Saks Hair and Beauty, Bandra

            I visited Saks Hair and Beauty Salon in Bandra earlier this week and I am glad I did so. My hair got just the right pampering it needed. I was also lucky enough to get my hair done by Stewart Harland, International Principal Hairstylist. He quickly analyzed my frizzy, damaged hair and suggested that we work to get them more hydrated as that is what is needed during this hot Mumbai Summer.

The place is calming and they make sure they give you a good treatment and you walk out all smiles :) :) :) isn’t that what you we all look for anyway?

Stewart explained me each step and how it will benefit my hair. It has been over a week now and my hair still feels so good. They are a lot less frizzy and feel super soft.

He also gave me a small tip at the end which would make my curly frizzy hair more manageable.

I walked out with a big smile on my face and a new found love for my hair.

Part-Time Devdas – Book Review

Part-Time Devdas – Book Review

Author – Rugved Mondkar

In India, when Zaalim Duniya separates a guy and a girl in love, they are called Heer and Ranjha. But when they themselves decide to separate, they are called Devdaas and Paro.

Meet Arjun Kulkarni – a thirty-year-old film director, with actresses and janta equally fond of him and his work. He has a house to himself, a fancy car and enough money to ensure a comfortable lifestyle, and has even had his share of love and flings. Sounds like a complete life, happy and content. Or does it?

What lies behind a smiling face is a painful break-up, which not only took away the love of this life Hrida after seven long years, but also led to estrangement from his parents, buddies, a best friend…even the  country.

From full-time love, to part-time Devdaasgiri; from part-time guilt, to full-time redemption: life seems to come full circle when his sixteen-year-old neighbor Aditi come in without knowing.

Does he find a way back into love or is he destines to a Part-Time Devdaas…?

About the author -  Rugved Mondkar lives in Mumbai and works full time as an Executive Producer with a leading media company where he writes and directs socially relevant short films. Over the past eight years, he has written and assisted on more than a dozen commercial Hindi feature films and another two dozen ad films. He is slated to make his feature film debut as writer and director.

I chanced upon this book right before my exams started and glad I was! Whenever I needed a break I would open this book up. It’s a simple and easy read about a guy and his encounters. Easy to understand and not very high on language makes this book a fun read. If you are new to reading and wants to motivate yourself to start reading then this is the book for you. The stories and relatable and thus helps you get more involved with the book.

You should definitely pick this book up if you are looking for a light read and not something heavyfor the mind.

Aquamagica - #SummerPartyHasJustBegun

            The raising temperature in the city coaxed me into going to AquaMagica and I am so glad that I did. It is a perfect break from the city. A one and half hour drive from the city takes you to this place for a day of fun and frolic with your friends/family.

            The place is super clean and that helped me not to worry about the cleanliness and hygiene of the water. Huge changing rooms and locker rooms made me happy, there was enough place for everyone.  We first went into all the small slides and Pirate bay and spend almost most of the time in the Wave pool. After lunch we somehow got more daredevil and went on those huge scary looking slides and I am so glad that we did! They were amazing! My cowardice had kept me away from those slides all morning and then I cursed myself because I didn’t get enough go on each one of them.

       

     The food is good too with a variety of cuisine to suit your taste buds. We were planning to leave the place by 5pm but ended up staying there till 7.30pm.

       

     A few things to keep in mind when going to Aquamagica –

-          Carry a sunblock

-          Carry a swimsuit. Cotton clothes or jeans/shorts are not allowed in the rides.

-          Make sure you have a transport arranged, it may get late.

-          Outside food is not allowed

By the time I got home I was completely exhausted. There were two kids with us and with them I forgot how old I was and had become a child again. I would suggest go with kids, they would make the entire experience all the more fun.

The candy store would make is difficult for you to decide which one to buy. It reminded me of Honeydukes from Harry Potter.

All in all, a day well spent! A must during summers.

I Decided To Do Weekly Vlogs (Week 1)

Hi Guys,
I recently started doing Weekly Vlogs and this is my first vlog. Do check it out and let me know your views in the comments below :D

Easy Tips To Become An Avid Reader

            Summer is officially here and that means that going out in the day is going to be one task! I personally would love to curl up in the house with a nice cold coffee and a book. Most of the people complain that they don’t have enough time to read books or that they try to read but are never successful. I face that at times as well, it is difficult to find time to sit and read books and that’s why I am listing down a couple of things that I do to motivate myself to keep reading. I hope these tips help you too.

            Your Space -

            First things first, create your book-nook. A small place where you can sit comfortably without any distractions and read. It needn’t be a separate dedicated room or anything just a chair in a corner with a reading lamp should work. Throw in some comfy pillows and snuggle up. You can also set up a table and chair near the window and read away. Make sure there are no distractions around  no Television, no computer not even your cell phone if you can do that (I personally can’t stay away from my phone)

            Scribble-

            This is something that I do very often. Whenever I am reading a book I keep a highlighter handy along with a pencil. If I come across something nice I highlight it.  I also scribble down if a thought comes to my mind while reading. By the end of the book I would have few scribbled notes and highlighted parts making the books all the more personal to me.

            Apps-

            We live in a world which is filled with apps and websites, make good use of them. Apps like GoodReads help log all the books you have read and plan to read, you can also write reviews, track your progress, read reviews by others, share your progress on Facebook and Twitter and basically be book buddies with your friends. This really helps and makes reading a little more fun.

            Reading Challenges-

            Reading Challenges also helps a lot (Although I haven’t really completed any but it did help me read up a lot) reading challenges motivate you read more and helps you cultivate a reading habit. GoodReads has a book challenge where you decide to read a certain number of books every year. While you are at it, add me on GoodReads so that we could inspire each other. To add me click Here.

HTBrunch also conducts a #BrunchBookChallenge , you can follow me on Instagram and checkout books I am reading by clicking Here

There are many other challenges online, Check out the image for one of my favorite challenge.

            Always carry a book-

            Always carry a book with you and whenever you have some free time just start reading. eBooks are great as they don’t take up extra space in your bag, you can just read on your phone.

            Everyday goal-

            Dedicate some time everyday just for reading it could be 5 minutes or half an hour depending on your schedule. This would make sure that you read every day. The other way to do this is to decide number of pages to read every day. Decide to read at least 20 pages every day, you can do more if you have more time.

            Keep a list-

            Make a list of books that you want to read, you can use apps or make a handwritten list. This would make sure you never run out of things to read. There are many lists available online as well, posting some below.

http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/

http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-nonfiction/

http://thoughtcatalog.com/ryan-holiday/2014/02/25-recommendations-for-life-changing-biographies-for-voracious-readers/

http://www.entomologyofabookworm.com/2012/03/telegraphs-110-best-books-list-by-genre.html

http://flavorwire.com/434548/50-essential-mystery-novels-that-everyone-should-read/view-all

            Second hand books shops are your friend-

            This is my favorite, visit old used books shops! You get books at cheaper rate there and often find some good deals. You’ll end up buying more books for lesser money thus making sure that you never run out of books. If you are a regular customer the owner might also give you additional discounts.

            Start with topics and genre you love-

            If you are just starting then it makes sense to start with books on topics and genre you love. This will keep you interested and will make sure that you complete the book.

Hope these tips help J

PS - 23^rdApril is the World Book Day.

50 Random Things About Me - TMI Tag

Long Distance Relationship Chronicle

            After being together for 6 years and 11 months with lots of ups and downs we have entered a new phase, just one month before our 7 years anniversary. 7 years!!! Wow that a long time! He ismovie for work for 2 years, and as scary as it sounds I want to believe that this will only make us stronger.

            It is easy to be in love with someone who you can meet everyday, it is equally difficult to love someone who is practically not there with you physically. I knew he was planning to leave soon, I just didn’t know it would be so quick! We hardly got 2 days notice and he had to leave. The feeling is just sinking in yet, I got up knowing he is not in the same city as I am anymore. My brains are still not okay with this idea. It had become a routine to plan the day and then see if I could see him in the evening, I did that today as well and then remember that he is gone.

            I am not exactly sad, I know that this is best for our future, his future to be exact. It is just difficult and scary! Very very scary.

            I have seen people breakup in a long distance relationship, I have seen people cheat in a long distance relationship and that is something that I really hope I don’t have to deal with.

            A new phase starts now. 

What’s in my Bag + Giveaway

Hey guys,

I am doing a giveaway on my YouTube Channel. Check out the video!

I am giving away Khadi Travel Kit, it has Shampoo, Conditioner, Facewash and
Mosturiser. It also has 2 soaps – Neem Tulsi and Sandalwood.

To win this, all you have to do is comment and tell me what is that one thing that is always
in your bag.

Rules –

1.      Comment and tell me what is that one thing that is always in your bag.

2.      Like the video and Subscribe to the channel.

3.      Share it and tag me in the post.

4.      Follow me on Twitter and Instagram

Twitter - https://twitter.com/PoojaMahimkar

Instagram - http://instagram.com/poojamahimkar

Google+ - https://plus.google.com/+poojamahimkar

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/poojamahimkar/

                                       

I will randomly pick a winner.

The giveaway ends on 31^st March 2015

The HDMI Chronicle

Every Indian is familiar with the word “Jugaad”

Wikipedia defines Jugaad as - Jugaad (alternatively Juggaar) is a colloquial Hindi-Urdu word that can mean an innovative fix or a simple work-around,^[1] used for solutions that bend rules, or a resource that can be used as such, or a person who can solve a complicated issue. It is used as much to describe enterprising street mechanics as for political fixers. This meaning is often used to signify creativity to make existing things work or to create new things with meagreresources.

One such jugaadhappened to me the other day (unintentionally)  for a few weeks now, my HDMI cable wasn’t working. I tried removing and attaching it again, didn’t work. I checked various YouTube videos and followed the steps to the tee, that too, didn’t work!

Annoyed, I gave up.

Few daysafter that, I again tried using HDMI. The above drill was repeated, then it dawned on me that maybe it is something to do with softwares. There I was, Goggling up various softwares and hack, nothing worked!

Frustrated and tired and annoyed I sat down with the HDMI cable. The first thing that came to my mind was Bajaj Scooter. It is said that back in the day, if your Bajaj Scooter doesn’t start then you should tilt it from side to side and it would work.

As this brought a smile on my face, I without thinking just blew into the HDMI cable. Something told me to try it again after blowing into it. Well, guess what! It worked!

Moral – Sometimes you don’t need all difficult and complicated things, a simple something can do the trick.

As we did talk about Bajaj Ad, I am linking it here. So nostalgic!

Eagle Boys Pizza

Ordered Chicken and Corn Pizza and Cheesy Garlic Scroll yesterday from the Sterling outlet. It was a good break from the regular Pizza options. I had my concerns if it would turn out to be good but I was pleasantly surprised by the pizza.

The pizza was tasty and the crust was super soft, sign that it was fresh! I expected the Cheesy Scroll to be something like a Garlic Bread, well it is not but it is still good enough.

I love it because of the quick service and of course the freshly made pizzas.

They have various combos available. Also thanks to the World Cup season they are giving 50% off whenever India wins a match, Cricket and Pizza seems like a good idea right guys?

They even have happy hours on weekdays, so you guys should surely check this place out. 

Fitness Apps that I Use

I think I have spoken about how I have tried and failed and repeatedly kept failing at maintain my body weight. I won’t call myself obese but definitely over weight. So it has been my aim to lose weight and try and get fitter for a long time now. Unfortunately, my love for food and lack of motivation has religiously helped me not achieve my goals.

            I thought that if I had some things to keep myself in check I would do better. So there I was on Google play trying to find the perfect apps that would help me track my progress (or not so great progress) I want to say that this helps. You just need a little bit of motivation and you could really go a long way with these.

            I wanted apps which are not very clattered, which are simple and does its work properly. I am listing down 6 apps below.

Water Your Body

I cannot emphasis enough about how important water is in your weight loss/ fitness routine. You just cannot miss on this. Every fitness video/book focuses on water and its importance. This app remind you to drink water every one hour. I sounds something that you don’t need but trust me guys, there are times when I go an entire day without enough water. This app remind me to keep sipping on water and it really helps.

You can download it here - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.northpark.drinkwater&hl=en

My Fitness Pal

This app helps count calories in your food. You can log in all your meals and it would tell you how much nutrients you need. It would also keep a check on your calories obviously. It’s like your personal nutritionist.

You can download it here - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myfitnesspal.android&hl=en

RunKeeper

As the name suggests, it keeps track of your runs, walks, strolls etc. it would calculate your speed, pace and calories burnt. If you are training for marathon or just want to build up your stamina then it also has planned training sessions which helps you achieve your goal.

You can download it here - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fitnesskeeper.runkeeper.pro&hl=en

Google Fit

This is a pedometer. Very basic but very useful. It just tracks the number of steps. Very useful for people who don’t have time for actual workout, you can at least try and walk as much possible so that it help you reduce.

You can download it here - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.fitness&hl=en

Sleep Better

It’s not always about running about and working out. Making sure that you body gets enough sleep and rest is also important. This app helps you gauge your sleep patterns and how good you sleep was. Just turn it on before going to bed and you will know about your sleep in the morning. It also has a dream diary for all those dreams you keep forgetting about later.

You can download it here - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.runtastic.android.sleepbetter.lite&hl=en

7 Minute Workout

Again something for people who don’t have much time to exercise. I wouldn’t say that this is your one stop workout but you can definitely try this when you really have no time for workout. 7 minutes is all you need.  It also has a workout to get rid of that flab.

You can download it here - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.popularapp.sevenmins&hl=en

Well that’s all I use. If you want to stay updated with my fitness struggle then you can follow my blog, follow me and share your fitness stories and we can be friends who push and inspire each other to do better at fitness. - http://mumbaigirltriestoloseweight.blogspot.in/

Follow me and share your fitness stories and we can be friends who push and inspire each other to do better at fitness. 

My Jabong.com Experience

I have been shopping online for quite some time now, being the obsessive me I always need things to be sorted and well organized. This is exactly what I look for when I am shopping online. Easy navigation, proper description of products, offers and good customer service is what I generally look for and 

Jabong.com had it all. The very first time I went on to the site I absolutely loved the amazing variety of products that they had – you can find everything on Jabong. No need to go through 10 different sites.

The delivery process was also very smooth. Prompt email confirmations and updates via SMS made me feel relaxed and not worry about the delivery. (I have had some bad experiences on other sites where the product wasn’t delivered on time or was lost etc). The delivery was actually done before time despite the heavy rains! This really impressed me. 

The product was packed in a nice way so as to avoid any kind of damage during delivery.

Because it was such a hassle free and smooth experience I decided to blog about it, after all such experiences are rare.

My Orkut Love Story

With everyone posting stuff about how Orkut is important to them and fellow bloggers posting in their memories of the Social Networking site. I thought, “Hey! I have a story to tell as well” so here I go!

            I remember being overly hooked by the site. With school, Classes and Tuitions taking up most of the time me along with some friends used to frequent the local cyber cafés and eagerly check our new scraps, testimonials etc. Orkut made my initial years of the World Wide Web so much more interesting.

            Coming to the story, I met him via Orkut. Although I confused him with someone else the conversation kept happening. Scraps turned to Gtalk and then Yahoo messenger. There were days when we spoke till 4am and still there was so much that we didn’t share that the conversation continued the next day. It was funny how someone I hadn’t even met then had become so close, guess conversation covers up the distance. Words and feeling can bring people together especially when you share every small thing that you do, however over the years that changed.

            I still remember the first time we met 6 months later. Awkward but glad that we could see each other in the real world and not virtual. The next day he proposed me and it was all wonderful with little ups and down … for the next 6years.

            To be honest I used to secretly enjoy the reactions I used to get whenever I told someone we met via Orkut. We always used to feel that we are lucky to find each other. Just a little too perfect everything was as time passed of course things changed and the perfect everything changed to not-so-perfect everything. Words like destiny, lucky, made for each other lost its value over the years and now we are no more together. Now when I think about it, it is perfect! It kind of is weird actually that it ended when Orkut announced that it’s closing. I see a perfect circle completing. Destiny is all I can say…

Bye Bye Split Ends!

Don’t cut it very short okay? Just a little bit. Get rid of the Split ends ONLY!, every time I go to the salon for my hair cut this is the first thing I would tell them.

            Yes, don’t worry! she would assure me.

And when it was all over ill look in the mirror and would be shocked to see how short my hair has got. Mind you, I have curly hair so it any which ways springs up and the length seems shorter than it really is now addeven more shorter hair because of Split ends and it just adds to my hair problems.

            So when I recently tried the TRESemmé Split Remedy I couldn’t help but notice a visible change in my hair. The roots look much healthier and prettier. You know those ugly looking ends of the pony tail? All gone! Thanks to this amazing product.

            I would recommend this to everyone who has split end problems. Use this and watch it all go away! :D

A little bit of nice would be nice no?

I have noticed that these days around, there has been a lot of police checking happening in Mumbai at night, which is a good thing! I think I have written about this before as well about how safe that is for girls and about how it makes me feel safe that someone is out there for my security. Yesterday however I saw it in a new light; I was out with a friend, just a drive and some hanging out. We went to Juhu Beach for a walk and didn’t realize that it had got pretty late as we were returning to where the car was parked some police were there to vacate the place and they told us to leave.  We tried explaining them that our car was parked there at it would be a real long walk if we have to go from the main road, but they were adamant and in this explaining which happened they passed a comment which I would have until some years back would have taken way toseriously but now I have kind of got used to accepting that this is the way Mumbai Police talk!

So my point here is, is it really that necessary? Is it really necessary to insult or pass some statements which might be offensive forsome people? Especially when the female can hear them. There has been couple of times that I heard such stories… actually worse than what happened with me butnow that I experienced it I know it’s not a nice feeling.

There was this one article which my friend had sent me where police created quite a ruckus just because a guy was talking to his girlfriend below her building at Worli.

Of course I don’t blame them totally, they have their share of irritating situations to deal with as well and all this rudeness kind of originates from there.  For example, I just saw this tweet –

I am sure this is just a tiny part of all the hardships that they go through. Another part is where we as citizen don’t appreciate them; won’t you like it if someone appreciates for your hard work?

This one time our professor said, “Police force doesn’t get the much deserved appreciation and importance. Next time you see a traffic police man, go up to them offer them some water and thank them for maintaining proper traffic conditions”. At this the class kind of gave out a laughter and she was amazed she pointed out that this ignorance that we have is one of the reasons why even the police don’t feel like treating us good. Maybe it’s also the fact that they deal with criminals and goons so often that somehow they end up talking like them.

Again something I read online about a few teenagers in a car who mocked a traffic police man at Andheri near Infinity mall.

I think a being a bit nice on both side would do everyone some good. 

A = Anxious

So I was wondering what will be a topic that will give me a lot of things to write about and still enjoy it without giving up mid way like I have done for countless other Challenges that I took up. The answer was pretty simple - write about things you like! so here goes, I am going to blog about things that matter to me, things I like, hate, dont approve of or approve of etc... you get the idea right?

This may also seem like a tag post... basically a tag post helps give out more information about yourself this will kindof be like that.

And exactly like what I wrote above I am late for the first blog post itself.. sorry for that! So I am going to post 2 posts today ( is that allowed? )

A = Anxious 

Yes so if someone knows me they’ll know that one of the most obvious trait that  I showcase is being Anxious about almost everything and anything. I get worked up by any damn situation and doesn’t matter if that involves something that is in my control or not. I absolutely can’t stand suspense or even wait for something… I need to know things like now!!!

Sometimes obviously I know it irritates the hell out of people who are around me but the good thing is that they put up with that J ( such lovely people around me you see :D a big hug to all of them! ) I don’t even understand people who are completely at peace with the situation around them … someone recently told me that its to do with the age, I don’t agree with it ofcourse.. dude I am 22 how much more older do you want me to get?

 That’s another thing I would like to talk about here AGE! Its more of a confession here actually… I am super petrified with the fact that I am growing up! My birthday is fast approaching that all I want from it is the party but not the growing old part. People generally start panicking when they reach 30 ( or that’s what I have heard )and if that is true then its happening way to soon for me. Do anyone of you feel the same or am I the only one here?