actually call it a prelude to the actual Sex and the City as the girls here are still maturing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the trailer to give you a better idea of the storyline.</span><br />
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The characters</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The characterization is the highlight of the show. The 4 girls although best friends couldn't have been more different from each other. Each character is so uniquely crafted.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkox3Y1KP8BpHPUC7CINotgwlDkpuOEhAtYEqGH56pLJHqILa7uleyBr269J_HmeycSGIrf-_JavOlrfsDSxWYmm6irJxZ1iH7mbVrh-1jT2cYWfjKpf67mV9x3u_6L6B1gzkFD-eG_lk3/s1600/girls+tv+show+characters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkox3Y1KP8BpHPUC7CINotgwlDkpuOEhAtYEqGH56pLJHqILa7uleyBr269J_HmeycSGIrf-_JavOlrfsDSxWYmm6irJxZ1iH7mbVrh-1jT2cYWfjKpf67mV9x3u_6L6B1gzkFD-eG_lk3/s640/girls+tv+show+characters.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Marnie </i></b>- Perfect in everyway. Hot bod, smart, miss goody two shoes, likes the securities in life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Jessa</i></b> - Bohemian by natures, dresses to reinforce that, mysterious, beautiful in an exotic way, British accented, follows her heart and as she calls herself - adventurous</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Hannah</i></b> - Whimsical, aspiring writer, chubby has lost some fat trying to lose some more, mostly unemployed, spunky, humorous (her character will touch you the most. She is also the writer, director of the show. No wonder she kept the best role for herself :p)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Soshana</i></b> - The youngest of the lot but preaches the most, still a student, innocent, comical, pristine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Out of the male leads the character that will grew on me the most was <b><i>Adam</i></b>. There's something about that guy. Unconventional, crazy, but then turns into someone so sweet and caring. So somewhere from finding him hot you'll start finding him cute! I'm not putting up a picture of his because I just googled and his pics don't do justice to him!</span></div>
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What I liked/disliked about the show</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all if you are an Indian, you will be shocked..culturally SHOCKED. Even if you an Indian like me who is used to watching American shows you will be Shocked, probably grossed out with the every 2 minute -there's a sex scene in your face. I for one just do not understand how is it humanly possible to have sex so randomly. But once you get over this, then you will slowly start feeling for the characters. I love Jessa's character she's so intriguing. She got pregnant last year (off screen) which is why you will see lesser of her in season 2. The fact that one sees lesser of her want's one to know her more. There are some very real moments like peeing behind the bushes while your friend is watching for you, or wanting your ex to suffer for atleast 6 long years after a breakup or even feeling betrayed by your parents when they no longer want to support you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The show has it's humour intact, but as Marlen and Jamie would call it - it's a different side of humour, not dark, not in your face, not subtle, just different!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So go ahead and watch it and don't judge it by the pilot episode like me!</span></div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-67122813966823580532013-05-02T00:31:00.001+05:302013-05-02T00:31:05.734+05:30Checklist 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had done a wishlist way back in <b><a href="http://thetimesofmanyphases.blogspot.in/2009/08/wishlist-2009.html" target="_blank">2009</a>! </b>When I look at that list I wonder how small my wants were..I ended up checking off most of the things from the list that year except for the Swarovski ring (which I still haven't bought!!). And I'm back again with a wishlist 4 years later (naming it checklist, because these are not exactly wishes, and definitely not a bucket list as it is restricted to this year) with bigger wants!! I guess we all just keep demanding more and more from life. So here goes - 5 things that I have to, want to and (maybe need to) do this year: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Get my nose pierced </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it comes to piercing, I have got my ears pierced (well not surprising since 99% of Indian girls do). Got them done when i was a kid so don't remember how bad the pain was. I also have gotten a tatto done so yes, nose piercing shouldnt be that bad. But I'm struggling to find a good jeweller who does it in Mumbai. Anyone knows anyone in Bandra or town who can do it for me? Would love to know.I plan on wearing a simple, tiny diamond stud like the one seen below not into nose rings much.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Image <a href="http://missmindless.blogspot.in/2011/12/nose-stud.html" target="_blank">Source</a><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="%20%28Sonali%20BendreMore%20Pics%29" height="266" src="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo/16573426.cms" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">How pretty it looks on Sonali!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Take a trip on my own</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have been wanting to do this since a long long time now. Probably since, the time I read <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eat,_Pray,_Love" target="_blank">Eat Pray Love</a>. It may not be the best book that I have read but one thing it did was inspire me to travel on my own.. Its surprising how common it is abroad to travel alone.. but we Indians think that it's quite a looser-ish thing to do na? But really I want to take up a trip maybe not very far and just within the country. Maybe somewhere up north in the hills not very commercial and just laze around for a week and explore. </span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaXTbyHFhjcN5HMJO8QcrAWz4rn7mvPBbrpFQEpMx3S-PdX-IMYWVForNp0tmaJafrMnJpuqxsDSJOcT5Cnrw4FbiYpS3qcIbBI0k0MTWQg8_1iSg-ZKzz2xblOOq9opTD7tSrMEA6mIA/s1600/eat-pray-love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="travel books" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaXTbyHFhjcN5HMJO8QcrAWz4rn7mvPBbrpFQEpMx3S-PdX-IMYWVForNp0tmaJafrMnJpuqxsDSJOcT5Cnrw4FbiYpS3qcIbBI0k0MTWQg8_1iSg-ZKzz2xblOOq9opTD7tSrMEA6mIA/s400/eat-pray-love.jpg" title="eat pray love book" width="261" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The book that inspired me<br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Get an add - on done to my tattoo</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I have a small cute-sy tattoo right above my right ankle. Frankly, when I got it done I was just checking off something off my bucket list, and although I knew I wanted some pretty looking thing on my leg I didn't really put any thought to it. So now, I have something in my mind that will not just add some meaning to my tattoo but also mean something to me. Will put up pictures of this once I get it done, to explain this better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Take a European Holiday</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is mainly because of two reasons 1) I want to go on an international holiday 2) I'm bored of Asia, have gone to Thailand, Dubai, Malaysia, Bali, Singapore so you see besides Hongkong there's not much left to see. And flying to the USA is as expensive as a full vacation. So I'm trying to plan a trip for me an my husband either to Turkey (Istanbul, Cappadocia, Izmir) or Italy (Rome, Naples , Amalfi). Keeping my fingers crossed for this one.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijN2o9ejTHpIE1uriRVwBe_gJFhJ5LTpyiXaqApQS5qHe9Kl4sJHRAtydEvC81K9jkTNzNLY5Ra1sOYhuhny4lKLDLhBn-nPcsqqTZ_ZBLIeSIjq8pcZRtYtHbn_UafZBdska6POVOAi14/s1600/roman+holidy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijN2o9ejTHpIE1uriRVwBe_gJFhJ5LTpyiXaqApQS5qHe9Kl4sJHRAtydEvC81K9jkTNzNLY5Ra1sOYhuhny4lKLDLhBn-nPcsqqTZ_ZBLIeSIjq8pcZRtYtHbn_UafZBdska6POVOAi14/s400/roman+holidy.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Image <a href="http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdreview/roman_holiday.htm" target="_blank">Source</a><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLRzOjiWPHhqrRcXj6Ts2COqgynWi42al1AlC_RZaqBqxKrQxmCND1D_-g6qoSm_WprXLlSnc33AURH9T6EaQW4RG3GxomhFCQykTHTAF8BZ4DGNugFjmFZSIMYVSI3UB5t0-ZsmRyour/s1600/turkey+holiday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLRzOjiWPHhqrRcXj6Ts2COqgynWi42al1AlC_RZaqBqxKrQxmCND1D_-g6qoSm_WprXLlSnc33AURH9T6EaQW4RG3GxomhFCQykTHTAF8BZ4DGNugFjmFZSIMYVSI3UB5t0-ZsmRyour/s640/turkey+holiday.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Image <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/" target="_blank">Source</a><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">
Get working on that draft </h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I have an idea, not very unique, but want to put it down. And this year I better get working on it. I know many bloggers aspire to write a book someday. Ive been wanting to write one too. I don't know how good or bad it'll turn out to be. But one can always try right?</div>
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So here's my small but heavy checklist! Do you have one too? </div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-37427602099390056272013-04-28T00:33:00.000+05:302013-04-28T00:34:55.422+05:30My current favourite summer trend - Maxis!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKppU3MqbNIndG2rQf8NWNNQ10osdFCSZnRVvB062XyEch1GrNyPFsWFxxuovn68Emom8jve1Z_OKdvEnkvIoqCaMLyd_QnuEffesuLfXs97n-5m-_MVR7flMoDUZDepkJNa0rewMUc6s/s1600/kareena-kapoor-bcbg-maxi-dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Its </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">April </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">- which means in Mumbai it's hot, correction hot and humid, correction unbearably hot and humid..the saving grace is that for most of the day I am in my air conditioned office premises but when I'm travelling I just can't stop thinking about how hot it is..so cotton airy clothes are currently my best friends.. I can't even think about getting close to denims.. and when it comes to non office wear </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><i>Maxis </i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">are what I am really looking forward to buy..I mean one can always wear knee length flowy dresses to beat the heat. But Maxis are so in trend right now and although they are long but quite airy and soo comfortable. And it's not just </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><i>maxi dresses but maxi skirts and maxi pants </i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">(palazzo pants.. but i like caling them maxi pants) are in too.. Here are some pictures of how celebrities here and abroad are wearing them.. Take a look for some inspiration to look cool, casual and breeze through this summer..</span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maxi Dresses</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AitL5jn3pM9SWoA4Cnqs46Bix1F_P-gFoPXhWwXq7Q6lwVDp1kZcSARjPhAwSLwtuxG5lbhlbnD3KpaVeSQCr5Akdo1eOr5JY1oFRRzdTgdlxkptCrO0EPPdBvzGNUU12deeUlcsDwGx/s1600/04lfw-designeranita12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="592" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AitL5jn3pM9SWoA4Cnqs46Bix1F_P-gFoPXhWwXq7Q6lwVDp1kZcSARjPhAwSLwtuxG5lbhlbnD3KpaVeSQCr5Akdo1eOr5JY1oFRRzdTgdlxkptCrO0EPPdBvzGNUU12deeUlcsDwGx/s640/04lfw-designeranita12.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anita Dongre's Summer Resort collection. Pretty pastels!</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEN5RqiQ-i723dGKQLzQH8WprpmmNjmaoFgAczLyKGOYp1FZs0aMw62af89AKJrfsdWX1368hs3UNFH1tRX7njm1ib-6K4qCnkCKLbU6CM1PSRfHiBYSQZyN69R0md3Lz7bpP1a2yOH4D/s1600/471Double-Take-Deepika-Padukone-In-Belted-Maxis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEN5RqiQ-i723dGKQLzQH8WprpmmNjmaoFgAczLyKGOYp1FZs0aMw62af89AKJrfsdWX1368hs3UNFH1tRX7njm1ib-6K4qCnkCKLbU6CM1PSRfHiBYSQZyN69R0md3Lz7bpP1a2yOH4D/s640/471Double-Take-Deepika-Padukone-In-Belted-Maxis.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Doesn't she look pretty and the dresses give such soft vibe</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62TWkTb85wk5TIrGWB_aQSkvam2TLj5lpiPY3E9b757ZV4lMQTNtLst5sLiYWMB7y2aLnybDI-0mCMZRI5p1S3yP6-b2-ieoGGqgtbZWOnXYNhb18KD2g_pLGyp1gSGMjthz20TXAG2lB/s1600/Kim-Kardashian-Maxi-Dresses-for-Summer-K-Dash-QVC-6-492x738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62TWkTb85wk5TIrGWB_aQSkvam2TLj5lpiPY3E9b757ZV4lMQTNtLst5sLiYWMB7y2aLnybDI-0mCMZRI5p1S3yP6-b2-ieoGGqgtbZWOnXYNhb18KD2g_pLGyp1gSGMjthz20TXAG2lB/s640/Kim-Kardashian-Maxi-Dresses-for-Summer-K-Dash-QVC-6-492x738.jpg" width="386" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kim K being Kim K shows off her curves in a tight Maxi</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCBkV1pHwNYQxAN25J6AS4LpCWoe4ZHJWpqXP6SkiOHkTIxOZALm6qpXxESvNKwLq3F50ForOE4TcVAwS2sswORY4iFHcsdH5-xYSNd-6i4pQZfGzxJUuKvnFDWYhDwd2nZP_gWLqqBEw/s1600/LeightonMeesterGossipGirlSet6Aug2008A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCBkV1pHwNYQxAN25J6AS4LpCWoe4ZHJWpqXP6SkiOHkTIxOZALm6qpXxESvNKwLq3F50ForOE4TcVAwS2sswORY4iFHcsdH5-xYSNd-6i4pQZfGzxJUuKvnFDWYhDwd2nZP_gWLqqBEw/s640/LeightonMeesterGossipGirlSet6Aug2008A.jpg" width="428" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My favourite Blair aka Leighton Meester looks cute as always</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-EZz4Wh1q1_nOKFz4hSw9BGTWUKVumbkKjPwQFTQ3pAyJwuvVbfiCdLLmYl4LDUnX8O9exQIirBdmCyeOoqSohKoXw93Q9wwthz9R8KpIuq_i9472Imfi8I9LCkDIseKW4runhNzjOOK/s1600/lindsay_maxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-EZz4Wh1q1_nOKFz4hSw9BGTWUKVumbkKjPwQFTQ3pAyJwuvVbfiCdLLmYl4LDUnX8O9exQIirBdmCyeOoqSohKoXw93Q9wwthz9R8KpIuq_i9472Imfi8I9LCkDIseKW4runhNzjOOK/s640/lindsay_maxi.jpg" width="550" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lindsay Lohan Gives two different Maxi looks</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlhxjRsPjt166wBBnTk_LjQFBE4JzuDPgS63w5vivwsXgkeZoiT5jFUmQ6Ar7HxP1U46odFdQ1KqXKCxR2kHFfbYirD6dD52dOIo_-PpIvRRY3TYXMHiZfU6ajJ3od3oe5cbAWNhjXDyL/s1600/neha-dhupia-ilk-wifw-aw-2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlhxjRsPjt166wBBnTk_LjQFBE4JzuDPgS63w5vivwsXgkeZoiT5jFUmQ6Ar7HxP1U46odFdQ1KqXKCxR2kHFfbYirD6dD52dOIo_-PpIvRRY3TYXMHiZfU6ajJ3od3oe5cbAWNhjXDyL/s640/neha-dhupia-ilk-wifw-aw-2013.jpg" width="328" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Neha Dhupia teaches us how to make a Maxi dress look more formal</span></td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maxi Skirts</span></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fODQ5TqPvf1MxUlrJlzvLuIOTutO2FBG5EyzlC33kLgolUXGhLAsCAUXsoTQ-w_21adpcuAjog_ol-p1DoI2j12nZrORNbfQXkRwbvLsjC9c4YmVjqqvBZ9Kzf-WNDnAu89N6AbAzdGc/s1600/1906670-11-Blake-Lively-orange-top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fODQ5TqPvf1MxUlrJlzvLuIOTutO2FBG5EyzlC33kLgolUXGhLAsCAUXsoTQ-w_21adpcuAjog_ol-p1DoI2j12nZrORNbfQXkRwbvLsjC9c4YmVjqqvBZ9Kzf-WNDnAu89N6AbAzdGc/s640/1906670-11-Blake-Lively-orange-top.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">No fashion mood board is complete without taking inspiration from Blake Lively!! (Don't miss those India inspired Christian Loubotins)</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbHHa2vqjZP8y-rYJQGdXSJiWq7fblN2J3ICK08-64U3TtV17CAZC1MFgt45omPIAyEdiMpuajOerjJBtvwHclkQLxyRIVx4dABkQ0bpJoOWTQSAiQA3OYLv1Phz8Jks7xrPHIRwNNOgY/s1600/blakelively+ran&bonemaxi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbHHa2vqjZP8y-rYJQGdXSJiWq7fblN2J3ICK08-64U3TtV17CAZC1MFgt45omPIAyEdiMpuajOerjJBtvwHclkQLxyRIVx4dABkQ0bpJoOWTQSAiQA3OYLv1Phz8Jks7xrPHIRwNNOgY/s640/blakelively+ran&bonemaxi.jpg" width="466" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CS0FWAxMo_f03tlDmfzMq_ck0zZTykf10wpI_RBEt3RdC9HBiyCk2t9hugVyLxOu7PLC-NJPdNw0h9hV7KPYKFE8Vy4zXokwYvkoT1-bq7g-OZSsEqJuT1x54dh4ZxFIuaNL_IIUcoJQ/s1600/get+the+look+-+kim+kardashian+maxi+skirt+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1CS0FWAxMo_f03tlDmfzMq_ck0zZTykf10wpI_RBEt3RdC9HBiyCk2t9hugVyLxOu7PLC-NJPdNw0h9hV7KPYKFE8Vy4zXokwYvkoT1-bq7g-OZSsEqJuT1x54dh4ZxFIuaNL_IIUcoJQ/s640/get+the+look+-+kim+kardashian+maxi+skirt+2.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kim K shows off some leg in a Maxi skirt too..</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Maxi Pants</span></h3>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFltCOMsKhCMBu8WQpxYAWU8TDQ4iWMSUZJXZFxrrNis-rwKDFZhWsny-g0UMT9GT9t8vgHHB_FnZB5WtJCUNqBO87kQvfd6VmjQBjglQQco4UucMxqcUP0MW1EOooAbZ3hJv-SCvrgDP/s1600/05-pants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFltCOMsKhCMBu8WQpxYAWU8TDQ4iWMSUZJXZFxrrNis-rwKDFZhWsny-g0UMT9GT9t8vgHHB_FnZB5WtJCUNqBO87kQvfd6VmjQBjglQQco4UucMxqcUP0MW1EOooAbZ3hJv-SCvrgDP/s640/05-pants.jpg" width="455" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pair you printed Maxi Pants with a solid tank top</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoZKLjuiF0DjHAagcx7fowUmGLN5_dHkQ0jMNjkMM-ILHbizyvkP8-5TtHnGRJLtE8Unvfa8erqJjWSNkQ9lHrj0R3y9FPK0uscohXAj6efyrZKTza8YmwFusYRLKrmr9sDI7B8MbQYyl/s1600/Shraddha-Kapoor-In-Masaba-And-Siddartha-Tytler-At-Aashiqui-2-Screening-And-Concert-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVoZKLjuiF0DjHAagcx7fowUmGLN5_dHkQ0jMNjkMM-ILHbizyvkP8-5TtHnGRJLtE8Unvfa8erqJjWSNkQ9lHrj0R3y9FPK0uscohXAj6efyrZKTza8YmwFusYRLKrmr9sDI7B8MbQYyl/s640/Shraddha-Kapoor-In-Masaba-And-Siddartha-Tytler-At-Aashiqui-2-Screening-And-Concert-21.jpg" width="172" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Shraddha Kapoor's petite frame looks even more slender in palazzo pants</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNO5neBK3tQQTImH25EcIakGAtSN7h2UxZ2IRgrYn_iBVNdfli05oB-6TRivDyNArlSTkNGUoX_j3Ur47jeB7avCj5cHRP202gNT3lkB1BB-F6DzLFspuw4y0UpjZBZcl38zXb7nh4iXr/s1600/cocktail2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNO5neBK3tQQTImH25EcIakGAtSN7h2UxZ2IRgrYn_iBVNdfli05oB-6TRivDyNArlSTkNGUoX_j3Ur47jeB7avCj5cHRP202gNT3lkB1BB-F6DzLFspuw4y0UpjZBZcl38zXb7nh4iXr/s1600/cocktail2.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Deepika was the first Bollywood actress to sport them on screen</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh0cH31bKHcHlMhLzXazK37WnVYakOpsiLRWvGMtCaYWDutqmSE4j2src2AQEbmkvbkpz5e72dtZojpVVxUvEtfN45Do6yOadZPtmWke_jkJGlhhpwK7WBb_WggnBBtXT0CCpGWwy5q79/s1600/gossipgirl-paris-blake-lively.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh0cH31bKHcHlMhLzXazK37WnVYakOpsiLRWvGMtCaYWDutqmSE4j2src2AQEbmkvbkpz5e72dtZojpVVxUvEtfN45Do6yOadZPtmWke_jkJGlhhpwK7WBb_WggnBBtXT0CCpGWwy5q79/s640/gossipgirl-paris-blake-lively.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Blake Lively's power pink pants look classy and formal!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>And don't even think that these silhouttes are meant only for tall women..Look at how cute petite women like Rachel Bilson and Selena Gomez look in them</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">So where does one buy them?</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks like the trend is still setting in India, as not many high street brands have started selling them yet except for say Zara. So be on the lookout.. some boutiques like the ones in Bandra (Mumbai) have stocking up on Palazzo pants but not the Maxi dresses/skirts as yet.. as for me, I'm still searching for these and for matching/contrasting well fitting tank tops :p</span></div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-37731221764987034072013-04-16T23:01:00.000+05:302013-04-16T23:01:39.331+05:30Eat Pray and Shop - 2 day trip to Amritsar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember when I had mentioned here that the reason why I was a little inactive was because I was travelling. Recently I had gone on a small holiday which almost turned into a pilgrimage tour. Reason being we went to <b>Vaishnovdevi - Amritsar - Delhi.</b> As most you must be aware Vaishnodevi is a place of great importance in Hindu religion and the pilgrimage is considered to be one of the toughest to accomplish. So in the entire trip we did a lot of praying and a lot of eating. It was after all North India, the land of lassis and hot paranthas. Here's the <b>Amritsar </b>part of my trip:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Travel</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amritsar has an airport and a railway station. So getting into the city is pretty easy.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Accommodation</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We stayed at the <b>Radisson Blu</b>. There are many budget stay options in the city which are very close to the city centre and the Golden Temple. However, since Radisson Blu is a new property in Amritsar the rooms were reasonably priced at Rs 5500 + taxes, thus we didn't mind spending. The hotel is very close to the airport but a good 30km away from the city. The property though is beautiful and the rooms definitely match up to the Radisson tag. On arrival we were served a welcome drink. The rep at their service desk was sweet enough to offer a late check out even without us asking for one. They offered us a 2 hour extension on the check out time, which was really helpful.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vsJgsvthTZocvw-hN4Lc36umQnMixFXkFwaVeuoQIbABTA3xmxN2AscA6fhlt7sO0tXUpA-xtOUIy9_d7QtvZsIsmS8OfdMecSTS-hIouGEQAMquNKWlNFnfxbyjMjXNmKVNgWuOzxFT/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vsJgsvthTZocvw-hN4Lc36umQnMixFXkFwaVeuoQIbABTA3xmxN2AscA6fhlt7sO0tXUpA-xtOUIy9_d7QtvZsIsmS8OfdMecSTS-hIouGEQAMquNKWlNFnfxbyjMjXNmKVNgWuOzxFT/s640/046.JPG" title="radisson blu amritsar" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Our room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jEZnZXV-t_KNi1-KSPoVKTfpsa0XHOAD3i5gRSlW5ywHFFqpXZeU9th4UTJ2leicvAzzwRD8MvLBZL7GlW3DPk5T-NTwfmA1cSxc7KvvNXEGtUgnlaaJ81FVROtIPnIH5hxIltD4X5Ms/s1600/049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jEZnZXV-t_KNi1-KSPoVKTfpsa0XHOAD3i5gRSlW5ywHFFqpXZeU9th4UTJ2leicvAzzwRD8MvLBZL7GlW3DPk5T-NTwfmA1cSxc7KvvNXEGtUgnlaaJ81FVROtIPnIH5hxIltD4X5Ms/s640/049.JPG" title="Radisson blu amritsar" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">42" TV</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L19V1V8IQXb1AJdUJs_XT8QRF-qw8udYrpZMpb6jTQ76PzQ_jkVYLHdUhr4sfSrUp27vNFnFj0hqYXVE2fqz7ZgNeE9btAdJZbiC_wbmuoAGTP7Tw972oUJTasukFZ_oZ3ct7XnOONME/s1600/051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L19V1V8IQXb1AJdUJs_XT8QRF-qw8udYrpZMpb6jTQ76PzQ_jkVYLHdUhr4sfSrUp27vNFnFj0hqYXVE2fqz7ZgNeE9btAdJZbiC_wbmuoAGTP7Tw972oUJTasukFZ_oZ3ct7XnOONME/s640/051.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Love a bathroom that has a bath tub and gives me space</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GSY8NY8o5ss2gEeXBvGrz5_iQJlWtJzAvef67pcy5_eUpPbksVevPdutwFH-5FJVmKROthdTdZ3srG-M1KVsnWajyzdDJBui5voadVOpy66539rgn5eOw7FYageqEEDgKTbwDESlPMpe/s1600/050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GSY8NY8o5ss2gEeXBvGrz5_iQJlWtJzAvef67pcy5_eUpPbksVevPdutwFH-5FJVmKROthdTdZ3srG-M1KVsnWajyzdDJBui5voadVOpy66539rgn5eOw7FYageqEEDgKTbwDESlPMpe/s640/050.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Big bathroom</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1FXcVyYMXz9Ud5PQcmK9vYkZEPqXQVVmq5hdXZbhZohDDjv47lVCt3K44SQWyePvymI5r0HDcBE9FlX72Bp-xfbORcJiLunuZBNOlohOygAGlV4yfOn84Q8E515A05C8aYkZoycGU38o/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1FXcVyYMXz9Ud5PQcmK9vYkZEPqXQVVmq5hdXZbhZohDDjv47lVCt3K44SQWyePvymI5r0HDcBE9FlX72Bp-xfbORcJiLunuZBNOlohOygAGlV4yfOn84Q8E515A05C8aYkZoycGU38o/s640/052.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The toiletries in the bathroom</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since, the hotel is newly built, the gym and spa are not fully functional. It has a lounge and a restaurant.The room rates are inclusive of breakfast. The buffet breakfast spread was huge and everything was delicious and filling. The staff was very courteous, polite and always smiling. They all greet you with "Sasriyakal!"</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things to do </span></b><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was only one reason for our visit to Amritsar - The Golden Temple!</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is something about these heritage structures of India that no picture no matter how well taken can capture their true beauty. I was advised to visit the temple twice, once during the day and once to check out the night view. And it looks different both the times. We were lucky enough to have gone there on a full moon night. The temple was shining or was it glowing in full glory.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYOI7LJwJMsqpr4j-vtHWat9Qd19lzTcQdu9Gg_ogzaFCOfSfUW0V8VM66GEIzrEROLT7W1DHcAz-52qJ1b2TTcOQY6SGTyG_FV0o6MSiGxs6JZKdy3CQ-HAjbvyemxtCLpiTmpwF0lCO/s1600/088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYOI7LJwJMsqpr4j-vtHWat9Qd19lzTcQdu9Gg_ogzaFCOfSfUW0V8VM66GEIzrEROLT7W1DHcAz-52qJ1b2TTcOQY6SGTyG_FV0o6MSiGxs6JZKdy3CQ-HAjbvyemxtCLpiTmpwF0lCO/s640/088.JPG" title="golden temple day view" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfi9-tWolJyLzFAzF7gw3bRSmC5-SOOl4HzxsD10-rsdXRDyL05kbNLktA8n22os_fTxXrw4kVB099fHOE9Gpb8kAS3qCDpSAiRxD1ediWfA9WK0nAw-wZ3EG0t8J_1rZsgB7auNjkj9Wz/s1600/064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfi9-tWolJyLzFAzF7gw3bRSmC5-SOOl4HzxsD10-rsdXRDyL05kbNLktA8n22os_fTxXrw4kVB099fHOE9Gpb8kAS3qCDpSAiRxD1ediWfA9WK0nAw-wZ3EG0t8J_1rZsgB7auNjkj9Wz/s640/064.JPG" title="Golden temple night view" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOPVF4UCxuUkMn1o7onyEKMV1vgAjJiZmiMiDgI2e-yxXqQB0zBSES8bEiS_rSGvOg9Ijz_q1BNC3E95lRc_wklper6hhmssqrUmTMamXpwbS8-d_HI34gJCdadX-yR91ozn7osJ6uy8g/s1600/066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOPVF4UCxuUkMn1o7onyEKMV1vgAjJiZmiMiDgI2e-yxXqQB0zBSES8bEiS_rSGvOg9Ijz_q1BNC3E95lRc_wklper6hhmssqrUmTMamXpwbS8-d_HI34gJCdadX-yR91ozn7osJ6uy8g/s640/066.JPG" title="golden temple night view" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you have time on your hands please do not miss the langar ( Meal offered inside the temple). Unfortunately we couldn't make it at both the times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Wagah Border</i></b> - The border that separates Amritsar and Lahore, India and Pakistan is a must visit. The ceremony starts just before sunset where the flags of both the nations are lowered and where the army men from across the borders shake hands. The ceremony is an hour long but please please ensure that you do not go on a public holiday or the weekend. Since, there are no entry fees, this place gets crowded easily and since we went on a public holiday we had abosultely no place to sit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Jalianwala Baug</i></b> - The place where hundreds of Indians were fired at by a British officer and his team. Their fault being that they had gathered here to plan a revolt. The Indian government has turned this plot into a memorial for these Indians who lost their lives here. One can still see the bullet marks all over the walls. The number of bullets fired were in thousands. This bit of revisiting history outside the textbook really unnerved me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Shop for Phulkaris and Amritsari Jootis </i></b>- There are lots and lots of markets in Amritsar selling local garments and jootis. I wanted to buy a phulkari since a long time and I fulfilled my wish in Amritsar. A short walk away from the golden temple is Katra Jaimal Singh Bazaar which has lots of phulkari dupatta shops. One can easily bargain and the dupattas range anything from 300 to 3000 depending on how heavy the embroidery is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't have a picture of the one I bought but it looks exactly like the one in the picture below. I am planning to pair it with a fuschia salwar. what say?</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Image <a href="http://guneetsuri92.blogspot.in/2012/09/phulkari-do-it-in-treditional-way.html" target="_blank">Source</a></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-jv_B_U7oXEUqvC5cDSXKh_f27LswwMs2IwEf4IvHvF6e4iuBNk09OetOWL4wNb82htShlr-F1Gn-H7JQKjWcmQxcIRJvJFJ9VBvWJ8MOy0Bw52icnL6kcEVFa_zv8DP6bwlZe4wiFDV/s1600/054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-jv_B_U7oXEUqvC5cDSXKh_f27LswwMs2IwEf4IvHvF6e4iuBNk09OetOWL4wNb82htShlr-F1Gn-H7JQKjWcmQxcIRJvJFJ9VBvWJ8MOy0Bw52icnL6kcEVFa_zv8DP6bwlZe4wiFDV/s640/054.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where to eat</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When in Punjab, stop counting calories!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just stop thinking about how oily, buttery sugary your food is. Just let go and binge binge binge! <b>Kesar da Dhaba</b> is the must go is what I have heard. We figured out where the place is, left for the place, reached there only to see there was waiting for an hour or so. Yes! this place is that popular! so we left from there Yes trip is about a lot of unfortunate incidences :( We went to the neighbouring <b>Bharwan da dhaba, </b>which was not such a good decision. The food was all of the above but not tasty. So I wouldnt recommend it to any one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But before reaching Amritsar, we had a stopover at a Dhaba on the highway. It was an actual one. And the food was so warm and fresh. Really enjoyed eating there. Here's something to tempt you while I go burn some calories!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4NlWVE3G5f8vw95gIvVZ86E-Q1Xs_h_t1O_DqO44qltwj4Vi-lUXtfsuWfiCNZjOeuHCjfhyn7W70eJTABikA92qdANgEfVP4EVif4cKYMsprI4_c2gI4SZMXzSnBHVTJxk1ZlL2m00F/s1600/IMG_0999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK4NlWVE3G5f8vw95gIvVZ86E-Q1Xs_h_t1O_DqO44qltwj4Vi-lUXtfsuWfiCNZjOeuHCjfhyn7W70eJTABikA92qdANgEfVP4EVif4cKYMsprI4_c2gI4SZMXzSnBHVTJxk1ZlL2m00F/s640/IMG_0999.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Makki di roti nd sarson da saag</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdtI3lXDBlQV8var66-htvbW3PPqIQ5Pc7jeU3A3YEb37EJse_2FsfDCnZlxh3Pux8vY-fmdBdau8MNpnPiGSp73y9GnkE2c3DhkJSW27jPVFNTbPhtlq_PCjrgRYHE5t3V1XOFTgpXxt/s1600/IMG_1001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdtI3lXDBlQV8var66-htvbW3PPqIQ5Pc7jeU3A3YEb37EJse_2FsfDCnZlxh3Pux8vY-fmdBdau8MNpnPiGSp73y9GnkE2c3DhkJSW27jPVFNTbPhtlq_PCjrgRYHE5t3V1XOFTgpXxt/s640/IMG_1001.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Parathas served with oodles of butter<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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Have you been to Amritsar? How did you find the city?</div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-83515272854608341172013-04-12T00:47:00.001+05:302013-04-12T11:54:58.511+05:30A spa session a month keeps the Stress away - Four Fountains Spa Visit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a spa junkie. I love spas.My friends often joke about my spa obsession saying that whichever place I travel to I only look for a spa there. I've tried out quite a few Spas in Mumbai and the latest that I added to my list is the <b><i>Four Fountains Spa</i></b>. They have positioned themselves as affordable day spas and have over 17 spas spread across 8 cities. You can check their website <a href="http://www.thefourfountainsspa.in/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: red;">here</span></b></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the day of the appointment I received a call from their staff to confirm the same and also to inform me that I should reach 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time. On reaching their I was greeted and seated by their executive. She informed me they have 4 types of spas <b><i>Detoxing, Destressing, Immunity (?) and Beauty</i></b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I told her i was looking at a body massage therapy. And just randomly chose the <b><i>Aromatherapy Radiating Massage</i></b> (Rs 2099) after glancing through their menu. The menu was elaborate and there were a list of services under each head including not just massages but scubs, wraps and facials. While glancing through the menu I checked the prices. Although, they claim to be affordable I found their prices almost on par with the other Spas I have tried. Also I noticed that the Aromatherapy Massage was mentioned under 2 under heads as well. On enquiring about the difference I was told that while the technique is the same the aromatherapy oil used is different depending on what therapy one selects. Since I had chosen the one under the "Beauty" the oil used for me was <b>almond, jojoba oil</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After having chosen the therapy, I was greeted by their in house doctor who took a mini stress test of mine and told me that my stress level is medium and I should be taking a spa every 21 days (was I happy to hear this). She also asked me if there are specific areas that pain a lot. And she gave me a small prescription note to be handed over to my therapist asking her to focus on these areas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I was then introduced to my therapist for the day Shanta, she escorted me to my spa room and asked me to change into the disposable clothes and put my valuables in a locker.The spa room was not the usual small, compact one but was quite big but basic. The decor of the room wasn't too spa like but functional. Here are some pictures of the room.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznreRzZi04F4x2A2KBgcdjSz1lMaBBUEiFeVC2VGoougyg6MvJHI0KvVNXfZltlEGNYHaR9NwFbtKLHGm-ep9CM19CAYk_yCQ1hJ7jYie1Z2KUC4i9IEmHPzVmEfNcg6uEyouyNEOj8S3/s1600/image_3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznreRzZi04F4x2A2KBgcdjSz1lMaBBUEiFeVC2VGoougyg6MvJHI0KvVNXfZltlEGNYHaR9NwFbtKLHGm-ep9CM19CAYk_yCQ1hJ7jYie1Z2KUC4i9IEmHPzVmEfNcg6uEyouyNEOj8S3/s640/image_3.jpeg" title="Four fountains spa room" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhdnkiC7AnsWxcnafzC3984gtQvRFbCcVpUK5rozZNKM-olbyL87ofbzeA6QjbDAZJ6MEi18Wac31QlzonA_GrqZYna6nuVdW9lrqrk4u27hwmFXdMZNLzCkz_oJ1ArzcoLIrPIhLZdLwb/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhdnkiC7AnsWxcnafzC3984gtQvRFbCcVpUK5rozZNKM-olbyL87ofbzeA6QjbDAZJ6MEi18Wac31QlzonA_GrqZYna6nuVdW9lrqrk4u27hwmFXdMZNLzCkz_oJ1ArzcoLIrPIhLZdLwb/s640/image.jpeg" title="Four fountains spa room" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The lighting in the room was pleasant. The room had an accompanying shower. Th therapy started with my therapist wiping my feet with hot towel. The massage experience was great. Some of <b><i>the strokes were brilliant</i></b>. And my therapist was sweet, polite and well trained. She knew exactly when to ask about the pressure, the temperature, the lighting. The oil used had nice, light fragrance. I was even given eyepads that were dipped in rose water that smelled like heaven. The music added to the experience and I was almost about to doze off when some drilling machine in a neighbouring room went on. It wasn't loud, but disturbing for sure. My therapist was really apologetic about it but obviously she couldnt help it. The room wasn't sound proof as I could hear vehicles and people talking intermittently. these disturbances aside, the therapy in itself was great and very relaxing.After the therapy I took a nice hot water shower that relaxed me even further. The oils were pretty effective. My skin felt nourished and soft.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was then served a shot of green tea and asked to fill a feedback form. I gave my fedback and inreturn got a whole lot of discount vouchers and couponds from their affiliated salon and a couple of other places. And a book on stress and a relaxing gel that can be used to relax sore muscles.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKs8stVCbE7LbC1H1ouCa7zDMNwf4rEWja61pxlGT6-x9uHBFK4iylwJf9glGIx28QIOnSfptky50NYE9BZx0ajtQ6-0TJKiVVhFq1uu6MAvgC0Xk1EU3f2vxyWzZvEct2CtAJWSiYCDB/s1600/image_7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKs8stVCbE7LbC1H1ouCa7zDMNwf4rEWja61pxlGT6-x9uHBFK4iylwJf9glGIx28QIOnSfptky50NYE9BZx0ajtQ6-0TJKiVVhFq1uu6MAvgC0Xk1EU3f2vxyWzZvEct2CtAJWSiYCDB/s640/image_7.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzBt2fVjcy7-5esE5aZ2_xJjE829S3_hAdVL68Ofu_xT0f40Djbsqult-HANa7MBFyFuXRGHacw3wYABqwmbrfglcxB_qgI6Mtb2CSi6fC8ey-MQlWJMhDuVcc8FR5EHFfyycRQ4Pgo2I/s1600/image_5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzBt2fVjcy7-5esE5aZ2_xJjE829S3_hAdVL68Ofu_xT0f40Djbsqult-HANa7MBFyFuXRGHacw3wYABqwmbrfglcxB_qgI6Mtb2CSi6fC8ey-MQlWJMhDuVcc8FR5EHFfyycRQ4Pgo2I/s640/image_5.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKyJqNKSYORqPt2bnwQ3M1F0JccgHCQCHqO5W-wM6gVWoZwsb6Y6KgRA4zZMOS2eopaHHBHmDShISujDnWkvmfeOs6tB3iya5yjpkVeg2CU4FMrV4lzvv9HCjfRZQTMo1u-0aDnEQYjeT/s1600/image_6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKyJqNKSYORqPt2bnwQ3M1F0JccgHCQCHqO5W-wM6gVWoZwsb6Y6KgRA4zZMOS2eopaHHBHmDShISujDnWkvmfeOs6tB3iya5yjpkVeg2CU4FMrV4lzvv9HCjfRZQTMo1u-0aDnEQYjeT/s640/image_6.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here I'll sum up my overall experience:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I liked</span></h4>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Extremely courteous and polite staff</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The setup and the ambience at the entrance may not be very spa like (read dimly lit with thai decor) but it is definitely very professional</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Therapist was well trained, extremely polite and saw to it that Im completely satisfied with the service</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The massage was truly relaxing, with perfect pressure. It was also concentrated</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Concern shown by the staff on my spa experience</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The room is not your regular claustrophobic spa room but was quite spacious</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The products used (oils in this case) were awesome, my skin feels much softer now</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hygiene was maintained</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reasonably priced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are one of those few spas in Bombay that allow online booking of gift vouchers. <i>(I have used this service to gift a spa to my ex boss and it is pretty easy)</i></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What could have been better</span></h4>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rooms should be sound proof so that outside noises do not disturb the experience</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steam should be included as a part of the massage. As I mentioned earlier, I have been to a lot of spas and a body massage is always accompanied with steam and shower. The steam helps the skin in absorbing the therapeutic oils applied. But here steam is charged for additionally. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The consultation with the doctor should happen before one chooses on the type of therapy. My choice was purely random and maybe I would have gone for something else had I chosen my therapy after the consultation</span></li>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disclaimer : The therapy I had taken was complimentary and offered to me by their marketing team. However, my opinions are completely unbiased.</span></i></div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-44585812719339213432013-04-07T22:49:00.000+05:302013-04-07T22:51:47.418+05:30USA Beauty Haul - Sephora and Bath and Body works<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what comes to your mind when someone you know says he\she is travelling to the <b>NYC</b>? Statue of liberty? Wall street? Empire state? Snow? Lots of shopping?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sure for a lot of girls like me the most spontaneous reaction would be - "<b><i> If you don't mind, here's my shopping list</i></b>" right? So recently, when my dad found out that hell be travelling to the US even before he announced his travel plans knowng his darling daughter he just said "hand me over your shopping list." Who can resist an offer like that now!!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I quickly went online checked out all the exclusive beauty products not available here in Mumbai and put them on my list. Here's what all I got from <b><i>Sephora and Bath and Body woks (My favourite brand for fragrances) </i></b>US.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof2s7hqp0VuT-f21OjrUZnE0NryYrI-5gus5QTib7mhxYJ-V6p8yjg2M6JQBlGbMR72KnPlLj__tdj6wLDDkhvrhxVsEKsRNwmMHFQi4dHUuuIy4_RrvkMavuMLigNgHENmRaPqoBBpur/s1600/201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiof2s7hqp0VuT-f21OjrUZnE0NryYrI-5gus5QTib7mhxYJ-V6p8yjg2M6JQBlGbMR72KnPlLj__tdj6wLDDkhvrhxVsEKsRNwmMHFQi4dHUuuIy4_RrvkMavuMLigNgHENmRaPqoBBpur/s640/201.JPG" title="sephora haul" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">US Beauty Haul</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzd5JgeKT-0sGdfn_gEt4so8ye5ssIISpq3SHDpkroUW4SJtoDbN_fP0BrhEdF-fcMZ9wJYQtdHJrOyD1nBTaTKA-t-tQHUoqYFVxPAHCFvgTCkEwhAG9918toeC5VByxdU0a7BWAzQGIO/s1600/209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzd5JgeKT-0sGdfn_gEt4so8ye5ssIISpq3SHDpkroUW4SJtoDbN_fP0BrhEdF-fcMZ9wJYQtdHJrOyD1nBTaTKA-t-tQHUoqYFVxPAHCFvgTCkEwhAG9918toeC5VByxdU0a7BWAzQGIO/s640/209.JPG" title="Products from Bath and body works" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Products from <b>Bath and body works</b> - Twilight Woods body lotion, body mist and <b>CO Bigelow</b> Mint Lip tint</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsc0caXRpzZuX5rGQTuZxLTpDzm19yO3gkFHnuk1S3FHj4Kkt6yTWWqxHgjnR7CRe5iYJKU3Ddw9IImOFnQ-EENd273Q9iKYRLnpCJ7sqdVZSUIPB4EksJKVcE7rFmhYTEv_vBb5Zr9eN/s1600/207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsc0caXRpzZuX5rGQTuZxLTpDzm19yO3gkFHnuk1S3FHj4Kkt6yTWWqxHgjnR7CRe5iYJKU3Ddw9IImOFnQ-EENd273Q9iKYRLnpCJ7sqdVZSUIPB4EksJKVcE7rFmhYTEv_vBb5Zr9eN/s640/207.JPG" title="philosophy shower gel" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Passion fruit shower gel and lip gloss from <b>Philosophy</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgmoh3rTQnlCONhPSM5tZFYWZVWDVQX1smeqVN-IN9EdgQ1NAeuNGACFNnhU6fxCIoibetu6cc0-Py55f0MGgRsdMtSxutLMlnrtwOT8URUGbIKmiqtxPrJft-3KppeI3LpAAvwwi7O3d/s1600/204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgmoh3rTQnlCONhPSM5tZFYWZVWDVQX1smeqVN-IN9EdgQ1NAeuNGACFNnhU6fxCIoibetu6cc0-Py55f0MGgRsdMtSxutLMlnrtwOT8URUGbIKmiqtxPrJft-3KppeI3LpAAvwwi7O3d/s640/204.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The most famous coral blush in the world - <b>Benefit's Corallista </b>and Sunbeam highlighter.. for a sunkissed look</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sOUjuUzVK-kso1_eqGZJpjFDV0_KRnlSocnrLkRiCtYP_tReA0eCUKA9JgpdZMfZXkxR49CxKVSxCVp0phEYqogdyWM65beavPuSQr9uGq6Oj33Dv_UeOAxmkglE3VRWwZjIDItaaEcW/s1600/206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sOUjuUzVK-kso1_eqGZJpjFDV0_KRnlSocnrLkRiCtYP_tReA0eCUKA9JgpdZMfZXkxR49CxKVSxCVp0phEYqogdyWM65beavPuSQr9uGq6Oj33Dv_UeOAxmkglE3VRWwZjIDItaaEcW/s640/206.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Fab fab fab!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALFiomedttWy_wKSy17PJE2Kyvy6OfMitHMSqqqeMRQojhIPXcLCKE7HQYDFMop1IhOwaiYMWcf9moy6xIO_OMUrYo_Tmt5eVdsyvRNz1JGQDlTvt3BTd4gqZUUppGt_u_xSV7QTVdtBI/s1600/210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALFiomedttWy_wKSy17PJE2Kyvy6OfMitHMSqqqeMRQojhIPXcLCKE7HQYDFMop1IhOwaiYMWcf9moy6xIO_OMUrYo_Tmt5eVdsyvRNz1JGQDlTvt3BTd4gqZUUppGt_u_xSV7QTVdtBI/s640/210.JPG" title="Too Faced - Beauty editor's kit" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Beauty Editor Darlings kit by <b>Too Faced </b>(small size version of each of their best products)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k1b7wXqNnWt-MRvC3zyqMrXYooz-YnD41yxbXuXf-gQgS6RVTyVujmDBw7k_5QwwAJ9Rp1XNwhQ002opA0xH_zs_tssjk8PKxs40-SrWOmStXP8PoYesELaYDpgnQrZrA2nDQ4KD7HAr/s1600/213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4k1b7wXqNnWt-MRvC3zyqMrXYooz-YnD41yxbXuXf-gQgS6RVTyVujmDBw7k_5QwwAJ9Rp1XNwhQ002opA0xH_zs_tssjk8PKxs40-SrWOmStXP8PoYesELaYDpgnQrZrA2nDQ4KD7HAr/s640/213.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The five products that it has..including their very acclaimed eye shadow primer</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUq4mNIujA1bUbhnjPeYGFa349Kr4ysEbINMV5RK4y5cROQw9ivkwuxdfipDbAIpdQ4r-y4fNZJvs99hYCCzDKRd0z0W5SFSoyeHJk9GeG7NkjtsVisvnRGS06on7SWiFCqZwwOA_vYM3c/s1600/216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUq4mNIujA1bUbhnjPeYGFa349Kr4ysEbINMV5RK4y5cROQw9ivkwuxdfipDbAIpdQ4r-y4fNZJvs99hYCCzDKRd0z0W5SFSoyeHJk9GeG7NkjtsVisvnRGS06on7SWiFCqZwwOA_vYM3c/s640/216.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The details of the products</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RiPR6zIPejP2LdSThMaUpFypxopabMwUrWp5LZl5cLP-nT9MrmhwXXAjzL4N0gyMHX0sc4q_h9wfCt2n7j4caIPrw7H3BsatTcFTx9kAR2ocVZzmj22TQRTX2ljMEwnQHuqW1vbKNv-U/s1600/215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RiPR6zIPejP2LdSThMaUpFypxopabMwUrWp5LZl5cLP-nT9MrmhwXXAjzL4N0gyMHX0sc4q_h9wfCt2n7j4caIPrw7H3BsatTcFTx9kAR2ocVZzmj22TQRTX2ljMEwnQHuqW1vbKNv-U/s640/215.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here are all the products.. love!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Still beaming!! :))) Thanks dad!!</span></div>
Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-43671247762134592372013-04-01T23:27:00.000+05:302013-04-01T23:27:41.957+05:30Attending the Lakme Fashion Week - Summer Resort 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The last proper story I posted was almost a good 3 weeks back. A lot of things have been keeping me busy offlate. For once the whole of last week I was travelling up north. Which means there will be a lot of travel posts in the next couple of weeks. But as of now I am going to write about the Lakme Fashion week without further delay.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">This time I was lucky enough to get passes for the Lakme Fashion week Summer Resort 2013. If you know me well, you would know how much fashion excites me. I am an avid fashion blog reader and till now I have seen fashion weeks and ramp shows only in pictures. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">So this was something that I was really looking forward to. The passes entitled me to attend 2 shows Shehla Khan and Kunal Rawal. While I had some knowledge on Shehla Khan (she's a newbie and her designs are feminine and soft) Kunal Rawal being a men's wear designer did not hold much of my interest.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Here are some pictures of all the excitement that goes at a fashion week:</span></span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzsIWnibaTiH9yF3COCptCxWnT07z96sZ-B-18HCgHpMnFQxGbgkAjWssE_St771b0hmVdke_ZHfZdQV7y-yfkCysV0vW6_T6jsHSvmFcid1XGH6BFBYLIwAnjhNaetW2hm1zqXTDNyTq/s1600/DSC00742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzsIWnibaTiH9yF3COCptCxWnT07z96sZ-B-18HCgHpMnFQxGbgkAjWssE_St771b0hmVdke_ZHfZdQV7y-yfkCysV0vW6_T6jsHSvmFcid1XGH6BFBYLIwAnjhNaetW2hm1zqXTDNyTq/s640/DSC00742.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The buzz before the show</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8cxedRJ8RRCR_3ouTM5xsZCL3rn8wQ-1EOoNP8crPcGXLWTHaO9D4ewA9EIrpEb0MMISGy5_Un-XW2n6gtZviZ-8IvWTAboIb1yeQQGtzWSlSpzI-vgptny_OsgH-A9lzp1VxfyVtNQq/s1600/DSC00743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8cxedRJ8RRCR_3ouTM5xsZCL3rn8wQ-1EOoNP8crPcGXLWTHaO9D4ewA9EIrpEb0MMISGy5_Un-XW2n6gtZviZ-8IvWTAboIb1yeQQGtzWSlSpzI-vgptny_OsgH-A9lzp1VxfyVtNQq/s640/DSC00743.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Shehla Khan's collection was titled Boudoir.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYm0e5W7MMTB-ceGNGP0KcjdrWztLgq1LigLFu7yCGPm8ZPK7vGBzZMy2UXu2icJprgdRnWZNRDQpyDIjJFEzTComVVXjmFojh9G7kM3Ipq_7YdTPKBX_52z7P1mYLVLYiWB5niLQOy4V2/s1600/DSC00761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYm0e5W7MMTB-ceGNGP0KcjdrWztLgq1LigLFu7yCGPm8ZPK7vGBzZMy2UXu2icJprgdRnWZNRDQpyDIjJFEzTComVVXjmFojh9G7kM3Ipq_7YdTPKBX_52z7P1mYLVLYiWB5niLQOy4V2/s640/DSC00761.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Tiered lace dresses</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQvAMGFBCs48xm7_jP7VAPPWns2qB-W1c1wCc8foQ52bD2yp79WFXlv2Gcow6YPEr0iN4MPIhrcxVhC0fIP_klkkt7Yst55x_hRTHuGZa9GNAruGdfUKb1vs1wXZBFvKL7fszgmNCmSRJ/s1600/DSC00762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQvAMGFBCs48xm7_jP7VAPPWns2qB-W1c1wCc8foQ52bD2yp79WFXlv2Gcow6YPEr0iN4MPIhrcxVhC0fIP_klkkt7Yst55x_hRTHuGZa9GNAruGdfUKb1vs1wXZBFvKL7fszgmNCmSRJ/s640/DSC00762.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHvPWYQSQd8D7tcdwAeujuuBUGVyvCr57wuKEqGS8PeXO0om9-EFInlAN-Z4U_qB7eLxLd9kVNV5-OgQ5ZwJChWFJ3Z5DE_KX3z09J8Jg5RYhjI_E0RqHcPf_e6GYAvecomVALXp0iwEg/s1600/DSC00767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHvPWYQSQd8D7tcdwAeujuuBUGVyvCr57wuKEqGS8PeXO0om9-EFInlAN-Z4U_qB7eLxLd9kVNV5-OgQ5ZwJChWFJ3Z5DE_KX3z09J8Jg5RYhjI_E0RqHcPf_e6GYAvecomVALXp0iwEg/s640/DSC00767.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Shehla Khan stuck to her signature style of soft feminine dresses<br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhzlLtcl6MkHOaxr5orSQsaPvT9Eoy4XC1aziKmfQD4ffZQ10RpnSEvb4D29LYMZsz78rroizcxacsg74A7eCP1yPiVOHa_36Mta7_GYXFuDPq91kJiQKKTadRX9LpyObl3WDKS_a8Crq/s1600/DSC00769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhzlLtcl6MkHOaxr5orSQsaPvT9Eoy4XC1aziKmfQD4ffZQ10RpnSEvb4D29LYMZsz78rroizcxacsg74A7eCP1yPiVOHa_36Mta7_GYXFuDPq91kJiQKKTadRX9LpyObl3WDKS_a8Crq/s640/DSC00769.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Karishma Kapoor the showstopper walks with the designer. How awesome does she look!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iGoM9bPqfED8n0Kjk6msKJrhvEIRe1DBPgQSDU48wAMF3dyzGaZyI7jFDh8UySH9mEZkTWfhZ4hhZIW0OmSOPq06f9PfR19J10uolgoOw7N-FNi22whQzg9gjFi_idvigTF9RIxGyQDR/s1600/DSC00786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iGoM9bPqfED8n0Kjk6msKJrhvEIRe1DBPgQSDU48wAMF3dyzGaZyI7jFDh8UySH9mEZkTWfhZ4hhZIW0OmSOPq06f9PfR19J10uolgoOw7N-FNi22whQzg9gjFi_idvigTF9RIxGyQDR/s640/DSC00786.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kunal Rawal with his showstoppers Arjun Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor. How hot do they look!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVb3KkiKvvRE8rh6Hb-WgfrGrLclPHFBI77HF6tLTQ98aeTK6bY_7a2AQodAqJlOl_FJHMnDRdZV-e_NxlWg9OK04zzfrNO62H6eGIqUoDfobOW6Mv8wgPYdTPR9sETWiRlqq58Sx2sczk/s1600/DSC00772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVb3KkiKvvRE8rh6Hb-WgfrGrLclPHFBI77HF6tLTQ98aeTK6bY_7a2AQodAqJlOl_FJHMnDRdZV-e_NxlWg9OK04zzfrNO62H6eGIqUoDfobOW6Mv8wgPYdTPR9sETWiRlqq58Sx2sczk/s640/DSC00772.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">What's a fashion show without some Bollywood spotting at the front row</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAV9QJlYuzar2Gg1ya_99O-Z4gvW8KVupa5bxEXLUf0GL340elrT4uRCoZI7CSaGj2Qg9SNen81WizkRUi3uPRqmJQDFJrSkBMTYZm5blejbG6iYVKDe4XKBoGnB9r3jjz1eGsdjatIfv/s1600/DSC00806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYAV9QJlYuzar2Gg1ya_99O-Z4gvW8KVupa5bxEXLUf0GL340elrT4uRCoZI7CSaGj2Qg9SNen81WizkRUi3uPRqmJQDFJrSkBMTYZm5blejbG6iYVKDe4XKBoGnB9r3jjz1eGsdjatIfv/s640/DSC00806.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Doing my own bit of posing!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFzp9VUCvHjsGeCPdY0b8BgwbvQNUWmtHmOx1gv7DKG8A5m8hz7dR2BiFRZlhZhgTIHsfci_L9PCe7APxyhuC2MVp5IwKjw0eMxfHn7tJenwGsGr1qU2qJMTq3Ms0MHn2fOt4BbjierzU/s1600/DSC00815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFzp9VUCvHjsGeCPdY0b8BgwbvQNUWmtHmOx1gv7DKG8A5m8hz7dR2BiFRZlhZhgTIHsfci_L9PCe7APxyhuC2MVp5IwKjw0eMxfHn7tJenwGsGr1qU2qJMTq3Ms0MHn2fOt4BbjierzU/s640/DSC00815.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwmiC1SydURPtAK3xbKeRVp0NMAIIiS7_SudzO5Vls-4wMVer-xLV7NimX5UptnNSkCUgGm0z0RaQEmK6BAQn-aFraepMEVssJSzoNTla1wn-5kLNIbR9hItGUtM3Z8yS5uKz-yWy7KBd/s1600/DSC00820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwmiC1SydURPtAK3xbKeRVp0NMAIIiS7_SudzO5Vls-4wMVer-xLV7NimX5UptnNSkCUgGm0z0RaQEmK6BAQn-aFraepMEVssJSzoNTla1wn-5kLNIbR9hItGUtM3Z8yS5uKz-yWy7KBd/s640/DSC00820.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lakme had set up a makeup booth, where one could get makeup and nails done. Loved the new pop tints!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall loved the experience, the buzz, the media and photogs covering the event and ofcourse the fashion spotting. Infact IMHO the fashion spotting off the ramp was even better than the actual shows Looking forward to the next fashion week now.</span><br />
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-88908346065990040012013-03-21T22:08:00.000+05:302013-03-21T22:08:17.359+05:30Follow me on Bloglovin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/5070391/?claim=pc6deqpz3va">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a><br />
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So the latest buzz in blogger's world is that Google reader is shutting down and we will no longer get daily feeds from each other. So like the rest I too have jumped on the bandwagon and joined <b>Bloglovin</b>. Please show me your love by following me on <b>Bloglovin</b>. And I shall follow you back!</div>
Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-89080248358014715022013-03-18T11:56:00.000+05:302013-03-18T11:56:43.939+05:30Summer salad - Minty Bean and Walnut Salad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since, it's getting hotter and humid by the day here in Mumbai (I'm sure same is the case with the rest of India) I've started losing my appetite. The idea of heavy warm food just does not appeal much to me. Also since it is just the two of us at home and since I decide the menu i have the liberty to make it as per my choice. Thus, I've started eating lot of <b>salads</b> (<i>no not the boring rounded slices of carrots and cucumbers but a lot more interesting ones). </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's something I made yesterday, which is super <b>quick and easy - </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Minty Bean and Walnut Salad</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtFBMtoZmKlpq1MtXrO9sGNngfqfyVWkGU2klXs7YcEhEyuw5waTW49jReaunTZkZfhoyJfuoAYdzn3TMGK65WZ7Q1zGuXQtL_tBJIRjlaXHYyzdDLOpuDqrLfb0RcODEN18NPCnEXSMx/s1600/image+(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtFBMtoZmKlpq1MtXrO9sGNngfqfyVWkGU2klXs7YcEhEyuw5waTW49jReaunTZkZfhoyJfuoAYdzn3TMGK65WZ7Q1zGuXQtL_tBJIRjlaXHYyzdDLOpuDqrLfb0RcODEN18NPCnEXSMx/s320/image+(1).jpeg" title="Minty bean and walnut salad" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPz3k4hSSZPQWwRHgu6B89UhvsxIFbcHzRTZvv7OByQ734WyT_Q7fD-wz27zQRNGo0Nc5kxVFo9jyOHdazc5XO_kB1q28KK4ptZdLnqNZU__oy7sYn2mpjoNa7F1mzGAWcmtP7uoPfablA/s1600/image+(2).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPz3k4hSSZPQWwRHgu6B89UhvsxIFbcHzRTZvv7OByQ734WyT_Q7fD-wz27zQRNGo0Nc5kxVFo9jyOHdazc5XO_kB1q28KK4ptZdLnqNZU__oy7sYn2mpjoNa7F1mzGAWcmtP7uoPfablA/s400/image+(2).jpeg" title="Minty bean and walnut salad" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Ingredients</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">100g kidney beans (rajma) boiled</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6 pieces cherry tomatoes, halved</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tbsp grated cheese (of your choice, yes! cheese in small proportions is healthy)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 piece of walnut, chopped </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 small capsicum chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 tbsp chilli garlic sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tbsp olive oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup chopped mint leaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">salt as per taste</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Recipe</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Mix and toss all ingredients together</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) Refrigerate for atleast half an hour before serving so that the salad gets seasoned well and also is cool enough when served</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's how quick and easy it is to make a salad which is filling, healthy and satisfies your taste buds. Happy Eating! And stay cool this summer!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do let me know if you have such similar recipes.</span><br />
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-62699191277412928852013-03-06T15:06:00.001+05:302013-03-06T15:10:37.217+05:30Ideas for Reception/Cocktail Lehengas - Non Bridal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love <b><i>lehengas</i></b>! The flowy skirts and the vibrant colours. <b><i>And the best thing about them is they don't look as monotonous as the over done anarkali suits nor are they as difficult to wear and carry off as the saree.</i></b> As of now my bridal lehenga is the only lehenga I own. But I'm planning to get something done for my cousin's reception.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here are some of the <b><i>non bridal, non heavy and non traditional</i></b> (meant for cocktails/receptions) options that I have compiled. Thought it'll be a list of good use for everyone else too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Disclaimer</i></b>: <i>I do not own any of these pictures. Can take them off upon request.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pastels:</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love pastels and they are so in this spring. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2G00xdACiTt9wk3yhqWmd7cEzNF0q8UTjaKikDT_izHUMo1__QPw5GXxUzKMZIloXyXVSFwWBe1msaUWD7ZX7KbXTIjH107WaxeZcjt_LbG8K09WkvYdLZVXLK4Dgw81FEAoQ6SPVnb5/s1600/deepika+padukone+bkb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2G00xdACiTt9wk3yhqWmd7cEzNF0q8UTjaKikDT_izHUMo1__QPw5GXxUzKMZIloXyXVSFwWBe1msaUWD7ZX7KbXTIjH107WaxeZcjt_LbG8K09WkvYdLZVXLK4Dgw81FEAoQ6SPVnb5/s640/deepika+padukone+bkb.jpg" title="deepika padukone break ke baad lehenga" width="518" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just love this outfit of Deepika's from Break ke Baad. Infact my wedding lehenga is also made of the same colours.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwZt2woJdIAQxqexJNiWkYX-EInaBSqXvDD8icygQwlbUoigT5r74jwz09eaLtoXn7ax6wrcDSfCSuc8ieBKuEf4C4Hao07mm32xTKz84kSFavC1zkXBMUR25wEyitoYrTGuRCdaPokwG/s640/anita-dongre-summer-resort-2011-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="462" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Love the mix of dull gold with these pretty pastel pinks!</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5WOUjB127RyUwOd8kJTJvI9Hm58bnh0MGo8nkE23kVZQLcjnnVL19Gc5HSiGMfI-tWTMdmJFHfCK1MTi2MP6yQSnL9rfyYIzR1mQuj8VjzsP-t6kqDbgo2ido1-HwYZEyehiMQIjtWNn/s1600/MM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5WOUjB127RyUwOd8kJTJvI9Hm58bnh0MGo8nkE23kVZQLcjnnVL19Gc5HSiGMfI-tWTMdmJFHfCK1MTi2MP6yQSnL9rfyYIzR1mQuj8VjzsP-t6kqDbgo2ido1-HwYZEyehiMQIjtWNn/s640/MM.jpg" title="manish malhotra pastel lehenga" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it comes to pastels in Indian wear there's no one better than Manish Malhotra to look upto for some inspiration.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whites:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White always makes one look elegant, whether paired with a dark colour or on its own.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdXNutGPCn3itWODK4OBdZt8aJmdIdlimQ8EzMURMzwmmycaK8L1a3olsNYhV595lEhDzpkGbku8arVxIHWgYpBJnTwL8HquFrk-Yo4rryeldjP8LtW4OYv_Pc6g3TPCl8VrBto8t7e-E/s640/sonam+kapoor+aisha.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="sonam kapoor aisha lehenga" width="344" /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6thiuBbkFAu6XW28a01fL0UPpLsOKbwkHg3Mt6IVWtn4KKd0prX5ucHZWcYZh8ozEYtnIVhccSvyKhSdLGZSjmw4oknXudayMWVDTbhyJLjMMuXCO3zH3PB7hT2HAl1moiASXI5CROnc/s640/anita+dongre.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="anita dongre beige lehenga" width="640" /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehRVAJVSsw1Id1ls99c-z5icqBThvtUWubuD_ZeUOd7wJvqtOBTOpb6LkN3oHLErKuEoQiIIf-t2trZdfN_WzNhN6CPjbJrS4P6KQVJl6iMyiK1F4lAGcN7cXCfhtDs6ZnfZb-H8JMO67/s640/manish+malhotra.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="manish malhotra white lehenga" width="308" /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehRVAJVSsw1Id1ls99c-z5icqBThvtUWubuD_ZeUOd7wJvqtOBTOpb6LkN3oHLErKuEoQiIIf-t2trZdfN_WzNhN6CPjbJrS4P6KQVJl6iMyiK1F4lAGcN7cXCfhtDs6ZnfZb-H8JMO67/s1600/manish+malhotra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brights</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pastels may not be everyone's thing. But eye catching brights are certainly everyone's favorites when it comes to Indian festive wear.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBfCwJbpqvdxYCSBGVgJClXGedyk0wwMhDjDp_c1Ob49PmP7I-D5RF1JJL8bK1tUtJOkaeSInbBxHmoH8E3FPWdt0ZXfbW0F-J3fyOz9duhBntBMaAmmUkuc1JBUVisNjhGDo3wuUfj61/s1600/Kareena-Kapoor-sangeet-ceremony-lehenga-picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBfCwJbpqvdxYCSBGVgJClXGedyk0wwMhDjDp_c1Ob49PmP7I-D5RF1JJL8bK1tUtJOkaeSInbBxHmoH8E3FPWdt0ZXfbW0F-J3fyOz9duhBntBMaAmmUkuc1JBUVisNjhGDo3wuUfj61/s640/Kareena-Kapoor-sangeet-ceremony-lehenga-picture.jpg" title="kareena kapoor sangeet lehenga" width="516" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBl7_YFRTL_i3b6JBECfrAe3c1ov4Dv-LdtjQo-tEoRd5OoJ4rmYl9P5B2lEXasd6qbrUq73rEj1I_fadCnZRGwakY2lIRj12nK-DHP4kTc8fUVx28pQrLe4s7nL8lAUhDitOogU6wTA2/s1600/sonam-kapoor-chote-ustaad-anuradha-vakil-lehenga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBl7_YFRTL_i3b6JBECfrAe3c1ov4Dv-LdtjQo-tEoRd5OoJ4rmYl9P5B2lEXasd6qbrUq73rEj1I_fadCnZRGwakY2lIRj12nK-DHP4kTc8fUVx28pQrLe4s7nL8lAUhDitOogU6wTA2/s640/sonam-kapoor-chote-ustaad-anuradha-vakil-lehenga.jpg" title="sonam kapoor blue green lehenga" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AfCJa9z460Rj9YF4UMRSDT64N3aMftxBu7LZQOY7y9Q0bw5nCZTCamFlefVC7o9MnvcUV_18fgY7grJWMORUgA8J5mSbf65hB3beGR88EnbGxooukOe33t4rWSYsMFUdCx8_-0hmNeym/s640/esha-deol-sangeet-anita-dongre-lehenga-preeti-desai_0.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="anita dongre dark blue lehenga" width="232" /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMDaIBIsk_hNyr06N9OryAezIDnFBygAKb_saBCTwFlq5XWH0zGcUglBNUlzdO5yxfRUAxtIUqRaIFdeReKri_xoJi22SI3VdksMRn8OWeX7AZuqnOHqIEiP4YeXk6llYDf7qUnbsW_Z2/s1600/equation-fundraiser-nargis-fakhri-manish-malhotra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMDaIBIsk_hNyr06N9OryAezIDnFBygAKb_saBCTwFlq5XWH0zGcUglBNUlzdO5yxfRUAxtIUqRaIFdeReKri_xoJi22SI3VdksMRn8OWeX7AZuqnOHqIEiP4YeXk6llYDf7qUnbsW_Z2/s640/equation-fundraiser-nargis-fakhri-manish-malhotra.jpg" title="manish malhotra royal blue anarkali lehenga" width="204" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCiDUlkWmBj4Y8si27MB1F9HThxN7QpRekkvbuvVOggL_KLfVZJgeg4QDpTDzIdsMugRBoKlerskeAd0tkQLJla_RDG2-ysyvj1IhaykE3zHjPD0g4INCK6H8i8ltVd7BfS7MlrrRiCDk/s1600/Sridevi-in-Manish-Malhotra-on-the-Sets-of-Jhalak-Dikhla-Ja.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCiDUlkWmBj4Y8si27MB1F9HThxN7QpRekkvbuvVOggL_KLfVZJgeg4QDpTDzIdsMugRBoKlerskeAd0tkQLJla_RDG2-ysyvj1IhaykE3zHjPD0g4INCK6H8i8ltVd7BfS7MlrrRiCDk/s640/Sridevi-in-Manish-Malhotra-on-the-Sets-of-Jhalak-Dikhla-Ja.jpg" title="sridevi pink lehenga" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blacks and Darks</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem with black is that a lot of Indian customs don't approve of the colour for auspicious occassions. Thus, when it comes to occassions like pheras, mehendis and poojas the colour is totally ruled out. Leaving only receptions and cocktails. Love these lehengas in dark colours. How gracious do they look.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KrDI915PvSuuZ6SEreEpxS3UPFGX-GHrwv2yqEDhy4ywG8xsQN0a9_uxTlsIjoM7ah79Y7HKozy78gqV5S_95y_UOASp1Q0Pm8vAaDL6DhIkBZJM45VUHlUsmSsDkLTd4obX2c3R4HTx/s1600/deepika+sabyasachi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KrDI915PvSuuZ6SEreEpxS3UPFGX-GHrwv2yqEDhy4ywG8xsQN0a9_uxTlsIjoM7ah79Y7HKozy78gqV5S_95y_UOASp1Q0Pm8vAaDL6DhIkBZJM45VUHlUsmSsDkLTd4obX2c3R4HTx/s640/deepika+sabyasachi.jpg" title="deepika padukone sabyasachi lehenga" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhufdskTEG5zGNq76Dk-RdfTuBxgeMG6YaE5-kEsmVoK2psrP3GIvX2r-8WVbxoPG3gfg7o3T8YBU4y-3Ordbq_I6YIJTiUCNRmd5T-5EUHqBzemONzVwfIjNLB9wTXTXrSFiNNGBebZq/s1600/Anushka_Sharma_Velvet_Lehenga_Saree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhufdskTEG5zGNq76Dk-RdfTuBxgeMG6YaE5-kEsmVoK2psrP3GIvX2r-8WVbxoPG3gfg7o3T8YBU4y-3Ordbq_I6YIJTiUCNRmd5T-5EUHqBzemONzVwfIjNLB9wTXTXrSFiNNGBebZq/s640/Anushka_Sharma_Velvet_Lehenga_Saree.jpg" title="anushka sharma sabyasachi lehenga saree" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganG3UnCkWXUbScNrvM2CkNVySj_JNFByLQJVBKSMNRg-9I7FZqoeKw06a6WGxp-d_6FpJQU6Kloqk0ZP2lPVwittubqJvlhBFyQHlmuTUChoGckxD5cCi49w_94mcBgINj3k4_71q7ogd/s1600/bnt-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEganG3UnCkWXUbScNrvM2CkNVySj_JNFByLQJVBKSMNRg-9I7FZqoeKw06a6WGxp-d_6FpJQU6Kloqk0ZP2lPVwittubqJvlhBFyQHlmuTUChoGckxD5cCi49w_94mcBgINj3k4_71q7ogd/s640/bnt-14.jpg" title="shyamal bhumika lehenga" width="424" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4frdCcsVU66fYfJVcDBCO5VbhmBbCr2-JSqz3HIBw_yxd4jvPP-UViNVL7UD06ntk9CRFFCm0do1ok22wr8DulB_n47_VMitLHd6mO08DoSWTgwS5N5AGiWyEizdvT0oD6QaLVNXbsbC/s1600/deepika-padukone-anand-kabra-just-dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4frdCcsVU66fYfJVcDBCO5VbhmBbCr2-JSqz3HIBw_yxd4jvPP-UViNVL7UD06ntk9CRFFCm0do1ok22wr8DulB_n47_VMitLHd6mO08DoSWTgwS5N5AGiWyEizdvT0oD6QaLVNXbsbC/s640/deepika-padukone-anand-kabra-just-dance.jpg" title="anand kabra lehenga deepika padukone" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do you'll think? Any more ideas for reception/cocktail lehengas that are non bridal?</span></div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com120tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1019573554238752787.post-25435144328908159182013-03-03T16:11:00.000+05:302013-03-03T16:11:32.762+05:30Kai Po Che - Movie review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been totally missing from the blogging scene and the only reason I have is things got a lil busy at work with some travel also involved. But I am back with a lot of ideas for my next few blog posts. To begin with here's a review of one of the latest movies I saw.</span></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img height="640" src="http://media.santabanta.com/gallery/bollywood%20movies/kai%20po%20che/kai-po-che-8-m.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="464" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Image <a href="http://www.santabanta.com/images/kai-po-che/23405/" target="_blank">Source</a><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b>The plot ( No spoilers I promise)</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Based on the book "3 mistakes of my life" by Chetan Bhagat, this film revolves around the stories of three best friends Omi (Amit Sadh), Govind (Raj Kumar) and Ishaan (Sushant Singh) who live in Gujarat. The good for nothing friends decide to start a cricket shop and dream of making it big someday. The film then takes you through their life struggles and how the various crisis that Gujrat faced impacted their lives.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b>The cast</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I read somewhere that the director Abhishek Kapoor was planning to cast established stars but sadly no one was interested. But that in my opinion is one of the best things that couldve happened to the movie. Since, all three are actors are relatively not so known you forget that they are actually actors in the middle of the movie as they blend so well into their characters. The casting is perfect. The camaraderie is so good that one starts believing that the actors are actually good friends. Amrita Puri as Vidya, Isaan's sister plays a stereo typical role, but provides the right amount of freshness in a male dominated film.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b>The music</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">Unlike many other movies, the songs here do not stall the story. The music here is used to establish the characters, set the pace and not just as music videos. Amit Trivedi scores high yet again with some very memorable numbers. The song I particularly liked is<b><i> Manjha</i></b>. So beautifully written and inspirational.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jZpRq3KT1jo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>What I thought</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #666666; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">To begin with I never really liked the book for a lot of reasons, like its got an all male protagonists it is centered around politics and cricket. Two topics that are not really close to my heart. But the promos of the movie looked really promising.And it is also very interesting to see how well a movie is adapted from a book. Even though the movie has everything that it takes to be a good movie, somehow all these things don't come along well.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The first half is just too and drags. The last half an hour is the only time you feel that the movie grabs your attention. Also, the story in the book is well paced. But since, the director has tried to include everything in the 2 hours of the movie it comes across as a bit of a hotch potch. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>My Rating</b></span></span><br style="background-color: #fb5e53; color: #666666; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Oh hmm .. you know, you can watch it once</span><br style="background-color: #fb5e53; color: #666666; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: #fb5e53; color: #666666; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>Rating - o - meter</b></span></span><br style="background-color: #fb5e53; color: #666666; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Fultoo paisa vasool</span><br style="background-color: #fb5e53; color: #666666; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">You must must watch this one</span><br style="background-color: #fb5e53; color: #666666; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Oh hmm .. you know, you can watch it once</span><br style="background-color: #fb5e53; color: #666666; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">Time pass it is..not great</span><br style="background-color: #fb5e53; color: #666666; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18px;">What a waste of time..couldn't sit through</span><br style="background-color: #fb5e53; color: #666666; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: #fb5e53; color: #666666; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Did any of you watch it? What did you'll think? Would love to hear your take. Do write back to me in comments box.</span></span></span></div>
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Rajvi Bhow @ Straight talkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00063120689092734571noreply@blogger.com2