Sharing best practice on how to beat the Heat !!!

It's that time of the year again...a time when you get to savour on those lovely orange ice candies, bath more than once a day, stay in the swimming pool for eternity, pour down gallons of cold drinks and mocktails, flaunt your floral prints and cool hats and play with ice-cubes!!! Yeah its summer time fellas!

Come on now...I know a lot of us hate (with a BIIIGGG H) Summer with it's sweat patches, sultry afternoons and frequent headaches. While the happier ones would just pick up any reason to stay hale and hearty this season, however, if you belong to the group of Summer haters & cribbers (like me), I thought I'd come to your rescue and share some tips on 'How to stay Super cool this Summer'. While some of them are little crazy and over the top ideas, trust me it's gonna come in handy if you don't wanna switch on the A.C. for long and save upon some electricity or if you are caught up in such a place where there is no privilege of a cooler or an AC or if you are in the mood to do something out of normal this season!!!

1. Pull out those icy pillows
Freeze a 2 ltr bottle of water, cover it up with a pillow case and hug it close while you are watching TV, chilling at home or going to sleep. You are gonna love the relax!

2. Spray some fragrance'd water
Pour some icy cold water in a 500 ml cold-drink bottle and add a few drops of aroma oil. Alternately, you can also use water in which you have soaked rose petals overnight. Otherwise, pour a few drops of your favourite perfume in chilled water. Fix a spray nozzle and spray yourself liberally while you are beneath the fan. You'd love the effect!

3. Create a fake Air conditioner
Dip your curtains in a bucket of water, rinse them slightly and put them up on your windows. What you will get is a waft of cold breeze!

4. Powder your bedsheet
Sprinkle some cool talc on your bedsheet before you sleep. What you get is a sweat free, sweet smelling honey dreams!!! If you are crazier, spray some water too (but don't blame me later if you catch cold)!

5. Refrigerate wet towels
After a bath, pull out those refrigerated wet towels and rub yourself with them to keep yourself cool and sweat free.

6. Plan a mocktail party
Call your friends over and have a competition on making mocktails. All you need to keep at hand is curd, cold-drinks, some fruits like water melon, mango, lemon and litchis, soda, some khus-khus, ice-creams, ice cubes, mint leaves and a food processor. What you get is an evening of rocking company and amazing drinks. You can end the party with ice-wars and water pipe dance (if you know what I mean)!!!

7. Water your terrace
If your room is right below the terrace, just water the terrace by dropping three-four buckets of water. As the water will evaporate, the roof of your room will become cool and consequently the entire room will become cooler.


8. Have a chilled mixed fruit salad
Cut your favourite summer fruits into small chunks and refrigerate them for atleast 2/3 hours. Whip in some honey or ice-cream just before you eat them and enjoy the taste of heaven!!!

9. Embrace white
Be it your bedsheet, the upholstery, the curtains or your attire, stick to white (or super light colours) and cotton as much as possible. White is the only colour which absorbs all the seven colours of the Sun and emits all making you feel cool and comfortable. Sport loose clothes. Always carry wet tissues, shades and water wherever you go.

10. Keep indoor plants
Indoor plants keep the air in the room cool and fresh. So bring in some green indoor plants which will not only add to your room decor but will also keep you fresh and energetic. A word of caution, ensure that there is sufficient ventilation as a closed room will enhance accumulation of carbon dioxide breathed out by plants at night! Some good indoor plants are money plant, areca palm and snake plant.

Enjoy the best of this season and here's wishing that you stay cool, cozy and happy. Tata :-)

The Importance of being an Allegrophoebic !!!

 More than often I have witnessed people from all spheres of life having but little respect for time. And I am counting myself in too. On multiple occasions I have been guilty of a late arrival whether it is quietly sneaking in at work secretly hoping that my boss has not arrived or keeping my friends waiting on the roads while convincing them over the phone saying 'Hey! I can see you...I'm just crossing the road!' when in reality I have just stepped out of my house! Sometimes I wonder what does it take to be punctual? And why is that more than often we end up being late than being on time, even when we do not want to? Weird...isn't it? I guess the trouble of being punctual is that no one is there to appreciate it because the person or the group of people we meet often makes their entry after ours leaving us look like idiots who do not have a life!!!!

On the contrary, my personal experience says that people who have made the most of their lives are often the ones who have a grand respect for time or to put it the other way around, people who are punctual have made it bigger than the others. Look around. Its true!

Ask yourself...are you someone who loves to push the clock ahead? Are you someone who has but little respect for yours and other's time? Then watch out. You have some serious problem here.Studies have revealed that a person who is not punctual is often found to lack self-confidence, discipline and possess a greater chance of being sacked or being dumped!!!

Would you believe? There is a small section of people among us who are not only spot on time but also possess a fear of being late!!! This is known as allegrophoebia. People who exhibit this disorder are scared of the alarm clock because they intend to pace ahead it's ringing and are mostly found to panic when faced with a tiny obstacle in the middle of the rush! Phew!

Therefore, the heart of my point is that we have to look at Indian Standard Time (I.S.T) the way the rest of the world looks at it and not how we Indians interpret it!!! Its a very common practice to be late whether it is at the doctor's or paying a formal visit to friends and colleagues. I have also some people associating 'late arrival' to fashion...means to draw all eyes upon them. 

That's called being an attention seeker my friend, not a trend-setter!!!

Have you realized how much time we can save upon if all of us were to keep up with the clock? For example on an average if you have 3 meetings or appointments or casual catch-ups in a day and you invariably delay each of them by 10 minutes, you are losing 30 mins of time everyday which you could otherwise utilize in reading a book, pursuing a hobby or working out ( I have deliberately quoted these examples as most of us complain of not finding time for these activities). Plus you save the last minute rush which mostly leads to forgetting to put mascara or gloss (Girls!...what a crime!!) or the important file or the pair of socks (Guys!!!...yeah yeah we know). If it is a professional meeting, you could reach a little before time and collect your thoughts right before the big ticket!!! In case of casual outings, your family and friends start looking upto you as a dependable individual. It works...and that's how you make an impression! Trust me!

All of us comply with a pretty hectic schedule day in and day out and wish there were more than 24 hours in a day but I say, a little attention to time management can go a long way and trust me you will surprised at how much more you will be able to do!!!

I googled for a few quotes about punctuality so that I can tickle the lazy souls out there and I came across this awe-inspiring quote....Loved what it said and I'm sure you'll love it too.

" Strict punctuality is perhaps the cheapest virtue which can give force to an otherwise utterly insignificant character" - John F. Boyes

Here's a food for thought. I have looked almost everywhere for an appropriate antonym of the word 'punctual' and I haven't tasted much success in finding one. The ones which I have considered are delayed, tardy, late, belated...Do you know any other word which can be used? Which word do you think suits best against punctuality?

And by the way, the fact that you can get sacked and dumped was all made up!!!...My only desire was to improve your being and enable you to make the best of yourself...I'll be more than glad if I am half successful!!!

Cheers!

The miracle lies within you and me...

This morning when mum came home, she told me about this little scene on the road that had stirred her heart. As her bus was crossing the huge flyover at the heart of the city in the scorching heat, she noticed two half clothed women sitting under the flyover in the shade of the pillar of the bridge, with seven sickly kids. Four of them were sitting in line, maybe waiting for their first bite of the day while the wailing toddlers were being cradled by the mothers in their laps. Mom reasoned 'Is it true that there isn't anything at all that can be done?'  For a country like ours, which is blessed with the serenity and productivity of the never ending villages, why is it that people sort to living in cities only? Why is it that they are contented to sleeping on the pavements of the cities instead of leading a life of fulfillment in the villages where they can at least live in a house? Why do people give birth to some many lives when they cannot afford a square meal for themselves?

I know...I know...these are more than often asked questions and scenarios we witness everyday. But where is the solution? Street dwellers are expanding exponentially by each passing day and we have already attained a stage where there are absolutely no unclaimed pavements left in the city for the pedestrians. The Government has promised concrete abode for most of the street-dwellers but would that curb this problem? It wouldn't...And what would happen to our villages if there is no one who'd like to live there? I feel we are neglecting the holistic picture.
If we are to enable our villages with most of the basic facilities found in the cities like water,electricity, school and hospital, this shot would kill many problems.a) The villages will provide better living conditions for people who would rarely think of migrating to the cities, b) Increase of facilities would demand more resources and therefore people can be gainfully employed. They can earn their money ethically instead of begging and mugging on the roads which they usually do and c) The Government would be able to channelize the funds in a better fashion and not yield to cutting green plantation and investing in cement and bricks.This way there would be space not only to walk on the streets but to plant more and more trees and give some relief to Mother Nature!
Also, a form of a health card can be issued in every Government hospitals which would serve as a birth certificate as well as a health insurance for a nominal amount which would only be given to the first two children of the parents. This might help in controlling population.

Does this sound like a full proof plan? You tell me...

I am sorry that I chose a rather problematic theme as the first content for my blog but I think all of us at some point have pondered over the same thoughts and desperately hope for a miracle to eradicate such issues. I thought so too...until I came upon Amir's Satyamev Jayate where he said it is no one but us who can create this miracle. So true!