Goa, India

Best Lifestyle Blog of Goa

Month: March 2018

Four Ways to Show Your Mother You Appreciate Her

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

It doesn’t have to be Mother’s Day to show your mother you appreciate her. She does so much for the family it’s never a bad time to let her know how much you care. Consider four ways to show your mom how much you love her.

Give Her a Gift

Making the decision to give your mom a gift is the easy part. The next step is to figure out what she’d like. One way to go about it is to look at her tastes and hobbies. Maybe she loves to cook. If so, give her a new cooking utensil or maybe a set of pans. These gifts would contribute to her enjoyment of cooking. If you want to be more traditional, give your mom a surprise gift of chocolate or other tasty treats. Finding a selection of delicious treats is simple at a place like The Sweet Basket.

Make a Special Dinner

Another way to show your mom you love her is to make her favorite dinner. If she loves spaghetti, then make that entrée along with her favorite side dishes. If you’re not so confident as a cook, take her to a favorite restaurant and treat her to dinner!

Write Her a Letter

Write your mom a letter describing how much she means to you. Bring up specific times in your childhood when you and she really bonded. This letter is going to mean a lot to her. Put the letter in the mail so she can find it in her mailbox one day. She is sure to treasure it for years to come.

Clean Her House

If cleaning is not your mom’s favorite activity, then why not give her a break? Clean all the rooms in your mom’s home. This includes vacuuming, dusting, washing windows, mopping floors and washing curtains. She is sure to be pleased with all your efforts and glad she doesn’t have to clean her home for a while! Of course, if you don’t have the time to clean your mom’s place, you can hire a professional cleaning service. Though you didn’t do the work yourself, you are still giving her the gift of a clean home. As an added bonus, send her to a day at the spa or to a movie while you get her house in shipshape.

Lastly, take some time to think about what your mom would enjoy. She’s going to be able to tell that you gave some thought to her gift and she will appreciate it all the more!

Holiday Nightmares: The Dangers Of Travelling Abroad

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

(image source)

 

 

 

Imagine the scene: you have saved up your money to go on holiday. Excitement is bubbling over, and you cannot wait to leave your home town and jet off abroad to whatever country you have chosen. Sun, sea, rest, and relaxation await. Oh, the fun you will have, the memories you will bring back with you, the stress you will feel slide away from your tired mind…unless you are caught up in one of the following holiday nightmares and those memories will be dark ones and the idea of fun will slip away, being replaced with the stress you thought you had left behind. Gulp!

 

 

Nightmare #1: You have an accident or injury

 

Your home may be a child-proofed fortress, but your health and safety know-how needs to be adapted for a holiday abroad. There are many dangers, from slipping over at the hotel poolside to hurting yourself on unsafe roads. Not every country adheres to the safety requirements you practice in your country, so you need to be prepared.

 

Tip: Pack a first-aid kit with you before you leave and carry it with you everywhere you go. From bee sting creams to a maritime tourniquet, carry something for every eventuality, keeping you and your travelling companions safe from added harm should an injury take place.

 

Nightmare #2: You have a stomach upset

 

We told you in a previous article that travelling is good for your health. It is, but when travelling in a foreign clime, you need to be careful. Stomach upsets are common, especially if you drink from contaminated water sources or eat foods that are unfamiliar to your delicate stomachs.

 

Tip: Bring plenty of bottled water with you, or buy store-bought water while abroad, rather than drinking from the tap or any other water source. Be careful what you eat too – while it’s good to be adventurous with your food options when abroad, be mindful of what your stomach can normally stand and only eat in reputable food eateries.

 

Nightmare #3: You get mugged

 

Tourists stand out like the proverbial sore thumb, taking snaps with their smartphones, and dressing in clothing that is clearly alien to local custom. The chances of a tourist getting pickpocketed (or worse) are high.

 

Tip: Stop looking like a tourist! Wear clothing that helps you blend into the country, and don’t do anything that gives your tourist credentials away – standing in the middle of the street with a giant map is a big no-no for starters. Try and travel in groups as well, and don’t go anywhere unpopulated alone at night. You need to keep yourself safe, as well as your precious belongings.

 

Nightmare #4: You end up in a war zone

 

This is the biggest nightmare of them all, and something we all need to be aware of. Every day we hear of terrorist attacks in foreign and neighbouring countries, and some countries are prone to political unrest. Your life could be on the line.

 

Tip: Keep an eye on the news. If you discover your holiday destination is potentially unsafe, don’t take the risk unless your holiday operator tells you otherwise. Check out this list of dangerous countries too – with the risk of terrorist attack and tourist kidnappings; these are definitely places to avoid, no matter how much of a risk taker you think you are.

 

Finally

 

We have given you a whistle-stop tour of some of the holiday nightmares that await you. Still, we aren’t trying to put you off travelling abroad. Most of you will have a fantastic time. However, it pays to take precautions, so whatever you do this year, take care of yourself and those around you when making your holiday plans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 minutes for a total face clean up with Nivea!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Unexpected plan for a movie..? A surprise date with boyfriend..? A sudden business meeting..?

Whenever we find ourselves in midst of these kind of situations, the first thing we wonder about is the way we look, our day to day life bogs us down, and with these unexpected plans that tired look or unclean face is the last thing we want to see, but then who has got the time to visit a parlour and get a clean up done, its often not possible. But what if I tell you that you can have a parlour like clean up in just 5 minutes..

Yes you read it right, with Nivea Total Face Clean Up, it just takes 5 minutes for you to have a clean and supple looking skin. More often than not, we all are rushed up with the day to day life, and stress about going to a parlour to get a clean up done. We dread the idea, because it normally means taking out at least 2 hours from your busy schedule, and in such scenarios products like these are a boon. Easy to use and easy to carry in your bag all the time.

I recently came across this product and must say I loved it completely. To me a clean up at home also meant spending 30-40 minutes and using 4-5 different products but not anymore, now with just one product and in 5 minutes I am done and whether I am at home or office, I can easily use it and get a total face clean up. It’s a 3 in one product that can be used as a face wash first, then scrub it gently on your face for about a minute and leave it as a face pack for another 3-4 minutes and ta daa.. in just five minutes your complete clean up is done.

Product benefits at a glance
1. Unclogs pores
2. Removes blackheads
3. Reduces spots
4. Refines skin
5. Deep cleanses

It can be used individually as a daily face wash, as a scrub, 3-4 times a week and as a face pack, 2-3 times a week

Final verdict- a great product which comes in handy especially when you have a time crunch. Given the price point of Rs 120 for 50ml, I think it’s a product worth grabbing.

 

Easter Recipes by Plaza Premium Lounge

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Recipe Courtesy – Ankit Mangla, Executive Chef, Plaza Premium Lounge India

 

Pineapple Upside down Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

Pineapple Slices, drained- 1 tin chopped

Refined Flour- 250 gm

Sugar- 250 gm

Butter- 250 gm

Baking Powder- 5 gm

Salt- a pinch

Eggs- 5 no.

Vanilla Essence- 2 drops

 

METHOD

  1. Heat the oven upto 180 degree celsius and grease the muffin moulds
  2. In a large bowl, mix the cream sugar and butter at a slow speed with an electric mixer
  3. Add the eggs and mix it for another 2 minutes
  4. Add refined flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla essence to the mixture
  5. Put in the pineapples at the bottom of the moulds and top them with the batter
  6. Bake the mixture for 20 minutes or until the toothpick inserts in the center comes out clean
  7. Serve warm

Cinnamon Roll

INGREDIENTS

Refined Flour- 250 gm

Sugar- 15 gm

Yeast- 5 gm

Gluten- 2.5 gm

Bread Improver- 1 gm

Water- 150 gm

Butter- 15 gm

Cinnamon Powder- 5 gm

Butter- 150 gm

METHOD

  1. In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, gluten, bread improver & butter.     Mix them at slow speed
  2. Add water and knead softly for smooth dough
  3. Refrigerate it for 24 hours
  4. Take it out & rest it for 15 minutes, then roll and laminate it with butter 3 times each side, dusting with flour in each layer for a smooth dough
  5. Again refrigerate it for 30minutes
  6. Sprinkle cinnamon powder and shape them into rolls
  7. Rest them for 30 minutes at room temperature
  8. Prepare a spray mix of sugar and milk
  9. Spray the liquid before baking at 200 Celsius for 17 minutes
  10. Serve warm

Don’t Turn A Blind Eye To Eye Wrinkles

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Image Source

 

Are you starting to get wrinkles around the eyes? None of us want to have eye bags and crow’s feet – whilst they may be a natural sign of aging later on in life, many factors can cause us to develop these wrinkles earlier. Here are several ways to combat eye wrinkles.

 

Stop smoking

 

Smoking effects the skin in many ways – preventing the flow of oxygen to the surface and causing it to become pale and dry. Smoking also causes facial wrinkles due to the smoke and heat. Packing in your smoking habit could help to fight those eye-wrinkles. You could buy yourself an electronic cigarette from a site like Vapor Vanity and take up vaping instead. Alternatively, you could find another way of giving up smoking such as chewing gum or wearing patches.

 

Get more sleep

 

A lack of sleep causes bags to develop under the eyes. This is the result of trapped fluid – when we get enough sleep this fluid is flushed out. Taking steps to improve your sleep quality could help to prevent these bags turning into permanent wrinkles.

 

Destress

 

Stress can directly lead to a lack of sleep, helping to bring on bags under the eyes. By taking time to destress before you go to bed, you could get a better quality of sleep. This could include taking a hot bath or listening to music or reading a book. You should avoid activities involving bright screens such as watching TV or playing on your phone as these can trick our brains into thinking it’s still daytime, preventing the release of melatonin.

 

Wear shades in the sun

 

Squinting in the sun can cause eye wrinkles to develop known as crow’s feet. Wearing shades could help to stop you from squinting and prevent these wrinkles from developing. Not all sunglasses are tinted enough to make a difference, so try different pairs of shades to find that you can see through without squinting.

 

Stop squinting at the computer screen

 

If you find yourself squinting at your computer screen often, it could be because the light on your screen doesn’t match the light of your environment. This could include staring at a bright screen in the dark or having to deal with sun glare when working outside on a laptop. Programmes such as Flux can help to adjust the brightness of your screen to the time of day, preventing you from squinting and helping you to sleep better.

 

Moisturise

 

Wrinkling can often be caused by dry skin. Applying moisturiser to your face could help to combat wrinkles by providing the necessary oils into your skin. There are even products out there designed specifically to target eye wrinkles such as Skinceuticals A.G.E. Eye Complex. Experiment with these products and see if they make a difference.

 

Keeping Everyone In The Family Happy And Healthy

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Picture Source

 

Maintaining a happy family in such a busy modern world can be tough. Everyone’s got to focus on their own individual lives, after all. Your kids might be worried about school, whether they get a lot of homework to complete every week or they have problems with certain teachers, friends, and fellow classmates. You might have a lot on your mind in terms of your job, bills, and other important adult responsibilities. However, staying connected as a family is the best way to keep everyone happy and healthy, and we’ll discuss that in this article.

 

Stay physically active.

First of all, physical health is essential to happiness both today and in the long-term. When you’ve got so much to do in the average day, exercise is probably the last thing you want to put on your ‘To Do’ list. If you do have any free time then you and other members of your family probably watch TV on the couch or take a power nap to get through the rest of the day. It’s time to change this mentality in your household. Staying physically active won’t just ensure that you maintain a healthy figure but that your mental health improves too.

 

You should find some sort of physical activity that can get the whole family to spend time together. It’s also a great way to ensure that everybody commits to this new lifestyle. You might all want to go on more walks around your local park, for example. But you could really push yourselves by joining a new club. Perhaps you could take up dance as a family. That’ll be a fun way to socialize and relax without really thinking about the fact that you’re exercising. As we’ve discussed before, it’s important to look after the older members of your family, so you should invite the grandparents to join in with your new exercise routine. Remember, physical activity doesn’t have to be strenuous; getting your body moving is the important thing. If you choose an easy activity then everyone in the family can get involved.

 

Save money.

If you want a happier household then you should start saving money. It’ll mean you don’t have to worry so much about covering costs and your kids don’t have to worry about you. You could reduce energy bills by insulating your home more effectively and getting energy-efficient appliances, for example. If your kids are prone to ripping or ruining their clothes as soon as you buy new gear then you could even check out a service such as www.stitchit.co/services/ to mend their jeans, shirts, and so on. There’s no point in wasting money on new clothes all the time when your kids are just going to wreck anyway. Save that money for when they actually need new clothes because they’ve outgrown their old ones. Being frugal is about taking a look at your expenses and cutting out the waste. Your family will be much happier if you don’t have to worry about money. You can go on nice vacations or treat yourself to luxuries if you start being smarter with your finances.

 

Have weekly family meetings.

A final way in which you could keep everyone in the family happy and healthy is to hold a weekly family meeting. Happiness and healthiness are synonymous in many ways. If you want your family to have a healthy life then you need to prioritize their mental states. The best way to do that is to gather in a room and check in with everyone. Let people air their issues if they’re struggling at work, at school, or even at home. This is a chance for everyone in the family to support each other. It’s also a chance to have fun and bond as a family. Everyone could swap stories, as suggested over at www.webmd.com/parenting/. You could tell a funny story from your week or an old story from many years ago to make the kids laugh.

Cancer Fighting Foods

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

If you are on the lookout for the some cancer prevention ways and means then it is likely that you will find the next few lines interesting and informative. There is no denying the fact that cancer is one of the biggest killers and each year millions die from this disease across the world. Our food habits have an important role to play. Hence, we are happy to share below top 12 cancer fighting foods which we are sure will go a long way in helping you to stay healthy and avoid the risk of being impacted by some life threatening forms of cancers.

 

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Travel And Maintain The Balance

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Don’t you feel bored working every day and living the same life, greeting the same faces, eating the same food and all that to earn money and pile it all up and use it when you are finally forty? I am bored with this kind of lifestyle. I skipped jobs more frequently than the day changes. I see people working hard to earn and do their savings and use them later in life. I mean, how can anyone dream of that? Indian mentality is like that, they earn, they save and eventually run out of years to live like they were ever 25 or 30. And what happens to that money? It passes on to others effortlessly. So, I have planned to visit places, travel the world, go there with my unknown face and meet people with an unknown face.

 

What I Did?

I finally took solace from working in a mundane environment of the four wall offices of the corporate world. They bounded me to its subtle color, that never changed, and greed for money. It was hard for me to break free from the well-mastered plan of working FOR someone and making their life easier and crushing my free spirit. It was when those four walls begin to crawl upon me and tried to suffocate me that I finally decided to bid adieu to such a life.

 

Why I Did It?

I wanted to see more colors, so I took my soul to travel and it has been a while now. My eyes have seen what you people only could have imagined, my heart has captured those sceneries that only hang ignored on your walls, I did not capture any images -I did not feel like it, because I was travelling for my satisfaction, I did not want to share it with people in paper because what I have seen have been far more beautiful than those limited views.

 

Expedia & MakeMyTrip

After leaving corporate life, I began traveling and I consumed a majority of the money I had. Then soon enough I understood about the brands or the online travel aggregators which can help you travel at a much lower price. Amongst all of these numerous brands, I have had the best experience with Expedia and MakeMyTrip.

 

Making bookings on MakeMyTrip and Expedia is just the easiest thing to do and the most amazing part is that Expedia and MakeMyTrip offers the cheapest prices for flights and hotels. So, if you have a limited budget you can travel happily with that too.

 

Expedia Coupons & MakeMyTrip Flight Coupons

There have been moments when I was utterly confused about the unknown land which I was deciding to travel to, but MakeMyTrip and Expedia solved it all for me. They planned a whole vacation for me and even gave me such exclusive Expedia coupons and MakeMyTrip flight coupons which can help me buy tickets at affordable rates, make hotels bookings at reasonable prices and even book holiday packages at no extra cost.

 

Maintain The Balance

I wish that money wasn’t an essential thing in this world because eventually, I had to return back to work to earn money and spend it again on traveling. I understood the need for it when I was sick and I finally had to ask for money from home to get myself treated. Anyway, I am way past that. Now, I do not save money and pile it up, I earn for a month or two and then pack my bags and just lock the doors to this now not-so-boring life and open it again after I have lived and treasured moments. I understood one simple thing that everything in life is essential but all you have to do is maintain a balance.

 

Money was essential and traveling was too but to achieve such ecstatic bliss, I had to make a sacrifice. It is true that you cannot live your life the way you want, no matter how much you try there are things you do not have control on; you can run for one thing but the more you run for it the far you are from the other thing. You have to maintain a BALANCE.

 

 

4 Skincare Myths That Aren’t True (But You Probably Believe!)

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Have you ever been told certain things about your skin, and then believed them for many years? If so, then this article will be a bit of an eye-opener for you! The fact of the matter is; there are loads of skincare myths out there in the health & beauty world. So many people make bold claims without any evidence backing them up. Other people share this information, and it ends up being common knowledge that everyone believes.

 

Well, now’s your chance to find out if you’ve been lied to your whole life! Here are some common skincare myths that aren’t true, but you’ve believed they are for many years.

Flickr

Your Skin Is Dry Because It’s Not Hydrated Properly

If you complain to someone about dry skin, they’ll probably tell you its because your skin cells aren’t getting enough hydration. We have a high percentage of water in our body, and your skin isn’t getting enough of it. To solve this problem, you need to hydrate yourself better by drinking more water and using a hydrating moisturizer. Thus, your skin will no longer be dry, and you can happily rejoice.

 

Is this the truth?

 

No, and it’s a very common thing for people to believe. The key problem here is that dry skin is not the same as dehydrated skin. Dry skin occurs because of problems with your hormones, which mean you don’t produce natural oils to lubricate your skin. You may be fully hydrated, but the oils just aren’t there, causing dry skin. The issue described above is dehydrated skin, which is completely different. It feels like your skin is dry, but that’s because you aren’t getting enough water. The treatment for dry skin is completely different as you need to target your oils. This comes in the form of oil-based moisturizers and lotions. So, if you have dry skin and are wondering why drinking more water and using a hydrating moisturizer isn’t working, it’s because you’re tackling the wrong problem!

You Need Specific Products For Different Parts Of Your Skin

Let’s say you wake up and have wrinkles on your forehead and crow’s feet at the edge of your eyes. Or, you start to notice wrinkles appearing on your elbows as well as your knees. You want to get rid of these wrinkles, so you go out and buy multiple skin care products. There’s one for crows feet, one for your forehead, one for cheek wrinkles, one for neck wrinkles, and one for your body. If you want to see results, you need these specific products that target the specific areas. Now, you can enjoy smooth, tight skin, once more.

 

Is this the truth?

 

No, it’s not. A lot of people assume that you need a cream designed for your face to get rid of face wrinkles, and one for your body to get rid of them there. In reality, all you need is a cream or ointment that includes a de-wrinkling agent. If the product has something that’s proven to fight wrinkles, then it will fight wrinkles no matter where they are. The same goes for any other skin problems you might have. Using a body moisturizer on your face will still moisturize your face! So, don’t assume you have to use special products specifically for body parts, they’re often overpriced, and you can just use a general product instead.

Makeups Containing SPF Can Be Used Instead Of Sunscreen

It’s a sunny day, and you’re getting ready to leave the house and go out. You’ve applied sunscreen to your body, but you’ve left out your face. Why? Because the moisturizer you used contains SPF, as does the foundation you applied. So, that’s all the SPF protection you need, meaning there’s no need for sunscreen. Your face is protected thanks to that lovely layer of makeup.

Is this the truth?

Once again; no, it’s not. While it’s true that a lot of makeup products – particularly foundations, contain SPF, this doesn’t really mean much. At the very most, you get a slither of protection from the sun’s rays. Experts have done the calculations, and they’ve seen that the SPF rating on foundation, and other makeup products, usually refers to how much is in a certain amount. Unsurprisingly, this amount is nowhere near what the average person puts on their face. In reality, you need to apply about ten times as much foundation before you see that SPF rating. Don’t assume your face is protected by SPF foundation, sunscreen is the best way forward.

PublicDomainPictures

High SPF Rated Sunscreen Protects You The Best

When you’re choosing a sunscreen for a holiday, you usually look at the SPF number. The higher, the better, right? If you get something with SPF 50, then it’ll protect your skin better than something with SPF 30 or lower. So, all you have to do is selected the highest number for maximum protection.

Is this the truth?

You guessed it; nope, it’s a lie! You see, many people assume that sunscreen protects you from all the harmful UV rays from the sun. But, most of us are unaware that there are multiple UV rays. UVA rays are the ones that give us a nice tan, while UVB are the ones that burn and damage our skin. When you see the SPF rating on a product, it only refers to UVB protection. Therefore, you may not be fully protected from UV rays as the UVA protection could be absent. In reality, an SPF 30 product – that also protects from UVA rays – is better than an SPF 50 with no UVA protection. Of course, if you have two products, both with UVA/UVB protection, then the higher rating wins. But, always make sure you look past the numbers first, to ensure the dual protection is there.

I don’t like to call people names, but you’re a straight up liar if you say you didn’t believe these myths before I busted them! They’re common things that a lot of us believe, but hopefully, some light has been shed, and you now know the truth!

 

 

How You Can Make A Positive Difference With Mental Health

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

https://www.pexels.com/photo/cheerful-close-up-coffee-cup-208165/

When you have someone in your life that suffers with their mental health, it’s something that you can feel quite a personal connection to. Whether that person is you, someone in your immediate family, or even a close friend, you may want to be able to make a change. Of course, helping with your own mental health can be easier for you to take control of when you’re able to beat depression or keep some of the hardest elements of mental health under control. But when it’s others around you that are suffering, you often want to try and make as much of a positive difference as possible. And if you’re someone that can have some influence, then you’re definitely going to want to use your skills as much as possible to do that. So let’s take a look at what you can do to make that happen.

  1. Focus On Positivity

First of all, you’re going to want to make sure that you can focus on positivity. It’s not always easy when you’ve got people suffering around you, but if you are able to be that one person that always stays positive, that can bring everyone around them up with them, and just try to spread happiness and cheer, you’ll be making a big difference. Because all too often, we let negativity bring us down. But if you can keep the positivity flowing, you’ll have a much better chance at helping those around you that suffer with mental health.

  1. Encourage Exercise

When someone is suffering from mental health issues, they won’t always feel all that motivated in life. And it’s hard, because exercise is actually a great way to uplift them. There are so many mental health benefits of exercise that it’s essential for you to try and get your loved one to workout. Whether it’s playing a sport, going for a walk, or trying something new, you should find this will help to lift their spirits.

  1. Get Support

From here, you’ll then find that you may need to bring in some support. It won’t always be the case, but if your loved one is really struggling with their mental health, the only way that they may be able to get out of the situation they are in is to find some support by speaking to a medical professional. Encouraging them to do so will be a great thing for you to do.

  1. Get Trained

Or maybe you want to see if you can make a difference? When that’s the case, you might like to take a mental health counseling masters online to become qualified yourself. When something is so personal to you, it’s great to know that you can do something to help others in the future.

  1. Never Give Up

Above all else, you have to keep the faith. Consistency is also key. Never giving up means that you’re always there and you’re doing what you can to try and improve their situation. It may take time, and it may be hard work, but if you keep it up and have faith in your abilities, you will make a difference and help them to turn things around.

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