tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28659038812596755982024-03-13T05:47:57.984+05:30Ten Point EverythingI'm just a brat who doesn't like being told what to do.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-80236067405566404212018-03-08T17:54:00.001+05:302018-03-08T17:54:32.999+05:30The Picky Vegetarian Hogger goes to Singapore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After having concluded my Singapore trip toward the end of January 2018 (I speak as if it was a long journey - while the trip lasted only 4 days!) it is high time I talk about the food there.</div>
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My Plus One and I were in Singapore for about 4 days with shopping as the least important item on our agenda and Universal Studios as the most important! While the climate was indeed humid and hot, I really enjoyed my four day stay there. Without further ado, here are the places where a vegetarian might suffer/ enjoy the food:</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/kaffe-toast-changi">Kaffe & Toast, Changi Airport</a>: We landed at Changi Airport and came through immigration around 6:30am. Starving, sleep deprived and cranky, we ended up here for our first round of breakfast. I ordered something very safe and something that I had eaten and liked on my Malaysia trip - peanut butter toast, kaya bun and kopi. The kopi here really caught my attention; I quite liked the taste of it and the nostalgic feeling of my Malaysia trip (the first ever time that I tried this local "Kopi".) The kaya bun was quite nice (Kaya is a jam that is a staple in South East Asian countries; it is made of eggs and coconut.)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/real-food-1-orchard">Real Food, Orchard</a>: Having planned to gorge on vegan food at Singapore, we decided to give Real Food a shot for lunch. We ordered the Spaghetti Aglio Olio and the Beet Burger. The Spaghetti Aglio Olio was quite yummy, with a generous drizzle of olive oil, mushrooms and oregano. The Beet Burger was served with wheat bun, and the patty itself was made of potato, beets and beans. The menu here is very vegetarian friendly (sorry, I'm not sure whether the menu here is vegan friendly) and would have loved to re-visit this place while in Singapore.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RN5CDFWCI_g/WqEpqTjrxsI/AAAAAAAAAHo/FI2cZExAawMwDuVHpl0zXbox_r05qaEvACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180124_124637068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RN5CDFWCI_g/WqEpqTjrxsI/AAAAAAAAAHo/FI2cZExAawMwDuVHpl0zXbox_r05qaEvACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180124_124637068.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spaghetti Aglio Olio</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nP9WHkZBccA/WqEpqVVEd8I/AAAAAAAAAHs/4DkwL68tBDM4s7FbWqi0_MjbZ_b4EowVgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180124_124646928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nP9WHkZBccA/WqEpqVVEd8I/AAAAAAAAAHs/4DkwL68tBDM4s7FbWqi0_MjbZ_b4EowVgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180124_124646928.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beet Burger with a side of baked beans and potato-mayo salad</td></tr>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Local stores that serve fresh fruits: I found several stores in abundance that serve fresh fruits (cut/ whole) and I found the fruits to be quite refreshing and tasty. This way you also get to taste yummy local fruits that you might not in your own home country.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/loving-hut-geylang">Loving Hut, Geylang</a>: We decided to have a truly vegan experience and went to Loving Hut (it was quite close to our accommodation.) We ordered the Tandoori Flame burger and Banana Leaf Nasi Campur. The burger was quite better than the regular vegetarian burgers that you find in India, quite filling with a side of french fries. Banana Leaf Nasi Campur consisted of brown rice, fruit achar (fruit pickle - SO YUMMY that I took seconds and then thirds of it), eggplant curry (the gravy tasted of tomatoes), sauteed pea sprouts, scrambled tofu, soy chunk curry and some carrot+corn soup. Not being a fan of soy or tofu (and ignorantly having gone for a vegan meal), I didn't really enjoy the food here since it didn't sit well with my taste buds. However, I am not well versed with vegan food and cannot comment on whether the food was prepared well or not. The staff here is quite friendly and are more than happy to explain the dishes to you in detail. Their dishes mostly consist of mock meats.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PbR2adTm6xQ/WqEpHlXNMRI/AAAAAAAAAHY/sTJ2YH48WTE3t_lWPoGyrqYZ9vBXpY_tgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180125_203741159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PbR2adTm6xQ/WqEpHlXNMRI/AAAAAAAAAHY/sTJ2YH48WTE3t_lWPoGyrqYZ9vBXpY_tgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180125_203741159.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana Leaf Nasi Campur</td></tr>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.yelp.com.sg/biz/breadtalk-singapore-4">Breadtalk, Vivocity</a>: We purchased a lot of yummy, sugar filled, chocolate covered bread items from here. They had a wide variety (including a few items without any egg) and quite enjoyed the offering here. Some of the varieties that we enjoyed were Raisin and Honey Marble.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Kopi: A passive coffee addict, I had quite a it of coffee (Kopi) here in Singapore. A few of the places are - <a href="https://www.toastbox.com.sg/store-south-zone.html">Toast Box @ Vivocity</a>, <a href="http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/old-town-white-coffee-tanjong-rhu-katong-amber-road/">Old Town White Coffee @ One KM Mall</a>, <a href="http://www.singaporeflyer.com/shop-play-dine/daily-kopi/">Daily Kopi @ Singapore Flyer</a>, <a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/kaffe-toast-changi">Kaffe & Toast @ Changi Airport</a>, <a href="http://www.changiairport.com/en/shop-and-dine/dining/ya-kun-family-cafe.html">Ya Kun @ Changi Airport</a>. All the Kopis were similarly made and strong.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QtXLd3WpYHY/WqEqWnyBftI/AAAAAAAAAIA/Q29rxkKem_ku2eNESfSFoR-G-jxPcezdwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180124_053551728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QtXLd3WpYHY/WqEqWnyBftI/AAAAAAAAAIA/Q29rxkKem_ku2eNESfSFoR-G-jxPcezdwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180124_053551728.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My second love - Kopi. Second only to filter coffee.</td></tr>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g294264-d8416467-Reviews-Friar_s-Sentosa_Island.html">Friar's @ Resorts World, Sentosa (inside Universal Studios)</a>: We ordered the veg pizza since the veg burger was sold out. Super meh and not worth the money. Be well prepared though - you WILL NOT find vegetarian friendly food in Universal Studios.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294264-d8416465-i144307182-Starbot_Cafe-Sentosa_Island.html">Starbot Cafe @ Resorts World, Sentosa (inside Universal Studios)</a>: We ordered some questionable looking fried rice (eating it while leaving out the questionable looking chunks of *something*) and tater tots (oily, cold and it smelled funny!) However, as I mentioned earlier, you DO NOT have vegetarian friendly options inside Universal Studios. Carry a lot of energy bars and small packets of your own food there. We carried a lot of <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Paper-Boat-Chikki-Family-Pack/dp/B01NAADJYT">peanut chikki</a> and bananas.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KMtaVahUx0E/WqEpTxm9oaI/AAAAAAAAAHc/2Zc3tWzEyD4E12wIzWHlRFmpBZt7Uyg6gCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180125_140459322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KMtaVahUx0E/WqEpTxm9oaI/AAAAAAAAAHc/2Zc3tWzEyD4E12wIzWHlRFmpBZt7Uyg6gCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180125_140459322.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The questionable fried rice</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FNVBTSXOM1A/WqEpW4ps6GI/AAAAAAAAAHg/xxR2OLXxb_0NiVmWT4CYbL3YIyY03lGEQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180125_140455261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FNVBTSXOM1A/WqEpW4ps6GI/AAAAAAAAAHg/xxR2OLXxb_0NiVmWT4CYbL3YIyY03lGEQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180125_140455261.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The questionable tater tots - the only good thing there was the ketchup</td></tr>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/kwan-inn-vegetarian-food-geylang">Kwan Inn Veg, Geylang</a>: One fine morning we went to Kwan Inn Veg around 8 am in the morning and we were the only customers then. We ordered something that looked a lot like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sevai">sevai</a> (generally made of rice flour in India) and what looked like hash browns from a distance (it ended up being something made of tofu!) The food was okay (I was apprehensive with every bite I took.) We also ordered a lemon drink and rose milk from the stand closeby. <a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/kwan-inn-vegetarian-food-geylang">Kwan Inn Veg</a> looks like a vegetarian food court, where only two shops open early in the morning. Perhaps if you head there later during the day, you'd have more options.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M6Nc1RJ-GMo/WqEoMH8vVkI/AAAAAAAAAHE/IhyF1DxaTVY_S-qoQTngfm7fnE99npcXwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180126_104818442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M6Nc1RJ-GMo/WqEoMH8vVkI/AAAAAAAAAHE/IhyF1DxaTVY_S-qoQTngfm7fnE99npcXwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180126_104818442.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tofu and sevai like item (which tasted quite oily)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m5HCVTa_qT4/WqEoMSSDcaI/AAAAAAAAAHI/z3_EHYUAtocgNCnbe9UIzZ-KJpVI6AgawCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180126_104821098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m5HCVTa_qT4/WqEoMSSDcaI/AAAAAAAAAHI/z3_EHYUAtocgNCnbe9UIzZ-KJpVI6AgawCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180126_104821098.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemon drink and rose milk</td></tr>
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<li><div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/dosirak-outram">Dosirak, Outram</a>: Dosirak serves considerable vegetarian options, while serving Asian food. The idea here is to fit everything in a circular box, mix and eat. We ordered two boxes each consisting of a lot of veggies, rice, chickpeas and 2-3 of the sauces and it tasted quite good. The quantity served is also enough. Unfortunately I am unable to be a bit more specific since:</div>
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(a) I don't exactly remember what I ordered (it has been a month and a half since my trip)</div>
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(b) We were not given a bill for our purchase.</div>
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The staff is quite friendly and helpful here - they will be able to answer your queries in detail about the food - that's how we were able to order!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1h1XhV6JPNA/WqEnmIhv9zI/AAAAAAAAAGk/MUZYd2P00fgK1wCS4R_2Mm59moh-EDJ1QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180126_145314761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1h1XhV6JPNA/WqEnmIhv9zI/AAAAAAAAAGk/MUZYd2P00fgK1wCS4R_2Mm59moh-EDJ1QCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180126_145314761.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Dosirak bowl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hry4mBU2ZVE/WqEnszMxq4I/AAAAAAAAAGw/FZA7juDQHUQqMOCUXSIYtvit3wbQNO1rwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180126_145334805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hry4mBU2ZVE/WqEnszMxq4I/AAAAAAAAAGw/FZA7juDQHUQqMOCUXSIYtvit3wbQNO1rwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180126_145334805.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Dosirak bowl, before mixing - you can see some tofu, cooked pumpkin and sesame seeds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8BDv0wPLhPk/WqEnsmJIG5I/AAAAAAAAAGs/IfsTYtyZ9KYgigyAi4NFjm7aODE8PKFPACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180126_145522019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8BDv0wPLhPk/WqEnsmJIG5I/AAAAAAAAAGs/IfsTYtyZ9KYgigyAi4NFjm7aODE8PKFPACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180126_145522019.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post mixing with some yummy sauces and more veggies inside</td></tr>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.wrs.com.sg/en/night-safari/explore-night-safari/dine-and-shop.html">Safari Sizzles restaurant @ Night Safari</a>: We actually went to Night Safari while starving for some good food and terribly missing home food. We were naturally shocked and awed when we spotted the menu here which included a Veg Kathi roll and Aloo Kathi Roll. While they were sold out of the Veg Kathi roll, we ordered the Aloo (Potato) Kathi roll and I must say, I was so satiated after a simple kathi roll after this meal.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/saravanaa-bhavan-kallang">Saravanaa Bhavan, Kallang</a>: I was no longer able to contain myself and desperately needed Indian food. The moment I walked into Saravanaa Bhavan, I felt like I had come home. We had filter coffee (strong, no less), a mini-tiffin (mini breakfast set - I believe it included idli, vada, rava upma, dosa and coffee) and a masala dosa combo with vada.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FcV8Cx6TAEM/WqEnVq_6x_I/AAAAAAAAAGg/IaDqPFtEoYYI5DD5_Byo8hXRLXqA-x6BwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180127_092504631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FcV8Cx6TAEM/WqEnVq_6x_I/AAAAAAAAAGg/IaDqPFtEoYYI5DD5_Byo8hXRLXqA-x6BwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180127_092504631.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Indian filter coffee. Strong.</td></tr>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/saladstop-orchard">SaladStop!, Orchard Road</a>: This is again similar to <a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/dosirak-outram">Dosirak</a>, except the food that they offer is purely salads. I believe I ordered a quinoa salad bowl with a variety of veggies, chickpea, ranch dressing and chilli vinaigrette. I do remember that the salad bowl was very, very tasty. Salad. Tasty. Salad. TASTY.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mBMJsFR3dMA/WqEnJnoRK2I/AAAAAAAAAGc/wyH67E3kQ9gikMdWKKYJphLJMCQWiKn2wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20180127_133717684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mBMJsFR3dMA/WqEnJnoRK2I/AAAAAAAAAGc/wyH67E3kQ9gikMdWKKYJphLJMCQWiKn2wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20180127_133717684.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quinoa bowl salad</td></tr>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/st-leaven-orchard">St. Leaven, Orchard</a>: Similar to <a href="https://www.yelp.com.sg/biz/breadtalk-singapore-4">Breadtalk</a>, St. Leaven offered a lot more variety than <a href="https://www.yelp.com.sg/biz/breadtalk-singapore-4">Breadtalk</a>. We ordered a lot of milky, cream filled buns, sugary lemon donuts and a lot of chocolate covered bread items.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/cafe-salivation-rochor">Cafe Salivation, Rochor</a>: The one other place that reminded me of food in India! <a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/cafe-salivation-rochor">Cafe Salivation</a> offers a motley of food (like every other cafe in India) but specialises in none (again, like every other cafe in India.) We ordered the Pita bread with hummus (quite nice), Iced Viet coffee (fair warning, this is served in a glass which is only slightly bigger than a shot glass) and the Farinata pizza (this was certainly a let down - while we were aware that the base was made of chickpea, we didn't expect such <a href="https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/besan-cheela-recipe-besan-chilla/">besan cheela</a> taste!)</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LfTpDtqvb7w/WqElpHremYI/AAAAAAAAAGI/ctMG6uYtpRsDdoplRayXthRcRoGXZI4DgCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20180127_201428492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LfTpDtqvb7w/WqElpHremYI/AAAAAAAAAGI/ctMG6uYtpRsDdoplRayXthRcRoGXZI4DgCEwYBhgL/s200/IMG_20180127_201428492.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iced Viet Coffee</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NFkdaN8joWs/WqElpFfO-_I/AAAAAAAAAGE/GpkO5fW5Qh4IvNlrsANIzRBXwUDFmIxnQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20180127_202146006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NFkdaN8joWs/WqElpFfO-_I/AAAAAAAAAGE/GpkO5fW5Qh4IvNlrsANIzRBXwUDFmIxnQCEwYBhgL/s200/IMG_20180127_202146006.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pita Bread with Hummus</td></tr>
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All in all, I was neither too dissatisfied nor too impressed by the food at Singapore. </div>
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<b>Keep in mind - the food in Singapore is expensive; vegetarian food, more so</b>. </div>
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This is certainly a city that perhaps has the widest variety of food in S.E.Asia. I look forward to re-visiting Singapore soon and going back to <a href="https://www.zomato.com/singapore/saladstop-orchard">SaladStop!</a> I mean, what yummy salad!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-7186832597134788302017-03-23T08:35:00.001+05:302017-03-23T08:45:20.843+05:30The Picky Vegetarian Hogger goes to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Let me kick off this post by apologising, profusely for the long and unreasonable absence. My trip concluded back in October 2016 and here I am, continuing to write posts about it in March 2017. Nevertheless, better late than never, I suppose.</div>
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To continue where I left off in my last post, the Plus One and I boarded a flight to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur">Kuala Lumpur</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langkawi">Langkawi</a>. The flight itself was uneventful. We took an airport bus from KLIA 2 (Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2) to <a href="http://www.klsentral.com.my/MasterPlan_Lot.aspx?STATUSID=1&LOTID=bd2ebb78-0c20-4ff5-9af6-cd9161cde4b0">KL Sentral Station</a> and boarded another bus to <a href="http://www.rwgenting.com/home/">Genting Highland</a>. Pro tip: If you are interested in spending a night at casino(s), gambling away to glory, <a href="http://www.rwgenting.com/home/">Genting Highland</a> is the place for you. If not, do not hesitate in giving this a miss. First, the Plus One and I did not have proper, formal clothing to enter any of the casinos (they do not allow shorts and slippers), second, our main purpose of heading to <a href="http://www.rwgenting.com/home/">Genting Highland</a> was to visit the outdoor theme park (I hold very few amusement parks at great esteem - this is one of them, especially when there's one built on top of a mountain!) To our dismay we found out that the outdoor theme park had been shut off to make way for some other theme park which is expected to open sometime in 2017. Anyway, the drive to and from <a href="http://www.rwgenting.com/home/">Genting Highland</a> is quite nice with beautiful views. On the way back, we were asked to wait at the cable car station to await another bus and it made for quite a nice 2 hours, walking around with just peace and quiet!</div>
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As for the food at <a href="http://www.rwgenting.com/home/">Genting Highland</a>:</div>
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On our first night at Genting Highland, we decided to walk around all the properties because all the places (eateries and pubs/ bars) were crowded and that really put us off. We stopped at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g660784-d10070907-Reviews-MarryBrown_First_World_Plaza-Genting_Highlands_Pahang.html">Marry Brown at the First World Hotel</a> (where we were staying) to look for vegetarian options. (Tip: you will not find fresh fruits at Genting Highland; carry some from KL if you so wish). I was excited to find a veggie burger on their menu and ordered it off. Turns out, it is just a hash brown inside cold bun and a small slice of cheese. "Epic fail" is the term, isn't it?</div>
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We even stopped over at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g660784-d10070907-Reviews-MarryBrown_First_World_Plaza-Genting_Highlands_Pahang.html">Marry Brown at the First World Hotel</a> the next day for breakfast, just before we headed back to KL. I ordered the veggie breakfast, which was, wait for it, another epic fail because all I was met with was one hash brown, two stale buns with small slices of cheese with some unlimited strong black coffee. The coffee is something I have no qualms about. The rest of the items? I am packing hundreds of <a href="https://www.google.co.in/search?q=theplas&rlz=1C1CHBD_enIN732IN732&oq=theplas&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i61l2j69i60j69i61j69i65.871j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">theplas</a> from India the next time I visit Malaysia.</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">The Plus One decided to eat something at this place called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/JR-Curry-Genting-Highland/193403234042090">JR Curry</a> where the only item on the menu I could eat or drink was this juice called "Calamansi" which is somewhere of a cross between lime, <a href="https://www.google.co.in/search?q=kamun&rlz=1C1CHBD_enIN732IN732&oq=kamun&aqs=chrome..69i57.978j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=jamun&*">jamun</a> and <a href="https://www.google.co.in/search?q=kokam&rlz=1C1CHBD_enIN732IN732&oq=kokam&aqs=chrome..69i57.636j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">kokum</a> sherbats. The sad part about this place is that it was an Indian restaurant and there was nothing Indian on the menu! Oh, they did have okra curry, only, it didn't look like okra.</li>
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The Plus One and I then took a bus back to Kuala Lumpur and hailed an Uber from KL Sentral to our homestay, at <a href="https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/Kuchai+Avenue,+58200+Kuala+Lumpur,+Federal+Territory+of+Kuala+Lumpur,+Malaysia/@3.0869867,101.6750072,14z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x31cc4a6e8851fc2f:0x40a1d7b513010707!8m2!3d3.086826!4d101.692463">Kuchai Avenue</a>, near <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salak_Selatan_LRT_station">Salak Selatan station</a>. Our host was a beautiful local lady with two sweet kids along with their pet turtles. The place was clean, our host was friendly, approachable and turtles are cute, you know? Drop me an email if you wish to contact the host, I shall share the details with you. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Anyway, on our first day at Kuala Lumpur, the Plus One and I took the train to Hang Tuah and walked down to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Bintang">Bukit Bintang</a>. After roaming around the area, we decided to stuff our faces at <a href="https://www.zomato.com/kuala-lumpur/the-loaf-bukit-bintang/menu">The Loaf</a> (the chocolate items on display were simply marvellous.) We ordered some lemon cream oyaki (which was very similar to <a href="https://tenpointeverything.blogspot.in/2016/11/the-picky-vegetarian-hogger-goes-to.html">Mango Sin that we had at Bread Story, Cenang</a>, except it was lemon flavoured cream), choco petite (it sounds fancy, but, it was nothing more than khari (puff pastry) with some chocolate filling in it), scone vegetable cheese (there was no cheese and it tasted like <a href="http://vegrecipesofkarnataka.com/15-maddur-vada.php">Maddur Vada</a> except with spring onion instead of regular ones.)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">On the way back from our day out at KL, sometime around 23:30 we came across this restaurant called <a href="https://www.zomato.com/kuala-lumpur/president-corner-kuala-lumpur-city-center">President at Masjid Jamek</a>. Since we were both supremely hungry (the Plus One had given up on non-vegetarian food by then and was craving vegetarian food!) we decided to head in and at least have a coffee. The moment I heard the owners speak in Tamil, my joy knew no bounds and I explained our predicament at not having found any decent vegetarian food (vegetarian food here is laced with oyster oil and fish sauce which gives that pungent flavour that really puts me off), we also explained what exactly we wanted - food with just some salt in it at the very least. They happily obliged and gave us some fried rice along with instant coffee (Nescafe to the rescue). Though the food wasn't very appetising, the experience itself gave me a little more hope at finding good local food without creepy-crawlies in Malaysia.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The next day, I had a craving for some Indian food, and it just wouldn't go away. After some hunting on Zomato, we hauled our sorry, hungry asses to <a href="https://www.zomato.com/kuala-lumpur/saravanaa-bhavan-2-kuala-lumpur-city-center/photos">Saranavaa Bhavan at KLCC</a> and happily hogged on rava dosa, plain dosa, some puri masala, idli and medu wada. I don't think food has ever tasted so good. Also, if you do go here, ask for "Bahadur" - he is a Nepali guy who has been working at <a href="https://www.zomato.com/kuala-lumpur/saravanaa-bhavan-2-kuala-lumpur-city-center/photos">Saravanaa Bhavan</a> for 15 odd years and speaks impeccable Tamil! Eventually, for the rest of my stay in KL, <a href="https://www.zomato.com/kuala-lumpur/saravanaa-bhavan-2-kuala-lumpur-city-center/photos">Saravanaa Bhavan</a> became my everyday breakfast place. The connection was strong with this one.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Right opposite <a href="https://www.zomato.com/kuala-lumpur/saravanaa-bhavan-2-kuala-lumpur-city-center/photos">Saranavaa Bhavan at KLCC</a> is this place called <a href="https://www.happycow.net/reviews/lakshmi-vilas-kuala-lumpur-9493">Lakshmi Vilas Superior Veg Restaurant</a>. There is nothing superior about it. There is nothing clean about it. Do yourself a favour, walk across the street, pay double the money at <a href="https://www.zomato.com/kuala-lumpur/saravanaa-bhavan-2-kuala-lumpur-city-center/photos">Saravanaa Bhavan</a> and eat some good food. Do not go here.</li>
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If you have read my previous posts on Penang and Langkawi, you'd have noticed that I was heavily dependent on fresh fruits and Subway for most of my trip. We ended up eating at Subway again at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Bintang">Bukit Bintang</a> and by then, the Veggie Delight sub was nothing but a mockery played in my face by the Food Overlords.</div>
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Also, I decided to try some coffee at a 7-11 right next to our homestay (midnight craving that I can do nothing about), and opted for "Alicafe". Oh, boy! It was nothing short of horrendous and it belongs in the dustbin, in case you were curious.</div>
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When at <a href="http://www.suriaklcc.com.my/">Suria KLCC</a>, we were constantly going in and out of shops, grocery stores and food outlets. At such time, we came across:</div>
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(a) The sugar donut at <a href="http://www.coldstorage.com.my/">Cold Storage</a> - simple, fresh and fluffy</div>
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(b) Some promotional 1 RM coffee at <a href="https://www.zomato.com/kuala-lumpur/waroeng-warung-kuala-lumpur-city-center">Waroeng Warung</a> - strong, black, absolutely fantastic, friendly staff, cut fruits also available</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">On our last night around KL, we headed to <a href="https://www.zomato.com/selangor/papa-johns-bandar-sunway/photos">Papa John's at Selangor</a> and ordered a garden house pizza. Suffice to say, there was nothing "garden" about it. We also guzzled on some dragon fruit juice at the same mall's food court which was pleasant and good enough to get the taste of that pizza out of my mouth.</li>
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Overall, I'd say my food experience at Malaysia was less than satisfactory. It is not a vegetarian-friendly place. As my TamBrahm-but-Gujju-at-heart friend put it "Do not take chances - carry some theplas - they will be your lifeline." I am not a particularly adventurous person when it comes to food; I am quite opposed to eating any food item that once used to walk, crawl, swim or was able to get itself from one place to another.</div>
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This brings to an end my food posts on my trip to Malaysia. In December 2016, I undertook a trip to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaipur">Jaipur, Rajasthan</a>; vegetarians will face zero problems there and so I will not be making any blog posts on the trip. I shall be updating this blog with all future travels on time, every time, pinky promise.</div>
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Take care, thank you for reading and do drop me an email if you have any additional questions - tenpointeverything@gmail.com.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-61376041274276976462016-11-26T19:33:00.000+05:302017-03-23T08:36:42.185+05:30The Picky Vegetarian Hogger goes to Langkawi, Malaysia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This post would be part two of my Malaysia, 2016 travel. The first part of the Malaysia 2016 travel can be found <a href="http://tenpointeverything.blogspot.in/2016/11/picky-vegetarian-hogger-goes-to-penang.html">here</a>. Since it is comparatively more difficult to come across vegetarian food when one travels, I thought I'd give a detailed account of where and what I ate and whether or not it was worth it. One general piece of advice? If you are a vegetarian and a picky one at that (a la yours truly), fresh fruits will be your best friend.</div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langkawi">Langkawi, Malaysia</a></span></u></div>
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After the rather filling but disappointing toast at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GeminiCafe.my/">Gemini Cafe</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang_International_Airport">Penang Airport</a>, we boarded our uneventful flight to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langkawi">Langkawi</a>, which lasted about an hour. Honestly, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langkawi_International_Airport">Langkawi Airport</a> is one of the best airports I've ever been to. One you land, you walk the length of the runway to the airport and the view right from the runway is breathtaking! The cherry on the cake would be the road that snakes around the airport, <a href="https://www.google.co.in/maps/place/Jalan+Kuala+Muda,+07000+Langkawi,+Kedah,+Malaysia/@6.331283,99.7219003,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x304c77f699f2f7a9:0x32d289b862c07829!8m2!3d6.331283!4d99.724089?hl=en">Jalan Kuala Muda</a> through which we drove several times and even stopped over because to the left you have the glittering magnificent sea and to the right you see an aircraft landing, all while the sun bathes the sky in its dusky hues.</div>
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We rented a car in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langkawi">Langkawi</a> and drove around to all the places. Public transport is not very easily available and cabs can get costly if you are on a tight budget. From the Airport to our first accommodation, <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g1096282-d7056186-Reviews-D_Bendang_Studio-Pantai_Cenang_Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html">D' Bedang Studio</a> is a 7km ride, which cost us MYR 22/-. Like I said, cabs can get costly. On the other hand, we rented a car at MYR 60/- per day [MYR 240/- for 4 (four) days, excluding fuel. Fuel in Malaysia is dirt cheap at MYR 1.80/- per litre on the dates we travelled; that comes to INR 16.66/- per litre. True story.</div>
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<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g1096282-d7056186-Reviews-D_Bendang_Studio-Pantai_Cenang_Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html">D' Bedang Studio</a> is very close to <a href="http://www.langkawi-info.com/cenang/">Cenang beach</a> which became our daily mecca just to stroll around the avenue, visit the beach, visit Cenang mall (free Wi-Fi ftw) and also make purchases from the duty free stores there. The other place we stayed at in Langkawi was <a href="http://www.desaterracelangkawi.com/">Desa Terrace</a>. It was close to <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g1096282-d7056186-Reviews-D_Bendang_Studio-Pantai_Cenang_Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html">D' Bedang Studio</a>, more on the main road, and at close proximity to <a href="http://www.langkawi-info.com/cenang/">Cenang beach</a>. Both our accommodations were well maintained, clean, pocket friendly and had yummy views. All the above being said, I do think <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langkawi">Langkawi</a> is an over rated touristy spot in Malaysia. I am more in love with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang">Penang</a> rather than <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langkawi">Langkawi</a>, truth be told.</div>
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Now that I have given an overview on our stay in Langkawi, let's talk about the food there:</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">When we first drove down to <a href="http://www.langkawi-info.com/cenang/">Cenang beach</a>, we went to <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g298283-d3935477-Reviews-Old_Town_White_Coffee-Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html">Old Town White Coffee at Cenang Mall</a> because, coffee. I opted for the plain old White Coffee, the Plus One opted for the same with an addition of hazelnut flavour and peanut butter toast. While my coffee was the same old, the Plus One's coffee was actually rather disappointing since the hazelnut flavour was drowning out the strong coffee flavour. The peanut butter toast had to be the most disappointing. Imagine 4 slices of toast. Now imagine the crumbs removed. Not, imagine a tiny dollop of peanut butter toast applied on top of it. Dry, flaky, practically flavourless. Upon my return to India, my friend recommended a certain 'Kaya Toast' which is basically a combination of coconut, jam and butter on toast. It wasn't very appetising for me since I am not a coconut fan. Perhaps something you might like?</li>
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I have mentioned in my earlier post that I do not like the taste of eggs. I just thing it is too pungent to my liking. On a subsequent visit to <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g298283-d3935477-Reviews-Old_Town_White_Coffee-Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html">Old Town White Coffee at Cenang Mall</a>, I opted for French toast and regular white coffee with an addition of cham (creamer). </div>
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<<i>digress</i>></div>
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I am a big fan of French toast at <a href="https://www.zomato.com/bangalore/cafe-max-indiranagar">Cafe Max in Bangalore</a>. It is just the right amount to toast, butter, eggs, milk, cinnamon, maple syrup and honey. Just, perfect.</div>
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<<i>/digress</i>></div>
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The French Toast at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g298283-d3935477-Reviews-Old_Town_White_Coffee-Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html">Old Town White Coffee</a> had this thick layer of egg, with very little of milk, cinnamon, and honey. I was gagging on it and the Plus One ended up licking the plate. The coffee was a disaster at another level. Turns out I am not a fan of cham (or creamer). It dilutes the coffee and makes it un-drink-ably creamy. Do not opt for this if you are a strong coffee fanatic like moi.</div>
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On the way to <a href="http://www.panoramalangkawi.com/skybridge/">Langkawi Skybridge</a> we stopped by <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g298283-d1368548-Reviews-Artisans_Pizza_Cafe-Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html">Artisan's Pizza</a>. We had a choice to make our own pizza, which we did! I am a big believer of pineapple-on-pizza. The toppings we opted for were cheese, pineapple, jalapenos, onions and black olives. Totally worth the prize. The staff was very, very friendly too. We really enjoyed ourselves here and made a mental note to return.</div>
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<<i>digress</i>></div>
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The drive to <a href="http://www.panoramalangkawi.com/skybridge/">Langkawi Skybridge</a> is marvellous. <a href="http://www.panoramalangkawi.com/skybridge/">Langkawi Skybridge</a> itself, is a must-do on your itinerary. Yes, the entrance fee does lean on the costlier side, but the experience of walking on the <a href="http://www.panoramalangkawi.com/skybridge/">Skybridge</a> is simply fantastic. When we went, we were engulfed in monsoon clouds hitting us with strong winds and the occasional showers. The sky cleared up for just 20 seconds and we got a glimpse of some beautiful turquoise waters. The path to the <a href="http://www.panoramalangkawi.com/skybridge/">Skybridge</a> itself runs through forests, it is quiet, beautiful and doesn't attract a lot of fellow humans. So, do it!</div>
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<<i>/digress</i>></div>
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The <a href="http://www.panoramalangkawi.com/skybridge/">Langkawi Skybridge</a> has only one cafe at the top, called the <a href="http://www.panoramalangkawi.com/skybistro/">Skybistro</a>. Unfortunately I couldn't stomach a thing that was being prepared here so I skipped eating anything altogether except for my life-saving pears. Not to mention, the view from the <a href="http://www.panoramalangkawi.com/skybistro/">Skybistro</a> while you stuff your mouth is jaw dropping. Make sure not to drop any food.</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">While in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langkawi">Langkawi</a> (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang">Penang</a>) for that matter, instant cup noodles might end up becoming your best friend. Don't get scared by the variety of fauna shown on the outside, it is perfectly edible inside. In the days of my naivety, I opted for one vegetarian cup noodles. It was noodles, with an addition of salt and pepper. That's it. The disappointment was all-engulfing for me. Upon the Plus One's insistence, I sniffed his cup noodles which had a picture of egg and something grey-black on it. Surprisingly, it smelled and tasted exactly like our regular <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggi">Maggi</a>. I think the packaging was yellow and red, I really do think it is worth it. The cost is also very reasonable at MYR 2-4 for one cup.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">For breakfast, we headed to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bread-storyPantai-Cenang/185804204849969">Bread Story at Cenang</a>. This is a decently sized store with a variety of breads! The aroma of freshly baked bread wafts in the store itself. They have a small area for seating with a beautiful view of baked goods stacked one upon the other. We opted for marble cake (delicious), vanilla cake (meh), Mango Sin (a round burger bun with a filling of mango cream - the taste of cream is overpowering), Garlic Stick (a long load of bread - full of all purpose flour - with a generous coating of butter, garlic and Dominos-like oregano, my favourite). The goods are a bit costlier than what they are worth. But, for one visit, it is all good.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">For a late lunch one other day, we stopped by <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Restaurant_Review-g298283-d5000128-Reviews-Yasmin_Restaurant-Langkawi_Langkawi_District_Kedah.html">Yasmin Shawarma, a Syrian Restaurant at Cenang</a>. They had one vegetarian option on their menu - the Falafel Vegetarian, chickpea fried patty, cabbage, spicy kimchi with mayo. While they make the dish right in front of you and it is just drool-worthy to watch, when I bit into the roll, it was pungently spicy and I was instantly put of by the smell and taste of cabbage. One piece of wisdom - never have cabbage with rolls; I am a big advocate of lettuce over cabbage in burgers and rolls. Anyway, for the price (MYR 10/-), it was a total waste, while the Plus One really enjoyed it -_-</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">I had mentioned in my earlier post that in Malaysia, fruits will be your best friends. You find huge, juicy and delicious pear, orange and apples here. I thoroughly enjoyed munching on fruits most of the time. There are not a lot of fresh fruit shops. There is one at Cenang (near <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bread-storyPantai-Cenang/185804204849969">Bread Story</a>). In <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang">Penang</a> we tried the dragon fruit (no great shakes) and an assortment of other fruits available in India as well. One piece of advice - the pear available here is to die for.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">We also headed to <a href="http://www.langkawi-info.com/kuah/">Kuah</a> one fine day and after gawking in a touristy way at the massive <a href="http://www.langkawi-info.com/attractions/dataran-lang.htm">Eagle at Eagle Square</a>, we went to a mall close-by. We ended up at McDonald's for lack of eating options and alas, they had literally zero vegetarian options. We went for the next best thing then since both of us were starving at that point. We opted for the chicken burger combo, while I happily munched away at the french fries, the Plus One gulped down the chicken burger. A combination of chilli sauce and ketchup is wonderful with french fries. Suffice to say, McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, Starbucks failed me at my hungriest.</li>
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We read about <a href="http://www.langkawi-info.com/shopping/night-markets-langkawi.htm">night markets in Langkawi</a> and decided to check them out. The deal with night markets is, the vendors are all more or less the same, only the location of the night market keepe changing every day of the week. The schedule is available in the link above. </div>
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The first one on the itinerary was the <a href="http://www.langkawi-info.com/shopping/night-markets-langkawi.htm">night market near Cenang</a>. A night market in Langkawi sells practically everything, from clothes to fresh food to raw fish to shoes to toys to fresh groceries to freshly cooked meat. We weren't interested in purchasing anything but food here, so, we set off looking for vegetarian food for me and edible meat for the Plus One. We lucked out quite a bit in the vegetarian department, there was one stall which was selling exclusively potatoes including tornado potatoes, covered in a generous coating of salt, chilli powder and powdered cheese, potato wedges covered in lots of liquid cream and ketchup and even french fries. We opted for the first two and were not disappointed at all. Crispy on the outside and all potato-y goodness on the inside was the motto while making these dishes! There is one other dish called the '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apam_balik">Apam Balik</a>' which is pancake batter [slightly sweet], poured out on a buttered skillet, wich is thick on the side but crumbly and crispy on the outside. The inside of this dish is given a generous addition of some more butter and coarsely ground peanuts. This is available at 50 sens a piece. A marvellous dessert at such cheap cost. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apam_balik">Apam Balik</a> is a must try when in Malaysia.</div>
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One other night, we decided to visit the <a href="http://www.langkawi-info.com/shopping/night-markets-langkawi.htm">night market at Kuah, Langkawi</a>. This time, in addition to the items mentioned above, we tried the vegetarian spring roll (pungent fish sauce/ fish oil smell and taste), vegetarian noodles (semolina turned to noodles with the fish sauce. fish oil), jelly juice (jelly is the flavour of the juice that was available; I am completely unaware of its origin, it tasted a bit like palm fruit or what we call in Tamil, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borassus_flabellifer">nongu</a>. I best like this culture of having chilled juices, whether originally flavoured or artificially, available at every nook and corner for as little as MYR 1-2/-. It really helps in dealing with the heat much better.) We also tried the local doughnut which was lightly flavoured, fluffy and just incredibly perfect enough to give Dunkin' Donuts a run for its money.</div>
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On the last day, while at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langkawi_International_Airport">Langkawi Airport</a>, we ended up eating the maggi noodles mentioned in point (4) above along with what was called 'Cafe Mocha', which was nothing but coffee with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_(drink)">Milo</a> in it. Blrgh. This was at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1032541133422977.1073741845.138009852876114&type=3">LGK Cafe at Langkawi Airport</a>. They did have some other unappetising-looking food, which was enough to make me run for my flight without delay.</div>
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<<i>Digress</i>></div>
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Did I mentioned, Milo as a chilled drink is a big thing here? As mentioned in point (9), along with other juices, even Milo is kept alongside, dunked in ice to quench that unbearable thirst!</div>
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<<i>/Digress</i>></div>
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Next post on our time spent in Genting Highlands and Kuala Lumpur! Stay tuned.</div>
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If you need any more information, do drop me an email on tenpointeverything@gmail.com. Thank you for reading!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-17011764423072854842016-11-01T21:53:00.001+05:302017-03-23T08:36:55.195+05:30The Picky Vegetarian Hogger goes to Penang, Malaysia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello, lovelies!</div>
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My two week long trip to Malaysia concluded recently. And the amount of suffering I have had to endure being a vegetarian in the hands of the fantastic country that Malaysia is, I thought I'd write a blog post about it. Just so the post doesn't get too long, I shall break this up into three (3) posts and I hope you find this helpful.</div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Background</span></u><br />
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After about a month's planning, the Plus-One and I finally settled on a two week long trip to Malaysia. We decided to cover Penang, Langkawi, Genting Highlands and Kuala Lumpur. If you wish to get a brief idea of our costs for the whole trip of two weeks to the aforementioned places:</div>
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Flight cost - approximately INR 10,000/- per head for the following legs:</div>
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(a) Bangalore - Kochi - Kuala Lumpur - Kochi - Bangalore</div>
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(b) Penang - Langkawi</div>
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(c) Langkawi - Kuala Lumpur</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">Stay - approximately INR 5,000/- per head</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">We allocated approximately INR 25,000/- totally for food and drinks [I love food. I love food.]</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">We allocated approximately INR 10,000/- for miscellaneous costs, say, renting vehicle(s), purchasing gift(s), liquor, etc.</li>
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What I didn't account for above is how not-so-friendly Malaysian food is for vegetarians. Might I add, picky vegetarians who do not even like the taste of egg. Here's some insight.</div>
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<u><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang"><span style="font-size: large;">Penang, Malaysia</span></a></u></div>
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We took a train from KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth (4 hour train ride), then a ferry (15-30 min) to Penang and walked down (15 min) to <a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/my/kim-haus.en-gb.html?aid=357026;label=gog235jc-hotel-XX-my-kimNhaus-unspec-in-com-L%3Aen-O%3AwindowsS81-B%3Achrome-N%3AXX-S%3Abo-U%3AXX;sid=80bec88a58bab05f9304b859eed70d49;dist=0&sb_price_type=total&type=total&">Kim Haus Loft</a>. Quite a journey, I tell you. Took us about 5 hours to get to our accommodation from Kuala Lumpur and I really enjoyed every bit of it. Also, our accommodation for the next 4 days, <a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/my/kim-haus.en-gb.html?aid=357026;label=gog235jc-hotel-XX-my-kimNhaus-unspec-in-com-L%3Aen-O%3AwindowsS81-B%3Achrome-N%3AXX-S%3Abo-U%3AXX;sid=80bec88a58bab05f9304b859eed70d49;dist=0&sb_price_type=total&type=total&">Kim Haus Loft</a> was excellent; I certainly intend to revisit Penang and stay at Kim Haus itself! <a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/my/kim-haus.en-gb.html?aid=357026;label=gog235jc-hotel-XX-my-kimNhaus-unspec-in-com-L%3Aen-O%3AwindowsS81-B%3Achrome-N%3AXX-S%3Abo-U%3AXX;sid=80bec88a58bab05f9304b859eed70d49;dist=0&sb_price_type=total&type=total&">Kim Haus Loft</a> used to be a goldsmith shop before it was converted into a loft. The rooms are tiny, perfect and the space management that has gone into converting this place into a living space is just mind boggling.</div>
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As for the food, Penang is a coastal area, obviously known for its sea food. Apparently known to everyone else but yours truly. Naive that I was, the Plus-One and I walked into a local food market, sew all the fried food items on display and got excited. Point to note here, the Plus-One is open to experiment with <u>anything</u>; I on the other hand, get to be jealous of him, on good days. We eagerly walk toward one of the stalls where the staff promptly ask us if we are from India and upon knowing our whereabouts in India, we happily start conversing in Tamil [well, the Plus-One did a fantastic job of saying "Tamil illa, Tamil illa"]. That's when I thought I'd take a chance and asked him if even one item was vegetarian only to get a hearty laugh from him. So much for hunger pangs. FML, really. The Plus-One enjoyed seafood for a bit, turns out it ain't suitable to his taste buds. Lesson learnt: I saw the different kind of sea animals that exist on Earth! Well, used to. Because there in the market they were all dead. I'll try not to get morbid again in the post.</div>
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Let's talk coffee first. </div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">By far, the best black coffee in Malaysia is the "Kopi-O" coffee. In essence, it is a bag of coffee and sugar (a la tea bag, minus the sugar), dropped into hot water and served as black coffee. The. Absolute. Best. I had this on our train from KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth. The first and last time I had it until I discovered point (2) below.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">By far, the best regular coffee (white coffee) in Malaysia is the "regular white coffee" at <a href="http://www.oldtown.com.my/">Old Town White Coffee</a>. They're a cafe chain and serve something called 'Regular White Coffee'. Yes, they do have several variations, but I am a simple creature like that and stick to basics. The coffee is just the right blend with just the right flavour and smoothness. And the best part for me? The coffee is made strong with some yummy, creamy milk and sweetener.</li>
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Best places for vegetarian food in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang">Penang, Malaysia</a>, list of items I ate and how it was:</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">The day we arrived at Georgetown, Penang, we headed to <a href="http://chuliacourt.com.my/">Chulia Court</a> (so much for street food and cheap travel, eh?) for some late lunch. We opted for Spagghetio Aglio Olio with French Fries and beer (Skol and Royal Stout). While the spaghetti had quite of bit on inedible raw vegetables in it, the french fries were rather a saving grace. Skol beer is to Malaysia what Foster's is to India. Let's not even get to Royal Stout because I despise dark brews. Did I mention that the Royal stout was a warm beer?</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The next day (we passed out the whole evening and night), we headed to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wheelers67/">Wheeler's Coffee</a>, Georgetown, Penang for some filling breakfast. My excitement couldn't be contained because they were playing my kind of music (oh, hey, mama, hey, mama!) and had exactly one (1) vegetarian option on their menu. The vegetable panini. This was an extremely yummy sandwich I tell you. The butter dripping all over the place along with the fat from the cheese adding that extra bit of creaminess, need I mention the exotic vegetables? Huff! Shall certainly return here, I know that for sure!</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">For some dessert, we opted to head to the rather cute and small <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rainforestbakerypenang/">Rainforest Bakery</a>. Since I got the option of picking dessert, without hesitation I opted for the chocolate eclair and felt a pang as I taok my first bite. Because it was not the fantastic explosion of cream and chocolate I had expected. It was more stale, cold and unwelcoming, really. The Plus-One is a gem, I tell you. He is not a person who likes to waste food and would happily eat just about anything without complaints. So, the Plus-One ended up wiping the plate clean on this disappointing eclair. At that point, I would have settled for Cadbury Eclair.</li>
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After about half a day with no proper food for me (I believe I subsisted on fruits only) and in dire need of food, I dropped the facade for wanting local food and headed to <a href="http://karaikudi.com.my/">Woodlands Vegetarian Restaurant</a> at Little India in Penang. Oh, boy, did I welcome the badly made Mysore masala dosa and filter coffee. Yes, it was an expensive affair, but I had gone practically one and a half days without proper food and I was really annoyed by that point.</div>
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If I may digress a bit, even the local vegetarian food that we found there had this pungent flavour (perhaps from fish oil or fish sauce; please do correct me if I am mistaken) that I just could not stomach. Even the Plus-One had had enough of that flavour by the time we returned to India. This made it all the more difficult for me to find food because you mainly find Noodles or Rice there and every dish has this pungent flavour. There is no escape. None. Hence, the fruits!</div>
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The next day, we lucked out. We decided to head for brunch instead of lunch and made it somewhere near Chinatown in Penang. Lo and behold, we witnessed a food festival in progress. Meats and vegetables of all shapes, sizes and flavours being mixed together with noodles and rice. When we reached the end of one of the stalls, we found something on the menu that baffled us. It was called "Indian noodles". Just to confirm, we found a serving staff and asked whether the "Indian noodles" was vegetarian. They confirmed it was. We ordered that and one other dish which turned out to be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pho">pho</a>, with flat noodles, again, vegetarian.</div>
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This "Indian noodles" was nothing but vermicelli-noodles, again with the pungent flavour, but in much less quantity. The pho, fortunately, did not have that flavour at all. While the Plus-One enjoyed a bit of both, I relished the pho. Did I mention the huge serving size? Ouch.</div>
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We were also happily informed by the staff (once they came to know we were Indians) that this food festival had <u>only</u> vegetarian food. All the meat we saw earlier? Mock meat. And the day we went there was the last day of such festival. Though we didn't get to enquire into the festival or the happenings, I did find this <a href="http://www.penang.ws/penang-attractions/nine-emperor-gods-temple.htm#promo">link on the 'Nine Emperor Gods festival'</a> that might be helpful for you.</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;">One fine late noon, the Plus-One and I decided to give a visit to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Lamiti%C3%A9-cafe-1805540486341958/">L'amitie Cafe</a>, right next to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wheelers67/">Wheeler's Coffee</a> in Georgetown, Penang since even they were playing our kind of music. We decided to order a vegetarian pizza (yes, the only one vegetarian option on the menu, literally) and were disappointed that they didn't serve beer. What was served to us was beyond shocking. Out came a pie looking pizza with a one inch think layer of mozzarella cheese (do note that mozzarella turns cold quickly and also turns rubbery when cold), with a base layer of chilli sauce and vegetables. Though the intent of the staff there and the pizza was nice (-ish?), I was practically choking on the pizza and gave up after one and a half slices. The staff was disinterested in work. By staff I mean 4 teenage boys busy flirting with another teenage girl; my mistake, shouldn't have expected attention, really. Also, the service was <u>terribly</u> slow.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">For dessert after the above disastrous lunch, the Plus-One and I decided to try some Green Tea pastry at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MoustacheHouze/">Moustache Houze</a>, right opposite <a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/my/kim-haus.en-gb.html?aid=357026;label=gog235jc-hotel-XX-my-kimNhaus-unspec-in-com-L%3Aen-O%3AwindowsS81-B%3Achrome-N%3AXX-S%3Abo-U%3AXX;sid=80bec88a58bab05f9304b859eed70d49;dist=0&sb_price_type=total&type=total&">Kim Haus Loft</a>. The place is kept clean and tidy and seems to be regular of several people there. Although I found the pastry a bit stale, too creamy and having a bit, inexplicable sweet taste, the Plus-One seemed to enjoy it. Oh, well, to each his own. I do admire the concept of Green Tea pastry thought; I had never, ever heard of it until then. I think the people running <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MoustacheHouze/">Moustache Houze</a> are rather inventive and I like that.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">I bit the dust and finally succumbed to the sweet, sweet beckoning of fresh bread, vegetables and sauces at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Subway-Gurney-Plaza/200375863387477">Subway, Gurney Plaza</a>, Penang. I really do not have much to add here since we're all aware of how Subway is. I ordered the Veggie Delight which cost me MYR 7.50, the bread was tasty, the cheese was okay, the vegetables were fresh and the sauces were lip smacking. Finding a Subway at Malaysia has to be every choosy vegetarian's dream come true, really.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The Plus-One tried some coconut milkshake, called the Coconut Rio at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MilkShakeFactory.Malaysia/">The Milkshake Factory</a>. I only had a sip of this because at that point of time, I was down with a bad bout of cold, but boy, oh, boy, that has to be one of the best milkshakes I've ever had. It was as thick as firmly formed curd, so full of flavour and the staff were an absolute delight to interact with! The milkshake was basically three scoops of ice cream, one full serving of coconut water with added white chocolate. I am eagerly awaiting their arrival in India. And my next trip to Penang will certainly include multiple trips to this store all hale and hearty to try out the motley of flavours they have to offer.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">While the Plus-One was enjoying his coconut milkshake, I had my first ever sip of the supposedly famous 'white coffee of Penang' at <a href="http://www.oldtown.com.my/">Old Town White Coffee</a>. To start off, their serving size is huge for a 'small' order. Second, they add cream, milk and sweetened cream to the coffee that makes it so delicious that you will actual consider purchasing their mix only to realise that they sell only the coffee powder and not the entire mix. It is a shame I can't mimic their coffee. But my next trip to Penang certainly includes revisiting <a href="http://www.oldtown.com.my/">Old Town White Coffee</a> for my piping hot morning cuppa. You should certainly try it too.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">On our way to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langkawi">Langkawi</a>, we stopped by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GeminiCafe.my/">Gemini Cafe</a> at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang_International_Airport">Penang Airport</a>. We had two Pakistanis as our serving staff who were rejoicing at speaking Hindi with us. I ordered the Sardine on Toast, which was the only vegetarian option on the menu that I would have. But, I also made it very, very clear to the staff that I only and only wanted butter and veggies in my toast and nothing else. They fortunately agreed to stick to my exact instructions and thus ended our 4 days at Penang. While the sandwich was no great shakes, it certainly was filling.</li>
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Please do drop me an email at tenpointeverything@gmail.com if you have any additional questions, I will be more than happy to answer them all. Alternatively, you may drop a comment below and I shall respond to it. I profusely apologise for the long absence.</div>
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Thank you for reading!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-59425570984842285792016-01-20T09:38:00.000+05:302016-01-25T09:25:53.217+05:30Because<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Looks good. Sounds good. Feels good. You hear good reviews
about it. But it is very difficult.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Being in a relationship with a fellow human being.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It starts with being all smitten, continually ensuring you
smell good, keeping up appearances and grooming to the T, ensuring your partner
doesn't get to hear your bathroom noises, keeping all vulnerability at bay
because, bleh, why would you want a stranger you met yesterday make so much
difference in your life?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Until the point where you stop all pretense.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You will be privy to each other’s bathroom noises, to say
the least. You will know each other’s good and bad days. You will see each
other at your best and your worst. You will see each other at your most
vulnerable. Finally, you will definitely see each other in a new light, at your
nastiest. That’ll be the end of the honeymoon phase.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You will hurt each other, intentionally and/ or
unintentionally, it will be cruel, you will feel like beating the shit out of
your partner. For some, you will have self-harming tendencies, will imagine
this little fight, that tiny spat to be the worst fight ever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Until one of you decides to put an end to the silliness.
Until one of you decides to put all ego aside. Until one of you decides to just
muck the details out so there isn't any more miscommunication. At least about
the current argument. Until one of you decides that it sucks to fight with
someone you like spending time with.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I never imagined myself to be capable of spending most of my
time with a fellow human being. I mostly stay away from people (I do belong to
Planet Earth). And yet, for about six months now, I've unlearned all my
capabilities of living alone. I’ve unlearned how to take care of myself. I've
unlearned how to be by myself. I’ve unlearned how to entertain myself.
Involuntarily.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have a constant companion, be it home or work. I loathe
waking up alone. From the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep, there
is not a single minute of the day when I feel like I am not being taken care
of. From the glass of hot water first thing in the morning, to the dry towel at
the end of a shower, to the 2 minutes just for us after returning home from
work to the pats on the back until I fall into deep slumber. Breakfast, lunch,
dinner, weekend getaways, weekend brunches, evening walks, foosball at work,
sleeping at night, going for a run, reading our own books, watching our own
shows, </div>
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I have a constant companion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I honestly have <b>no
clue</b> as to my contributions to this contract!<o:p></o:p></div>
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At this point, I've realized, I've to relearn all the things
I’d taught myself in the first five to six months of living alone and taking
care of myself because this constancy may or may not be there throughout, there
will be absences, there will be misgivings and there will be disappointments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But, from my little understanding, I can tell you this: as
of now, I’d rather not be elsewhere. Because:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i1HDsXLLuko/Vp8HwJvPyPI/AAAAAAAAAEg/tChVfdT0ZZM/s1600/IMG-20160119-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i1HDsXLLuko/Vp8HwJvPyPI/AAAAAAAAAEg/tChVfdT0ZZM/s400/IMG-20160119-WA0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found the picture somewhere on Facebook</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-56340114106005356762015-04-20T19:33:00.001+05:302015-04-20T19:40:37.407+05:30Twice as Nice; Twice as Awesome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-b2bdc4c1-d71d-f68a-6010-f94cc05e9c54" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 5pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At first JK said: </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Being a fat kid, health was never a priority. Especially considering my parents were working, it didn't help that my grandmother fed me like a starving child. Bordering on obesity throughout school and college (with the nickname "hippo", not even "baby hippo"- school kids are mean!), then, life happened. And I lost all that weight/ baby fat using a combination of stress, stress, a little more stress, unrelenting exercise, starvation and being secretly proud of my jutting collar and hip bones. Little did I know that once the stress and starvation is removed from the picture, I would just as easily pile the kilos back on. Lo and behold, I was staring at an older, much wiser (debatable), fatter self in the mirror! One thing I was certainly not counting on was my skin appearing dull, dry and lifeless. It did not help that I was providing no nutrition to my body whatsoever. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And then SD said: </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And I was as skinny as skinny could be, without even trying! From well meaning aunties asking my mom why she refused to feed me, to mean classmates calling me everything from sukdi to agarbatti, I heard it all! Instead of eating healthy, which I should have done, I drowned my sorrows in a strange combo of greasy moisturizer, water and talcum powder...</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Acne in preteens, braces on my teeth, and a malnourished frame - I was like every awkward middleschooler ever! Hell, I invented the concept!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So JK continued:</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 14pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Taking control of my weight and body into my own hands, I started a healthy combination of exercise and diet. This no doubt did wonders to my figure. Alas, the assumptions and stupidity of youth (there should be a self help book for the youth on the lines of "Youth for Dummies"). Thinking who needs to give special attention to skin when one is on a healthy diet I set off, yet again, on a slippery slope downhill. Having achieved the body of my dreams and the skin of a middle aged woman, I was left questioning my appearance. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">SD replied:</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I had to do something too. This was just not working in a world where appearance matters big time. I tried the unhealthy approach first - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">paneer </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pakodas </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">every day! And a healthier one next - jogging in the morning. Sure, looked </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">khaate-peete ghar ki</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> now, but the face? Still showed signs of adulterated moisturizer abuse!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And then we discovered the Garnier Pure Active Combo!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kmQ52CmufIo/VTSDqNIyiTI/AAAAAAAAAqg/6jRP9FVUoOM/s1600/WP_20150416_003.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/UThtbaNNOFnZ03E9KLYPn8HIc9YojTAjYQZuRojCiS5danOxyyZA1EXF0FOE-eWDKWhH-ICwR0Q0N_wPxMm5ucaro5OnT572Th7NSg3D7D6TgUgqemDpGWqFQpa0TCFamItFQiPfgOjrCHkO" style="border: medium none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="179" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Garnier pack- Image by Diva on a Budget</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m-v-AfhbbxU/VTSDtA_kisI/AAAAAAAAAqo/lbcobtdx1Bg/s1600/WP_20150416_004.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/JyHz1J_aCnrPtBvqO26lxfXw4ydCwHCKDKOWpPh37fp-iJDIzWnz9IDVe4m_rV4lF3xSHFYbHHoP2jDkfE8fZqREsegk4HzlsgWj7Vp3mXNCtfHjhl9SckVSwNmnymnps0eWqWqiSoVJTUzT" style="border: medium none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="179" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Garnier scrub- Image by Diva on a Budget</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NaSrLJw-0zk/VTSDnupP-dI/AAAAAAAAAqY/6HTFMsrCYgw/s1600/WP_20150416_006.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/3rYbWYz3PBiXV0WulhA8PV7jQhr-pJZR50K-c2btyPe6-l13ARXKMTVxH9VK2ILPVoDbdDo_bD7VUYj7a_LgsaCjUU0llBoR5DeKsPUx7AAAYOQ5qi_sDGLE-eYlPCQlMt3-CrsbK9chP4UU" style="border: medium none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="179" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Garnier Face Wash- Image by Diva on a Budget</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now, I <b>(SD)</b> have already used up a couple of tubes of the face wash, so I already know how it works. It's really mild and smells really - green! I do not know how to explain it well, but it reminds me of greenery and woods and grass... But not an annoying herbal scent. More like a nice herbal scent!! :)</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Priced at INR 90 for 100g (there's a small tube for INR 50) this is really pocket friendly. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Packaging: It has a tight flip cap, which makes it safe to carry.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3gmDX2kp2xE/VTSExHNmSdI/AAAAAAAAAqw/2Idoaz8giaY/s1600/WP_20150416_016.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/EGKZv6jXmWUMybfqpvvWV8aKkhqybtzEDCagkG_V7T_ksMzgo98oysUkLc1tEVIS4427-nSRGxOPSB_7yGbBWcPlqMkbYAVV4YyzLN1O5Gaq8ePyYHdDA43D5q34JrPBuTTEuP3TzIgwdpQd" style="border: medium none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="199" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Image by Diva on a Budget</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Consistency: Just right! And love the green color!</span></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R8ZS9DajnZE/VTSFCQpAHiI/AAAAAAAAAq4/IEF0OPYWgPw/s1600/WP_20150416_017.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HZK3rgOZoaGy4ULJ9_Y1Fdk7tX6Xgg0KvlQcLXncKPllkcKIbocbp0-oOA6Ifou_8Wegd29hWgnrFmcVG4Lx-CN3_T8EqdisAoTbuxsaMn7-NPOIbSby1B7CUviDXzpKkGI9CcGkJsYNvOBU" style="border: medium none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="237" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Image by Diva on a Budget</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ingredients:</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Quite a few of the usual suspects, along with tea tree oil</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RpstocUE-1w/VTSFkWALO-I/AAAAAAAAArA/RbNsFFP-cOc/s1600/WP_20150416_014.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/bVJdKuYUUb2Y45d6CANhrcbCXG4jQCrUr5fo3B7qtTPrUihKuX91BCkhIv41K8nDQxPmtRdp3WhGXg7jrEERQTG6urkmTJH65rtWNbMwnBPWVXwffBjIhpfmrNNHSTTToKBvzcmtxa9vzWbU" style="border: medium none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="179" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Image by Diva on a Budget</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bloi8YmozhY/VTSFnxkPZMI/AAAAAAAAArI/o6JdNeXo9_g/s1600/WP_20150416_015.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/nHHDszp4KxAhP5qOJLAJ1G4dR3-70Kc-M8v5f86RyYFwsUNSbFQ4IjVHdKNih0aRJ2D1JNrYiV4ADkWGIQzFk340b2qvAVYD7RHKky-V88YnRpaCDjwAhZ8iZnTYQnGKyZEJflSLdtffjSdZ" style="border: medium none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="179" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Image by Diva on a Budget</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shelf life: 3 years</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now let's talk about the scrub. Remember how I (SD) told you in one of my previous posts that </span><a href="http://idivaonabudget.blogspot.in/2015/03/unboxing-natures-co-marchs-wear-your_30.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">TNC's Kiwi Hand Cream smells exactly like "sweet oats"</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Garnier Pure Active Exfoliating Scrub with Apricot extracts smells exactly the same!!! It's uncanny!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YxECe6HZ3lQ/VTSHEVSZkdI/AAAAAAAAArg/A82fFuVnhSs/s1600/WP_20150416_011.jpg" height="296" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/2o9IfW1g-C3tJfrbcIRfNLBn6uAxCTweo5PsxD3yElGfq_1sCHKhY2bQw7kR5E7pQKkTlZrL1HF8qtjj23fFmUTajywyIFopPONsc_Tt9ag9PxwxBFRcIxwhL0Ci2-fRd4_MRCEbss7U5E_Q" style="border: medium none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Image by Diva on a Budget</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eSCkEkqrSuw/VTSGk8qUUSI/AAAAAAAAArQ/HD1mY6xoVtA/s1600/WP_20150416_019.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/vjUXCcmmmkNZE4THRTc202Day8x-68y8HTJ7v3iQlIJgNewjssUYv-opxBs19WMnwJdqpBXBrTDRZwHcy5csjSwJTIM5bHB6tJST7gE_qLJaxUAY9nFJFaBNLUNqzWInlFhaN9GKTI-AKnpl" style="border: medium none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="218" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Image by Diva on a Budget</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Similarly packaged, with a tight flip cap. It is priced at INR 115 for 100g. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ingredients:</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A lot of fruit extracts, I see! </span></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img alt="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t1B7msV0NYU/VTSHj2ne_SI/AAAAAAAAAro/97SBRVUmRcM/s1600/WP_20150416_012.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/L2GbkUTN9UrqQ7l8G89Wr7pZBnqBbuEVlcwIx4Z9CpEo-_S04fPYTZksY8U2AT5YCDYdBjML2EDIUyI-ldN7TKEPNhB1u64Y-1oc1MdL_y1BsaSL-YyqiQT4sPyV2Gve8R0sZfCQB1QpVj32" style="border: medium none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="171" /></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Image by Diva on a Budget</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shelf life: 36 months</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Consistency: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not-very-coarse granules. They say you can use it every day, but I prefer to use it on alternate days.</span></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our experience!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While SD is a fan of the Garnier Pure Active Neem Face Wash, JK is blown away by how bright her face looks one day after using Garnier Pure Active Exfoliating Apricot Face Scrub. This is the first time JK is using a face scrub, so she loves how smooth and bright her face looks the next day. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">SD says, while the stubborn acne marks do not go, the Garnier Pure Active Neem Face Wash has certainly prevented any new ones from cropping up.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Power of two? We think so too!!! :)</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">SD (<a href="http://idivaonabudget.blogspot.in/">http://idivaonabudget.blogspot.in/</a>) and JK (</span><a href="http://tenpointeverything.blogspot.in/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://tenpointeverything.blogspot.in/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) are participating in Garnier Pure Active's #TwiceAsNiceActivity!! </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 14pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Disclaimer: The samples were sent by Garnier</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Happiness is heading home after a year of staying away.</li>
<li>Happiness is a sinful cheesy pizza with Coca Cola.</li>
<li>Happiness is a "Pass" in an exam you <i>knew</i> you hadn't studied for.</li>
<li>Happiness is a clean pile of clothes.</li>
<li>Happiness is reading and rereading the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/snape">scene with Professor Snape's "Always" </a></li>
<li>Happiness is walking to work and knowing you don't have to slog out an extra hour at the gym. </li>
<li>Happiness is the drunk time spent doing stupid sh*t with friends.</li>
<li>Happiness is mass bunking in college.</li>
<li>Happiness is mass bunking in office and going on a day's road trip.</li>
<li>Happiness is <a href="https://www.google.co.in/search?q=agra+petha&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=dAAPVaqLKomHuATjloBI&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=609#imgdii=_&imgrc=BCyZhenHDZR4-M%253A%3BCnoWGmNzV_8p7M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fappetizer.betterrecipes.com%252Fuploads%252Fphoto%252F400x300%252F0%252F6%252F06af980fa6c1247ff0f0dee167818fa7.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fww.itimes.com%252Fpoll%252Fagra-ka-petha%3B400%3B300">Agra ka petha</a>.</li>
<li>Happiness is the warmth of the shining sun on a cold winter morning.</li>
<li>Happiness is watching an older couple hold hands and giggle together.</li>
<li>Happiness is watching teenagers do stupid stuff and realizing your own naivete at their age.</li>
<li>Happiness is food prepared by Mommy. </li>
<li>Happiness is watching your maid take charge of her life and educating her children.</li>
<li>Happiness is a day at work when the boss is on leave! </li>
<li>Happiness is watching the "uneducated" ground staff at work gleaming with pride at the prospect of signing their signature on the register on payday.</li>
<li>Happiness is samosas.</li>
<li>Happiness is when your brother has a larger collection of cosmetics than you and lets you borrow some!</li>
<li>Happiness is catching the local train on time. That 08:09 ladies' local is a must!</li>
<li>Happiness is a steaming mug of strong filter coffee and a book.</li>
<li>Happiness is when Lord Voldemort gets defeated.</li>
<li>Happiness is when my phone does that miraculous thing- it works.</li>
<li>Happiness is the satisfaction of having completed a book and not getting over it for a few days.</li>
<li>Happiness is <strike>shoes</strike> a closet full of shoes.</li>
<li>Happiness is largely superficial.</li>
<li>Happiness is when I am home alone!</li>
<li>Happiness is buying street children treats every once in a while. </li>
<li>Happiness is Coca Cola, Old Monk with a lemon wedge.</li>
<li>Happiness is a good run with the satisfaction that a large chocolate slab is definitely deserved.</li>
<li>True happiness is the state during childhood when you knew no hardships and lived a carefree life.</li>
<li>Happiness is a movie ticket for Rs.60.</li>
<li>Happiness is people sticking to feminism in its true form and not perceiving it to be man hating.</li>
<li>Happiness is equality in its true measure.</li>
<li>Happiness is getting your favourite songs on the radio one after the other.</li>
<li>Happiness is underrated.</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Borrowed from <a href="http://aborrowedbackpack.com/">A Borrowed Backpack</a>:</div>
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1) Happiness is a break from cooking, when you cook for yourself three times a day.<br />2) Happiness is an awesome roommate.<br />3) Happiness is best-friend's wedding.<br />4) Happiness is just about manage to be served when the restaurant's kitchen is about to close.<br />5) Happiness is parents.<br />6) Happiness is siblings.<br />7) Happiness is food.<br />8) Happiness is the sound of rain-drops and a steaming mug of coffee/chai.<br />9) Happiness is 'salary/payment credited'. <br />10) Happiness is the pride in your teacher's eye, when you meet him/her after a decade.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-9408919572527454052015-03-21T16:40:00.000+05:302015-03-21T16:47:54.660+05:30Look Up- To Us<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>The rhythm of the local train, lulled me to blissful unawareness. I was half asleep when I heard loud squeals. As I came to, I noticed a child with her mother had boarded the train and were sitting right opposite me. As the child ripped open the packet of chips and stuffed her mouth with junk, she kept chattering. Once she was done, her dress, hands and mouth all messy, she folded up the empty packet, dusted herself clean and promptly deposited the piece of garbage into her mother's purse. <b>There's hope afterall. </b><b><br /></b></li>
<li>As I impatiently awaited my bus to show up at the bus stop, a long queue had snaked up to the end of nowhere. A bully next to me thought it of utmost importance to paint the concrete roads with his bright red beetle nut flavoured spit. Constantly, once, twice, thrice.. "Excuse me, why do you keep ruining our infrastructure? What pleasure do you derive from that?" I asked in Hindi. "How is it any of your business? How about you STFU and behave like a woman rather than questioning a man?" he responded in the most sexist, suggestive and offensive tone possible. All around, the young, the old and the middle aged gave him a piece of their mind, not raising their voice, letting their opinion out- ranging from cleanliness to respecting women to speaking respectfully to people to not ruining the country's image. <b>There's hope afterall. </b></li>
<li>When I see women of all age groups being groped in crowded places and teased publicly, I feel sad that none of them are able to or even want to raise their voice against it. It fills me with pride when I see women standing up for themselves as soon as they have been humiliated by their attackers, not sparing a single thought to "What will people think of me if I create a<b> </b>scene despite the fact that I've been wronged?" <b>There's hope afterall.</b></li>
<li>The week long apprehensions got the better of me. I couldn't think straight of what I was going to do, how I was going to bring up the subject and let it all out. I finally did it. I went up to my parents and said "I am joining kick boxing classes. It starts in two days." While my father gave me a "Good, it'll build your stamina!", my mother gave me a "Great! Good for your health and you learn some self defense. Have fun!" While I was left stunned at their response, my mind gave me a nudge toward <b>There's hope afterall.</b></li>
<li>When my uncles and aunts, distant and close are all<b> </b>up in my business with questions ranging from "When are you getting married?", "Are your parents looking for someone?", "How many kids do you want?", When do you want to settle down?", my grandmother shushes them up with a "She can do whatever she wants, don't annoy her with marriage questions now. That is for her to decide!" <b>There's hope afterall.</b></li>
<li>When I see the cleaning lady at my office everyday, toiling away so she can put her children through school, I feel proud. The feeling is inexplicable when at the end of every month, she comes to me with a shy smile and once I handover her pay cheque, her eyes shine at the prospect of signing her name on the register. <b>There's hope afterall. </b></li>
</ul>
<b>There's always hope- for a better life, for a better set of thoughts, for a better generation, for a better nation, for a better us, for a better person to <a href="https://housing.com/lookup">look up</a> to.</b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-7529049665036070202015-03-15T21:44:00.000+05:302015-03-15T21:44:50.474+05:30Together in Harmony, Maybe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Moving to a new city, starting a life on your own is fun, but hard. The only hope here is that you find tasks manageable than easy. Let's face it, if it is easy, it ain't right! When I found my house on <a href="http://housing.com/">Housing.com</a>, having been raised in a chaotic environment, I found it to be eerily quiet. So, yours truly asked the kind (?) landlady for a roommate. I was hoping for a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monica_Geller">Monica</a>, expecting a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Green">Rachel </a>and was hoping against hope not to end up with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Tribbiani">Joey</a>!</div>
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The moment she walked in, tiny, petite, looking around curiously, my brain only produced a "Oh, shit, living with a stranger. Now what?"</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Being the pessimistic cynic that I am, I noticed the cracks in this roommate-ship in the first few days. She had all the signs of my grandmother. Oh, the flooding memories of my childhood and teenage years! It all started when she opened her wardrobe door for the 16th time that hour, constantly rummaging for a pin or a comb or just to peer inside, I guess. It then extended to her taking her bucket out from under her bed, bathing and depositing the bucket back under her bed along with her toiletries. It then continued with her safely locking up her food in her cupboard and shrieking one day because the milk had spilled all over. All this alongside "Hey, could you please help me open this jar of jam?" to "Hey, could you please switch the gas stove on for me? I'm not able to do it." to "OH MY GOD! THAT DOG IS SO CLOSE TO US! HELP ME!" Need I say more?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Then again, it dawned on me- we are all here alone, trying to make the best of things because, let's face it, living alone is fun! Whether the nutty roommate is fun is a different question altogether.</div>
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It all started with me wishing her a highly enthusiastic "Happy Birthday!" Considering the high pitched tone was fooling no one and she had no plans on her birthday, I came back home from work with a hellish indulgence in the form of a dark chocolate pastry. Since I couldn't find birthday candles, I lit a matchstick as a makeshift candle and in the guffaws that followed, the matchstick burnt itself to the cake. This happened thrice. Once bitten, twice shy says who? Not bad for a anti-social creature (me, in case you were wondering) bonding with a fellow human being!</div>
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It only got better with me trying to burn the house down. I am <b>not</b> exaggerating. I had some left over Chinese food and we have a century-or-so-old microwave in the house that takes up to 30 minutes to boil a glass of water. So, I set the microwave for ten minutes to reheat my leftover Chinese in a plastic container and off I went to watch my TV show. The sound that startled me after five minutes was some loud clunking. When I went outside, I was shocked beyond wits to see the house filled with smoke, a deep burning smell in every nook and corner and the plastic container inside the microwave <b>on fire</b>. Literally on fire. As I yelled out to my roommate, I got no response, I switched off the microwave and poured water all over it. She walked down the stairs calling my name and asking me what happened. The mess, explaining and the stink was followed by about two hours of non-stop laughing, sitting outside the house for fresh air and finally closing the day with a round of drinks and a rerun of Horrible Bosses.<br />
<br />
I am the stubborn, usually non-adjusting kind. The kind that stays in one corner of the room where people enjoy mingling around. I don't like meeting new people, I don't like socializing, I don't like being 'out there'. Then again, like I said, away from home we are all here trying to make this work, one way or the other. Maybe a good laugh and someone to laugh with makes it easier? Maybe people aren't so bad after all? I may not have a best friend forever, the ultimate roommate or friend turned to family, we do have good stories to tell. This is the one thing that keeps me going.<br />
<br />
Just maybe, it is the company that matters. The power of being #together.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-21277304021503109022015-03-11T08:13:00.000+05:302015-03-11T08:17:52.550+05:30Starting A New Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ever since the end of school,the one motive in life for me had been "to
be on my own". No, I wasn't subject to tyranny at
home, not at all! When eight years later the opportunity presented itself in
the form of moving cities for a job opportunity, I jumped at the offer like the
fox lunged at its sweet-looking-grapes on the tree!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now, I have been moving since childhood considering my parents worked for
the Government of India; so, in my head, having watched from the sidelines,
looking at the way my parents handled everything with utmost efficiency, moving
was easy! I was going to be proved wrong in so many different ways!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I moved to Bangalore from the hustle and bustle of Bombay. What I expected
was a quaint little town, tucked away with amazing weather and fashionable
tech-people-spotting everywhere. What I have realized since landing here is
that Bangalore is not a quaint little town. On the other hand, it is a mega IT
city which is bursting to its seams with all this overcrowding!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Who better to guide me in Bangalore as far as accommodation goes than <a href="http://housing.com/">Housing.com</a>? Having scoured through a bunch of
websites with no satisfactory results, yes, Facebook groups included, I landed
on <a href="http://housing.com/">Housing.com</a> and lo and behold, look at my
options! The most positive side of things was that I could go through real
estate listings that had been verified by the <a href="http://housing.com/">Housing.com</a>
team leaving me with just having to give a cursory glance at the property
before shouting out a big yes!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I had an image of an evil landlord built in my head (I blame Bollywood
movies)- you know, the ones that literally throw the tenants and their
belongings out when they have defaulted in paying rent by a day. I was
surprised to hear a decent, sweet sounding woman on the other end of the phone
call. (So, <a href="http://housing.com/">Housing.com</a> takes its verification seriously!) Lesson learned- don’t raise your kids on a diet of Bollywood movies.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Believe me when I say this, life is no F.R.I.E.N.D.S TV show when you live
alone and start making friends in a new city. A Joey Tribbiani is not going to
just move in next door and neither is your old school friend going to turn up
and share a room with you. Real life is much more scary and plain and much less
exciting. My bungalow is shared by four girls, yours truly included. We are
indeed a motley crew! From the finicky, picky, petite girl from up North to the
utterly messy, mature albeit fun girl from the East to a relatively regular
girl from up North again to me- the girl who is always one step away from a
disaster. Always. Lesson learned- don’t let your teenage self be fooled by watching
American TV shows.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Living alone is not uber exciting or difficult. It is rather fun when you are expected to do all those things that you have only watched your family do from the sidelines. You discover yourself in ways
you wouldn’t fathom while performing mundane tasks, you learn to take care of
yourself and those around you, you learn to live and adjust with people who are
so different from you that about 70% of the time, all you can think about is
how nicely you’d prefer smacking them! But then all is good when chilled
bottles of beer are clinked and worries are drowned away in the blissful fizz!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Thank you <a href="http://housing.com/">Housing.com</a>, you helped me move one step closer to my dream! True
story.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Let's watch you #StartANewLife</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Still not convinced? Watch this:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1FXdCjk505w/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1FXdCjk505w?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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PS: Hey, <a href="http://housing.com/">Housing.com</a>, I take my referral fees in cash only :D</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<![endif]--></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-41436750046164039592015-02-14T21:59:00.000+05:302015-02-14T22:08:10.967+05:30Home Away From Home: Setting up a Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am the new employee whose parents
dropped her off on her first day of work and even had a word with her reporting
manager about the company and its business. I am the new employee whose mom told
her boss and I quote “I am leaving her under your care now.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Is there any reason for my brain <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>to face palm at this? </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>
</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, I am not the type who throws a
fit at being escorted by my parents to school, college, first day of my
internship and now my first day of work. Who cares? As long as they are not pinning a handkerchief to my pinafore, making
my shoes shine so well that the water bottle hanging on my neck gets reflected
in it and adjusting my Spiderman back pack, I am cool with it! But even to my ears,
the ‘care of’ to my boss sounded something an emotional, drama loving mom would
say. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After
such a delightful, eyeball catching entry on my first day of work,
wherein I was happily six hours late (or as my friend says <i>"Pehle din pe
aukaat dikha diya tune"</i>), my parents, with me in tow, went apartment
hunting. After having endured the relentless,
ear drum bursting, lung cancer giving effects of the cities of Bombay and Thane,
Bangalore, in my head, looked like that beautiful, perfect cousin whom your mom always
looks at with admiration and then gives you that look which silently screams “Meh!” </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Independent houses dotting the streets
and very few apartment buildings is something I may never get used to.
Apartments/ flats make good economic sense. More human dwellings in
comparatively less space. Cattle class all the way! Just give your monthly maintenance cheque and
your utilities are magically taken care of. Independent house owners seem to love
running from pillar to post to get stuff done. Jolly! </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another weird notion that I find unsettling is the
friendliness in a neighbourhood. Something that goes against my every
sense of being. The concept I am <i>totally</i> alien to. Back home, we
would barely acknowledge a neighbour with a smile despite living in
the same building, on the same floor for eight odd years. If you come
across a person from your building, you avoid eye contact, appear to be
busy on your phone (while you and I both know that you are randomly scrolling through your Whatsapp list, judging your friends' display pictures) and try to scurry away before having to forcefully
act civil with them. Once that catastrophe has passed you coochikoo with
a cute stray and try to communicate with him/ her in Dog. And philosophers say humans
don't make sense. Pch!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
concept of paying guest accommodation here, like everything else, is commercialized. They call a broom cupboard a bedroom. Bombay townies will vouch for this- a town area servant quarter is more spacious and cozy than the PG accommodation here. You
get a cot with a thin mattress, used bed sheet, a thin pillow (hopefully the past user didn't have dandruff/ lies) and voila! You have what they call a living space.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I suppose the
<strike> broom cupboard</strike> bedroom is supposed to give you an idea of the worst case
scenario- if you take wrong decisions, you may end up in jail, and this
is how jails are. LOL. Just kidding. </span><span style="font-size: small;">You may be slightly more comfortable behind bars. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>We will make the bedroom look as shabby and unwelcoming as possible that you will not even think of entertaining "guests" here. </i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The best part of so called accommodations are the deadlines. Some of them
had deadlines of 9:30 pm. Essentially, I'll be paying them to run my life while I enjoy their complimentary jail food. And I will be calling this my home.
One PG for women went a step further and added a note on their main
gate which read "Ladies who are late will be allowed entry <b>only </b>if they
are dropped off in a company car." Because we don't use cabs or rickshaws
or have colleagues/ friends drop us off in their vehicle when we are
running late. That just sends a wrong message. Besides, if women come home late in non-company cars, they have no morals. So, don't allow them entry and keep them standing outside in the oh-so-safe-in-the-middle-of-the-night environment. Makes sense, no?</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">By
Facebook's grace, we found comparatively normal landlords (<b>not</b> a PG), liked what
they offered and took it. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, love your mom to infinity because she
will not judge when you are standing in the supermarket, looking like a
fool and not having an inkling as to what all you need to set yourself
up in a new place. While you stand there dumbstruck and completely useless, be assured that she'll pull out a nice shopping list and start ticking things off. Something which makes you go "Oh shit! This is how things magically appeared back home?" </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eventually, in your temporary home you realize that the maid is only going to wash your clothes and hang them to dry. The dry-clothes-fairy is not going to get them back from the balcony. Oh, your wardrobe is not sprinkled with fairy dust to arrange itself properly.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When you live with housemates, there are adjustments that will be demanded. For example, you need to be totally okay with a stranger's lingerie drying in the balcony right beside yours, have a shoe lying around in the kitchen, loud noises around the house that make you think "What is that noise? What can possibly make all that noise?", a stranger running around the house wearing a helmet and by far the worst- looking at the aforementioned strangers in their night clothes. That is one moment where I feel like clicking their picture and sending them to my mom saying "Here's proof that people dress way worse than I do when home. You <i>cannot</i> say that I dress like an urchin at home."</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The household will generally be either all male or all female. Never a mix of the two. Additionally, one more unspoken rule is "no opposite sex in the house" which feels like going back to school- "Girls and boys should not talk or mingle. Girls and boys should not sit together. The best punishment is making the child sit in between two children of the opposite sex."For the overtly adventurous kind, this may be your chance to break the rules, live life on the wilder side, play sneakoscope games and what have you!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All in all, living alone, especially for the first time, is never foolproof. Be your dumbest, lose your ego, venture into everything without any expectations, be safe and you will come out of this bruised and slightly less foolish. Maybe. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-52779931470428545852015-01-16T10:55:00.001+05:302015-01-16T13:36:51.778+05:30Home Away from Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From being a girl of 10 or 11 whose parents used the "I'll make you live in a hostel" threat to reprimand her <b>to </b>being a girl of 15 or 16 who wanted to live in a hostel (which rebellious teen doesn't?) <b>to </b>a grown up (maturity is questionable) of 23 who is <b>finally </b>moving out of her parents' <a href="http://dict.hinkhoj.com/words/meaning-of-%E0%A4%9B%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%20%20%20%E0%A4%9B%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE-in-english.html">chatrachaya </a>(as my friend so eloquently put it) <i>(meaning protection or shelter)</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It has been a roller coaster of decisions, reality checks, permissions and emotions.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>This Bombay Bumpkin is making her way to another city.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I will be writing about:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>How not to screw up when you ain't with mommy and daddy </li>
<li>How to grow up (haha)</li>
<li>How to cook <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggi#Noodles">maggi </a></li>
<li>How to make sure you don't screw up so bad that your parents pester you to "come back home for good" before you are ready</li>
<li>Other misc items related to<b>"Just how not to screw up"</b></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The fact that I don't know what is in store for me gets me scared, excited and uncertain all at once.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I hope to document it all. Maybe it will help someone somewhere sometime; just maybe.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-76993862421300277872014-12-29T14:44:00.001+05:302015-01-16T13:36:07.632+05:30Senitmental Fragility<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31818&articlexml=After-Ghar-Wapsi-a-Ghar-to-Protect-Hindu-29122014001078">This </a>made me wonder. To give you an idea:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> Are your `Hindu' sentiments hurt by Aamir Khan's take on godmen and gods
in the new Bollywood movie PK? Or by Ram Gopal Varma's queries
regarding Lord Ganesha? Don't worry, the Hindu Legal Cell will address
your concerns. Launched six months ago by more than 100 lawyers across
India, this organisation will tackle any perceived insults against the faith, besides fighting for “Hindu human
rights“. </i></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Initially, I was in denial. Then I tried to make sense of it. I seem to have failed. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The article in the Economic Times goes on to state the following:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“Our religion is under threat, and in India, in the name of secularism, everyone wants to
protect other religions, except Hinduism,“ said Prashant Patel, a
27-year-old graduate in management and law from Delhi who's the
organisation's secretary. “In India, there are some people who talk
against Indian culture and get away in the name of free speech,“ he
said.
“But free speech should be used to talk good things and not hurt others'
sentiments,“ Patel said.</i></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Note how there is a mention of free speech. How poignantly put!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After successfully tackling trivial economic issues like poverty, corruption, illiteracy, women's safety, hunger, housing, infrastructure, water, other environmental issues, et cetera we finally seem to have taken a turn for the better. <strike>Focus on greater development and make India an economic power</strike>. Focus on protection and development of religion and take legal action against people talking smack about Indian culture, Hinduism, and the so-called force fed faith in Gods and Godmen.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Shame on Indians. Talking about the Indian culture in myriad ways and destroying its sanctity. You have a differing opinion? How dare you? Did you not know that there is no room for independent thought?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Shame on Indians. Making movies like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PK_%28film%29">PK </a>& <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OMG_%E2%80%93_Oh_My_God!">OMG</a>. Is it so difficult to produce item numbers and mindless Bollywood masala movies? That is what Indian culture is all about.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Shame on Indians. Watching, liking and enjoying movies like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PK_%28film%29">PK </a>& <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OMG_%E2%80%93_Oh_My_God!">OMG</a>. What audacity! Who said your choice even mattered? It is an Indian family's birthright where everyone from grandparents to infants enjoy Munni & Sheela.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Shame on Indians. Voicing their opinions against Gods and their men. Follow them. Blindly. Now.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Shame on Indians. Using their fundamental rights in such blatantly normal ways. You live in a democracy. You have free speech. It doesn't mean you can stand against what is considered 'acceptable behaviour'.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
No, no. We need to put an end to this. We need to stop this apocalypse before it takes over the country. We need to stop people from having a rational and logical thought process. They need to adhere to norms. How hard is it, really? We have been doing it for generations. We can do it for generations more!</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Ram Puniyani, a leading political commentator and member of the All
India Secular Forum, finds the emergence of organisations such as the
Hindu Legal Cell a worrying trend amid the coming to power of the
BJP-led Narendra Modi government. “This lawyers' organisation is a step in the same direction--to harass
those opposing blind faith. Those promoting rational thought will be
targeted and this will subtly promote Hindu religiosity.“ </i></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Rational thought? Hahaha. Even our education system doesn't have any room for this. Why should religion?</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The next step for the organisation will be to expand its base in other
parts of India and encourage people to file cases against any issue that
impacts them.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Industrial development? Development of the service sector? B*tch, please!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>On a serious note, instead of focussing on Modi's Japan model for development of the nation, we seem to be on the path to recreating a certain East Asian country's ruthless dictatorship.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am interested in what you have to say. Leave a comment below or e-mail me.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You may find the article here:<b> </b><a href="http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31818&articlexml=After-Ghar-Wapsi-a-Ghar-to-Protect-Hindu-29122014001078">http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31818&articlexml=After-Ghar-Wapsi-a-Ghar-to-Protect-Hindu-29122014001078</a><b><br /></b></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-51238552855923094882014-12-14T21:09:00.000+05:302017-03-25T16:56:37.888+05:30The Mills & Boons Reverie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">I read my first Mills & Boons when I was
sitting jobless at a client's place (audit is by far the most boring field of work) and I asked a friend to forward me an
e-book. Till date I've read about 10-15 Mills & Boons books (yes, I know, I know), here's what <b><i>all</i></b> of them are about:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Tall, dark and
handsome men</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: Yes, the ones that don't exist. Okay,
fine. They do exist. But, they’re already taken. They do not exist for
us mere mortals. And here in India, we <i>mostly </i>find short, stout, dark and not handsome men
who leer at us. <i>Mostly</i>. Oh, well.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Well built men vs</span></u><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. tiny and frail girl</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: I am neither tiny nor frail. I can kick some serious ass! And, well built? Bitch, please! Why do you think the terms "paunch" and "beer belly" exist? Fairy tale portrayal, WHY!?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">3.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Very big man</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: I need to add a *nudge nudge wink wink* here. You
know. The girl has never seen such a huge man. Then again, her fear is replaced
by how turned on she is and at the end of the day, they fit perfectly well. You know. Yeah, okay.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><br /><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">4.<i> </i></span><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Stone wall, zero EQ</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: The male protagonist is always surrounded by a
stone wall, emotionally. He has had some bad experience or the other as a child
that has left him emotionally stunted. He has built a strong wall around his emotions
and feelings, never lets them show and yes, the female protagonist breaks the wall and he gets all mushy, emotional and gets in touch with his feelings. The man will always, <b><i>always</i></b> be beautiful, rough and <i>broken</i>. <i>We aren't talking about broken shards of Venetian glass.</i> No. The woman will fix him (it seems to be her single motive). Wouldn’t going to a shrink be easier? Think about it.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">5. </span><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Growl, growl, ROAR</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: Whenever the guy is turned on,
he growls. I am not joking! I have noticed this in every sex scene that was elucidated. Sorry, how tactless
of me. <i>Love making scenes</i>. The woman
sucks in her breath, he growls. The woman moans, he growls. The woman smiles,
he growls. The woman hugs him, he growls. A trip to the zoo would be easier!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">6.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Damsel-in-distress
and knight-in-shining-armour syndrome</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: Yes. She is always in need of help. Yes, he is
always there to save her. They fall in love and have a happily ever after. Don't we all? It
must be so difficult to come up with a plot line showing exactly that. No more, no less.<br />Oh, a few more pointers for the perfectly concocted M&B- the
damsel is usually in financial distress. The only solution? Marriage; A
loveless marriage. Duh! Guy demands sex. Girl refuses. Girl falls for his undeniably
sexy charms. *Gasp* Guy has amazing control over his sexual appetite and restraint (because, obviously, the girl said no and he should honour her wishes, duh).
They end up having sex anyway because they are beautiful, hot, sexy people and
what do two beautiful, hot and sexy people do? Yep.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">7. </span><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Wealthy magnate</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: The male protagonist is
never a-struggling-anything. He <i>used</i> to be. Not anymore. He only struggles with his non-existent EQ. He is
always a wealthy magnate, has more money than well, a lot of money,
has real estate all over the world, has an amazing business, is always in the middle of
some business negotiation or the other, is always ruthless in those
negotiations (the girl injects some emotions here to balance out the ruthlessness; and because <i>she has to do something other than sit pretty all the time</i>) and is just the perfectly tactless multi-millionaire.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">8. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Marriage and kids</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: So, the guy is emotionally
stunted. The girl fixes him. He
wants to marry her. He wants her to have several of his children. Several. Girl
is shocked to her wits that he is willing to commit. And kids? Several of them?
$%%&%&, sure! It is not like the girl gets annoyed with the "several" part because <i>she</i> has to pop them out. They get married. Girl with a shy smile tells him “I’m
glad you are talking about babies; I am pregnant!”<br />Because every girl's reaction, once she knows she's pregnant is unbelievable happiness coursing through her veins. And of course the guy is super duper happy that his girl's knocked up because his legacy will remain. I mean, come on, did you honestly expect anything less? People don't just freak out and try to run away from reality, especially when it is pregnancy. That has mediocrity written all over it!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Mills & Boons 101.</span></span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">You are most welcome! </span> </span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-86664994300921967922014-11-21T23:42:00.000+05:302014-11-22T01:51:08.332+05:30The Arranged Marriage Saga: The Checklist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My friend who is on a groom hunt showed me her very short checklist:</span><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good looking</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rich</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good personality (optional; she intends to customize him)</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>My <strike>checklist</strike> want-list:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="im"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="im">Dear future boyfriend/lover/husband/<wbr></wbr>partner,</span></span></div>
<ol style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="im">
<li>I don't care about your level of qualification<br />I just want you to be an asset to society</li>
<li>I don't care about the kind of money you make<br /> I just want you to take good care of your family (parents & siblings)</li>
<li>I don't care if you are fat or skinny<br />I just don't want you to eat/ starve yourself to an early grave</li>
<li>I don't care if you drink<br />I just don't want you to drink yourself to an early death<span class="im"> </span></li>
<li><span class="im">I don't care if you smoke</span><br />I just don't want you to be anywhere near me with your smoker's breath<br />Also, don't die early because of your smoking habit</li>
<li>I don't care that you have a past<br />I just want you to acknowledge it and be honest about it</li>
<li>I don't care that you have an accent<br />I just need you to have good English vocabulary and grammar<span class="im"></span> </li>
<li>I don't care if you have a porn collection or <i>look </i>at other women<br />If you stare at them and make them uncomfortable,<br />be rest assured, I will make your life hell<br />There are enough creeps out there making our skin crawl<br />We don't need another one<span class="im"></span><span class="im"><br />Needless to add, you'll be left then and there </span></li>
<li><span class="im">I don't care if you are a feminist or any '-ist' at all</span><span class="im"><br />You will treat me as an equal<br /><span class="im">I will also be contributing financially</span></span> to the household<br />And you will be okay with it</li>
<li><span class="im"><span class="im">I don't care if it makes you feel less manly</span></span><br />You will be doing chores around the house<b><i> </i></b></li>
<li><b><i>Most importantly</i></b></li>
</span></span></ol>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't care what you think<br />But I'll <i>always</i> love my dad more than I love you<br />He is the only man I have fallen for with no conditions attached </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't care what you think<br />But to me, my mom was, is and will always be the<b> greatest</b> woman to have inhabited Planet Earth</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don't care what you think<br />But my sibling is my first and only baby, always has been, always will be</span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How many prospective grooms do we have left for me? None, you say?<b> </b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-78404420474749541262014-11-04T13:08:00.000+05:302014-11-05T10:09:39.104+05:30The Arranged Marriage Saga: Overhear-ment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You realize that you are having an out of body experience when overhear your mom speaking to a relative about your horoscope. And then, you hear only snippets of what mom is saying over the phone, which sound vaguely like this:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1. A lot of agreement interjected with "aha!", "oho!", "accha!", "okay!", "yes, yes!", "aamaam" <i>(Tamil for 'yes')</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2. She is 23 now.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3. When? 2015 aa? If not 2015 then when? 3years later? That's too late!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4. Yes, she wants to study further, so we are thinking of someone in the US.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
5. Yes, we are coming down south in x month, this year.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
6. Why don't you ask ABC Mama to do some introductions? I don't want her to get annoyed, though. Just tell him to do everything subtly.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The moment you hear all that, you feel like doing an epic facepalm and want to move away from everything.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The fact that you are 23 is of great consequence to everyone but you. While your parents are more interested in negotiating a life partner for you, here you are, giving your exams and awaiting the next party with your friends. And the fact that you still laugh at fart jokes puts on display the mental and emotional maturity of a five year old. Maybe even that five year old is more mature? Possibly. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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Anyway, it takes a lot of time for the fact to sink in. It has been 48 hours since the trauma and it still hasn't hit home. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Now, I wonder what is going to happen on our trip down south. Stay tuned!<br />
<br />
*I think the tags on this post will sum up my emotions right now* </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-3133185783786703222014-11-04T12:51:00.003+05:302014-11-06T11:23:22.162+05:30The Arranged Marriage Saga: Titbits<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We have this "awesome" concept of arranged marriage in India. People don't just ask you whether you are married. They go a step further and ask whether it was a love marriage or was it arranged. The only difference being you select the partner who will screw your life over in the former case and in the latter case, your parents do it for you. Thank them well.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In a regular middle class Indian family, when the girl reaches "marriageable" age, say, 22-23, the questions automatically take a different turn. Earlier, until say 20-21 years of age, the statements/ questions were something like this:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1. What do you study?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2. What is your area of interest?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3. What do you want to do in the future?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4. Be happy, healthy, study well, get a good job and then we'll take care of everything (when you touch the oldies' feet for their alleged blessings)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As you turn 23, these are the statements/ questions you get:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1. How old are you?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2. How much have you studied?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3. Jathakam edutacha? (Is your jathakam out?)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4. Are your parents looking for you? (Mind you, this ain't a game of Hide n Seek. People ask whether groom hunting by your parents is going on?)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
5. What's your salary? (God forbid you have a job)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
6. You are so tiny, how will you have children?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
See the difference? When you are a "kid", the statements and questions are basically education and career related and peppered with "We'll take care of everything after your education and job." Once you turn 23, career takes a backseat, marriage is all it is about!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Somehow, the oldies managed to find their partner and think it is their birthright to find me one! Also, apparently, my uterus is under their dictatorship. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anyhoo, The Arranged Marriage Saga will take you through my what-should-be-forbidden journey of arranged marriage (if it does happen). I try to find humour in anything and everything. Hopefully this doesn't get overbearing and tiring.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2865903881259675598.post-12920433675503329372014-10-29T22:56:00.000+05:302015-01-05T16:53:10.594+05:30Walking the Streets Just Got Safer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span id="goog_263337926"></span><span id="goog_263337927"></span>Check this out<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XXb-zkInwNA/VFEizYzrIuI/AAAAAAAAAC8/pwigRZP67jg/s1600/Screenshot_2014-10-29-22-45-52.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XXb-zkInwNA/VFEizYzrIuI/AAAAAAAAAC8/pwigRZP67jg/s1600/Screenshot_2014-10-29-22-45-52.png" height="400" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot of www.dailymail.co.uk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Original article <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2811699/Aspiring-actress-24-hidden-camera-reveals-horrendous-catcalling-women-day-wearing-plain-T-shirt-jeans.html">here</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18365010449628833184noreply@blogger.com0