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Tuesday 23 June 2015

A Zillion Hugs For my Dad

When I appeared for the first time on stage in a school play I had a very small role and just a single line dialog. Yet when I delivered it fumbling and shaking out of nervousness there was a loud clapping sound in the audience and this made me feel confident and self assured.

When I looked up to see who was the single person clapping and rooting for me I found it to be my dad who was enthusiastically cheering and appreciating his five year old son’s that is my performance.He was so happy seeing me perform as if I had just delivered an Oscar winning performance.
 As I got off the stage after my performance my father came running towards me and greeted me with a hug. A hug that was so warm and I as a young boy, a first grader felt so protected in his strong and masculine arms.

As I grew older I found that a few children my age had bicycles . My father was of the view that trying out new things are a part of growing up so out of the money that he had saved from his overtime , he bought me a red gleaming bicycle .
He ran behind my bike supporting  me relentlessly day after day till I learned to balance and drive the bicycle. On the journey of learning there were many hugs that I received from him. Some to encourage me to try harder and others to console me after a bad fall. His hugs and support were a constant companion.
Growing up further I found the skateboard very fascinating and before even I could ask for it my father got one for me and I thanked him with a hug.
I felt that he enjoyed hugging me as much as I enjoyed hugging him. The warmth was mutual. Although whenever I wanted something I would go up to him wrap my relatively smaller arms around him and he would always read my mind and asked me what I wanted.
In all these years, I don’t remember If he had asked for anything from me in return. He hugged me because he cared for me and loved me.
As I grew up further I moved out of the house to attend college. The day I was leaving for college he hugged me in a warm embrace that lasted longer than usual. Perhaps he knew that he would not be able to hug me any time often soon. As I was an adult ready to embark on a new journey of my life or perhaps it was an embrace with the touch and warmth to protect me from the big bad world outside. As time went by I graduated from college and took up my first job. Time few fast and I got very little time to spend with my father. Even the warm Hug did not happen for a very long time.
Recently when I saw a colleague of mine embrace his new born child in a warm gentle hug I saw the child’s eye glow up with happiness and this sight made me realize what I would have felt when I was embraced by my father for the first time . Looking back at my childhood days and all my interactions with my father I feel that there are very few things that can stir up the feeling of being protected for a person when he or she is in the company of a doting father. For a child getting a hug from his or her father means different things. Sometimes it is the feeling of love and warmth and sometimes it is being protected   .However for a father it is his way of showing his unconditional love and support for his child. Now that I am grown up I feel it’s very important to reciprocate my dad’s unconditional love with a hug. For it is the best way and language to convey love and to say that we stand for each other and I shall continue to love him and cherish every moment spent with him. If I were to hug my dad for every moment that he has stood with me and for me then it would be a zillion hugs and counting



 “This father’s day, I am expressing my love towards my dad by participating in the #HugYourDad activity at BlogAdda in association with Vicks.”


I have the rights to the images used in the post
  

Where words fail A hug Speaks



My father is a great person and a great thinker. I am extremely close to my Dad. I aspire to be like him. He always stands up for the people and ideas he believes in. My dad is super supportive. He always helped me in every step of my life. He is my lifeline. I love you dad. He is my strength. He taught me about life and how to face difficult situations. He laughed with me and spent a lot of time with me.
He started from the scratch and emerged successful in his business and encouraged me in every way possible. I owe what I am today, entirely to him. He is my first coach, my teacher, my protector. He is a very good cook & a wonderful artist. He tries his best to keep our family happy. He works hard to make money for our family.
My dad always analyses the situation and then acts accordingly. He maintains a balance between his personal and professional life. His ability to guide our home and family through a difficult situation by the virtue of a cool head makes him a superhero. He went through a financial crisis but he did not let me know about his problems. He always gave me his usual smiles due to which I never came to know about his hardships and worries. One day for my college project I required a laptop. I mentioned this to my father at the dinner table. I told him that as I don’t have my own laptop I am not able to complete my projects on time. He silently heard but didn’t say any thing. After two days I found a brand new laptop in my room. I ran to papa's room and hugged him. He affectionately patted my back and told me he would do anything to make me happy and there would be no compromises in my education. Later I came to know that he broke his FD to fulfill my need.
He is the one who is always there with me, helping me, guiding me, correcting me, pampering me. He teaches me some tough lessons so my life would be easier later on. When with him I find myself the happiest person in this world. Father plays a vital role in every child's life. I admire my fathers good judgment, his keen intelligence, do the right thing' attitude, and kindness. He has constantly encouraged me to work hard and do my best most of all through all the situations. I love the fact that lately he has been more affectionate and he hugs me more than he used to. My dad is simply awesome. So today on Fathers day I wish to hug you and tell you how much I love you.



I am expressing my love towards my dad by participating in the #HugYourDad activity at BlogAdda in association with Vicks.”




I have the rights to the images used in the post

Sunday 21 June 2015

Ambipur the official bad odour buster around my home



It is said Home is where the heart is. So when one returns home after a long day at work or after a game of tennis or that jog.we carry in our sweaty clothes and socks. Clothes that smell of sweat and the smell of socks that have battled the wear and tear of the feet pushing around the shoes have a story of their own. The moment I enter the home generally I am greeted by the sound of the pressure cooker whistling away merrily announcing that the food is almost ready. The other aroma that is so strongly prevalent is the smell of onion and garlic. It’s said that garlic is used to ward off ghosts however in the case of my household it is so lavishly used that even long after its consumption its smell persists and perhaps hides in all sorts of places be it the curtains, the upholstery and every nook and corner. The embarrassing part is whenever we have guests over and we have made sure that there are no bad odors around the house. Then suddenly a whiff of air would come from nowhere carrying with it the smell of garlic and turmeric that was lavishly splurged in the pan and left to fry only a few hours back or perhaps the night before. If not this then the smell of dirty clothes waiting to be washed make its way escaping the dirty clothes bin and finds its way to the drawing room specially when guests are sitting and appreciating how well and tastefully I have decorated my interiors.
The harrowing part of the tale is that more often than not those dirty socks that I had left in the drawing room make their presence felt even much after they have been removed from the place they were left. I have heard and since my college days used the term sweeping under the carpet very effectively when it comes to hiding dirty unwashed ,clothes, socks or smelly shoes. However one thing that I have not been able to master is the fact that  even after the evidence is removed the lingering smell makes its presence felt very unceremoniously specially when you least expect or want it to make an appearance. So to encounter the ghost of bad smell I had to don the role of the bad smell exorcist and to perform this task I take the help of Ambi pur. The best part is the task of removing and overcoming bad odor at home consists of 2 parts one identify a fragrance of Ambi pur that you want to use and secondly just spray it around your home and the bad odors are taken care of by the magic formula of Ambi pur that not only removes and banishes bad smells from my home but also makes it smelling clean and fresh.
 “I am blogging for #SmellyToSmiley activity at BlogAdda.com in association with Ambi Pur

Making my house Mom ready with Ambi pur



Being a bachelor has its advantages you share you room with friends and batch mates and there is no one to nag you to put the room in order and tidy up your things. I have been living in a rented accommodation with my friends Out of the 4 people sharing the rented accommodation I am the only teetotaler and non smoker. As my friends smoke the house that I live in feels more like a tobacco shop than a home. Even though we share a living room and I have a bedroom completely to myself yet the smell of the tobacco and the half burnt cigarettes permeates the air of the entire house and even finds its way to my room. I have almost got used to expecting such smell to be present when I unlock the main door of the house and enter my rented house. A little respite comes for me from the fresh air that comes in from the window. One characteristic of people who smoke is the fact that even the clothes of smokers seems to absorb and then emanate the smell of tobacco this leads to the smell invading even the bathroom and as the domestic help who comes to do the cleaning and washing the clothes washes all our clothes together as a result even my clothes have begun to smell of cigarettes. That’s not all even the bed sheets that I sleep on have a smell of tobacco smoke coming from it. The other smell that pervades our house is the smell of bear. It is one commodity that flows freely and quite often gets spilled on sofas, carpers and table cloth. As a result we live in a house that has a constant sell of beer and alcohol I was finding it difficult to adjust to these smells as I was neither a smoker nor a drinker and neither did I appreciate the smell of beer. To make matters worse my mom was about to visit me and stay with me for a few days. My mother is a stickler for cleanliness and the last thing I wanted was to make her live in a house with so strong and displeasing odors. Moreover I did not want her to believe that her son that is me had fallen into bad company. I realized that I would have to do something rather quickly. So from emergency spring cleaning to sprinkling the entire household with my favorite deo, having the house cleaned and swept with phenyl I tried everything but all efforts went in vain. Than a friend of mine came to my rescue she suggested that I try Ambi pur. When I went to buy Ambi pur I was surprised by the choice of fragrances it offered. I was impressed by this range of choices and the design and packaging gave me the confidence that the product meant business and would do the job. I went home armed with Ambi Pur and meticulously sprayed it in my entire house. Surprisingly within minutes my entire house smelled so fragrant. I had tactfully purchased an Ambi pur flavor that was my mom’s favorite and when she entered the house she was instantly impressed by the fresh feel and the mild aroma of her favorite flavor. Ambi pur
saved the day for me and armed me with the weapon to battle any and every odor in the home.
 “I am blogging for #SmellyToSmiley activity at BlogAdda.com in association with Ambi Pur

Monday 15 June 2015

The sniffSniff Experience

Blogging has its own charm and moments of excitement. Now looking at the #sniffsniff activity brief I was instantly excited and interested. For it involved receiving a set of mystery packets and one had to blog about them. No wonder the Sherlock Holmes in me got all excited and fired up.
The first box arrived on the afternoon of mid June Sunday It was a blue box with #sniffsniff
written over it. I excitedly opened to and what came out of it was this


Maybe it was some kind of cryptic message

I have a hunch that it is a product that gets rid of bad odor
I went ahead and tweeted about it 



Next after the gap of one day I received another package this one was slightly heavier and when I opened it I found a bag of coffees beans. Indeed the aroma was very exciting and refreshing.
I realize that its a product that has good odor...
It made me immediately go and tweet …



The third packet in the series was no less interesting It was a flat and light box and its contents were even more interesting. It had a mask. Maybe the idea was to protect oneself from body odor by wearing this mask.
My hunch points me to the direction that the product is a Deo


The fourth pack arrived this Sunday and it contained the Nivea Men Deodorizer. 

It is a 120 ml bottle and it is clearly marked that it gas free. 

I tried the product and found the fragrance to be very refreshing. Next day I had a hectic day ahead of me So in the morning I used the deo. Even though the day was busy and I moved about a lot and shuttled between meetings and outdoor site visits I found the pleasant aroma of the deo kept me refreshed and lasted the whole day long. Despite the fact that I was exposed to the June heat of Delhi and was not limited and confined to the Airconditioned office and got more then my fair share of sweating I found the pleasantness of the deo lingered on till evening. Over all Nivea Men proved to be a very useful product and saved me from the embaressment of a body odor. I even got a few compliments for my choice of deo and quite a few of my collegues even inquired about the brand that I was wearing.
The Nivea Men Body Deodorizer gets full marks for its fragrance that is very pleasant and international
It lasted me the whole day and it got rid of any body odor which I may have got on a sweaty hot June sunny day when the temperature was 43 deg C



”I'm using my investigative skills to uncover the mystery of #SniffSniff at BlogAdda”  

Sunday 14 June 2015

The flash mob dance to recharge life



Summer is that time of the year when we like to spend more time in the office because of its efficient air conditioning .In the evening we like to visit the coolest places in the city. By coolest I mean not necessarily the most happening but instead those places that give us maximum respite from the summer heat.
In this summer season visiting the City malls to escape the summer heat is passé. 
Beyond a point the window shopping also becomes very boring. These frequent visits takes a toll on our love affair with shopping and our romance with window shopping also begins to wane .
I visit the malls for the nice food at the food court and of course some shopping but one cannot shop everyday as most people like me live on a budget. The big sparkling floor of the mall appears so inviting that I feel like dancing had it not been for the staring onlookers I would surely break into a jig and let my hair down. If I get a dance partner like Allu Arjun I could drop all my inhibitions and dance all day and night with him. The only other ingredient required would be live music.
 Without fail the first singer that would ignite the chemistry between me and Allu Arjun on the dance floor has to be Anushka Manchanda.She will be the perfect crooner belting out her high energy numbers to fuel the dance performance of Allu Arjun. I think the high energy singing and the equally high energy dance performance would not just entertain the audience but also create an irresistible foot tapping concert. 
I would love if Allu Arjun and I are part of a Flash Mob dance ritual at the mall and instead of any prerecorded music we have live high energy singing of Anushka Manchanda. It would be a casting coup of sorts. With two of my favorite high energy performers I would not know who makes me swoon more Anushka Manchanda's singing or Allu Arjun's dancing.  Such a performance would be a powerhouse of performance that would help me ,my friends and all those witnessing the event feeling entertained, revitalized and experiencing a new zeal and a fountain of fresh energy flowing thorough them.
It would be like being at an oasis after taking a journey in the desert or  better still experiencing bathing under a cool waterfall in the middle of the summer heat. This experience with its fresh approach to a concert in the form of a flash mob will add an element of freshness to the whole event.
 It would let the audience up close and personal with their favorite stars and heart throbs that are Allu Arjun and Anushka Manchanda. The freshness of the concept would bring about excitement and act like a fuel for living life with a new found zeal This is going to be my #MaxFreshMove to feel energized.

 “I am blogging for #MaxFreshMove activity at BlogAdda.com. Are you?




Being energized with Maxfresh spark



Freshness is the fuel of life there cannot be a truer statement than this. When the world became very mundane and boring Lord Shiva devised a dance ritual called Tandav .Not that it was a fun dance but yet this dance and accompaniment of music by virtue of his Damru was needed to infuse a new life into his creation. This dance accompanied with the sound of his damru became the source of a new genesis after clearing out the space for new and exciting.
I am no lord Shiva but an ordinary mortal who craves to break out of the ordinary and repetitive mundane routine life so that I may get recharged to take on the life's challenges. Take for instance the case of today’s afternoon. When the whole world was lazing indoors away from the scorching June sun which was beating down with no mercy. I was sitting at the bus stop waiting for the bus to arrive that was taking its own sweet time to come. 
When the bus did finally arrive it did prove me wrong that the whole world was lazing at home as it was crowed with no vacant seats available. My evaporating sweat was the only source of cooling and respite  in what appeared to be a hot tin box. As I held on to the overhead rod adjusting my position for a better hold on the metal bar that had become very slippery due to my sweat and those of so many other commuters who might have been standing in my place before me. Just than the mobile phone of the guy standing next to me rang I realized that I was not the only one stuck in the rut of life but the passengers of the bus despite being of different ages were going through the same rut of their lives. The ring tone was set to a popular song sung by none other than my favorite singer Anushka Manchnda and the song was Tu Sala Kam se Gaya. The high energy song had a transforming effect on me, for  a moment I forgot my fatigue, the heat the grind and I was transformed to a state of gay abandon guided by the high energy notes delivered by Anushka Manchanda. 
I was not the only one in this celebration. A small infant who was incessantly crying due to the irritability created by the over crowded bus and the heat became quiet in his mothers arms and instead started jumping as if he is dancing to the beat of the song. As the ringing of the phone stopped I began to think if  such a minor interlude can provide us such a great respite to me and the other passengers than think of the consequences if Anushka Manchanda would be performing live in the bus. I feel the feeling would be even greater if the bus would be a double decker one with an open rooftop the kind that is used for city sight seeing. Of course we could have umbrellas and the AC running at full blast or better still small water sprinklers spraying scented water and of course me and my friends riding the bus as it moved around the city with Anushka Manchanda belting outher hit numbers one after the other. 
The perfect match to this high energy performance of hers would be a Dance led by Allu Arjun. If he could lead me and my friends into a dance routine inspired by the high energy singing of Anushka Manchanda .Then it would create a lot of positive energy that we all crave for. As we move around the city this fresh approach of spreading joy through a dance and song routine would be like a stream of energy flowing through the city and carrying and spreading with it the joy and fuel of life to enjoy for one and all.This was my
#MaxFreshMoveto refuel and recharge my life.
 “I am blogging for #MaxFreshMove activity at BlogAdda.com. Are you?

Friday 12 June 2015

Getting that perfect skin is easy now

Our skin is a mirror of our inner health. If the skin is healthy and glowing a person is considered to be healthy,attractive and even beautiful perhaps that is the reason that a lot of emphasis is laid on maintaining a good skin tone and texture. Ours is a rich and ancient culture backed by the science of Ayurveda. It provides a number of remedies that take care of our skin and that too without any harmful chemical additives. The first ingredient that comes to mind is turmeric. It is a very useful product that is used to clean and make the skin glowing. The interesting part is that turmeric is considered a common cooking ingredient yet it finds an important place in almost any homemade face mask. The unassuming yellow herb sitting on the kitchen shelves has an antibacterial, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and works wonders to fight facial conditions like acne,dark spots, stretch marks etc.It is such an important ingredient in the beauty regime that no Indian wedding is complete without the Haldi (turmeric) ceremony in which a paste of turmeric is applied to the bride and the groom and it is supposed to enhance their beauty.If your skin is oily them one can take a spoonful of gram flour and to this add a quarter spoon of turmeric powder. Add water to make a paste and apply on the face and the neck area . Let the paste dry and then use cold water to wash off the paste. This regime is to be followed every day and guards the skin against acne and gives a shine and glow to the face.For those with dry skin a face pack made with half spoon of turmeric, a spoon of fresh cream or malai and a spoon of rose water all mixed and formed into a paste can be applied on the face and the neck region leave it on for about half an hour them wash it clean with lukewarm water. This regime makes the face glow and look radiant.For sensitive skin a simple paste of turmeric and water forms a great face pack that is suitable for those with sensitive skin.
If you are going for a party or want to make your face glow then add rosewater (a few drops) ,1 spoon of honey, 1 spoon of gram flour (besan) and the trusted turmeric powder (half a spoon). Mix all the ingredients into a paste and then apply smoothly on the face and neck region. Let the paste dry and after about half an hour wash it away. This will make your face glow.
A good daily dose of water makes sure the body remains hydrated and the adequate supply of water ensures that the toxins are flushed out.
Aloe Vera is another magic ingredient that is available as a low maintenance plant that is widely available in India . One can peal the succulent leaves and scoop out the fleshy gel like inner flesh. In emergency situations like cuts and burns applying this gel extracted from the plant can do wonders and enhance the healing. It can also be applied on the face hand and the rest of the body as it makes the skin smooth and supple.
There are a number of ingredients that can be used to take care of the skin. However due to lack of knowledge or lack of time we tend to opt for over the counter ready to use products. The drawback is that a number of these products have harmful chemicals and can damage the skin. However Vicco has come up with "VICCO Turmeric Cream"a turmeric cream with a foam base. Its ready to use and easy to apply and being herbal saves our skins from harmful chemicals. It helps one deal with oily skin,pimples and blackheads. Its easy to use and apply .In properties it is very close to the naturally occurring turmeric so the antimicrobial properties of this cream makes it even suitable to be applied on minor cuts and injuries.It helps cure skin rashes and allergies.  Its one cream which when we apply has our face care sorted.







http://www.viccolabs.com/product-turmeric-cream-with-foam-base.php

















Monday 8 June 2015

SniffSniff my nose can smell love

I am a fun loving person who likes to enjoy life to the maximum. I have always liked to move in my group of friends and as a unit we have great time. When I passed out of college I got my first job in another city. I thought that the new city will have its own charm and yes I was right in this aspect. A new city meant making new acquaintances and new friends. Being friendly by nature I had no difficulty in making friends. However there comes a time when you meet someone special and it happened to me when I first saw this girl who worked on the third floor of my office though in another department. She had well chiseled features and when I saw her for the first time walking towards me wearing her long flowing white skirt and a matching polka dot top she resembled a walking Barbie doll. The only difference was her smile. Unlike a doll her smile was not plastic. Instead it was warm, So warm that it made my heart melt and I felt a strange odor surround me it was not exactly unpleasant but different . However her overall personality was so pleasing that I sort of ignored the fact that it mildly reminded me of the antiseptic used in hospital wards to disinfect. On our second encounter near the office coffee vending machine we not only exchanged a smile but also out chat handles. This time her smile and elegance was even more powerful as I did not notice any strange smell.Perhaps the strong smell of coffee inundated my sense of smell and flooded my nostrils with coffee aroma. I only remember seeing her walking away from me. The very next day I had to move to another city for a few months for an on site project. So me and my crush Alia kept in touch via chat sessions and then gradually started indulging in long conversations over phone. As the days passed we grew closer and my feelings for her became stronger. I felt that I had found my soul mate and it would be best to propose to her the moment I met her. My return to my city coincided with the company's annual dinner. As I was coming back after a long time I decided to get ready and go straight to the venue. So I dressed up and wore my favorite perfume as I wanted to not just feel good myself but also make a lasting impression on my lady love. At the venue my eyes began to ache searching for her then when she arrived in a red dress time stood still for that moment. Our eyes met and we moved to the dance floor hand in hand .We danced as if there was no tomorrow. Soon we drifted to the open space away from the office crowd. As we danced together I could feel the great chemistry that we had as we matched each others move step by step . I wanted to propose to her and looked into her eyes. My heart missed a beat when a strong whiff of air blew in my direction, I literally felt being swept off my feet. I went down on one knee not that I wanted to but because of the fact that I felt very dizzy with an underlying feeling of mild nausea. Constant dancing had made us both sweaty and whatever deo she and I had put on had evaporated or gone away with our sweat. We stood bare in front of each other with our covers blown and nothing to mask our body odors. I was madly in love with her and there was no two ways about it. However the moment of truth had arrived for me that my nose did not approve of her body odor. Its true that love is blind however my Nose knew better and disapproved of my love and sent the no go signal to my brain that instantly made me dizzy and made me back off to a safe distance from where I could take a deep breath and inhale some fresh air. I smiled and bid a dignified good night and good bye to the lady I was so keen to spend my entire life with not so long ago…

I am sharing my odour story for the ‘My Nose Knows’ contest as a part of the #SniffSniff activity at BlogAdda.