5 Essentials To Carry This Monsoon

Monsoons are quite unforgiving in almost all regions of India. To help you tread the difficult tides that this monsoon shall bring, I have curated a list of 5 necessities which might proove to be of paramount importance to anyone.

Insect Repellant

Heavy Rains+clogged gutters=water-logging,

Walking in the dirty clogged water to get anywhere is inevitable. Hence, one of the essentials of the monsoon kit is a water-proof insect repellant. Apply such a repellant and stay safe from unknown insects' bites.

Craft Paper

When you are stranded due to heavy rains and the internet is not working, what do you do to keep yourself entertained? it's simple, carry some fancy craft papers, make beautiful paper boats and watch them float in those cute little muddy puddles.

Inflatable Floats

It's raining heavily, you can't take an off (beacause we can't afford that kind of luxury), and you're tired of the usual conundrum of rolling up your pants and walking in the clogged water, well, just carry an inflatable float coz why not?! It'll definitely be more fun than merely trudging in that mucky water.

Trekking Bag Filled With Essentials

Chances are you'll get stranded in the rain easily by reason of our state of the art infrastructre and maintenance of the drainage system, hence, I recommend you to carry a trekking bag with essentials- a change of clothes, some food and water, other essentials- that can last you for minimum two days.

Sleeping Bag

 If you're carrying a trekking bag, you might as well carry a sleeping bag with it if you want to be prepared for all circumstances at all times.

P.S. This is a sarcastic post written mostly to criticize the little efforts taken by our government to improve the infrastructure, facilities, etc. as a result of which the common man always suffer. I hope it is taken in the right stride.

Get Help Before The Wound Festers.

I was in the supermarket the other day looking for a particular brand of shampoo when I bumped into a couple visibly arguing right in front of the shampoo I wanted to buy. It was awkward at first, trying to reach a bottle while hearing the contents of an unrelated argument which made me wonder, why is this issue so important that they feel the need to stop their shopping and argue in a public place creating a minor scene. It could be something as big as financial trouble or as small as too much junk in the cart. Issues. This reminded me of my, now distant, best friend who got married very recently and is now unable to live with her husband owing to a hoard of small issues creating a big gap between the two.

Why do issues get the best of a relationship? Why do people give up before a mountain heap of issues instead of tearing it down? I asked the same question to that friend and all she said was ‘you don’t understand.’ I’m sure I don’t and I don’t have to necessarily. But the question is do you? Do all these people facing issues in their marriage understand their issues?

Problems faced in a marriage are so wide. Some of them can be easily sorted with communication between the two, but, what do they do when the problem is beyond their scope of understanding? When reaching the root of the problem by themselves becomes impossible? As far as I know, most of them give up or give in. These two options aren’t always the only ones available. Seeking help from a third neutral party could do wonders for the marriage. What i mean is seeking marriage counselling could be a more sane option than the other two.

In a country like India, however, it is frowned upon to opt for marriage counselling. People, including the ones that love you and want the best for you, would prefer it if you solved your issues between you two sans involving anyone else including a professional. I can almost imagine them saying tings in line of ‘why do you want to wash your dirty laundry in public?’ And if you aren’t able to solve your issues, then you might as well live with them, because divorce, too, is looked down upon. Yes, after reading this a few of you will definitely say that the views are changing and it’s not the same anymore. I, however, think that the views of barely 3-5% of people are evolving the rest being unexposed to these topics in detail or not willing to budge from their age-old opinions.

I’m not asserting when two people face the simplest of problems they immediately must run to get an appointment with a marriage counsellor or not communicate and try to overcome their issues on their own. All I’m trying to say is don’t be engulfed by those problems, don’t sacrifice your marriage in the process. Get an appointment with a counsellor, try to follow what the he/she says, and you might be able to see through your issues together. Of course there are chances that the process might not leave you unscathed and might affect your relationship, but trust me, this effect will definitely cease once the process concludes. Also there are possibilities that your problems won’t be solved with the aid of such counselling and you would be obligated to take recourse of some extreme measures, but these chances are way too little as compared to the success rate of it.

I’d say take a chance, don’t let the views of others govern your marriage, for taking the aid of a marriage counsellor and fighting for what matters would always turn out to be a boon for you and your marriage.

"May be it won't workout. But may be seeing if it does will be the best adventure ever."

Keeping Fit In The Rains

Monsoons can be taxing in many ways including one's fitness. All the gym freaks have no qualms whatsoever when it comes to keeping up with their fitness regime. However, it becomes a task for those who are more into outdoor cardio. For the likes of me who are easily persuaded to give up their exercise routine by the lightest shower need some motivation. I've assembled a few ideas to motivate you hoping in turn to motivate myself (it never hurts to hope right.)

• Skipping

My go to jogging alternative. It's easy, quick, and fun. A mere 15 minutes of skipping routine per day shall help to keep you fit, a perk of it being, great calves.

• Yoga

All that you will need for this is a mat, a yoga video (which are available easily on YouTube,) and some conviction. Yoga may not an instant way to lose weight, but, it definitely is the most reliable way to keep fit and lose weight in the long run. Apart from helping you to keep fit, the peace of mind it offers is felt from day 1 itself. Also, if you're up for it, join a yoga class with a few friends. Your motivation to keep fit shall shoot up instantly.

• Indoor Bicycling

A great way to lose some flab and not get drenched or fall victim to mucky roads. Tried and tested. Indoor bicycling or spinning classes are widely available everywhere these days. Join with a few friends and cycle your way to fitness.

• Dance

Exercise doesn't have to be boring. Add a little spice of fun to your workout regime with dance aerobics, Zumba, Bollywood dancing or Belly dancing, etc. a hoard of options are available for all the danceholics.

• Floor Exercises

Try different combinations of floor exercises to keep fit. Base your exercises on whichever part of your body needs the most amount of attention. If that doesn't seem like a good option, try circuit exercises to tone your entire body.

 

Can Signatures Unite Two People?!

I was recently asked by a family friend if I'd want to have a court marriage instead of a proper ceremony. To that I, very honestly, told him that I would prefer a proper wedding inclusive of all the ceremonies. The judgemental look I got for this reply was enough for me to realize that he didn't approve of it. But giving that awful look wasn't enough for him I suppose, it was accompanied by a slight "why do you want to spend your money hosting random relatives and create an event out of your marriage?!"

Why does one think that the sole reason for having a proper wedding is that one wants to make an event out of it? What about the emotional value and the cultural importance affiliated to these ceremonies? Being a hindu, a hindu marriage has three important aspects- kanyadaan, panigrahana, and saptapadi. In the most lay man language, when one goes to explain these three aspects, one can say-

• kanyadaan is the giving away of the daughter by her father
• panigrahana is the voluntary holding of hands by the groom of the bride near the fire which signifies the union of the bride and the groom
• saptapadi is the taking seven steps around the holy fire wherein each step is a form of a promise.

The basis of these vows- of being together in happiness and otherwise, being supportive of each other, of taking care of each other, respecting one another, and so on- is almost the same in case of different religions, castes and sub-castes.

My point is why do we take away the importance of such a holy union and reduce it to a mere marriage certificate? What is it that is making us erode the edges and reduce things to make them seem irrelevant? Have these practices got no place in our modern lives now?

Criticizing one's choices is hardly my intention, I'm hardly in a place to do that. This write up is barely about sparking a debate between court marriages and traditional ceremonies. My sole goal, however, is trying to invoke some realization, raise my doubts, jog your treadmill of thoughts, for,

Culture does not make people, People make culture.

5 Alternatives To A Bachelorette Party

Not a fan of the clichéd, wild bachelorette parties? You could a plan something different with the help of these 5 ideas jotted down for you.

Spa-cation

Plan a bachelorette with the sole intention of pampering the groom or the bride before their big day. The best part about this- you needn't plan anything apart from deciding the place of the said spa-cation, everything else will be definitely taken care by the resort.

Health And Wellness Retreat

Give the groom or the bride a respite from the constant wedding pressure. Plan a bachelorette in a health and wellness centre to give them some peace of mind. Connect with your (soon to-be-taken) friend without the hindrance of technology.

Go Vagabonding

Every bachelorette party list must include this. Take your soon to-be-hitched friend on a road trip with a few close knit friends and make some memories 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' style or 'The hangover' way, whichever suits you.

A Day At...

Haven't got the leverage of planning an entire trip? Plan a day to be spent in a vineyard or take them for some beer tasting or whiskey tasting. This is one of the easiest alternative to the mainstream bachelorette parties.

For The Adventure-holic

Make sure you plan such a bachelorette only and only if the groom or the bride are adventure-holics. There is an array of options available. It could be anything simple like camping or something super complex like sky diving. All you have to keep in mind is the fact that they haven't done that particualr activity before.

5 Things To Do When PMSing

PMSing much?
This might help you. May be, probably, just try it.

• Sugar, Sugar, Get The Sugar Rush

 I know it's not just sugar. You'd want it all, all the crisps, all the cake, all the fries, all the junk. And if you ask me, I'd say, have it all, you deserve it. It sounds cliched, but this is the truth. PMS=FOOD CRAVINGS, hence, don't stop yourself from the junk trap (unless absolutely necessary.)

• Pamper Yourself

Go an a salon date with yourself (just make sure not to set-up a waxing appointment) or buy yourslef something you have wanted for a while now or go on a shopping spree. Treat yourself and make yourself feel special.

• Skip the romcom, opt for a sitcom instead

Let's face it, romcom is only going to make things worst. Why not add a little cheer to that blue mood by going for a sitcom or a comedy flick?!

• Detoxify! Deyoxify! Detoxify!

You know what does green tea do other than help you lose weight? It detoxifies your body and instantly helps you uplift your mood. This is definitely going to help you with your PMS. There is a variety of green tea available but the lavender infused tea, especially, shall help you with the pain and your mood.

• Ride In That Emotional Rollercoaster

Yep! Ride in it! Let is all out! From one fellow PMS victim to the other, I know, we need that emotional release and I doubt there is anything wrong with the entire release process.

Losing Weight The Lazy Ways

For all those (JUST LIKE ME) who have never been able to commit the 2 (much-needed) hours to the gym and are always looking out for easier ways to shed some extra pounds, here are a few undemanding ways to achieve your goal.

Sip On This Special Water All Day Long

There are many easy concoctions apart from the well known 'lemon and honey in warm water' that not only detoxify, but also helps to lose weight. Let me give you a few easy examples you could use-

• Add sliced cucumber to pitcher full of water. You can consume this immediately.

• Add cucumber, grapefruit, lemon to a pitcher of water, let it sit for at least 15 minutes before consuming.

• Add mint leaves, strawberries, sliced lemon to a pitcher a water. This too can be consumed immediately.

• Add sliced cucumber, lemon, grated ginger, and mint leaves to a pitcher of water.

EAT at regular intervals

Have you noticed you tend to binge eat on chips and all the possible junk only when you've been hungry for long?! Hence, eat at regular intervals. I'm  not saying eat a whole packet of chips every hour or so. What I mean is, eat some salad, or a fruit, or a few (not more than 10) chips every two hours or so, as and when the hunger strikes. Try to stick to healthy and light food as much as possible.

Snacks you could swap your regular chips with:

• Unsalted peanuts, pistachios.

• Yogurt

• Sweet potato fries/ chips

• Roasted chickpeas

• Hard boiled egg

• Air popped pop corn

Shorten your shopping trips

Do not be lured into to the magical alley of junk and ready to eat and ready to cook foodstuffs. Steer clear of it or at least try to. Make a list of what you need and try incessantly to stick to your list only.

Swap dinners with soup

No, I'm not asking you to starve yourself or sleep on an empty stomach. Soup dinners are a good alternative to rotis and rice. This way you won't trick your mind into thinking 'just one spoonful of rice' which is, let's face it, a blatant lie.

There are so many alternatives of soups available that you could be having a different soup each night one whole month (to say the least.)

To give you a few examples:

• Different lentil soups

• Various noodle soups

• Clear soups

In the case of noodle and pasta soups you have to make sure that the noodles and pastas are not made of maida and restrict the quantity of the same in your soup. Do not opt for creamy soups and ready to eat soups.

Workout for 10 minutes

 

Working out is such a pain. But there seems to be no alternative to this painful experience. No amount of green tea and detoxifying water shall help you unless you invest at least 10 minutes of your time in workout. My favourite quick workout is skipping. You could try a collection of workouts like squats, jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches, lunges, donkey-kicks, etc. I'm no expert by any means but 2 sets of some of these exercises along with restricted intake of food will definitely help you to lose weight.