You know it like a local, now!

Handy tips for you if you are visiting Goa for the first time

1. Hire a vehicle: Not only it is going to save you a lot of money, but also it’s going to give you a lot of peace of mind and liberty to stop at and start from wherever. Besides, you will see Goa exactly like a local :) Ask for rented vehicles from the hotel where you are staying. Better if you could get some local agent from the hotel arrange it for you; you could haggle if you want. A Thunderbird 350 CC in good condition should not cost you more than 2000 for 3 days. 

2. Safety: If you are planning to move from your hotel at 10 in the night to check out the lifestyle of the place, please do not carry any excess baggage in your mind regarding your safety; leave that for metropolitans. Goa is extremely safe even if you are riding a bullet at 12 AM. There might be certain places, which would be completely devoid of any light. For all such places, I would advise you to carry either a fully charged smartphone (with a torch) or a torch itself. It’s better to be your own torchbearer! Further, try to arrange your late-night travels in groups in order to be extra secure and lastly, do not carry any valuable along if you are out to groove in a night club.

3. Toiletries: A hand sanitizer and a sunscreen. Never get these two to lose you ever! 

4. Clothing: Extra set of clothing no matter where you are going, be it Dudhsagar falls or the beaches, will always prove utile. 

5. A hat and shades: Available in abundance in Goa, these two will compel you to buy them seeing you give in to the heat and the sunny days. They are especially seen sold outside all popular forts and churches. 

6. Decorum: A lot of people forget where they are as soon as they are two pints down. Decide if you are staying where you are boozing or you are driving back sane. I saw a lot of girls go so wild being drunk that they started throwing cuss words at the bouncers. Obviously, they had to be thrown out from the club, but that’s not why you have come all the way this far – to get booed by a lot who you don’t even know. Better to be sane and enjoy knowing what you are doing than to guess what you might have done the next morning. 

7. Trust the locals: You can safely do this; though, a lot of them might not know English, Hindi comes handy to a lot. You can safely trust them for directions and ways. 

8. Hotels: They might be in hundreds, but you have to decide sanely where you would stay if you are travelling with a family. Since Goa tourists comprises a lot of crowd which comes there just to spend some days off partying, it is safer to go with either the brands or the hotels which have secured good user ratings on trusted websites, like Booking.com. 

9. Food: Goa will serve you the best of the seafood, tasty enough for you to savor it days after you had it; the bests are prawns, shrimps (the smaller, the better), crabs, beef and, of course, a variety of fishes. Do not hold high expectations of chicken dishes in Goa – they do not know how to cook this the best. We had very bad experiences with chicken dishes at a couple of top restaurants and we had to draw this conclusion. 

10. Potable Water: Carry this all along your travel, especially if you are going to the beaches or for water sports. The salt water really takes a toll on your head if it enters your body either through your mouth or your nostrils. Better to have an easy option to wash out ready. Drink lots of it, even if it means frantically looking for washrooms; you’ll find some easily. 

Having noted all said above, you're all set to boogie in a land with so much of positive vibes that you would definitely want to come back! Cheers!

GOA: Go Out, Amigo!

Yes, you are not here to sit in the balcony of a posh hotel and catch the view; you are supposed to head out in the sun, kiss the sand, hug the sea and dance and swing all your limbs while grooving on trance in a larger-than-life club. This city has got everything to satiate all your senses right, be it eyes, tongue, ears or skin. I am sure if you have reserved travelling to Goa for that special occasion, Goa will make sure you take back home a lot of great memories and pockets full of sand.

This one was for our first anniversary and shortlisting Goa as a venue for our celebrations came quite easy. Goa, anyway, is a state associated quite often with ‘party’ and, thus, we decided to experience its aura first-hand. The week prior to the travel, obviously, revolved around shopping and, thus, I can say the celebrations started well ahead of when they were actually going to start. This four-day trip made us see the bests of Goa – food, architecture (churches and forts), water sports and beaches and I must say four days are more than enough to have fun and sustain the enthusiasm at its peak.

Our four-day itinerary goes as follows:

Day 1: Reached Goa, checked in at Keys Ronil Resort and straightaway headed to have our much-awaited lunch. Oh BTW, I have to tell you the amazing plus affordable Health Buzzz food we had during our heck-boring flight from Delhi to Goa. This was not only yummy to the core, but also very easy on pocket, way better than the flight food they serve you. So now, having checked in and changed, we set out to the famous Baga beach which was only two minutes walking far from our hotel. We had food at Brittos here. If this was the start of our culinary adventure in Goa, I must say it was a really good one! Coming back after a stroll, we had a mandatory nap of three hours, following which we went to check out the night life of Goa. Having heard from everyone about Club Cabana, we did not think twice about going there. They say it is the best and the most disciplined club in Goa and they do not allow stag entry. Nice move, I must say! Back at 3 in the morning, we had no option but sleeping like a kid.

Day 2: Dudhsagar falls! Please carry extra set of clothes and do NOT miss getting into the waterfall; you might just miss the best experience of your life. Plus, the drive from Baga to Dudhsagar will take around two hours, but the path, the fresh air and the scenery along would not let you feel tired; it would be better if you would arrange your travel in groups. Having spent a memorable time at Dudhsagar falls, we went to have our dinner (yes, we did not have any lunch because there are no great restaurants around Dudhsagar). For dinner, Goa surprised with its finest – Souza Lobo at Calangute beach; you must never miss having a meal here. And with the great food ended our Day 2.

Day 3: It was our ‘first’ anniversary this day, so this had to be really really special. After having a sumptuous breakfast at the hotel, we went to explore Fort Aguada and there on, headed to Vivanta by Taj to raise a toast. Taj is right next to the fort and welcomes you with a lot of class, poshness and a great view of the Sinquerim beach. Also, Fort Aguada will give some of the nicest spots for coolest pictures. Here on, we headed to Basilica of Bom Jesus and Se Cathedral. Both of these are in Old Goa and would be 40 minutes (if you’re driving a bullet) far from the Baga beach. We had local Goa food and drinks at this restaurant right opposite to the churches – Ratna Sagar and the food, especially the fish was totally up to the mark. From here, we headed to our hotel and had a tea, following which we, once again, went to Souza Lobo for our dinner. Needless to say, it had really impressed us quite a lot. With the food and a long walk along the beach at night came to an end our Day 3.

Day 4: This was the day when we were supposed to catch our flight back to Delhi and, thus, we really wanted to make the most of it. We could really think of nothing better than trying out all the water sports our friends had been discussing with us – bumper rinding, parasailing and speedboating! Having experienced the adrenaline rush, I am sure there could have been no better way to end our trip right but this!

With this, a short, sweet and memorable trip to Goa came to an end, but we were in no mood to let the party spirit leave us that soon, so we rushed to a liquor shop at Delhi airport, picked our favorite brands and a cake to mark our anniversary and, of course, a lot of food. Day 4 was, in no way, any less than any of the other days of the vacation. Over all, this has been one of the finest holidays together. Here, I am leaving you with a lot of picture collages to feel what I've been blabbering about. 

What we did

What we ate

What we wore

Book Review: #GIRLBOSS

My rating: ●●●●○

Sophia Amoruso

#GIRLBOSS

India: Penguin Books Ltd., 2014

256 pp. ₹699

ISBN: 9780241971680

Summary: How often do you come across female entrepreneurs who are as excited and boastful about their achievements in life as they are about the fact that they did it all themselves despite their lack of any required skills or knowledge? In India, this rarely happens for real and that’s the reason why I liked this book and the truth that it has instigated in me a feeling that is only going to fuel my passion for thinking out of the box.

My take: The title: a hashtag! I am sure this one would be a first you would have come across. The cover page looks simple, with a single-tone, light-colored background and the protagonist, author standing with arms akimbo, occupying almost 70% of the cover page clearly conveying the message that this book is all about her. For some it would look like a memoir, for some a business reference book, for others a self-help and for a few like me, a perfect blend of feminism, personal development and self-help, which fills the readers up with a few useful tips they should always keep in mind and a lot of enthusiasm to face things head-on.

The writing style has been deliberately kept as colloquial, as the author wants to stay as basic and connected to everyone as possible. This is a perfect rags-to-riches story of a young girl who just kept walking on a path that seemed right to her and eventually, explored her way to success. The author has never been to college and is, also, a high school dropout, but thanks to her being street-smart that she got this far. She has a lot of tips to share with the fellow entrepreneurs which might just sound familiar, but yes, we all do need reminders!

If you are looking for a serious business book, which might just walk you down the path of entrepreneurship, this is simply NOT the one you should pick. This one is a nice, brief autobiography cum self-help book which touches base on the general values one should hold while walking on the road to being big; for instance, success is all about trusting your instincts and following your gut, or life is short; don’t be lazy or this one, true success lies in knowing your weaknesses and playing to your strengths.

In fact, it should prove to be really helpful to those who are going through a tough phase and want to see some light at the end of the tunnel. It would definitely instigate loads of enthusiasm and #badgirl attitude in you, pushing you hard to take things more seriously. In fact, by the end of the book, you would want to tap the immense energy this #badass attitude might hold for you. What’s better? Along the way, you would also laugh out loud on the author’s narration of her outlook on things and fuckups she did. A great read if all you are looking for is a light, hilarious and thought-provoking book which might also leave you with a handful of great tips to keep safe in your pocket. I really loved the illustrations depicted at the beginning of each chapter for they are equally bitchy and sassy!

Final word: A funny, entertaining, sassy and incredibly smart book, which does not give away incomprehensible preaching, but easy street-smart lessons which that Marketing course might never teach you.

My first Varalakshmi Vratham

My story is one perfect example of amalgamation of two cultures, one from cosmopolitan Punjab and the other from traditional Andhra. Going by my instincts or love or spirit to marry my beau had gotten me into a new land of a new language, new cultures, new traditions and new ways of leading life. Needless to say, it has been an enriching experience which I would have deeply missed had I gotten hitched in my own community. I always had hots for South Indian guys and since college, I was pretty sure I am going to fall for one from the foreign land and no wonder, the fate!

So, now, I am a semi-Andhraiite, still trying to get my tongue twist on the tunes of Telugu words and training my taste buds for spicy, Andhra food. But the best part about this cross-cultural union is that I get to celebrate the bests of the festivals from the North as well as from the South. We had God’s grace shining on us, so we could celebrate my first Rakhi and get all the love from my family. A day before, I got to celebrate my first Varalakshmi Vratham and this experience was both divine as well as overwhelming for both of us.

Since I do not have any elder’s guidance on how things should be, I had to bank on my cousin sisters-in-law, Kanthi and Pallavi and one great bhabhi (vadina, as they say in Telugu), Rani. These guys helped me great deal to understand the festival and the values hidden in it and perform the pooja according to the rituals. The best anchor, my husband was always next to me to lead the way but yes, he never forced anything upon me, neither if I should fast nor if I should perform the pooja. It was my interest and excitement which he fueled further .

So, I had my new sarees in place, gold purchased (kasu) in place, a thoroughly cleaned and decorated mandir in place and all the raw ingredients required to prepare the prasadam the next morning right in place. One best aspect of participating in South Indian festivals is you get to purchase plenty of new clothes and jewelry all the time! Anyway, the next morning, I got up at 5:30 in the morning, took a shower, draped my new saree and set out to my kitchen to prepare the five dishes I had plan to cook. I must say I not only surprised myself but also my best friend and my husband who couldn’t believe I could do all this in one go.

I prepared the following – carrot kheer, lemon rice, rava kesari, Pongal and daddhojanam. By 9, I was all prepared and set for the pooja. This vratham is not exactly a tiring one, as you get to eat right after you perform the pooja. We performed our pooja at 11:40 in the morning and had food right after that. This pooja experience was calming and, also, brought us closer as a couple – we recited all the mantras in Sanskrit together and sung the Arti, too. Singing ‘Lakshmi Raave Maa Intiki’, I, not even once, felt like an outsider. For the first experience, this one was truly outstanding! The craze to wear a new saree, to eat all these tasty dishes, to wear new jewelry and, of course, to do things right was all the driving force behind, but by grace of Maa Lakshmi, I had the best first Varalakshmi Vratham ever!

Daddhojanam or Curd Rice

Lemon Rice

Carrot Kheer

Rava Kesari/Halwa

Pongal

Face-off with Failure

One of the hundred, and probably the most crucial, reasons why a person fails in accomplishing a task he aims at is he just wasn’t ready enough to face the opportunity at hand with all the arms it required him to bring to the table. What’s worse, it takes us tad too long to make out where we were wrong and where we needed to improve; result? An even worse turn of events unfolding.

A rather tough array of events takes place when you become a little too confident about the coming success that you can almost hear its doorsteps walking towards your main door and bah! you encounter failure disguised as success. Yes, I use the word disguised. For so has happened with me and I think this has been a first in life.

Out of the blue, you see an opportunity waving at you; you sense you must be extra special for someone to fall for you; you start running in whichever position you find yourself without carrying the right stuff you might need in order to keep the conversation going; you get treated really well and this inflates your chest further; you come back home and start counting days waiting for a reply; you chase for an answer; you do receive a reply which says you were not good enough. This could demand a frantic behavior of the protagonist, who also might end up passing cuss words for that fido who frigging waved. Anddd this is precisely where you go wrong.

Quickly accepting defeat is, I know, loser’s avenue, but figuring out the reasons to become better is a real sensible person’s trademark. That’s why I attributed failure as ‘disguised success’ for it is going to be an awesome teacher for you for the coming future. This, in fact, is going to make way for bigger opportunities and your bang-on-time preparedness. Sometimes finding a way to hear what we want is what they call as ‘preparing’.

The feeling is bad, I know, but when you see other opportunities waiting for you right at the end of the road you are treading on, you watch your steps this time and walk steady while getting yourself in the best state of mind to face them. You also give a high five to Steve Jobs (in your mind, of course) for saying the following words, “I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.” For him, they did; likewise, for me, better days are on their way to meet me.

First Class and I Bear a Conclusion

It’s been close to a year and a half that I have sustained my passion for the gym and for working out and voila! I have surprised myself by the discipline. No matter how bad the day might have gone, it all comes to zero when I hold iron in my arms. Besides, the loud music that plays in my iPod not only lifts my spirits high, but also helps me get over a tough or a boring day.

One evening, when I was leaving the premises of the gym, a notice pinned to the notice board got my attention. This said, ‘Yoga classes begin this Monday!’ Not that I am a fitness maniac who would try her hands at every means to get fit that crosses her way, but since I’d heard so much about the after-effects of Yoga, I really wanted to have an opinion of my own.

The second challenge after making up my mind that I want to participate was to get up by 8. No, I am not an early riser and yes, I sleep bang on time! One super fine day that I did get up before 8, I decided that I am going to give this a shot. I politely entered the class and got a mat for myself. The I-am-pro-at-this ladies already practicing there threw super-curious looks at me seeking an answer to their favorite question, why despite being slim do I want to join them. No, I do not think I should have answered to their curiosity so I just smiled.

By the end of the very first class, I had a freshly-brewed opinion of my own about Yoga and why I would want to continue it if at all I do and why it does not mean quitting lifting weights at the gym. First thing, Yoga does an excellent job to your body by making it flexible. Yes, you seldom get this facility at the gym. There are stretching exercises but none of them is this elaborate. The breathing exercises they teach not only open up your mind, but also your senses. You feel negativities leaving your body through your nose and a fresh, lively energy entering in. Further, the morning aspect of it makes it way more ‘cooler’. Lastly, it does not require you to sweat heavy or lift more to have a command at it, if you continue doing it right, it will prove to be the best thing that makes your mind and body balanced.

Now, why I feel I still need to life weights is because that help me gets more muscle in my body, killing the fat. Yoga might do the same to me eventually, but I think I am sure it is going to be at a tortoise’s pace. Secondly, the cardio exercises in the gym besides making you sweat hard, also get your heart rate up and increase the blood circulation throughout your body. That said, I am sure there are plenty of benefits of Yoga that working out in the gym can never replace, like increasing flexibility, toning and strengthening the body and affecting the body mentally, intellectually and spiritually, but after my first Yoga class, I bear an opinion which is going to be my lifestyle now.

I opt to go for the killer combination of the both. That would imply three days of gym, three of yoga and one for the sleep. I am sure the two would complement each other nicely and I cannot wait to see the results of this shock I am going to give to my body, which is used to the music and the iron. No, I am still trying to get up by 8 and my gym trainer thinks I am a sleep-deprived girl, who, for the love of her sleep, is now sucking up her workout time to catch some Z’s. I am, anyway, happy being me.