How to use aromatic essentials oils in 5 different ways

 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.

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:

1) Use them in a diffuser

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.

2) Use them mixed with hair oils

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.

3) Use in Skincare

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.

4) Use in making Candles

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.

5) Use them to take steam

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.

Purchase these Vasu healthcare oils from the links below:

Amazon        

• Tea tree: https://amzn.to/3gHDdVP
• Lavender: https://amzn.to/2Px2iqy

VasuStore        

• Tea tree: https://bit.ly/33GCKQ6
• Lavender: https://bit.ly/2PAd7Ir

Paris in just one day!

Solo.
Solo for the first time.
Paris.
Paris for the first time.
A day in a new country.
A day trip in a new country for the first time.

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.

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! 

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:

A)List down the key sights you want to visit

B) Shortlist the ones that are close to each other so that you dont waste too much time in commute

C) Plan this before the trip so that you dont waste time on that day and chalk it out on a map. 

D) The above will also help you choose your accomodation. Plan your stay closest to the first spot you marked in your route map.

E) Choose a hotel close to a metro station

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?

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 -

First stop --> Hotel Elysees Bassano -

The airport has direct shuttle buses that take you to various parts of the city. I chose Elysees bassano 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!

Next stop --> Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees

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

Arc de Triomphe

Next stop--> Laduree

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.

Next stop--> The Eiffel Tower, River Seine, Trocadero gardens

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.

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. 

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.

Ticking off bucket list

Captured from Trocadero

River Seine

Tip: 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.

Next stop --> Palais Royal and Louvre
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.

Next stop --> Perfume shopping at Fragonard
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.

Bought from Fragonard

Next stop --> City view from Montparnasse tower
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.

Eiffel from Montparnasse tower

Next stop --> dinner and back to the hotel
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.

A 3 day trip to Amsterdam - Day 1

"Whatt? 3 days? That's too less for Europe!"

"This is like a trip to Lonavla.."

"Are you sure you don't want to extend the trip?"

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 Jet Airways), 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.

So here goes how I spent my 3 days in Amsterdam:

Travel Date - 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.

Air Travel - Non stop flight from Jet Airways - Mumbai to Amsterdam, 9 hours of travel

Visa - Schengen Visa applicable for all Indians. All details here.

Hotel - The Times Hotel - 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. 

View from the hotel

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.

Day 1 

Landed in the morning, the train station is right outside the airport. Collected the 3 day Amsterdam pass  for EUR 25 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 very friendly and sweet.

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 The Pancake Bakery. We ordered savoury and sweet pancakes and finished them in no time. 

Tulips everywhere

Pizza caprese pancake

Dutch pancake with chocolate icecream - soo good

Post which we took our first tram ride and landed at Rembrandt - the tourist hub. We walked to the Museum of Bags and purses (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.

Rembrandt Square - This is 9pm!! no sign of sunset

Take home some classic Dutch Truffle cheese from here

Picked up some treats on the way

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 Red light district. 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. 

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 Museum of Sex and a Museum of prostitution ( see I wasn't exaggerating about the "city of museums" bit after all!) to know how it all started.

Blurry but beautiful!

Once the stroll through the district got over we headed for dinner back to Rembrandt square. We found a small place that sold vegetarian falafels (EUR 5 onwards). pretty yummy and filling and decided to end the long day we had.

Will put up more on day 2 & 3 soon.

Where to shop online from - Jabong.com

For me the only reason to shop online 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. 

But offlate I feel there is one website that has totally upped it’s oomph factor and that is Jabong.com. 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.

Thus, when I wanted a pair of simple but affordable tan shoes to match my everyday wear I thought I should give the website a try. On entering tan shoes there are quite a few interesting options that come up.

On the left hand side there are different filters to help one choose from different barnds, sizes. I entered the budget that I wanted.

On entering my budget there were quite a few options that I liked. But I shortlisted on the one below

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. 

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.

 

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:

What worked:

• Excellent delivery service - No follow ups required, prompt intimation, no shipping charges
• Always on Sale - 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
• Premium and Designer Brands- Aldo, Mango, Dorothy Perkins, Tresmode, River Island, Veromoda all present under one roof alongwith biggies like Ritu Kumar, Manish arora, Satya Paul. Need I say more?
• News and Style - Gives you the latest updates on beauty and style trends. Good reading material before you decide on what to shop

What could be better:

• Style filter for clothes and Accessories: 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

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!

P.S.Look out for their GOSF 2014 offers. Some of the offers that I am looking forward to are

• Buy any 3 shoes for 999
• Fcuk at upto 50% + extra 30% off
• Carlton London at extra 30% off

Happy Shopping guys!

My Hong Kong & Macau travel diary - Overview

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. 

Having been to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Dubai I was really looking towards travelling outside of Asia and in Europe 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.

As mentioned in my earlier travel blog 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.

Airfare:

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.

Visa:

Indians get a free visa on arrival to both HK and Macau. Hence no paperwork! Enjoy!

Accommodation:

Our 6 nights there were divided as follows:

• 2 nights - The Metropark Wanchai, Hongkong - Great location, 2 mins walk to MTR
• 2 nights - The Venetian, Macau - Houses world's biggest Casino
• 2 nights - The Holiday Inn Express, Sheun Wan, Soho, Hongkong - Not so great location, avoidable

We decided to split our stay in two in HK as we wanted to explore two different areas. - Bad decision! 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. Bad decision again! 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.

Metropark Wanchai Hotel Room

The Venetian suite - Love it!

Tip 1: 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.

Itinerary:

Tip 2: Keep the HK Map and the MTR map handy when exploring the city on your own.

HK Day 1: Arrive at HK. The Peak, Madame Tussauds, Sky Terrace

HK Day 2: Disneyland

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)

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

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)

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)

HK Day 5: Leave for Mumbai

Watch out for my detailed follow up posts on each of these days 

Restaurants and Bars:

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.

Places where we ate

HK:

• Coyote Bar & Grill - Wanchai - Lovely mexican food
• Mes Amis - Wanchai
• The Spaghetti House - Wanchai
• Burger King - The peak
• Main Street Corner cafe - Disneyland
• Beirut - LKF - Lebanese food,one of the few places that serve sheesha
• Ebeneezer's Kebab & Pizzeria - LKF - owned by an Indian, both the pizzas and the biryani were yum

Macau:

• Golden Peacock - Venetian - Indian food
• McSorley's Ale House - Venetian - American Food
• Hard rock Cafe - Hard Rock Hotel
• Venetian food court - avoid the Indian food here instead go for the pizzas and falafel they are yum!

Shop:

Shopping in general in HK is slightly expensive. Tip 3: Ditch the regular malls and try going to small boutiques and street markets instead

• Street markets - Temple street, ladies market, night markets - for mobile accessories, souvenirs, bargains on clothing, shoes and bags
• Jonhston Road - There were lot of small clothing and accessory shops on this street with bargain deals
• 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
• 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

This sums up my trip! Watch out for my more detailed posts on each of the days, incase you are planning a trip there.

Where to get nose piercing in Mumbai?

Remember my post from here? 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.

After asking a few people I shortlisted on these 3 places:

• Al's at Bandra  - 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
• Le Bijou 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
• Cutis Clinic 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.

The experience

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.

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.

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 also regularly applied oil  on the piercing to make the stud loose, on my mom's advice).

My first selfie post piercing!

Overall I was quite satisfied with this place and would recommend it to anyone who wants to get piercing done.

Fees Charged: A little expensive compared to what other places charge- INR 2000 inclusive of the titanium swarovski nose stud. 

5 Step Easy Recipe - Honey Garlic Potatoes

I love cooking. I find it to be therapeutic. But not the normal roti sabzi kinds (thank god I have a cook for that). 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 tarladalal.com (such a blessing for vegetarians). And yes nowadays, I also draw inspiration from my favorite tv channel - Food Food (they make cooking look so simple and interesting).

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.

The pictures have been taken with my Iphone 4 so excuse the quality.

You will need:

2 potatoes - preboiled chopped legnthwise
3 cloves garlic - crushed
2 tsp honey
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp chilly garlic sauce/ tabasco
1 tsp sesame seeds
A handful of chopped cashewnuts - these are optional but add that crunch to the taste and is my favourite ingredient for any oriental recipe
3 tbsp sesame oil - can be substituted by groundnut oil
Salt as per taste

The process:

Sprinkle the cornflour over the potatoes. This helps the sauces to coat over the potatoes better.

Then pour the sauces and the honey as well as salt

Take a  non- stick pan and heat it. Dry roast the sesame seeds and the cashewnuts for sometime and pour some of the oil.

Toss in the garlic. Tip : The later you add the garlic the stronger the flavour you get

 Finally once the nuts, seeds and the garlic get sauteed well add in the potatoes.

Voila! Your dish is ready in just 5 simple steps.

Do share your ideas. I would love to hear and try them out!

There you go again! - Time to make her feel special

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  :)

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 -I really feel for you! 

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!).

Image courtesy Jokesie.com

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!):

Plan a movie date at home:

Image Courtesy: marriagesuccess.com 

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

Chocolate Indulgence:

Image Courtesy: ohcrumbscupcakes.co.uk

Go give some business to one of the gazillion cupcake shops that have recently sprung up in your neighbourhood. Add a small personalised note - And poof! You are the best boyfriend in the world.

Book her and her BFF a salon appt

Image Courtesy: someecards.com

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.

Be her slave for the day

Image Courtesy: memecenter.com

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.

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!