Goa, India

Best Lifestyle Blog of Goa

Month: June 2018

Feasting at Laila’s Cafe, Goa

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A warm and cosy place overlooking vast green patches, a lady who cooks with lots of love and passion and the food that is simple yet amazing is what Laila’s Cafe all about.

Located at the Anjuna-Vagator road, Laila’s Cafe has been around since a few months now. Laila, who belongs to Hyderabad originally, had a dream to take its cuisine to different places and Goa became her new home. She wanted to introduce people to the authentic Hyderabadi cuisine and started curating special menus for home deliveries. Her home deliveries met with a great success and further encouraged her to open up a cafe. Her cafe serves Hyderabadi cuisine primarily and has a daily changing menu. She makes the weekends even more special by preparing some typical Hyderabadi delicacies. She balances a couple of Hyderabadi dishes with 2-3 North Indian dishes as well, in order to give variety and choices to the customer.

 

This weekend, we dropped by at her cafe as she hosted an EID special lunch. The menu comprised of:

Mutton Haleem- Haleem originated as an Arabic dish with meat and pounded wheat as the chief ingredients. It was introduced to Hyderabad by the Arab diaspora during the rule of the sixth Nizam and later became an integral part of Hyderabadi cuisine. Haleem is a stew composed of meat, lentils and pounded wheat made into a thick paste. It was served with fried onions and lemon to add that zingy flavour. I relished the same with a hot parantha.

Biryani- Biryani is popular across the country and every region has its own way of preparing it. That day we tried biryani which was primarily with Bangalorean flavours. Tasted very well.

Chole- A typical punjabi style of chole, which were savoured with paranthas.

Shahi Paneer- Another North Indian delicacy prepared to perfection.

Pulao- A simple pulao to go along with chole or shahi paneer.

Sheer Khurma- A traditional sweet prepared with vermicelli and milk, it was heavenly. I could have polished off 2 bowls of the same easily, but refrained myself from doing so. Its one indulgence, you will love.

Overall, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed my feast at Laila’s Cafe. Laila is also passionate about fashion collectibles and hence she showcases her collection along side at the cafe. So not only you can indulge in eating good food, but also indulge in some quick shopping. Do drop by and let me know how was your experience.

Here are my ratings:

Ambience 3.5/5

Food- 4/5

Service- 3.5/5

Value for Money- 4/5

Laila's Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

4 Good Habits for Fostering Creativity

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

If you’re one of those people who make a living or get their enjoyment from being creative, then you’ll know that it’s an attribute that can feel all too fleeting. One day, our output seems extraordinary; at others, it seems like inspiration is a million miles away. But what if you could control your creative levels, wouldn’t that be something special? While you’ll never be able to have a tight grip on this elusive attribute, there are things you can do to make sure you have more of it. We take a look at a few methods below.

Source: Pexels.com

Spend Some Time Alone

There are some advantages to working with others, but if that’s all you’re doing, then you’ll be doing your creative side a disservice. Contrary to popular belief, collaboration doesn’t always result in a more creative output. If you spend time alone, then you’ll be narrowing in on your own thoughts and feelings, and that’s what you should be channelling into your artistic projects. It’s easy to get caught up in whatever’s popular, but this will only show that you have a sense of what’s trendy – and that’s a very different thing to creativity.

Kick the Vices

Another myth about creativity is that it is given a boost by alcohol and other illicit substances. This is not the case; there is a long list of artists who have had their promising career destroyed by drug and alcohol abuse. If you’re currently relying on mind-altering substances to open up your creative pathways and can’t seem to stop, then click here. Once you’re in a healthier position, you’ll find that your creative mind is much more productive.

Escape Your Echo Chamber

We’re all guilty of falling into a routine, walking the same way to and from work, listening to the same type of music and so on. While there are benefits to this way of living for normal types, if you’re creative, then you might be cutting off a good source of inspiration: diversity. If you can momentarily escape your echo chamber, then you might discover a new way of thinking or doing that propels your artistic side to the next level. It can be as simple as selecting a new way to get from A to B, visiting a city you’ve never been to before (and would ordinarily not visit), trying yoga, or tuning into a different radio station every now and again. Also, don’t underestimate the value of striking up a conversation with a person who you would not normally talk with!

Perseverance

Some creatives think that waiting for inspiration to strike is the worst sin of all. Because this feeling is so elusive, you could be waiting for a long time, and then when it does arrive, find that it only lasts for a few moments. Instead, foster your perseverance side. It’ll be the tool that allows you to sit down and get to work even when you don’t want to. Sometimes, just doing it is what it takes to get your project up and running.

7 Unique Tricks to Deep Clean Your House

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A clean home is a reflection of you and your life style. Dirty and messy unhygienic surroundings can cause many health issues, everyone does the basic regular cleaning almost daily, but still deep cleaning of your home should be your top priority especially in spring and summer season. If your home is not clean it can be home of pests and germs. You may feel stressed and overwhelmed while start cleaning your home but it is a must to do thing which you certainly can’t avoid. If you are having a tight schedule you can call for home deep cleaning service or quality pest services to share your workload. Still if you want to DIY, I am going to share some stress-free hacks and unique tricks that can help you to clean your home easily.

Remove all the unusable items

For clean and tidy look, removal of unnecessary items is very important. It will also make it easy for you to clean your home quickly. Pack all the unusable items and place them in to your store room or send them to charity places. Pay more attention to interior of your home; a house looks cleaner and beautiful when there is much space to move.

Keep your curtains, cushions, bed linens clean

In order to go on a voyage of cleanliness, washing is second stop. Curtains give your home brighter look but they can be home for dust and many pests which are not good for your health. Washing of curtains time to time is important and for this you can make it handy by using different DIY methods such as soak the dirty curtains for couple of hours and then put them in washing machine. You can also get them washed from drycleaners. Make sure to keep clean your bed linens and cushions too.

Don’t miss to clean the Carpets

Carpets as being used all the time gets dirty frequently, launder your carpets and then use vacuum cleaner to clean them completely. To clean carpet regularly is not easier in this busy schedule, to make it convenient you can try throw rugs and runners on top of the carpet because they are easy to vacuum or wash than carpet.

Clean every nook of home from ceiling to floor

Start your cleaning from ceiling of your home. Use vacuum cleaner or fluffy brushes to clean every corner of ceiling. Clean your walls by using dusters and detergent. Vacuum all dust from titles of floor and then use mop with antibacterial solution to get rid of all germs and have brighter floor.

Kitchen the most important place of home

The most critical and important part of home is kitchen. A clean kitchen shows how smart and tidier a house lady is. Wash all the crockery, cutlery and other items of cooking. Clean all cabinets and drawers and use some pest control spray or powder to save them from germs and pest. Scrubs the tiles and cooking range with cleaning products and place all the things in order.

Bathroom… A store of germs – needs deep cleansing

Bathroom is the place that should be washed and cleansed regularly. Start your bathroom cleaning from its ceiling by using fluffy brushes. Then use some bleaching solution to deep clean the wall tiles and floor tiles of the bathroom. Clean every corner of the bathroom; you can use various types of liquid soap and bathroom cleaners, easily available in the store. Don’t forget to clean back of the sink. In the cleaning process don’t forget to clean the bathroom vents. If they are jam-packed with dust and rubbles, now is the time for deep cleaning it on priority, take warm soapy water and scrub the vent thoroughly and then us a vacuum cleaner to suck away dirt.

Hire pest control service

A messy home is always a home for many germs, insects and pests especially in spring and summer season. After deep cleaning your entire house, the next step is to get rid of such harmful pest and germs. You can google for pest control near me and can get the best pest control service around your area. You can also grab some of the best deals from pests control companies for pest control; they can offer you daily monthly or yearly services.

Cleanliness and hygiene are very important as they are directly connected to your health, body, and mind. With little efforts and techniques you can easily make your home look neat, tidy brighter and germs free.

Is A Care Home Right For Your Parents?

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Watching your parents get older is one of the hardest things in the world. After all, you’ve probably spent your entire life looking up to them and having to come to terms with the fact that they’re not able to do things that they used to do or that they are struggling to take care of themselves can be incredibly painful. However, it’s not something that you, or they, can afford to ignore and it often involves a lot of tough choices. One of the toughest choices of all is whether or not it’s best for your parents to live full time in a care home. It’s something that a lot of people are hesitant to think about but it can often be the best thing for everyone involved. Here are some things that you need to do if you’re considering suggesting a care home for your parents.

 

Discuss it with them

 

The first thing that you need to do is to discussthe prospect of moving into a care home with your parents. After all, they’re not going to respond particularly well to the idea that you’re trying to push them into it. Sure, if they’re suffering from any kind of memory loss or other age-related conditions then you may have to make the tough choice but most of the time it’s best to make sure that it’s their own decision.

 

Be honest about what you’re capable of

 

You might not want to end up putting your parents in a home and you assume that you’ll be able to take care of themyourself. However, there’s a good chance that that’s not going to be the case. The truth is that if you have things that you need to take care of in your own life, you simply might not be able to look after them. If you already have a family and a career then you might not be able to provide the full-time care that your parent’s need.

 

Find the right place

Of course, not all care homes are created equal. There are plenty of wonderful places where your parents would be extremely happy but there is also the possibility that they’re not being treated well. There’s plenty of advice online for what to do if you suspect nursing home abuse. But the best thing is to do your research in advance. Make sure that you visit any prospective homes and that you do thorough background checks on all of them. After all, if it’s the kind of place where your parents are going to be living then you want them to get the very best care possible.

 

More than anything else, you have to remember that moving into a care home must be your parent’s decision. You might think that it’s for the best but you can’t be the one to make that choice for them. In the end, all that you can do is to support them in whatever choice they make or that

Top 5 Benefits of Yoga

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

On this World Yoga Day, lets talk about some top benefits that Yoga has to offer

 

Agility, Strength and Flexibility– Some form of exercises and sports give us agility, while others give us strength, but yoga is one of the only forms that not only helps in gaining agility and strength but also is the best form of activity for increasing overall body flexibility.

 

Reduces Pain Naturally– Yoga has proven to reduce pains naturally, if practiced properly. Ailments like migraine, arthritis and backaches can be treated effectively with yoga.

 

Normalizes Blood Pressure– Yoga has proven to be more effective in keeping the blood pressure under control as compared to dietary modifications and medications.

 

Weight Management– Unlike extensive workouts, yoga may not help you burn too many calories or bring your weight considerably down, but if practiced regularly, it benefits the overall weight management. It regulates the body hormones and nervous system, which in turn keep the body weight in check; panic modes and stress normally lead to weight gain, which yoga keeps in control.

 

Improves the Respiratory System– Given the current times, we all live in a polluted atmosphere and respiratory diseases are on a rise. Yoga helps regulating our respiratory system, which further helps in increasing lung capacity, and altering the pace of breathing, which naturally results in a longer life span.

In my fitness goals for this year, yoga is playing an important role, how about you?

 

Your Creative Life After An Accident

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

If you are naturally a creative spirit, the idea of being forced to stay at home to recover from an injury can be terrifying. For a lot of people, an accident can be traumatising and depressing. Many find themselves reliving the moment of the accident continuously in their minds, which can create a fertile ground for anxiety disorders and stress. Additionally, the fear of not being able to get back to full health can also affect your professional career and even your social future. An accident remains you of your vulnerability. It brings only negative emotions as you recover. But, if you exercise your creative mindset, you can find a way to turn the negative into positive.

Use creativity against pain

Take the stress out of your recovery at home

If you’ve left the hospital and have chosen to recover at home instead, it can be stressful to find yourself struggling with mobility issues in your own home. A lot of people hope to get back to normal as soon as they leave the hospital. So, brace yourself for a long recovery time and invest in creative mobility-friendly kits – you can read about them here. Using the right items and changing your furniture to match your needs can take a lot of stress of your mind. Don’t make it extra difficult for yourself to stay at home!

 Be creative about developing healthy habits

Recovering is about helping your body to heal. It doesn’t happen overnight, unfortunately. But you can use the time to develop healthy habits by learning how to cook, for instance. Healthy and delicious recipes can help you to fuel your body with the vitamins and nutrients it needs to heal. Additionally, you’ll find that you’re less likely to indulge in junk food if you can be creative with your cooking. It’s fair to say that getting your 5 a day can seem dull if you are not an enthusiastic cook. But when you can whip a yummy meal in an instant, no vegetable will ever be boring again! 

Use art to relieve your anxiety

You can use drawing or painting as a way to alleviate your anxiety. Emotionally, it is a rewarding journey. As Picasso once said ‘Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.’ Creatively expressing your worries and pains about healing can help you deal with the recovery time positively. You can put all your joy, sadness, tears and smiles into each piece. It doesn’t matter if nobody else sees it. What matters is that it’s a piece of darkness that doesn’t get to live inside your mind any longer.

When life gives you lemons, find a creative solution!

Use your experience to find new creative paths

An accident is ultimately a negative life experience. If you look back in the story of most successful entrepreneurs, their past was inhabited by failures. Nevertheless, the lesson successful business people learned from it was to keep looking for the light at the other end of the tunnel, the solution that will fix it all. Failure is part of the journey, but it doesn’t hold you back. It helps you to grow. Embrace your accident in the same way to make the most of it.

Creativity can help you recover faster after an accident. From using creative solutions to being creative yourself, healing is the final step of your inventive path.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pros And Cons Of Getting Married

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Lots of people talk about getting married like it’s the ultimate goal; the be all and end all. This is usually because of the way society has conditioned us to think about married. Some cultures take it very seriously indeed, and if you’re not getting married then it is frowned upon or seems strange in some cultures.

 

Without bringing different cultures and religions into it, there are some pros and cons of getting married that you should be aware of if you’re already unsure about tying the knot. You can stay with your partner forever without a marriage certificate, right? Read on to learn more.

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There Are Many Legalities To Getting Married

When you get married, there are many legalities that you’re expected to stick to. You and your partner are pretty much considered as one when it comes to things like saving, buying a house, and doing other big things/making big decisions.

Planning A Wedding Is Fun

Planning a wedding can be a lot of fun. Reading through wedding ebooksand other resources can make everything seem so exciting and give you lots of great ideas for your big day.  

Marriage Is Old Fashioned

Some people love the idea of the tradition of marriage, others don’t. Many of the reasons people used to get married do not apply anymore, such as proving the legitimacy of children. Of course people still get married because it can be a way to celebrate your love with your partner and all of your loved ones.

Weddings Are Expensive

Not only are weddings stressful to plan, they pretty much drain all of your finances. You have outfits to buy, flowers, the venue, vendors, favors, entertainment, and so much more. The money you spend on a wedding could have easily gone on a car, a new house, or a luxury holiday. That being said, if all goes to plan, you only get married once and it could well be the best day of your life.

People View Your Relationship as More Legitimate

It doesn’t matter how legitimate you think your relationship is. Marriage will always make people look at it differently.

Marriage Could Change Your Relationship

Marriage can change a relationship, sometimes for the positive, sometimes for the negative. A successful relationship takes time, communication, and a whole host of other aspects. Marriage can change the dynamics depending on each partner’s view of the union.

Insurance And Tax Breaks

Probably one of the biggest reasons to get married in the modern day is the insurance and tax breaksyou can benefit from.

There are lots of reasons to get married and a few reasons that maybe you shouldn’t. It’s all down to you and your partner as individuals and what you feel works for you both. Don’t feel pressured to do it just because you think you should or because people are going on at you. It’s 2018 and this is totally your choice.

 

Leave your thoughts on marriage below!

Selecting the Best Medical Professionals for the Care You Want

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

When you have made the decision to undergo plastic surgery, your next step may involve finding the best medical team to take over your care. You do not want to entrust your operation to just anyone. You want to know that you will be in the best hands possible as you undergo the proverbial knife.

Instead of relying on the misinformed but well-intention recommendations of your friends and family members, you may want to do your own research first. As you consider your options for an anesthesiologist, nurse, and plastic surgeon Raleigh NC patients like you may find the medical team you are looking for on the organization’s website.

Getting the Back Story of the Medical Team

You want to be wholly confident in the team’s ability to operate on and take care of you from start to finish. You want the reassurance that you will be treated as an individual rather than just a nameless and faceless patient who comes through the clinic’s door.

When you read the back story of the practice, you may feel more confident about the doctors’ ability to operate on you. You will learn about their training and background in the profession. You can also read about the amount of experience they have with the type of operation you want done.

By reading the back story, you may appreciate that the surgeons are people with families just like you. They value their patients and take the time to do the best job they can on the people who come to them for help.

Candidacy for Surgery

While you are on the website, you can also make sure you are a good candidate for the operation. Plastic surgery is not for everyone especially people with certain health conditions. You can determine if your current health would pose a problem to your ability to undergo the surgery safely.

Your plastic surgeon has a back story that could make you more confident in him or her. You can do research about the medical team on the website.

What You Should Know About Work-Related Health Problems

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

When you go to work, you don’t normally expect to get hurt there or have your health damaged in some way. Unfortunately, these things really do happen and they’re often no fun at all to deal with. Whether you’ve experienced these kind of problems before or not, you need to be aware of them and how to get the help you need when you need it. Read on now to find out more about all of this. 

Stress and Anxiety Caused by Work is More Common Than You Think 

The problem of stress at work is growing massively, and more people are now feeling able to talk about it. That’s a good thing, but what’s not good are the practices that lead people to feeling under pressure and stressed every day of the working week. It’s a common problem, so if it’s something that you’ve been struggling with, there’s no shame in that at all. 

The HR Department Might be Able to Help You

If you are having difficulties with things like stress or anxiety caused by your work life, you should head to your company’s HR department and see what they can do for you. They might be able to change your schedules or your workload so that you don’t feel quite so under pressure all the time. That’s got to be a good thing, so it’s worth looking into.

If You’ve Been Exposed to Something Harmful, You Should Seek Justice

There are many damaging and hazardous materials that people work with every day. However, just because you’re aware of the risks, that doesn’t mean your employers can expose you to unsafe materials without the right safety equipment. The risks of asbestos exposure resulting to mesothelioma are very real. And that’s just one example, so you should seek legal justice if you’ve ever been in a situation like that.

Your Employers Have a Duty to Protect You While You Work

No matter what anyone tells you, you should remember that you do have rights at work and your employer has a duty to protect you from threats and harm that might arise in your line of work. So if you feel like basic safety standards are not being met, you should take action and be vocal about it. If it becomes a problem, getting a union involved will be necessary.

Aches and Pains Could be Caused By Repetitive Work

All those little aches and pains you’ve been feeling might not simply be a sign that you’re getting older. They could also be down to the fact that so many of us do jobs that are physically repetitive. Repetitive strain injuries are technically workplace injuries, and they can impact anyone from builders to receptionists.

 

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 There are so many ways in which your health can be damaged when you’re at work. That’s something that you should be aware of because then you can better combat the potential problems you experience in the workplace. That’s got to be a good thing, so don’t ignore this any longer.

Top Amazing Benefits of Learning How to Cook

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

If you have never learnt how to cook before or if it is something that you are interested in but you just don’t quite know how to take things to that next level then you are not alone. People across the world try and cook every single day, but if you are able to turn that necessity into a passion then you can really help yourself to be healthier and more confident. On top of all that, it is a skill that can come in very useful in your later life.

Social Status

It doesn’t matter whether you are making yourself way more marketable in terms of dating or whether you want to try and better your position at work because having skills is always important and learning how to cook or evenbakeis a great way for you to get started. You can make yourself look way more unique and appealing, not to mention that people will respect you more for it as well. If you are concerned because you know that you have never learnt how to make even the most basic of dishes before then don’t worry because everyone has to start somewhere and it really is all about taking the time to really develop as a person.

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Cooking is great for Two

Cooking doesn’t have to be hard work. Sure, some people slave over the stove but this doesn’t have to be the case. It is very easy for you to cook with your other half and cooking is now an activity that can be shared. A lot of couples love to learn new skills together and it is great if you want to try and strengthen that bond that you have. You may find that your relationship grows as a result and it is also a great way for you to learn from each other. If you are not good at one aspect of cooking then there is a high chance that your partner will be able to fill in the gaps, so do keep that in mind. Any speaker for nutritionwill tell you how great it is to know how to cook.

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Improving your Health

A lot of people choose to eatfoodthat is bad for them, purely because they don’t know how to cook a very healthy meal. They believe that they have to have some magical skill in order to whip together a great meal but this is not the case at all. If you are willing to take some classes then this is a great way for you to take things to that next level and it can also help you to develop your skills much faster as well. If you believe that you are not cut out for classes then don’t worry, you can still learn everything that you need to know at home and this is a great way for you to really fill up those long and boring weekends.

 

So learning how to cook is a great way for you to expand your skillset, and by taking the time to really work on your skills, you can be sure to get a positive result.

 

 

 

 

 

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