My secret energy boosters!

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Isn't that a familiar feeling? A world of the song sometimes feels more like home, echoes the feelings and the emotions, whether you are in love with someone, something, yourself or are out of love, and its therapeutic. Its the apt 'taazagi ka dhamaka' we all need sometimes. The Bard himself stated that beautifully long time back,' If music be the food of love, play on...'

Some music and dance gives you a high like nothing else. And when its as energetic and lively as this video with Allu arjun's dance moves and Anushka Manchanda's singing, you just can't stop yourself from shaking your leg along. It just freshens you up, however bored or tired you might be, just like the bride and groom in the video who ultimately can't resist it and join in along with all others.

 

Apart from this one, my energy booster playlist would include the following nine numbers too. 

 

1. Ab ke Saawan : Its a regular mundane day. And then music seeps in.  Things pick up pace with the daily musical sounds alongwith with the initial hummimg and then the alaap of Shubha mudgaal much like the lull preceeding the storm when her full blown vocals on lyrics penned by Prasoon Joshi, come full throttle and make you groove along.

Try listening to it on a rainy day on full volume while on a drive in a car - what taaazgi ka dhamaka that's gonna be, even if just head banging you can manage therein!
Rain and music both leave you wanting for more - bheege tan man har gali mein, bheegne do jahan... that's what a dose of freshness is like!


2.Jhalla wallah : Whether it is Something about the Shreya Ghoshal's vocals, or  Gauhar Khan's moves, or the qawwali feel to the music or the quirky lyrics - 'Aashiqon mein jiska title Titanic...', this song has stayed on my playlist and brings a smile too whenever I play it.

3. Aa raha hoon main zindagi : Atif Aslam on the vocals and the 'boneless' Tiger Shroff showing his smooth moves! There's more. The song reinforcing the belief in life, living life kingsize, says it all you need to pep you up and try to match steps (I fail miserably though!). This also reminds me of the old 'Zindagi aa raha hoon main' number from Mashaal.

4.Chittiyaan kallayiaan : The first time I heard it, I was like "Now which song is this ?" And the next moment I saw my one plus old darling gleefully swinging to that one. Second time, we both were dancing together. It was irresistible.  I still can't change the channel if that song is playing.

5.Sun Saathiya : This number from ABCD2 has something about it that ever since I have heard it, it hasn't worn out of my sight, memory and I can't help my futile attempts to get the lyrics right and try out a step or two.

6. Saturday Night: The thought and feel of the weekend, music, dance, partying and catchy Whigfield vocals -all make this number a heady concoction that will get you on the floor. I so wanna go back to this like right now!

7. Kamli kamli : The Dhoom 3 number has got interesting visuals, vocal.s It is spellbindingly refreshing. The video itself proves it. Remember the look on the face of Aamir Khan!

8. Chambe di booti : The energy of this song just grips me from the word go. And once the powerful vocals of Arif Lohar and Misha  take over, then the intense lyrics just don't let me go. What energy man!Listen for yourself and get addicted.

9.Suraj dooba hai yaaro The songs that chants about becoming selfish- 'matlabi hoja zara matlabi' indeed does make you selfish and how! It infuses me with a dose of energy from God-knows-where and my devil-may-care attitude comes to the fore making me groove away to glory with this number from Roy. Try it for yourself.

“I am blogging for #MaxFreshMove activity atBlogAdda in association with Colgate MaxFresh. Watch the Taazgi Ka Dhamaal video and enjoy the fresh moves!

 

The Fresh move(s) of H&W

"Listen, aaj nahi ho paayega. I'll be working late today", the voice of the H declared hurriedly on the phone.
W paused. She quickly checked her anguish and said, "And what about tomorrow?'
"What about tomorrow?", the voice on the other side echoed.
"The movie?", W said not feeling like saying anymore.
"Arre nahin yaar! Not tomorrow. Kal toh I have a plan with Duggu n all. Phir dekhte hain. Ok. Bye.
"Bye", W said not wanting to prolong this conversation. Such conversations were becoming the norm of late.

 

She threw the phone away. “As usual”, she said to herself. In the background, FM was playing Dum maro dum mit jaye ghum... W smiled faintly wondering if it was that simple, life was that simple. It had been just 3 years since they got married and something had already gone amiss, what they call 'the spark' that had died off. How she wished somebody or something could rekindle that. In fact minutes before this conversation, when she was flipping the pages of the newspaper, she noticed with interest the full page advert of Allu Arjun and Anushka Manchanda’s concert in the town the next day. She had smiled to herself. She looked at the paper again and started humming that Anushka Manchanda track 'Tu saala kaam se gaya...', and her thoughts veered to that first meeting of the now H&W. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was in 'the Mix'. W had been dancing gleefully with her friends but she had noticed someone was stealing glances at her initially and then more often and W noticed when he wasn’t. Then there was an announcement – the big surprise of that evening was about to be unveiled. And they heard a voice’ 'Hey, phir dekh raha hai...' and the crowd went berserk chanting 'Anushka! Anushka!' Then they saw a hooded figure appear on the stage with a flip in the air. It was Allu Arjun in his charismatic style! What an entry! The crowd couldn’t contain the energy that the duo brought along when they both started churning out hit foot tapping numbers one after another and set the stage on fire. W’s sensuous groovy moves on Anushka’s ‘Tu saala kaam se gaya’ number echoed what H’s heart and mind was telling him. H couldn’t stop himself from asking her for the next dance on Golmaal title track and then 'Dum maro dum' and so on. The whole ambience was crazy but the duo had eyes only for each other and exchanged smiles and much more. The excitement the energy of the singing-dancing duo was infectious and it weaved magic for the duo –in the process of being H&W.

When H came back that night, he was exhausted. And she too, with all the mind travelling she had done today. None seemed to be in the mood to ask or answer questions. Then H broke the silence. “Wo Duggu has got 6-7 passes for tomorrow for some Anushka Manchanda and Allu Arjun nite. So wahan chalte hain kal. Be ready by 6. W turned back to confirm what she had heard but H was busy fetching the remote. She just smiled to herself thinking about and thanking that someone up there who fulfils one wish in 24 hours, as they say.

The next evening H& W reached the venue and secured their place close to the stage. It was like déjà vu. Anushka entered the venue crooning ‘Ek main aur ek tu’. The whole atmosphere got charged when Allu Arjun joined her and rocked the stage with his sensational moves. And the next song was ‘tu saala kaam se gaya’. That moment the eyes of H&W met, they both smiled at each other. H stretched out his hand to W and she showed her best moves. And that’s when the magic started weaving again. They both danced like they had been dying to do this for so long. Then it was ‘Lucky tu lucky me’ and before they knew it, they both were called up on the stage and they were matching steps with full gusto and freshness with Anushka and Allu. Now that was the # MaxFreshMove, exactly the shot of freshness that H&W needed, their life needed.

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

5 gems of my world!

 


If travel be the food of life, drive on; Give me excess of it, …

But no surfeiting. Never. Ever. Not especially since you can now take your world with you wherever you want, live your life to the fullest with those you love. Basically that means to #LiveLodgycal in the new Renault Lodgy, since that brings along best of both the worlds – ample space for everybody’s comfort and a powerful, efficient engine to make every drive a memorable driving experience.

Like moms, my baby is my world and I wouldn’t part with it for the world. Taking her along would mean taking along the whole paraphernalia that goes along with a toddler of 1.8 yrs, that any mum would be so familiar with. I would have to load my car with diapers (most important –mind you, and loads of them), wipes, baby bottle sterilizer, sanitizer, milk bottles water bottles, baby feeding cups and spoons and plates (careful, they might double up as playthings too) and as many on-the-go baby food options as possible and many and much more knickknacks. I can stock them all – her favourite food and drinks, since I am taking along a practical MUV for a #LiveLodgycal experience. But with that comes the fear of messing up the interiors, but no food spills in Renault Lodgy because of conveniently placed cup holders and luxurious flight trays.

Baby’s toys and few books maybe. Now that your toddler is part of your world, playthings, toys and what not goes along with you to keep him/her entertained and you relaxed. The big toys, the small toys, the wonderdoggy, and the mini cycle, all that follows. Oh yeah- the stroller too – which occupies a whole lot of space and we have to usually leave it behind otherwise. But in Lodgy what with massive boot space of 207 litres expandable to 1861 liters, I can conveniently pack all this and lots more with ease. And since there’s  a retractable seat in the third row and can be tumble folded to allow extra space and comfort , I too can pack in few books, few light reads and few related to my faith, to enjoy during my baby’s nap times.

Another prerequisite of my world for such a drive, in fact the most important would be the hubby, of course. Afterall, for a drive you do need atleast one licensed individual behind the wheel and who else will that be, with me the wifey, still being driving –challenged. I am sure he’s gonna love wielding the adjustable steering wheel while being parked luxuriously on theleather-upholstered driver’s seat which can be adjusted in 8 different ways according to his preference while resting his arm on the integrated armrest. Oh boy! this one complies and how! Alongwith a face to be envied and a body to be admired that is! And with that kinda comfort and features, short drives can easily become long drives and also, parking can be tad too easy with the rear parking aid. The Eco mode of the car can keep a tab on fuel consumption. No compromises on safety front too. Dual front airbags and ABS combined with EBD and Brake Assist can help him control the car better in case of an emergency braking situation. All in all, he can’t thank me enough for this  #LiveLodgycal experience.


 

Now if the hubby goes, along go his gadgets! His over-worked and constantly-discharged phone, charger, the playlist on the phone and the USB, the DSLR, and what not are the tag-alongs. But thank God, the new Renault Lodgy comes fitted with state-of-the-art MediaNAV console which has all the controls at your finger-tip playing on its 7-inch touchscreen. All he needs to do is
 

just connect the phone to it and that starts the fun not in terms of just entertainment but also, to answer calls, parking and most importantly, navigation with installed maps. Afterall, who’s gonna ask for directions, man? (it’s a man’s best friend, what say?) Oh! for me, I love the radio option alongwith the chatter and the ads. I must mention the life saviour in the car would be the mobile charger for his never-satiated mobile, not to forget there’s a charging socket for all three rows of seats to power your devices wherever you might be sitting in the car. Well that brings me to another addition to my world travelling with me.


  

 
My extended world : Since Renault Lodgy boasts of ample space with  up to flexible 7/8 full-sized seats over three rows, and since my world comprises a joint family with six members (including me and hubby, in-laws, bro-in-law and sis-in-law) and two toddlers, I can take them all along with ease on certain special occasions. Instead of taking two cars and wasting fuel, this can be an economic, entertaining, beautiful and comfortable option. And safe too. No compromises there- whether it is driving safely or parking safely what with cutting-edge research and engineering. I personally loved the anti-pinch feature on the driver’s side offering protection by rolling down on sensing an obstruction. Renault Lodgy can truly be an asset when it comes to living life logically and venturing on picnics, roadtrips or city driving.

“I’m participating in the #LiveLodgycal contest with Renault in association with BlogAdda to get a chance to be a part of the #LiveLodgycal Drive in Goa.”


 

My first expert- my mum!

I have always wondered how my mom would have the solution for anything under the sun -whether stated explicitly or ever-so-slightly-hinted-at for you to decipher things on your own. I have wondered how her touch, thought, word and action would spur me on. And even that how I had to and then later how every woman could turn into something like that and how could that be. Some of that made sense, when I recently became a mom.
Afterall, she was my first expert - the first person I learnt to rely on, with whom I needn't put on.

My shoulder to lean on,
still hoping I stand tall.
And rise high out of every fall,
she's ever so keen on.
My first mentor
my existence's centre
my panacea
helps me shirk inertia
my go-to escort
my first expert!
My mom -respect!

Westin fun : Beer, Burgers and More

Guest Author, Manik Sehgal talks about his dining experience at Westin through this blog post.

The 10-day long food festival, at Westin – Gurgaon, themed on the famous international cuisine – Beer and Burgers – was one of the most exciting I have visited in the recent past. It came across as a surprise invitation as my wife called me over the phone and asked me to join over.  I was more than happy to yes for this mouthwatering event.

The evening of March 18, 2015 began with an entry to the Seasonal Tastes, the all-day restaurant at the Westin. We were escorted straight to the food festival arena by the courteous staff at the counter. The arena was in open just outside the all-day restaurant. The view was also amazing as the sitting was done keeping in mind that the guest can enjoy the cool breeze around.

The make shift kitchen was in front of the sitting area, giving a full view of the preparations of the burger and its content. The Chef was quite courteous to welcome us and told us to have a look at the spread of patties and let him know our choice. I had a look around and finally ordered a Three Bean burger. In the time Chef prepared my order, I looked around and feasted my eyes on other interesting patties. Soon my burger was ready after a few minutes.

The moment I tasted it, I knew that there was something new I had eaten and I went to the chef to ask about it. The patty was soft enough to melt in my mouth and had enough to give my taste buds the feel of the beans. But the main reason for the feeling was that the patty was grilled and not fried, like we normally get in burgers. The way of preparation of the patty made the burger taste so different and obviously healthy too. One thing which I always want in my burger is that it should be messy enough in the inside and the bun should be soft as well as crispy on the outside.

As far as drinks was concerned, I do not take Beer so I settled for a Fresh Lime soda. The taste of burger was absolutely delighting with the soda. I totally enjoyed the evening. 

As we were thinking of leaving after having the full burger, we were told by the hosts to enjoy the buffet spread at the restaurant as well. I had already been there twice during my after meeting lunch but this time it was different as we were there to taste the food and relish the taste. It made me feel all the more excited and hungry.

The place had mix of live kitchens and an interactive open kitchen. The buffet spread was very elaborate starting all the way from salads, soups, Indian chat counter, Chinese, Indian, Continental and a wide variety of desserts. Having a sweet tooth, I always keep an eye on the desserts whenever I go for buffet . Its my rule, I eat some desserts in the beginning of the meal and I come to the others later.

I started with the Delhi ka Gol-Gappas. I tried them with the mix of sweet and tangy liquid. Wherever you eat them, the golgappas never fail to take the taste buds for a ride. Then was the turn for the soup along with some traditional Indian and Chinese starters. By this time I was almost full but the taste of the food kept the foodie  me going on and on. For the main course, I just had some plain rice along with some Indian delicacies. I also tried little bit of Chinese main course and it also tasted good.

Now was the turn of the desserts, and I excitedly walked towards the dessert counter. The dessert counter was round in shape and all the different types of sweets were put on multiple shelf on the round table. It started from Chocolate Burfi till multiple flavors of ice cream. It also had fruits tarts, chocolate mousses, fruit custards, authentic Indian sweets like Gajar ka Halwa and Gulab Jamun and what not. I wanted to taste all of them but was able to taste only half of them. The rest will be tried some other time.

After the sumptuous and satisfying meal,  I was already planning my next visit to Seasonal Tastes in my mind. One thing which I want to point out is that one should go there empty stomach to enjoy the buffet spread. The price of the buffet is on the higher side but I would rate it reasonable since the food- spread is quite lavish offering varied choices and savoring tastes.

I totally enjoyed the evening and will be there again to enjoy the mouth watering dishes.

Life-changing start!

Disbelieving looks and a volley of questions by my friends followed my declaration about my future plans on that Chandigarh trip."You? Really?" "You are going out of country?" "How long? You alone?" "You think you can manage?" "Your dad allowed? How come?" I didn't know if or how I could manage all alone in distant different land but all I knew at that point in time was that it was time to #StartANewLife. Much-needed. Much waited-for.

My #together story -most memorable

It had been a little over one month and still I was seeking that settling down feeling or maybe I wasn't. Everything was still so new - new life, new four walls, new atmosphere, new routine, new expectations, new responsibilities, none of the old familiarity surrounded me. The hubby would leave for work every morning and I was left wondering the 'whys', hows, 'whats', 'what ifs' and 'what-if-nots' of my life. 

Burger Face-off Event organized by Eat Treat!

Eat Treat Burger Face-Of

A friend had an invite from the organizers of Burger Face-off event and when she filled me more about it that 14 restaurants of Delhi were coming together to dish out their juicy burgers, my tongue went rolling. She said as a blogger I was invited but only when I promised that I would blog about it. Burger Face Off, sounded a tempting name to me maybe because I am a hardcore foodie or maybe because our generation is crazy about  fatty foods. I bet there are hardly few who would say they don't love the patty sandwiched between the buns along with the dressings. Grabbing a bite on the go makes it a obvious choice so often. However, the Delhi restaurants have been innovating around it and some really interesting burger cousins have been dominating their menus in the last few years. The event happened in the chilling evening of December 19, 2014 at Liverpool Terminal in Tivoli Gardens, Chattarpur, New Delhi. It was a Friday and that made this event even more lucrative as I had no plans on that weekend. My taste buds were all set to relish the yummy treats of these classy restaurants taking part in the event.  A relishing Burger The participating restaurants were Hard Rock Cafe, Amici, Fat Burger, Fork You, Smokeys, The Hungry Monkey, Monkey Bar, Double Roti, Depot 29, Terminus 1, Joint! Cafe, Cafe Delhi Heights and Holy Smoke.  The area was buzzing with people when I reached there. In the garden, amidst the unique decor, the participating restaurants were lined up in a ‘U’ shape of the small park and the celebrated judges were sitting on the side covering the ‘U’. In between there were desks kept for people to sit and enjoy the sumptuous burgers. On one of corners, one could also buy some drinks to be enjoyed with the burgers. There were plenty of drinks available, right from pre-mixes to vodkas for the alcoholics and water to coffee for the non-alcoholics.   Delhi foodies enjoying Burgers   I was with one of my friends and we started to look around at all the counters and see the menu before finalizing on what to eat. There were enormous options from small sliders to big hefty burgers. All the restaurants had both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian options available for both sets of people.      After spending some decent time in looking around the interesting names on the menu and ways of preparations we were tempted to the core. We started with the sliders (small burgers, equivalent to starters in a normal course of meal) to savor the taste of the awesome looking preparations which the chefs were busy in. And finally we broke our fasting with sliders from Delhi Heights which came along with some fries as well.  After relishing the taste of sliders, I became more hungry and began to eye a full burger. Among all the choices, I had already zeroed in on Smokeys and their Curried Veg burger looked large and inviting.    Curried Veg Burger from Smokeys The size of the burger as you can see above was quite big. Moreover, there were masala fries served along with the burger. The fries were fried to perfection with the top being very crisp and the inside being very soft. The burger on the other side was awesomely good. The patty inside was very meaty and used to melt in the mouth. The salad dressing along with little bit of mayonnaise was tasting very good. I was too full after having the whole burger, relished it completely and as a whole loved the invite to the event.   Finally, I decided to try the filter coffee being served by Double Roti to relish the coffee flavor, which I generally love, and also get rid of the cold weather before driving back home. All in all, it was an evening well spent. Thanks to Eat Treat for organizing such an event and giving us foodies a chance to explore some of the best burgers available in town through this Burger Face-Off event. This was an interesting concept because this helped us to explore burgers of all kinds through different flavors and taste. Also having    more than one restaurant at one place made it easier to choose  and select one over the other. Judges were giving marks to each and every burger station   Burgers at Fat Burger station

This is a guest post from my brother Manik Sehgal and it his experience of the event.

                                                                                                                                      

My 'incredibly super-powered' phone!

Mankind has this hunger to know everything, alright! But aren't we all, at the same time, in search of unfathomable, Incredible? Once you reach that unfathomable, a new search for the 'incredible' begins. And the journey of life and exploration and evolution continues. So Asus 'In Search of Incredible' Zenphone has already come up with #INCREDIBLEZEN ASUS 4, 5 and 6-Inch Android phones - the phones with some superpowers - what fun is it imagining your phone with some incredible super powers! AsusZenphone is a product to enhance your style quotient, fun quotient, smartness quotient and bring the best of technology at your fingertips. Taking inspiration from the incredible superpowers of Asus Zenphone, I can't help but think, dream of my phone having some extraordinary abilities towards spreading happiness -truly a Zen phone, things that none of the available smart phones ever thought of. 

See what others can't see 

Imagine a phone which completes your basic human need. Hunger, love, make way - there is yet another basic human need that complements our personality - the desire for 'Compliments'. I would definitely like my phone to have this super power - to see what others can't see - the innate goodness inherent in every human being, though lying latent. A phone which compliments you on your external and internal beauty every time you look at it. It can tell you whats wrong and where and you can fix it in a jiffy. What fun, isn't it? Our mobile phone is our constant companion these days, accompanies us wherever we go, it better be able to see what others can't see. Anyways, we look at it more times in a day than we look at the looking glass. When you look good, you feel good too; it boosts your confidence, and makes your day. It works well as a positive reinforcement for our personality and outlook. And who's better to do this job than your 'technological better half', with whom you spend more time than your better half. Afterall, according to 2013 Cell Phone Statistics, 29% of users described their phone as something they can't live without.

Do what others can't do 

A study says, women talk almost three times as much as men. According to WHO obesity statistics, in all WHO regions, women were more likely to be obese than men. Phew! No, I definitely don't want my Smart phone to be able to collect this kind of data for me. What I am trying to drive home is another extraordinary ability of my 'super-powered' phone - one that could be a boon for all women! I would want my phone to have the superpower of - hold your breath - triggering weightloss! Do what others can't do! The more you talk on the phone, the more weight you'll lose. How cool is that! Women are the worst sufferers when it comes to weight-gain and women love to talk a lot too. So the much desired equilibrium could be achieved and maintained if all that talking could make me and all lose something undesirable and gain the appreciation in the process. Now this superpower will definitely be a first for a phone. And thats what I call a Smartphone in the true sense. Just imagine the advertisement of my phone showing ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures of happy people. It will always be a ‘sold out’. Happy vendors, happy customers!

Feel what others can't feel

Are you the one who has an amazing record of losing phones that none can beat? Are you the one fumbling with your stuff many times during the day trying to locate your phone, simply put, a li’l forgetful when it comes to your phone? Or suffering from that paranoia that you have lost your phone or are about to lose it, or you have lost it? If yes, then my ‘super-powered phone’ is out there as a ‘messiah’ for you all. A smart phone which has the extraordinary ability to feel what others can’t feel – your presence! Touch therapy with a twist – oh actually, from a distance! Swipe. Touch. Expand. No need to go close and harm your body. The phone sends out vibes so that you can locate it, anytime, every time. Talk and play without worrying about losing it! I have seen so may people fretting over it that I ‘feel’ for it. You’ll be connected almost all the time – that’s some powerful, superrr power that I would want my phone to have. 

This post is my entry for the #INCREDIBLEZEN ASUS Zenphone contest by Asus in association with Indiblogger

Images : Google Images