Godrej L'affaire 2019: An Affair To Remember

Hi, guys, I've been very busy this year. Somewhat cold weather caught on me and kept me in my pygamas resting on the bed. Still, this year has been so far so good. I was super excited to get the invitation for Godrej L'affaire 2019.

It's the gala event I look forward to every year. Last year, it was all about meeting theater and tv personalities and interacting with them. There was whiskey event, tasty food and lots of fun. I love fashion being a fashion blogger, I enjoyed the Vikram Phadnis collection.

I also happen to win at two events organised by Godrej Properties Vikroli E. The best part was winning the coolest BBlunt beauty hampers. Also, nature's basket blessed me and I got their gift hampers too.

So, since it was so much fun last year, I look forward to this year. The venue was the same Godrej One, Vikroli East.  The L'affaire started with registration and a little bit issue about my plus one's name. However, I went in myself and later the magic of L'affaire 2019 happened.

If last year was about all fun in wonderland, this year was more about the the Chronicles of Narnia. I had the most unimaginable fun last year. There were many surprises like Alice experiences. However, this year, I got the crown and throne of a queen thanks to Myntra Insider contest.

I was asked to style a mannequin. I decided to style the girl she was wearing dungaree. I decided to style her using a gold necklace and bracelet. I also put a silver necklace and silver purse.

Since, I became the Myntra insider, I was given the chance to sit on the throne wearing the tiara. It was like the crowning moment in the Chronicles of Narnia. Someone said that dreams come true and mine did come at L'affaire 2019.

Another best part of the event was that I got a goodie bag, containing jardin de inde rosewater and moisturiser. 

Making life #Smart with Flipkart

Smart Home: Home of tomorrow  PC: www.techlicious.com

From the childhood, I was fantasized with the stories of magic. The fabulous Disney princess and their stupendous magical skills made me go crazy about them and I kept imagining about living in their palaces where I can do anything with snap of fingers, any magical wand or jinn from the lamp. I always wished of spending my summer vacations there.

Time flew and I am no longer a child now.

The fantasies were now under the blanket of practicality.

One day, there was a sudden power fluctuation in my city, like a flash, in the night. And in the morning when I woke up, I felt a different aura in my house. I was sleepy and confused.

I said in my mind, “May be I am still in my subconscious. Wake up Pooja!” I Joggled myself. 

As I entered the washroom to brush my teeth, I was not able to find my brush. After looking here and there, I saw a different toothbrush on the shelf. It looked like a smart electronic toothbrush with an option to set timer for duration and a space to fill for toothpaste.

Again confusingly, I set the timer for 3 minutes, kept the brush in my mouth and pressed the button. No response.

PC: www.vectorstock.com

I thought, “How to start this thing?”

I turned it around and saw a line written at its back, “To start, please say OK Flipbought start the brushing”.

I said so and within a second, it automatically started vibrating and stopped after a minute to  spit out and started again after 10sec.  And like this it finished after 3 minutes and my teeth were super clean. It felt great.

What a start of the day!!!

pc: www.vectorstock.com

Happily surprised, I went into my room to get ready for my morning walk. As I opened my closet to tae our my jog clothes, I saw a gift with a tag #GetFitwithFlipkart. Quickly I opened it and found a  smart watch in it. It was so beautiful. I took it out and double tapped on the screen to see the functions in it. No display appeared :(

I suddenly recalled about the instructions that I gave to start the brush.  

I said, “Ok Flipbought, turn ON the display of the watch.”

The display appeared. I was super-happy. I figured out that it was a fitness tracker-cum-smart watch that can be connected to your phone. There were so many functions in there.

I wore it and went for my morning jog with double enthusiasm than any other day.

While jogging, suddenly I thought,   

pc: www.vectorstock.com

I said, “OK Flipbought, tell me the steps walked and calories burned today?”

The voice came, “You have walked 3140 steps and burned 80 calories today”.

Wow!!! It answered. So I can access all the functions of the watch with voice commands. This was so exciting.

After a great morning walk, I started back for my home. I reached home, got ready and was very excited to walk into my kitchen. After all the surprises coming one after another since morning, I was expecting my kitchen and living area to be different, like smart and trendy. After all, my home was turning into #SmartHome.

I closed my eyes, rushed to living room and slowly opened my eyes in filmy style.

Wowwww!!! Fabulous!!!

These were the words that I uttered when I looked at the new and grand 60’ inches TV. I was very keen to turn it ON. 

I was super happy. I promptly said,

“OK Flipbought, turn on the TV and start the music channel.”

And I heard the song, “Milegi, mileage kabhi to milegi!!!”

It was like dream come true.

I again said,

“Ok Flipbought, please increase the sound to maximum.”

And the sound hit hard on me. It was very loud. My eardrums were like tearing apart. I closed my ears.

Suddenly, I saw my mom coming out from another room in anger, she tweaked my ears and scolded me hard.

All I was saying, “I didn’t do anything mom. Trust me!! It all happened suddenly.”

I woke up with fear and astonishment.

Ohhh!!! So it was a dream. I was happy to get saved from my mom but I missed all the #Smarthome.

Sadly, I opened my laptop and started surfing randomly. All of the sudden, I saw a Flipkart ad displaying #Smartwearable and other #Smarthome technologies at very reasonable rates.

I quickly clicked on the ad and started searching for the smart products that can change my life  dreamlike.

I was amazed to see so many different options of smart products that can make our life easy and quick like Smart lights that turns ON, get dim and turns OFF on our command, Smart Camera thatch instantly share the pictures, has commendable optical zoom and many  other features.

With one click, you can bring all these amazing products for your smart home.

 Isn’t it like dream come true? 

At Smart home automation store of Flipkart, you can find all the smart products at great discounts anytime. Do you know, upto 40% of smart watches and assistants are sold through Flipkart? Isn't it great. People are making their lives smart with Flipkart, so why are we waiting?
After having such a cool dream and so many cool products on Flipkart, I have made my mind to go for #SmartHomeRevolution and ordered my first smart-watch.
Are you ready for yours or not?

Selfies make moments timeless #limitededitionselfies #mobiistar

Life is very much about memories, either the good ones or the bad. The good ones give you a kilometer long smile (no matter after how long you remember it and with whom) and the bad ones have experiences in the deal. Even back in time, when it was not so easy to find smartphones with front-facing camera and second person who can click good shots, people used to capture their gala moments with camera keeping its face in front. (Believe me Mr Bean and the Beatles used to do it all the time:) )

And today when “Digital World” is a big reality, capturing and enclosing the special memories in the box of twinkle and tears (actually dropbox ;) is so easy-peasy. The result is, we have thousands of selfies and pictures in the ROM of our phone.

So today when I thought of writing about the perfect selfie, the first question that came into my mind was “What’s Perfect?”

“Is all good perfect?” No.

Or the moments that make us feel heartwarming are perfect?” May be.

Or any random split second having lots of emotions and expressions is perfect?” Very near to Yes.

For me, perfection lies in moments. (be it smilies, be it teary)

And I never forget to lock those moments for my books.

When I turned back the pages of my book, I went through lots of memories and selfies with my friends, family, unknown people, random made friends and my bae. Down the lane, I got stuck at one picta. And that picture recreated lots of moments, emotions and feelings.

This may seem a very normal photograph but it has a special story behind it. 

It was the first time when I met my bae. Interest aroused??? Allow me to narrate the complete story.

When eyes met and love was felt……..

It was the month of April,2017 and the day was 20th. Exactly four months from the first time we talked over the phone. In these months, we came to know very much about each other. Our likes and dislikes, our goods and bads, our ambitions, our weirdest dreams and our wisest choices. Literally a lot!!! We have talked a lot and even had seen each other as well over a video call, but we were very eager to meet each other.

So I thought of giving him a surprise on his birthday (which is by the way on April 21st).

I booked my flight from Jaipur to Mumbai for April 20th. 

I have to reach Jaipur by noon since my flight was scheduled at around 2:00 pm. 

I took a bus from Jodhpur to Jaipur at 6:00 am in the morning which was destined to reach there by  around11:00 am. I was really excited. Butterflies were all over in my stomach dancing on the song, “Pia Milan ki root aai re”

Suddenly the bus stopped and the butterflies were down the floor. Everybody was confused for the sudden stoppage. After stepping down from the bus, I got to know that one of the tires went flat. And it will take another one or two hours for the change process and all.

I was shocked. I saw at the clock. It was around 9:30 am. More hours means we would starting again and reaching Jaipur by…………… God knows!!!!!! I was like screaming in panic. I was shouting in my mind, “ I don’t want to miss this flight. Please God, help me!!”

Then I cooled myself down and thought of any other alternative. I started looking for what other passengers were doing and luckily found one passenger who was also in equal hurry. I teamed with him and we both started to look for any way. 

We reached on a conclusion to take a Taxi. About half a kilometer ahead, there was a small stop and we decided to take a taxi from there. We took a lift and reached there and took a private car from there to Jaipur.

I was like, “Thank God!!”

We reached Jaipur by 11:45 am and I headed for the Airport.

The boarding announcement was a bliss to my ears and I was feeling so happy to walk the distance from terminal to inside flight.

I landed at Mumbai Airport at around 4:00pm and called him.

He said, “ Hey, whats up?”

I said, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport is really happening and there are so many good looking girls here. You should also come and have a look.”

And he was like, what??? When?? How??

He reached there in around an hour and as soon I saw him, I forgot about everything that had just happened. All tiredness was gone and my face was glowing.

Those moments were magical. And the journey made them more special.

He was so happy and shocked to see me. He kissed my forehead and we hugged each other. The smiles on the faces were a kilometer long.

And then we clicked a selfie. We wanted to freeze that moment forever and share it with all our loved ones (today and tomorrow). Coincidently, we were color matching (both in blue which is his favorite color as well) which added icing on the selfie and it came out as perfect. We shared it instantaneously and all our friends were equally shocked and happy to see me there. This is the charm of instant pics and selfies. You can click and share them with zero-delays and keep them for 10^infinity seconds in time.

So for the best selfie, I think the perfect recipe will be the mix of fantastic feelings, adventurous happenings before the moment, big smile on the face or watery eyes, apt surroundings and complementing expressions on the face. The color matching is just like a free add-on which we never refuse. Never forget that a good selfie camera is always like the oven needed to bake the perfect recipe. 

When I heard of Mobistar dual selfie camera that can capture 120 degree wide-angle shot, I just wished if I could had it in those special moments which could have made the selfie experience more lively. No worries, I can have it now from Mobistar on Flipkart.

I am really waiting for it and the associated selfie experience.

All in one guide for your abroad study or work dreams - PTE Academic

There is a very famous saying -:

Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

                                                  --- Malcolm X---

With increasing competition, big dreams and soaring prices, a good education from a reputed institution has become a prime necessity. When we look at the top 100 universities in the world, none of those from India make it to the list, so many Indian students plan to study abroad.

But the ride is not smooth as there are lot of challenges one has to face during the whole process.
Some of the main and common challenges are -:

1. Having a medium through which you can apply and whose credibility is accepted by all universities across the globe.
2. A measure of global standards which can help you gauge your academic competencies.
3. Convenience to choose a time and place for giving the exams through which you can apply to
    universities.
4. Quick results so that you are always ahead in the queue while applying to universities.

Credit Here

During my education days, around 10 years ago, we didn’t had much options and had to struggle a lot to get into a good university abroad, but today we really have some good means to make our dreams come true and the best among them is PTE Academic.

I have heard a lot about PTE Academic from my colleagues and that aroused a good degree of curiosity in me. I decided to have a look on their site and I was really impressed with their structure and flow of process.

Since we know that the basic need for studying abroad is English proficiency and most of the universities check for it, PTE Academics focuses on giving you a helping hand to deal with it. And you know what the best part is? The PTE Academic test is world’s leading English Test that is accepted by wide network of universities globally and also for visa purposes. So it is like preparing for the exam with the guidance from actual test makers. You will not get that from anywhere else.

Their online preparation material are the best practice material to get the desired results. They have a number of options of choose from according to our need.

Here are a few points about PTE Academic that impressed me and made me believe that it can be a one-step solution provider for all the students who are planning to study abroad #DefinitelyPTE -:

1. PTE Academic results are approved by the Australian and New Zealand governments for visa applications and accepted by thousands of universities worldwide, including prestigious institutions such as Harvard Business School, INSEAD and Yale

2. The results are declared within 5 business days so you are always ahead in the queue while applying for your dream institutions.

3. You get to choose the date and center of your choice as the test sessions run 360 days a year and across 200 locations worldwide. So there are abundant of test centres to choose from.

4. Test takers can send their scores to as many institutions as they like, without an additional fee.

Credit Here

Apart from the above points, to make your life easy, there are a lot of packages available under PTE preparation course, to choose from as per your needs.

And lastly, let’s talk about the most important aspect about any exam, its authenticity, accuracy and transparency. So basically the scoring systems in PTE Academic use complex algorithms which are initially trained using human rated samples. Thousands of marks and examples of performance are used to train these automated scoring systems until sufficiently high enough levels of reliability are achieved.
Hence the scores are definitely the ones you can rely on.

So as per my assessment Pearson’s PTE Academic is all in one guide for all those who are seeking to work or study abroad. #DefinitelyPTE

                                        

The girl who was returning to her home with a Yes

The journey to India

Yu to safar zindagi mai na jaane kitne mukammal hue the,

Par wo waqt uss ek safar ka kuch aur hi saath laker aaya tha..

Hum to bus you hi masti mai chal pade the ape aashiyaane ki taraf,

Par wo ek ladki soch ko badalne hi shayad humane sath aai thi..

The years was 2017. I was traveling back to India from USA with so much of excitement. After all, I had such a great time as a travel blogger in USA. I was so excited to share the experience of "how it feels like to be a world traveller "with my friends and family. I had my flight from New York to Mumbai with Lufthansa Airlines. The smooth booking and quick check-in procedure with them gave a very good start to my trip.

My seat was 17D and I was all set to flayed reach my destination.

I was now flying on cloud9.. Yuppiieee!!!!

It was approximately 20hrs of journey with a layover. Sitting at my place, I was thinking of the available options to pass this time. When I was totally into my thought, a girl of age around 25yrs came and sat next to me. She was Indo-American and was traveling alone to India. And her simple beauty caught my attention at the very first moment. Now I got my final decided option to make this journey happening.

I said,” Hello”

She replied with a smile, “Hi!”

I said,” Are you traveling alone to Mumbai?” (though I knew but it was just to carry on the conversation)

She said, “ Yes”.

I thought of giving a break here and started a movie on my display panel. Though I was quite occupied with my movie, yet whenever I had a glance on her in between, I found her watching at the sky with blank eyes and some deep thoughts.

After few hours, we were served with lunch. This was the time when I again I tried to have some conversation.

I said," By the way, this is a long journey and I would love to pass it like seconds. Do you want the same?"
She just smiled.

I said," I am Ankit. And you?"
She said, "Praniti"

 I said, " Ahhhaha.. Indian name!"
She said,"Yes my father is from India and he wanted to have a Indian name for me".

And we continued our talk.
She told me about her childhood days, her parents getting divorced, she being diagnosed with a tumor in stomach and her journey as a Food blogger.

Food Blogger!!!!!
Yes, she was a food blogger with about 25k following on Instagram and a good fan following on her food blog.

pic credit: crappypictures.com

And I was shocked to know that she started this all after her surgery that resulted in removal of her stomach as a whole. Yes she does not have stomach. I immediately looked at her stomach and then at her and I took my eyes off her stomach immediately. She smiled.
She said," Don't worry. I did the same thing when doctors told me this."

She was going to India to meet her father, to tell him how lonely her mother feel after he left her and to try this one chance of getting them back together agian. This was her £sayingyestotheworld moment.
She also shared her incidences with me when she played a comic role in a theatre, how she dance crazily in the snow on the day of her graduation and how she made her friends laugh with her sense of humor.
She also told me how much she love traveling and thinking of giving an serious thought of travel blog.

She gave a tough fight to the situations and the people like her gave me the reason of loving this world. Who fights all the odd against them. Thats why I love this world. That why I love traveling and interacting with people so that I get to know about them, their part of stories and their share to the world.

Her story made me more confident about keep on traveling, meeting new people and get to know about them, those who gave their desired shape to the path and walked on it proudly.
Each experience is unique and those experiences are my travel inspirations. The world is full of unsaid heroes. Lets explore them!Come and join me in my travel expedition.

Tips for purchasing a Car

*Sponsored post*

Are you a travel freak ?

Or do you have kids who poke you every weekend for a picnic?

Do you also stay in the areas where winter and rains are very common and harsh?

Or are you a luxury loving guy/girl?

Or you are among those who have to travel for a long-distance daily for job or any other necessity?

If you are any one or all of these, then car is one of the basic necessities in your list. And sooner or later, you would be having a plan to purchase one. But as it is a big investment, it needs to be thought upon and planned well. Also it is something that we need on a daily basis hence we have to be really careful while purchasing the car. You might have come across various articles which brief you about the points to be taken care of while making the car-purchase, but in this article I would tell you the most important tips that you should keep in mind while you are on the hunt to choose the best car. 

Tip 1

Decide whether you want to purchase a new car or the used one

This depends on many factors like your budget, duration for which car is to purchased (you are living at any place temporarily or permanently) and, your driving stage (novice or expert). So first of all, you have to take a decision that you want a brand new car or an used car will do for the time being.

Tip 2

Type of car (whether coupe, Sedan, SUV, truck, convertibles, diesel, electric or sports car). 

This mainly depends on your budget, interest, and requirements like whether you are a family person or an alone driver. And what is the main use of the car, whether it is for you business, road trips or everyday use. 

Tip 3

Research for the brands and features

After you have decided for the car type, next and the most important step is to search for the correct brand and set of features for you. Remember, the seller is always smart and he could try to fool you and get more from you so you should be prepared with all the necessary knowledge. You will not be able to judge about the car and the intentions of the seller if your facts about the make, model and features for the car are not clear. I would recommend to use cars.com for the basic research. Their website has a huge selection of information that will provide you with everything you need to make an informed purchase including videos and reviews. For example, mileage is one of the most important factor that needs to be checked and researched before buying any car. Their best and worst gas mileage 2018 article provides good insights for the same. Likewise, they provide extensive and honest reviews and essential information about a wide variety of different cars. If something is poorly rated, hasn’t performed well or not a good purchase, they will tell you without twisting the facts in other directions.. Hence I recommend you begin your car research here.

So these are few important points to be considered at first before going for any car purchase.

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Not saving water!! Then you are next in queue for scary dreams.

Water!! Water!! Water!! This was what I needed.. My dream took my life away..

I was in a far land. 

And all I can see around me was sand..

I was sitting on my knees..

I was making thousands of pleas..

“water, water, water”, the three magical words that were echoing,

I just hoped someone could have heard them and suddenly pour in..

But there was no sign of man in that terrain,

The real bliss would be then, dropping drops of rain..

But sun raised its bar and the heat frowned more me,

I was, now losing all my strength and energy..

“Save me, save me, save me” is all that I was whispering..

And then suddenly,

Someone shook me up and shouted at me,” Wake up Ankit!! It’s already 12 in the morning..

Yes!! That was a dream!!

Thank God!! That was just a dream.

Washing car is my favorite work. I so love it!!
Pic credits blogbeats

From last few days, the frequency of dream has become more and more. Since I have bought the new car and started washing it once in a week( with pipe obviously), the frequency of dream has also became once a week.

I love taking long showers.. So much fun!!
Pic credits: illustration source

Since I have started taking shower (instead of using bucket for bathing), the dream haunts me every other day.

Since I have brought back the habit of running the tap while brushing my teeth, the dream scares me every day and I wake with sweat and fear in the middle of the night.

After struggling a lot, I decided to consult a doctor and I went to see a psychologist.

I booked the appointment for the best psychologist in the town, Mr Krishnan Ayyer. 

My appointment was scheduled at 12:00pm in the noon and I reached there by 11:30 am only. I desperately wanted a solution and that too as soon as possible. My dark circle are now becoming darker and the tiredness was clearly visible on my skin.

This is how I was explaining my problem. I thought that the doc will not consider me stupid!! 

When my number for the consultation came, I entered the room. It was a nicely decorated room with simple art pieces but they were good enough to start the relax mode of the patients.

I sat on the directed seat.

Mr Aiyyar: So what happened young man? Why are you here?

The dreams of deserted place with no food and water scared me everyday.. I always shouted,"Water!!"
Pic credit: quick and dirty tips

And I told him the complete stories of my scary dreams.

After listening to my so-called anecdotes patiently, he gave himself a few seconds for the analysis and then suddenly asked:

“Tell me something about your routine, your work and all the activities you do more frequently.”

I apprised him all my usual and casual undertakings and he made a list of it.

Then, he gave a quick look to the list and suddenly started smiling.

I asked: what happened doc? Why are you smiling? Have you got the answers to my questions?

He said: Yes dear. 

I asked: Please tell me fast.

He said: The water is giving you some warnings.

Me: Water??

He said: Yes, you are wasting a lot of it and it is giving you some signals to stop now.

Me: Please explain in more details.

He said: You use a lot of water while washing your car or taking shower which can be saved for future generations. You are actually squandering the precious resource ad thats why you are getting those scary dreams. If you kept on following the same course, the day is not far when your dream will become reality.
Let me tell you the current situation of water consumption in the world and what it is going to be in future.
Today Only 1% of the total water resources on earth are available for human use.Up to 30% of fresh water supplies are lost due to leakage in developed countries, and in some major cities, losses can run as high as 40% to 70%.
About 90% of sewage and 70% of industrial wastes in developing countries are discharged into water courses without treatment, often polluting the usable water supply.

The situation is, today, nearly 1 billion people in the developing world don't have access to it clean and safe drinking water and if the situation continues to be the same, there will be a time when we will be fighting with each other for a bottle of safe drinking water.

I said: So what I do now??

He said: “Save water”

I Asked: How?

He said: Its simple. 

You can use bucket water to wash you car, utensils and other necessities. You can reuse that water for plants and in gardens. 

You should even take bath from bucket water instead of shower.

You should regularly check for leaks and fix them properly. If possible, you should also install rain water conserving system. 

You should also try to use fully automatic washing machines on full load.

You should also turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.

You should never use the toilet as the waste basket and flush anything. 

I said: Will this help?

He said: Definitely! If you will make these as your daily habits, I am sure your dreams will not only stop to scare you but instead they can make you smiles as soon as you wake up.
It's just like when you can enjoy Cutting chai then, why can't you love #CuttingPani.

I said: Ohh ya!! Super excited!

Water conservation! That was the solution to my scary dreams and future reality if I kept on wasting the water. Now I was happy and satisfied.
Pic credit: Amazon S3

And today, its been only 3 months since I am following these habits and to my surprise, not only my scary dreams vanished button I everyday wakes up with few thank notes from various unknown people in my dreams. And that definitely make me SMILE!!

You can also have that 24*7 smile if you follow a few simple steps. For instant smile, please have a look at the video:

Save Water Initiative by Livpure

Water Conservation
Today water conservation is seen as the need of the hour and the governments and organisations all over the world are working towards it.

People are encouraged to improve the domestic uses of water, especially leaking taps.

There are lot of initiatives taken to recycle water.

As irrigation accounts for 70% of the water used by humans worldwide, there are steps taken to achieve a better efficiency of agricultural use.

Desalinize seawater is another step that countries across the globe are working on.

In schools and colleges, children are educated about conserving water at home.

#CuttingPaani Initiative by Livpure

The #CuttingPaani is an initiative which is based on the cutting chai culture of Mumbai.

In Mumbai and also across various cities of India, cutting chai is very famous where you don't gulp down a cupful of liquid but only few sips to fresh your senses.

Livpure has implemented the same #cuttingchai culture in their #CuttingPaani campaign to save drinking water.

Quite often we leave the dinner table or a restaurant, leaving behind half-empty glasses or bottles of water. This water is eventually dumped either in the kitchen sink or the dish washers of the restaurant. Since it is clean drinking water we are talking about, we end up polluting it regardless of our intention.

By asking for #CuttingPaani, meaning the only the amount of water you can comfortably drink, you can save a lot of water. 

So join the Livpure #CuttingPaani campaign by signing the petition here and share your ideas with a community of water wise individuals.

I have done it, not it is your turn to spread this amazing campaign and the message to save water.