Life Unpacked

February has come to an end and along with it the winter too. This winter, I spent the majority of my days out of Mumbai (hence, the lack of blog posts on my part) which, to think of, is blessed with non-existent winter! I know it sounds outright crazy, but having spent one winter out of Mumbai, I am grateful that we have an entire season of mild sunny weather as opposed to months of bone-chilling frigidity where water pipes freeze.  Anyway, I have come back with a lot of tales to tell and a lot of winter woes to treat. Thankfully, the sorry state of my feet is already taken care of: courtesy Himalaya! These guys at Himalaya were kind enough to send across samples of their Foot Cream a few months back. In my absence, my mom tested the product on my behalf and met me with a glowing review on my arrival. I have used the product once already and I can attest and add to her opinion on this affordably indulgent product.  Product's Claim Himalaya claims that their...

Until this weekend, my two-point plan of attaining a goodnight's sleep was having a perfect night routine and a bottomless cuppa of chamomile tea. After all, clocking in restful and restorative hours of sleep is on everyone's agenda. However, we all end up making one crucial mistake which negates all the efforts. And that mistake, folks, is not paying heed to thy mattress. And this is something which I learned over this weekend, courtesy Foam Home, an Indian luxury mattress manufacturer with a legacy of over 40 years now. With over a third of our lives spent sleeping, and over a half spent in bed, it should be pretty obvious that the choice of mattress makes or breaks our backs, right? Yet, most of us overlook this fundamental and divert their big bucks to plush bedding instead. I would be lying if I said I am not guilty of following this cult. In fact, I realised the error of my ways particularly when I rested my supposedly well-rested self on a mattress at Foam Home...

A handbag essential, hand sanitizers need no introduction. I awkwardly recall the moment I picked up a sanitizer, when they were initially launched in Indian market, from the shopping mart's aisle after a long debate with myself; I kept contemplating whether I would actually need a product like this on the travel I was undertaking the next day and in that contempt, I picked up a packet of paper soaps too. Funnily, those paper soaps are still lying in my bag after all these years. But on the other hand, I have gone through countless bottles of hand sanitizer. So when Himalaya contacted me to try out their range of PureHands hand sanitizers, I nodded in an affirmative instantly. Product's Claim Himalaya PureHands calls itself a self-drying disinfectant hand gel which is effective against bacteria and fungi. The product claims to be recommended and used by doctors too. Himalaya PureHands is proud of itself for being a one of its kind effective yet herbal, alcoho...

The fact that being a food and travel and lifestyle blogger is a physically demanding task may come as a shocker to many. With all that food sampling and long hours on the road punctuated with unhealthy eats, the unhealthy effects do show after a certain point of time. Hence, I wasn't surprised when I noticed that my physical fitness has declined from being a 5k run ready to gasping for breath on climbing merely a flight of stairs. In order to remedy this state of being, I shopped for new workout gear and was all set to hit my local park but procrastination seemed to get the best out of me every single time. This was when I got an opportunity to try out a hot yoga class in Mumbai. Now, hot yoga is a total rage in Western countries. At the same time, it is relatively unheard of in India, the birthland of yoga. So I curiously signed up for the same. Today I am trying to spread a word about this particular kind of yoga and my experience of the same at the premier yoga studio I sampl...

Back in the day when I was facing my share of troubled skin, I had come across this Himalaya product in the trolley of a fellow shopper during a grocery haul. Post that initial sighting, I quickly marched to the relevant aisle to get hold of this product. Honestly, I have zero recollection of how this cream reacted to my skin and had almost forgotten that I've used this cream in my war against acne until Himalaya Herbals contacted me to review the product. Now, my face is no longer covered with zits of varying intensity all the time. Hence, I was on the verge of declining the opportunity. But the universe works in mysterious ways. My brother got a terrible breakout and thereby became a perfect specimen to examine the working of this cream on!  Product's Claim Himalaya Acne-n-PimpleCream promised to control pimples and scars while keeping the skin soft. Himalaya says that this product is a formulation containing Silk Cotton Tree, Lentil, Aloe Vera and Saurashtri,...

There exists a long list of things which I dread, one of which is having to go to an airport. Even though I love travelling and absolutely adore journeys, the prospect of reaching the airport on time to catch a flight is terrifying (Courtesy: Dozens of almost missed flights) and so is the thought of having to kill time at the airport (Courtesy: Children crying their lungs out). So when I was invited to have a look at the newly done GVK Lounge at CSIA and sample the decadent food offerings, I wasn't thrilled, to be honest. Now, in retrospective, I am glad I tried facing this fear of mine because all thanks to this one visit, I can surely assure you that at least Mumbai Airport has ceased to frighten me anymore. In fact, I am desperately wanting to call it my second home! Dripping with luxury at every nook and doused with a distinctively opulent Indian touch the GVK Lounge at CSIA is an absolute eye-candy. Each direction is a sight to behold. The lush interiors coupled with the...

After an overwhelming September, every inch of my existence demanded a getaway from the monotony prevalent in my days currently. Hence, when this weekend presented me with an opportunity to explore the art of eating for wellness, amidst a setting straight out of a storybook through the Life Enhancing Cooking Workshop at Hilton Shillim, I simply couldn't say no. The Scenic Drive See? I wasn't boasting about the wildflowers! Nestled in the Sahyadris, the 320 acres-wide Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa is a wellness space with a focus on environmental sustainability. Merely a 3 hours long drive away from the madness that is Mumbai, this place was all that my battered batteries needed. One can actually sense the serenity setting in en-route to the property itself as the car whizzes on narrow winding roads with the Pawana Lake in the backdrop. And as I happened to be visiting right after the finale of monsoon, I was greeted with greens of varying shades and w...

Green Day rightly sang Wake Me Up When September Ends . At least, I feel like that this September. Mostly because the advent of this month has brought in an avalanche in my personal life. I won't disclose much; all I can say is that it has been an extremely testing first half of September. Emotionally, I have been a complete mess lately. And it wasn't until I had a catching-up session with a friend who has recently returned from U.S. that I stopped believing that I am having the hardest time. It was that realisation which pushed me from the path of wallowing in self-pity to the trail of reclaiming happiness. Blogging is one of the key things which make me happy, no kidding. I love penning down my thoughts and dishing out little anecdotes along with stuff that makes me wonder-eyed. Weekend Fix is the result of that love; I'm planning for it to be a weekly (or monthly) writeup sharing the Watch. Listen. Learn.  that made me break into that wide grin. So, let's d...