Alien feelings

The feelings are very alien, very weird and mixed! End of day 1 in my "own" house and I can't feel a thing that supports that fact.

I will not pretend that all the feelings are in the neighbourhood of happiness.

There is surprise that a structure of walls, columns, beams and bricks - a blank canvas can convert into something beautiful and a work of art.

There is worry about the sheer amount of work involved to keep a house clean. True for any size, shape, style of a home.

There is disappointment about the way some of us humans behave, the greed we display for money, for more, for anything extra or free. The kharcha-paani that every delivery or installation person wants even though the sales receipt and customer service says delivery and installation are free of cost ma'm!

The shock when a lady who comes to help do a one-time, one-day only, clean up of the place, which has already been properly cleaned once, asks for Rs 600/- to do a round of sweeping and mopping and no other actual cleaning and refuses to budge till that amount is given.

The feeling of being let down by the shoddy work done by some groups of workmen, with the taps leaking at places, the doors coming off at hinges, the paint peeling off (already???). What happened to good work ethics, quality of work and doing one's job properly?

The feeling of slight regret at the thought that maybe I should have gone with a big interior contractor/firm to do get all the work done. Maybe the final quality and look of the work could have been better. The could-have-beens and if-onlys just add to it.

The hope that all these niggles and hiccups will be gone eventually and things will work smoothly.

The pleasure of lovely views, night time city lights, cool breeze, warm hearts and sun drying clothes.

The joy when things like newspaper delivery, laundry collection, milk delivery and car wash are all taken care with one phone call.

The belief that all things that are meant for you shall come to you - in one way or another! So do what you want to and life will gently tread you towards the path meant for you, towards people you are supposed to meet, towards places you are supposed to go to!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Addicted!!

So this whole house building, setting up, decorating process is a tough one I tell you. It takes a lot out of you, mentally more than physically. Choose this, choose that, find this, track that. 
What helps with it? A relaxing day at the spa! Seriously! It does.

Pic courtesy http://bergenlinen.com/

The kid's school hasn't started and I couldn't leave him anywhere to go out to a spa. Then I heard about The Bangalore Mobile Spa. 

They come to your place and offer the same services as you would get in a regular salon spa. 
I will admit I was a little reluctant initially about the doing-this-at-home thing. I wondered if it would be as relaxing as the real go-to-a-spa experience. Also it was a bit of anxiety associated with trying out a new thing, place or meeting someone new. 
But I went ahead and called them up. For me the customer experience starts from the reception desk itself and I was impressed with the way the person on the phone handled the call. She was courteous, clear and confident. She checked on my location and told me she would get back after checking with her manager if they can service this location. And call back she did! They gladly agreed and booked an appointment for the next day :) 

I was sent an invoice via email with the services and charges listed. The next day they kept me informed via sms about any time related updates, which was good to know. 
The team came on time and started setting up the equipment. They took a few minutes and voila the whole spa atmosphere had been set up! Music, candles and rose petals. Who would've thought all this was possible at home while watching the kid play.
The next hour and a half was absolutely blissful. I got a pedicure done - their summer special, the heel peel and for someone with cracked, dry heels it is a sure shot treatment. Loved the clean, smooth look after the pedicure. Also got a hair spa done, my first ever, after hearing from friends how hair spas had helped improve the quality of their hair. The head, neck and back massage that was done as part of the hair rejuvenation was awesome.
The team was efficient, quiet and experts in what they were doing. Once everything was done they cleaned the place and wrapped everything up. I paid by cash against the invoice amount and added a tip.
Loved the whole experience and I am totally going to do this again and again. The mobile spa offers some great services including facials, pre natal and post partum packages, hair treatments and some yummylicious body polish options.
Rubina, the owner, was very sweet and generous to send a coffee body scrub which was heavenly and left my body feeling soft! Super soft. It was an exfoliating scrub with dark roasted organic ground coffee beans and chocolate enveloped in cocoa butter. Usually scrubs tend to leave skin dry but this one was different. 

I am totally addicted to the service and the products and am going to be booking another appointment soon :) Do check them out on their website or their Facebook page and schedule that appointment in the comfortable surroundings of your home!

This post is a part of the Blog-a-Prompt week at Marathon Blogging. Today's prompt is Addiction!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

New beginnings - From House to Home

I haven't met a single person who says that building a house or making a home is easy! And from what I have discovered so far, it certainly is not.
It is a very slow, tiring, hazy and frustrating project. Of course it does have its moments of fun, excitement and joy!! But by the end of it most home owners remember what this picture below suggests  :)

Pic courtesy Coffee With an Architect

The first thing I realized, when we started thinking about getting our recently bought apartment done is that there is no single place/organization/website that offers you details of what and how to do this. The ABCs are all for you to figure out. There are a million ways to start and multiple paths to take based on what your neighbours, friends, family or colleagues did. Hence the process is not clear and nothing makes sense initially. It can be very confusing and overwhelming at times. If you are going through such feelings, you are on the right path. But slowly the image shall begin to emerge and you will know what to do. How slow is subjective :)

I am not saying this is rocket science but if there was a website that gave a little intro to the world of how-to-create-your-own-place, that would be nice. I wonder if something like that already exists for Bangalore and I am not aware of it. If you know about something like that please do let me know.

For my own clarity, sanity and to help future new home owners in Bangalore, I plan to document what I discover, see and learn. It might not be an exhaustive list but will be based on places I find out about, people I get to know about and any resources which might be of help.

The 1st stage in this process would be buying a place or thinking about buying a place or maybe you are just remodeling.
The first advice suggestion advice (after checking the dictionary difference between the two, advice makes more sense here) - Start planning early!!
Even before you get the possession of your flat/independent house/villa or whatever else it is that you have. If it is yet to be constructed even better. You can start thinking of designs or designers you would like to use way in advance. If it is ready to move in property, like ours then also no harm done. Once you finalise which property you are buying start the thought process in parallel. Don't wait to start that till after you get possession. Especially if you are in a time crunch for whatever reasons or are in the paying-rent-and-EMI-too situation.

As part of the planning early stage, the first thing would be figuring out whether you want to use an architect, interior designer, a contractor or a carpenter. Don't know the difference between them? Here you go!

Classification of the Design Species

      

More on this in the next post. Follow this space closely as I go on this journey of transforming a house to a home. Wish me luck too.
Have an awesome weekend!! :)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Day 19 - My home tour on Magical Homes!!

My ex-apartment in Bangalore was featured on Magical Homes yesterday. The site also has a lot of tips and ideas on all aspects of a home. Makes for an interesting read. Hop over to check it out :) And let me know what you think, by leaving comments there. 
This is the 2nd home tour for my rented apartment and Dipika the editor has put together the post so well. Thanks Dipika!! 
We spent 2 years there and it was a wonderful stay. I miss my home, my neighbours, my friends from that place and hope to go back there soon.

A cozy corner in my balcony. Books and a cup of tea made it awesome! 

The 1st home tour for that apartment is here on The Key Bunch. 

With that done, my task list looks much better now - 
- Send pics for home tour - Done
- Write article for my first freelance assignment - Done
- Send pics and info for a lifestyle site coming up in Feb 2013 - Done
- Gifts for N's teachers at kindy - Done
- Holiday and Christmas shopping - Done
- Bulk of the packing for N and me - Done
- Donate N's clothes, the ones he has grown out of, to The Salvation Army - TBD 
- Last few rounds of laundry and ironing - TBD
- Clear and clean the fridge - TBD

This month has been crazy! I thought it would be the slowest month of the year, relaxed, easy breezy. But instead it has turned out to be the craziest of them all. Started with the blogging marathon and I took it up as a challenge and a way to meet new bloggers. Then came the tug-of-war of going to India vs staying here. That was is mental torture. And all of a sudden I had these 2 requests for pictures and an article to be written! Plus all the stuff for the holiday - shopping, packing. Phew! I am so looking forward to the holiday. 

What are you planning to do on New Years? Where will you be? At home with loved ones? With extended family? Out of town? Partying somewhere? Watching TV? 

This post is part of the Marathon Blogging December 2012. 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

50 Followers Giveaway!!

Here we are with the giveaway details!!

This is a giveaway dedicated to all my followers and readers (lurkers and de-lurkers both).
The Orange Bicycle is sponsoring the gift for this giveaway. Yay!!  I did a feature on them here. Check it out for some visually appetizing stuff.

The Orange Bicycle is giving away
this pair of metal Hippo book ends [for all you book lovers out there and it makes a great gift too] and
a bright and a cheerful Ganesha figurine [perfect for the festival season] 
to one lucky winner!!

Aren't they a cute and peppy pair? I love the colours - blue and yellow!

Thanks to Orange Bicycle for sponsoring and giving away these great gifts :)

Here is what you need to do win this lovely pair!

Very Important Info - This giveaway is open to all readers - bloggers and non-bloggers! You can choose to do any or all of the steps below, as may be applicable.
1 random comment number will be picked up using www.Random.org to decide the winner. Readers from all geographic locations can participate.

1) Leave a comment on this post and that will automatically be counted as one entry. However if you do not wish to participate in the giveaway but just leave a comment, please mention that in your comment to allow the others a fair chance.
2) Write a post on your blog about this giveaway and spread the message. Let me know via a 2nd comment here with the link to the post on your blog - that will be counted as a 2nd entry. Leave a separate comment about the blog post to increase your chances in the lucky draw.
3) Show some love on your Facebook profile to further your chances of winning. Let your friends on FB know about this giveaway. Leave a separate comment here letting me know that you have done so and that will be counted as your 3rd entry.
4) You do not have to be a follower to participate, but if you like my blog and stuff that I write about, please follow! I would be very happy :)

The giveaway is open till 19th September 2011 . I will announce the winners within a day or two after that.

All the best to all of you!! Hurry up and leave a comment.

Linking in to Patty's Weekly Story! Happy Monday :)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

50 followers and a giveaway!!

Yay!! Thank you all my lovely followers, readers and commenters :) I love hearing from you. Your thoughts, opinions or just a "hello" means a lot. 

And so on this historic occasion [a li'l melodrama is always fun, ain't it?] I will be having a giveaway. Yippee!! I know, I love giveaways.
This one will be dedicated to all my followers and one lucky person shall receive a gift from a place that I LOVE LOVE LOVE! [Take a guess people].

Keep watching this space for more on the giveaway. Coming soon!!

Image via Google Images

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Featured on Prismma - the design and decor magazine

Yay! Moi is very happy :)
Prismma is a design and decor magazine. It has 3 formats - a magazine, website and news blog. They have some beautiful home tours, decor tips and blogger show cases too.

My entry for Vignettes and Tablescapes was chosen and featured in one of their articles - here.
Go on, check it out.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Second to None - Garage Sale

I went to the Second to None Flea Market/Garage Sale yesterday, held at Jaaga, Bangalore. Second to None is based on a very eco-friendly idea and is innovative! It encourages the principles of reuse and recycle in our daily lives. So don't just throw out stuff that you don't need. Think, reuse or recycle. Your waste might be someone else's treasure!
Kudos to the organizers - Anu Gummaraju, Reena Chengappa and Shilpa Kamath Prabhu.

Some visuals from the market -

Products from the Belaku Trust

Paper-mache products 

Anu Gummaraju - one of the organisers and founding members of Second to None.

Books! There were loads of  'em! I picked up one for a good deal.
 

Button necklaces by Anokhi Planet.

Hair bands made with left over scraps of satin, felt etc by Anokhi Planet.

Yay for Second to None(2nd20)! Waiting for the next garage sale!! You rock guys :)

To read and know more about 2nd20, click here to go their FB page.

Linking this in to Patty's Weekend Wrap Up. Happy Monday!!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mosaic love

This weekend was a hectic one!
My in-laws are visiting and they wanted to see the Iskcon temple. So we made the trip on Saturday.
We were visited by monkeys (Yes!!) at home. Thankfully no one was hurt but we all were in shock for a few minutes. Monkeys have descended onto our apartment complex from I don't know where and have been surprising people with home visits via the balcony!
Attended a birthday party on Saturday night.
Met up an old colleague from the US for lunch on Sunday at Ebony on MG Road. I have fond memories of the place and always like most of their food.

I also clicked these beauties that I picked up from The Orange Bicycle some weekends back. I fell in love with these mosaic pots that a local organisation from Mysore makes. And the super lazy person that I am I told the lady there I wanted some plants with least amount of maintenance. She gave me two cacti! :)

Here are the latest additions to my green dekor.

And in case you still haven't participated, my 100th post giveaway is still on till 28th June End Of Day. Hurry up and leave your comments on that post!!

Linking this in to Weekend Wrap Up on Colours Dekor.

UPDATED - I learnt recently that these mosaic pots and other very beautiful planters available at The Orange Bicycle are from Green Essence. Check more of their stuff out! Its fun, colourful and modern!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Trip to Kabini River Lodge in Nagarhole National Park

A few days back we did a "first-time" ever trip.
What was special about this trip? My parents, my in-laws, my younger sister and her husband, her mother-in-law and the 3 of us -  S, N and I went on this trip. This was the first time ever we all went out and spent time together. I had a lot of apprehensions and anxiety about how it would turn out. But much to my surprise everybody clicked well and we had a great time :)

We went to Kabini River Lodge, one of the many resorts operated by Jungle Lodges and Resorts Ltd. It is located on the southern border of the Nagarhole (Rajiv Gandhi) National Park in Karnataka, India. The place was beautiful and lush green after the rains. Surrounded by nature it was very peaceful and relaxing. 

We stayed for one night and the package included 3 meals from a buffet, the entry fee for the national park, the jeep and boat safari and camera charges too. The rooms were in a colonial style structure and had beautiful gardens all around. The resort was once the hunting lodge for the Maharajah of Mysore.

The rooms were very spacious and had high ceilings. There was a lovely veranda outside the rooms looking onto a lush green garden. There were tyre swings and benches across the resort. The resort takes you out for jeep safaris and motor boat safaris. It is located on the banks of River Kabini and so the location is perfect. The river is very tranquil and calming.

On the jeep safari we saw elephants, including a tusker. According to the forest officials a tusker is a rare sight. It was drizzling when I took the picture below.

We also saw many herds of spotted deers.

Some vibrant peacocks.

and langoors, wild boars, nilgais, vultures,  and a teenie meenie turtle.

The boat ride was less eventful because of the rain. But we managed to see a baby tusker, kingfisher birds(the guide very aptly named them the "Vijay Mallya" birds), cranes, ducks and a variety of other birds (whose names I do not remember).

The resort has climbing nets where N and the adults had loads of fun! They have coracle boats for a ride if you would like to try something different. They also take you on nature walks around the resort - it seemed to be a big hit between older kids and adults too.

Some of the food items could have been better in terms of taste. Other than that the service was good, the rooms and sheets were neat and clean, bathrooms well stocked and the staff was helpful. If you are going there with little ones I would suggest you carry your own stuff for snacking in between meals and something to drink too. There is nothing around close by where you can shop for quick eats. But there is a mini fridge in most of the rooms so you can keep your own stuff in.
Overall I would rate the resort a 7/10 and the whole experience an 8/10. Feel free to write in to me if you have any questions or need other details about the place and to & fro journey.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

100th Post Giveaway!!

Hello!!!!!
I am back after a 2 week break and I have goodies for you :)
I promised here about the giveaway for my 100th post. And so not 1 but 2 lucky winners will get lovely gifts!!

The 2 lucky people will get one each of these handmade beauties to keep all their cosmetics while on the move!

These are handmade travel pouches made by Kanika Bahl of Anek Designs. I picked them up from one of my favourite stores in Bangalore - The Orange Bicycle. The bags are beautiful to look at and practical too.

I loved the vibrant green and magenta-maroonish cloth exteriors. There is a plastic lining inside to protect the cloth. Just the perfect size to keep all your trinkets, make up stuff and jewellery. So participate in the giveaway to get the artistic, beautiful and practical travel companion!

Here is what you need to do to win these beauties -

1) Leave a comment on this post and that will automatically be counted as one entry. However if you do not wish to participate in the giveaway but just leave a comment, please mention that in your comment to allow the others a fair chance.
2) Blog about this giveaway and spread the message. Let me know via a 2nd comment here with the link to the post on your blog - that will be counted as a 2nd entry. Leave a separate comment about the blog post to increase your chances in the lucky draw.
3) You do not have to be a follower to participate but if you like my blog please follow! I would be so happy :)
4) 2 random comment numbers will be picked up using www.Random.org to decide the 2 winners.
5) Readers from all geographic locations can participate.

The giveaway is open till 28th June, 2011. I will announce the winners within a day or two after that.

Hurry up and try your luck to grab these bags!!

Edited to add - Sending this to Patty's Weekend Wrap Up to spread the word :)

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Ranga Shankara

I like watching plays and have always been drawn to this aspect of art and creativity. So finally after a year of being in Bangalore I got to go to Ranga Shankara. An English play called "The Interview" was on and I went along with some of my girl friends. This was my first visit and I wasn't disappointed at all!!
I loved the place, the ambiance, the food (they have an awesome cafe) and the feeling of being in an artsy world! Being there made me feel fresh, excited and in love with the whole experience. It was as if I found something that I loved. I was like a baby who gets a new toy - exploring it, absorbing the details in, happy about having it and looking at cherishing it for a long time.
The play - well that is a different story entirely. It wasn't exactly up to my expectations. I felt that the play was trying to touch so many different topics and it failed to make an impact about any of them. But I am sure I am going to watch a lot more plays there and good ones at that.

Here are glimpses from this beautiful place...

The name board at the entrance. Simple yet it makes a statement!

The Warli Art on the cafe wall. This little cafe serves mouthwatering stuff. Even if you don't want to watch a play go for just the food!

The painted pillars. Art everywhere.

The beautiful cafe with the hanging paper lanterns.

The cafe tables were simple stone slabs supported by cement blocks for legs.

One of the many art works/posters around the place.

The stairway to the auditorium.

More art on display.

Me (on the left end) with Nidhi and Pallavi.

Outside the ticket counter, me (in the center) with Arundhati and Nidhi.

I love taking pictures 'coz I believe life is made of beautiful moments and pictures are a great way to capture them. Memories may fade or be replaced but pictures will be there to tell stories :)
Happy Friday!!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Versatile Blogger Award!!

Yay!! Patty from Colours Dekor passed on "The Versatile Blogger" Award to me. I am so happy :) Thank you so much Patty!
Rules of this award are -

1. Thank the person who awarded you & link back to them in your post.
2. Tell 7 random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award on to 15 new found bloggers.
4. Contact each blogger you want to pass this award on to and let them know you’ve done so.

Here are 7 random facts about me -

1. I love peanuts and anything with them - peanut chutney being my favourite.
2. I love soda when the fizz has gone out! (I know what's the point of soda then, but that's the way I like it)
3. Cadbury's Roast Almond chocolate... is my all time favourite . It works as the perfect bribe if someone wants something from me. 
4. I don't like lizards... have a nagging fear that one will drop on me. 
5. I make lists - in my head, on paper. But not just that I make rough drafts of lists and then fair ones (I know, my friends laugh at me for that, you can do that too!)
6. I cannot do just one thing at a time - the TV has to be on, the laptop open and a book too! Or the phone will do.
7. I bite my nails when I am tense or excited (like in the cricket world cup finals).

Now comes the tough part, passing the award on to 15 new bloggers. I am a new blogger myself and am still getting to know other fellow bloggers. So I think I shall skip the passing part this time. I don't intend to be selfish or greedy by keeping the award all to myself. Just that it won't be fair if I pass the award on without knowing other bloggers. 

Happy Wednesday!! Its mid week already!! Yay!!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Cushions and Coasters

This weekend was a colourful one because of Holi! It was our first after being in India and it was a whole lot of fun. No harsh chemicals, no eggs, grease *makes a yucky face* or pucca rang (as they call it).
The apartment complex organizers had clearly told people to get organic colours or colours made at home. 
A few ideas on how to make colours at home -
Wet colors : soak & then boil beetroot or onion peels or any flower petals in water.
Dry colors : mix sandal wood or turmeric or henna powder with flour or arrowroot powder or corn starch.

Apart from this I reorganized and refreshed some decor. At the entrance to my apartment is this wooden seating area which also houses cabinets below for storage. I decided to brighten up that much neglected corner. A green plant, some colourful, slightly blingy (I love bling in small quantities) cushions and it became a comfy spot to sit and have a cup of coffee while reading a book.

In case you are wondering where these lovely cushion covers are from - they are from The Red River.

I love traditional Indian motifs like the golden one on this purple cushion and I also like to mix it up with something non traditional like these striped cushions.

The handmade cloth coaster is also from The Red River.

You can find out more about The Red River at their Facebook page, their website or their blog.

Happy Monday!!
I am linking this to Patty's Weekend Wrap Up.


 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad