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Friday, October 23, 2015

Snippets of Dussera

Another Indian festival, celebrating joy, victory and colours of life. 
9 days of Navratri celebrations culminating in the 10th day of Dussera. 
A festival celebrated prominently in all parts of India especially Bengal. 
All regions celebrate it deifferently. 

Few snippets for you from my home Pune (Maharashtra) celebrating Dussera. 







The Goddess's procession. 


Hope you enjoyed. 

xoxo
Bhakti 

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Pursuit of Happiness

We all live a stressed life with an objective of attainment, pursuing different dreams with one goal - happiness.
Yet today in this race, the main aim, the reason behind everything, the big picture is lost somewhere.
In the daily grind of life, happiness has become difficult to achieve, but is it really so hard.
Many a great minds have stated happiness to be in our own hands and very aptly said so. 



Happiness doesn't come with a tag of huge houses, millions of dollars, valuable jewelry or fancy cars. It  is a state of mind attained by small things and gestures which make life worth living. Guess that's why childhood is all about happy memories. Children are not perfectionists, they do not want everything, they do not set milestones to be happy. They find happiness in little things and moments everywhere and with everybody.
It is not at all difficult to be happy, in fact its super easy. Try these things out for yourself, they always work for me.

First and foremost everyday stand in front of the mirror and say that I Love you and You are my favorite. Do any one thing that brings you happiness and which you love. It can be a very tiny gesture but just do it and make yourself feel special -




Be Healthy
Balanced Diet, Proper sleep,a healthy and a fit body (exercise) is the least you can do for yourself. You owe it to your body, to you. Its a proven fact that a healthy and a fit body along with proper sleep and diet keeps one happy. Exercise is a biggest exercise to fight depression. It gives an instant high. Apart from that its no hidden fact that fit people feel more happy with their body as well as their mind.
Diets are nothing but torture to your body and mind, a sure shot way of being unhappy. Lack of sleep is another big reason for mood swings, crankiness and a good amount of other ill effects of the same kind.A balanced diet and proper sleep are prerequisites for happiness. Enjoy those extra snoozes and wake up more refreshed happy and smiling. Do not ever again fret over indulging in that one piece of pastry or over sleeping sometimes. Enjoy these indulgences in a balanced form.



Love thyself
First and foremost, love thyself unconditionally with all your imperfections.                                       Remember you are your favorite. Give yourself importance. Ask yourself what do you want. Don't force things on yourself all the time. Say no instead of doing things with dislike. Follow the heart, do things you love, be a child again. Catch butterflies, stop to smell the flowers. Take your time doing things. Watch your favorite movie or TV series or even better see that old favorite cartoon you liked.



Meditate/Yoga
Yoga has proven its benefits. Practicing some simple yoga asanas and breathing techniques at home or whenever possible throughout the day will give you peace,calm and satisfaction of mind. Which in turn stimulates happy thoughts and a happy mind. Extra benefit being  you will gain on physical health as well. Meditation de clutters the mind and helps it relax and soothe.



The Power of Forgiving
Holding grudges against anybody hinders the process of being happy it triggers anger and resentment all the time. Forgiving a person empowers you beyond measure. It makes one feel good about themselves and that is a happy feeling. Forgiving starts first with our self, forgive yourself when you don't meet expectations.Know your limits and accept them (does not mean you don't challenge yourself to do better). Go easy on yourself, don't be too harsh.

De clutter
De clutter your life as well as your home and personal space. Throw away things that you do not need. Clear the cobwebs. Make it a pleasant place to live in and to stay happy. Happiness is in indeed in a pleasant clean home as well as life. De clutter the people who make you feel bad or give you negative vibes, stay away from them. Include only positive things, people and aspects in life which enhances it.




Family and Friends
Spend time with family and friends. Staying close to family and friends,being with them gives utmost happiness and a feeling of content. People who live far away from Family or who do not have a family are more lonely and less happy. Family is the biggest asset one has and taking care of it gives immense joy and belongingness. Relationships and love gives a meaning to our life and utmost happiness.



Help and Be Kind
Be kind to the people around you, be polite, offer help. Helping others gives tremendous satisfaction and happiness. Volunteer for a cause. Donate your old stuff. Pay a visit to the old age home. Sponsor a child. Adopt a stray. Treat your family and friends with love and respect and in return their smiles will bring joy in your life.



Pamper yourself
Book an appointment in the spa. Dine with pals. Go on a vacation. Treat yourself to a large ice cream and some fried food. Party and paint the town red. Go on a shopping spree. Go out for the weekend. Any little or big thing which brings smile to your face is well deserved.




Nature
Take that vacation and get out of the house and the urban clutter. Feel the clean, crisp and cool air, soak in the warm sunshine. Explore new places. Nature boosts the happiness quotient as well as  creativity. Taking vacations de stresses body and mind and helps them to rejuvenate.



Hobby/work
Pursue a hobby or join a class. Anything that we love or a new thing that we are learning to do always amps up the happiness factor (guess that's one of the things that keeps children happy always).
Take up a job or do some constructive work. We always take pride in our work which gives us an intense feeling of satisfaction, accomplishment and joy. 



Be Thankful
Last but not the least,practice Gratitude in all areas of life. Be happy and thankful for the person you are, for your health, loving family, the house you live in and everything that happens in your life. Consider yourself to be lucky. Have Gratitude for your life, your moments, each day that passes, opportunities you get, success, goals you achieve and every thing that happens in between. Thank the Lord for all the blessings and happiness he showers upon us.



Always remember you are your priority if you keep yourself happy, you will definitely spread happiness in your family and all around you. Joy attracts joy and yes it is in your hands, you alone control it. Be happy and spread sunshine !



xoxo
Bhakti 

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Pink Zone

I hate it honestly, when you are pissed or really annoyed and people just ask you is the devil nearby, is it that time of the month, and I become even more mad, rationally it seems we girls do not have a right to get mad or we are incapable of getting annoyed and running out of patience for things unless and until it's that's time of the month and very conveniently it's blamed on the monster period (pun intended). The male species won't even give it a second thought that they were wrong and it's their fault, it's like we suddenly become these irrational demons. 
A chat between hubby and me goes like ,  he keeps doing things to irk me enough and I eventually lose my cool. 
Hubby - doing some mathematics in his head as if solving some grave problem.. 
Me - what happened what u calculating 
Hubby - silences me with his hand and after a minute - aren't you in your pink zone. 
Me - what the hell is pink zone? 😱
Hubby - when you are flashing danger signs -do not approach ,, at your own risk (pms). 
Me - mouth wide open ,, how dare you.. fuming with fury now 
Hubby - no baby it's not that bad , it's still comes and goes and it's manageable 
Me - just staring at him ,, then what is bad ? 
Hubby - The actual danger zone , when u are on destructive mode and can kill anything in your way for no fault, it's danger all over, it's like war path.  
Me - shocked beyond belief ,, zoned out 
Hubby - I am right for crying out loud 😂😂😂
Me - so furious ,,😡
But we both just end up laughing like crazy what with his puppy eyes...🐶
For the record his calculations were right .. 
All this just for telling him him off for not letting me sleep in peace at 2 am. 
God !!!! 

Since we are in the pink zone, then why not go with a pink outfit today. 












Outfit Details 

Top - Dubai 
Denims - Tommy 
Watch - Tommy 
Necklace - Flipkart 
Bag - Landmark 

xoxo
Bhakti 

Be Festival Ready

Great Indian Festive Sale

The festive season is here, and everyone wants to put their best foot forward.
Here are some tips you can incorporate to bring in that perfect zing. 

Dress - 

Choose light breathable fabrics.
Traditional chaniya choli is a classic with ethnic detailing. 
Go Indo western - team dhoti pants or Palazzos with Crop top and dupatta. 
Don't over bling your outfit - If the top is detailed and bling go sober on the rest of the outfit and vice versa. 
Anarkalis and floor length kurtas are also charming for the festive look.

Click on the image to browse it in the website

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Accessories 
Festivals are all about accessories. So go bold with them, use a lot of chunky accessories, huge jhumkas and Balis, 
Colorful stack of bangles, potlis.

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Make up 

Go easy on the make up and keep it light in case if your outfit is heavy.
If you are going for simple outfit, then enhance your features, use bold lip colours. Do go in for waterproof make up. 

Footwear

Jutis, kolhapuris, wedge footwear rule the roost as they are comfortable and ethnic.

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So put your best foot forward and enjoy the festivities. 

xoxo
Bhakti 

Autumn Winter'15

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Forts of Goa - Cabo de Rama

Saving the best for the last for you people ( until I visit other new forts in Goa and add to this series)Out of all the forts seen so far in Goa, The fort of Cabo de Rama remains my favourite, occupying the number one spot on my list.

Off the beaten path and quite far.

It is really on the road less travelled, one hidden gem, located in the southern goa - Canacona.

As the name suggests, Lord Rama took respite over here during his exile, the fort has seen different rules, Mughals, Portuguese been a prison and stands today a testimony to all that it has withstood. 
 
The breath taking view, the stone washed white church of Santo Antonio against a the backdrop of the roughed out dark colours of fort dotted with turquoise blue waters of the sea, through a small walk in the woods, chirping of birds, all yours to explore.  One can really enjoy the peace and calm over here .. The picturesque views are stored forever in the memories,,


 
entrance ...
 

 
Cannons


 
small walk through the woods


 
first glimpse of the azure sea




 
these views - mesmerising


















 
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There were very few people around, when we visited.
The fort is located on a hill and gets very sunny and hot in the afternoon, do carry hats/scarves and your own water bottle, outside the fort there are a few shops, please do not litter this place as it's still unspoilt, it was disheartening to see broken bottles and picnic garbage at certain places.. We in fact carried others plastic waste and threw it in the dustbin,, please do your bit..
Cabo de Rama falls at the southern tip and has beautiful winding road leading to it..one can take a day trip and complete cabo de Rama, agonda, cola beach and then palolem beach in the evening, have dinner there and head back.
Its a must do fort, you have to visit it, worth all the extra travel.

Outfit Details

Top  - Bandra Linking road
Palazzos - Colaba
Flip Flops - Goa Market
Hat - Bangkok
Bag - Bag forever
Ring - Pink Pvsyy
Other accessories - Goa Flea Market

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xoxo
Bhakti

You might also like
 Forts of Goa - Reis Magos
 

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