Phantomised

This weekend was movie date.

Phantom was the movie released and immediately after Bajrangi Bhaijaan, a Kabir Khan movie came with lot of expectations. 

I wish Phantom was Phantomised itself. 

Within the first half hour itself, we started regretting our decision.

The movie starts really slow and maintains the same pace throughout, it fails to strike a cord and keep the audience on the edge of their seat. 

The performance is mediocre by everyone. 

It could have been a good watch, had more research gone in it. 

It comes across as a half hearted effort in haste. There is very little material, no meat on the bone.
The plot was shaky, the plans hatched in the movie are more left to chance.

The subject raised is really good though it has already been covered in similar movies like Baby.
Patriotic movie with a good intent, how we all wish it was true.
 

Disappointed in the movie, however I can't stop humming or watching the video of Afghan Jalebi. 

 

This is what I wore for our movie date. 

Outfit Details 

 

Kurti - gift from mom, Similar here

Leggings - W, Avail here

Earrings - Lifestyle 

Sandals - Jabong 

Ring - Dubai 

Bangles - Miss Benett  

Stay simple, stay stylish 😉☺️

xoxo

Bhakti ❤️

Raksha Bandhan - Lets give it a new meaning

Raksha Bandhan, a celebration of brother and sister bond.

A sister ties Rakhi ( wrist band ) to her brother as a symbol of their love, seeking lifelong protection and love from her brother. It's a day of happiness, excitement, love, vows.
A day of making your sister feel safe and loved throughout her life.

However, is this only for a day, is this only for your sister?

Today our country, the world is filled with atrocities, atrocities towards women, rapes, molestation. 

It's difficult in many cases and many places for girls to walk in public without bearing cat calls and lewd behavior on a daily basis. 

What life are we giving our sisters? 

Those too, are someone's sister, some brother somewhere wants and yearns for their protection. 

Just because it's not your responsibility, you are free to witness them being humiliated, tormented or even worse you are the one who does it. 

What kind of hypocrisy is it, when one vows for complete protection to his own sister and gives a damn to other girls? 

Does this make sense?

Shouldn't we change this scenario, isn't it about time? 

This Raksha Bandhan ask your brother to protect not only you, but other girls in any way he can. 

This Raksha Bandhan take a vow from your brother that he will respect all women no matter what. 

He will be the man, he will be the protector. 

Let's be the change, let's try and let's make an effort.

My brother, the protector - always.

So proud of you, for the man you have grown into. 

The respect you have for your sister and all other girls and women.

I know you will always try to do the right thing and follow the right path.

I am lucky to call you my brother.

Wishing you all a Happy Raksha Bandhan !!

Let all sisters be PROTECTED !!!

xoxo

Bhakti 

Evolve or get extinct

Everything in this world needs to change to evolve and if it doesn't it's left far behind.

I have learned relationships too follow the same course, every relationship in our life no matter which, no matter with whom keeps evolving at different phases in life. Mother is nurturer, the caregiver then she becomes the teacher then a friend and eventually she is the one who requires care. A spouse - a friend, confidante, lover, caretaker, and many more roles in each relationship. These roles keep changing at every phase, they keep evolving and if we don't let our relationships evolve eventually they fade out, lose their importance, they start becoming valueless to each other. 

I being stubborn find this hard many times but with age and maturity things have started becoming more simple and easy to read. I think time has taught me to be more easy going and keep evolving with the flow. 

There is a long way ahead to learn and life is a teaching isn't it. 

On that note 

Outfit I wore for a dinner date. 

Outfit Details

Dress - Remanika, same available here
Bag - gift from a friend, better available here
Sandals - Footin, better available here
Watch - Tommy, similar available here
Accessories - Jabong same here and here
 

Keep evolving 😉😊

Stay simple, stay stylish.. 
 

xoxo

Bhakti ❤️

Green Mexican Rice

I hate cooking elaborate meals which take too long. My thing is short, simple, quick yet tasty recipes. 

This is what I whipped up for dinner in 20 minutes. 

I don't plan meals, I just use whatever is available in the kitchen to satisfy my dinner demons 😉😜 

I was craving for a rice dish and wanted to try out something new. 

I decided on Mexican green rice and realised I didn't have one major ingredient Spinach. 

However stubborn that I am , I still decided to go ahead and experiment. 

So here goes my Mexican Green Rice with a twist ( can never stay mainstream on a straight path, I just love twists in every form - rebel 😊) 

Green Mexican Rice 

Ingredients 

1 cup fresh coriander / cilantro 

1/2 cup mint leaves 

5 green chillies (according to taste) 

1 medium size onion puréed 

1/2 cup fresh coconut grated in paste 

1 tspn ginger garlic paste 

1/2 cup corn 

1 cup rice 

Olive oil 

1/2 lemon 

Method 

In a pan heat 1 tbspn olive oil 

Add onion purée and sauté 

Add ginger garlic paste and sauté 

Add coconut paste 

Make a paste of coriander, mint and chillies and add to pan, sauté. 

Then add the corn. 

Add the rice. 

And squeeze the lemon juice in this mixture. 

Add salt and pepper according to taste . 

Add water and let the rice cook. 

Tada !!! That easy !! Have a look !! It turned out really well and yummilicious ❤️❤️

Enjoy with a chilled iced tea or shake. 

Next time will make it spinach, healthy tasty way of getting dosage of greens, especially for hubby dear who runs away from it 🙈🙈. Now let that be a secret, shouldn't we? And I am blogging about the same,, duhhh me 😜☺️🍴

xoxo

Bhakti 

Weekend Diaries- Lohagad in Rain

No sooner than the first drops of rain kiss the earth, the entire scene changes with this love affair.
This romance is abundant in and around Pune. No wonder with the first showers of rain people start flooding the monsoon getaways around the city which are resplendent and dancing in all its glory.
This weekend we decided to get enthralled with one such beauty.
Pune city is surrounded by lots of hills and forts and the best way to enjoy these attraction in all its grandeur is by trekking. There are number of trekking groups and camps available with whom you can go. However we decided to do this on our own with a bunch of friends, some of them being good trekkers and leading the way. Me and hubby being amateur with a slight asthma problem, we zeroed in on Lohagad which is a fort to be trekked with moderate difficulty.

Lohagad (the iron fort) one of the many Chatrapati Shivaji's forts (king) is situated close to Lonavla it being 1,033 m (3,389 ft) above sea level.
Train goes to Malavali station, where the fort is located within 10 mins walking distance. 
From Pune to Lohagad by car - 1 h 47 min (75.6 km) via Mumbai - Pune Expy
We started from Pune at 8 am and reached the fort by around 10 am with leisurely breaks. 
Car goes till the base of the fort from where you just have to climb the stairs, but we decided to leave our car at the base of the hill at the car park and trek the whole way up.

On our way to Lohagad 

Breakfast on our way, hot bhajias and vada Pav in rains. 
Do have breakfast as you will need the energy and carry some snacks with you to devour on top of the fort.
There are quite some thelas (stalls ) at the base of the fort as well as at the parking where the trek begins. I suggest carry some snacks from the highway and be careful with drinking water. The taste at these thelas at least on the weekend was not that great, and hubby as well as I had severe stomach infection after returning back.

Selfie in rain, rain God was with us. The weather was beautiful and prevailed the entire time. 

At the base, starting our trek❤️❤️

The entire way was dotted with gurgling waterfalls and mesmerising landscapes. 

The soothing sound of water flowing combined with chilled, crisp and fresh mountain air kept us motivated to keep going and exploring the beauty which just kept growing by bounds and leaps. 

Cheers💗💗 to some Color co ordinated snacks on the go. Complete sugar rush. 

You will get a few stalls selling bhutta (corn on the cob ) my favorite, we devoured some in the rain, relishing every bit of the experience.

Slow and steady does the trick 👫

Wonders of nature, creatures of the wild, he was so gorgeous. 

Finally atop ❤️ 
We took around 2.5 hours to climb the entire thing right from the base at an easy pace and we took approximately the same amount of time to descend.
So its a convenient day trip from Pune as well as Mumbai.
Do take a pair of extra clothes, we were drenched to our core, even after all the rain paraphernalia.
Locals give you a changing room for a decent amount.

Views from the top. There is a small temple on top of the fort, one well/pond and a tomb. The views are splendidly magnificent from anywhere you see. 

It was so windy on the top, that one couldn't keep steady. It was beautiful worth all the effort indeed. It was pouring heavily but that neither dithered us from our path nor the huge crowds of people who thronged the fort. 

We enjoyed our victory with some snacks, we had carried, as the strenuous climb left us ravenous (wish we had carried something more filling like sandwiches or rolls). 

Happiness on conquering it together. 

The whole gang ☺️

Until we meet again with a new journey 💚 

A small clip for you - 

xoxo

Bhakti 


other weekend diaries 

Sinhagad in Rain 
Drive in the Rain 
Merry in Mulshi 
A Small Hike with Big Happiness 
Adrenaline Unlimited @ Della Adventure

Goa Romantic Places to eat in Baga / Candolim

Carrying on from the last post - Goa -Places to eat near Baga / Candolim Part 1

Romance and Goa go hand in hand,Shacks all over Goa are so pretty and naming a few places romantic, means these places are really special and create magic effortlessly. 

You decide for yourself. 

Tuscany Garden 

Main Rd, Near Kingfisher Villa, Sinquirim, Candolim, Goa 403515
0832 645 4026

www.tuscanygardens.in/

photo credit - Tuscany Gardens website

Goa -Places to eat near Baga / Candolim Part 1

The big stretch of road which joins Baga, Candolim and Calangute beach is known for its little jewels of shacks that are located on it.

I just love driving up and down this path, enjoying the vibe, the atmosphere and digging in the sumptuous food. 

Let me introduce you to a few of my favorite joints. 

Bob's Inn

Anna Vaddo, Opposite Dukle Hospital, Candolim,Bardez, India



photo credit - Tripadvisor 

This little joint is located on the main road and is a hidden gem. Step foot in and the vibe just sets in. Bustling with activity and groups of people, tourists as well as locals. What sets this place apart is the cozy interior, little knick knacks from all over the place sitting in tandem, home cooked food which is so easy on the stomach and great to taste. You can say this place is authentic as far as the word goes. 

The Prawn curry rice is the best, I had in North Goa. Not too thick, right consistency and huge quantity with original spices and taste intact. 

Do try their cashew fry appetiser. A warm dish, with their local cashews stir fried with onion, raw tomatoes lots of coriander. Such simple ingredients and yet every bite was full of flavour. 

Golden fried Prawns were crispy, airy, soft and sweet- heaven , only thing missing was the tartar sauce or Mayo. 

Pasta in white sauce - really different but so tasty , incorporated green peas , cauliflower, chicken and quite some veggies in a creamy sauce with a slight sour taste but nevertheless it didn't disappoint at all. We were pleasantly surprised and glad we ordered it. 

The quantity served at this place is huge, 

Quality excellent and at reasonable prices. This place is on my number 1 position in the list. 

The ambience is really different than that of the regular Goan Shacks and very comfortable and cosy. 

Infantaria 

5/181, Calangute Baga Junction, Calangute, Goa

Photo credit - Tripadvisor 

This place is well known as a Breakfast place and serves some really mouthwatering delicacies. 

The ambiance is simple, the place being close to the Baga beach is crowded any time of the day. 

They serve delectable shakes apart from their huge section of alcoholic beverages. 

The Oreo shake That hubby ordered for me was very tasty and huge, needless to say I couldn't finish it on my own. 

The prices don't do justice to the quantity, however the quality is excellent. 

We ordered Golden fried prawns which was a winner. 

Ordered a chicken steak in brown sauce, which was well done, the chicken was soft. They could have done much better in the quantity section on both accounts. 

If you are craving for some hearty Continental breakfast head here. Those with a sweet tooth won't be disappointed at all, they have some really yum delicacies and fresh baked goodies in their bakery section and its huge. 

Moroccan Shisha and Grill Lounge 

Candolim › Bomman Wabbo, At Caliz, Candolim, Goa

Shisha lovers, must come here. Located on the main road, overlooking the busy street, this small joint will definitely catch your attention with the huge collection of shishas for display, plush sofa and a Moroccan ambiance. The place is open till late and we did enjoy having our late night Shisha. The shisha was indeed amazing and perfectly made, the rates are reasonable and you can sit for a long time with your shisha and nibble on Moroccan delicacies.



Photo credit - Zomato

Do let me know your favorites :)
Next part coming soon....
till then

xoxo
Bhakti