Life Lately...!

Hey Everyone!
Today I am sharing some big news on the blog.
I delivered a baby girl last August!


And as you would expect, life has been so busy.
The word 'BUSY' post Motherhood has a totally different meaning.
And while our heart has been full with all the love and affection, the blog definitely took a backseat during the last year.

I had it all planned and had a full week to schedule my future blogposts before I went into labor. But guess what, the baby decided to come in a week early. And all the planning went for a toss. So the most important lesson that motherhood taught me...
Go with the flow. Don't over plan!

And hence, time and again I like to repeat this profound thought by Harivansh Rai Bacchan to myself.
Mann ka ho to Accha
Mann ka na ho to Jyada Accha...
Kyunki fir wo ishwar ke mann ka hota hain
Aur Ishwar aapka accha chahega.
Meaning...
It's good if things work out as per your plan.
But it's better if they don't work out as per your plan,
Because then they are as per God's plan...and God will always want the best for you. :)

So what does that mean?
It means lots of Motherhood and baby posts coming your way, whether you like it or not.:)
Till then I leave you with a few pictures I had clicked last February in Goa. I was 12 weeks pregnant then. Hope you like them.

Outfit Details: 
Saree: Limeroad
Pearl Necklace: Dresslink
Pearl Bracelet: Daiso Japan
Sunglasses: FastTrack

Palam Silks launches Folklore Collection by Sunita Yogesh

Hi guys. How are you doing?
I know I have been irregular with my blogposts, but I am trying to change it and get back on track soon.

Early this year, I had introduced you all to a brand that I had really fallen in love with.
Palam silks had launched their Concert Collection for the Margazhi season, and I was totally floored.

Palam has been imperative in giving a launchpad to weavers to showcase the designs. The thought behind their annual fashion show “Silkline” is more about adding a face to every saree that is featured on the ramp. Every weaver is formally felicitated on stage and this veneration has kept them motivated, to choose this art over an urban job chase.
Now they felt, they need to recognise young designers to explore their designing skills on kanjeevarams. This project was always in the pipeline, and so they started off with their in-house designer who has been working under the shade of Palam for the past 5 years- Sunita Yogesh.

SunitaYogesh, is the daughter of Jeyasree Ravi of Palam Silks. A Chartered Accountant's degree and MBA from IIM did not stop Sunita from pursuing her passion for design and art. She pursued surface pattern designing course from Central Saint Martins in London and also worked with artisans from Rajasthan on the traditional art of hand block prints. Folklore is her first collection, designed and executed in Kanjeevaram under Palam Silks.

Design Inspiration behind Folklore:
Folklore has been inspired from lost indian artworks and architecture. There are motifs that have been popular with kanjeevarams specially for decades. For instance, the paisley, checks and peacocks. But the knowledge about the roots of those designs is pretty scarce. So they wanted to create a design palate based on the creations of rural artisans without any formal education. Sunita wanted to create a design palate to the most traditional fabric of south Indian that is inspired from rural creativity of all platforms, not just apparel.

As of now they have worked on 6 exclusive designs for the collection. All 6 are exclusive in their demeanour. The most noteworthy aspect of all the designs is modernity inspite of traditional design decorum. After the entire set of designs were translated to kanchipuram silk, the designer, Ms SunitaYogesh, completely lost the starting point of her thought process. Train of thoughts that began with dissecting india’s creative genes spread from the fabric to even architecture, rural landscapes and even culminated to chalk art on the floors of rural homes. 

This collection that sprang from knotting silk and motifs in silk threadwork was the foundation of the collection. However, a simple communication with the master weaver led to the collection being a traditional silk and zari-motif saree. A collection that was meant to glorify thread weaving testified zari’s dominance on a kanjeevaram all over again.

Scroll down to see the glorious collection.

Folklore was launched in the most prestigious Vogue Wedding Show where eminent designers like Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi, Tarun Tahiliani and Anita Dongre feature their latest creations. Jeyasree Ravi &  Sunita Yogesh shared the space with them, representing kanchivarams from South India.

Family Fun Comes Together at #NextGenTimeZone

Growing up in a city like Mumbai has its ups and downs.
I feel grateful because I grew up at a time when parks and children play areas were plenty even in a crowded city like Mumbai. And even those, who did not have parks close by, had their building complexes which where large enough and clutter free to even host cricket matches.
We were blessed because we were not engulfed by technology yet.

But decades later, when I became a parent, I felt my kid will miss out on all the fun I had as a child. Playing hide and seek in our building complex, or a game of lagori or even badminton is a distant dream now, as building complexes have been converted into additional parking space. Garden and parks are empty as kids prefer to play games online at home or prefer their mall visits more, compared to play areas.
With busier lifestyles, it is becoming more and more difficult for families to spend quality time together and more often I like to blame technology for that.
But my visit to #NextGenTimeZone Games at Inorbit Malad changed my perspective and made me a little hopeful for the future.


Timezone is your one-stop interactive entertainment destination having latest arcade games, exciting rides and fabulous prizes. It lets you re-live your childhood and make new memories with your family and friends. Timezone, has recently revamped and relaunched itself as #NEXTGENTIMEZONE at Inorbit Mall, Malad.
This place has elements which focuses on young adults along with kids and family. So this is a perfect place for family bonding.
I spent the last weekend with my family there, and I cant believe how much fun we had together. Scroll down to read, what all we loved about this place.


Krazee Whirl Cars: Here they have added a fun element to the bumper cars. They have dual joysticks and the base of the cars is LED illuminated. This is one ride that is enjoyed by kids and adults equally.


Virtual Rabbids: This concept has been launched in India for the first time. It is a ride which combines virtual reality and makes it fun for kids and families to enjoy together.

Family Bowling: Bowling has been a favorite in our family and we just have too much fun every time, we go out for bowling nights. The bowling arcade at TimeZone is termed as Family bowling,
because even they understand that bowling is best enjoyed with family. The bowling area uses latest graphics and animations which makes bowling even more fun.

Fruit Ninja: The game that I really enjoy playing on my cell phone, takes a bigger and better avatar at Timezone. My nephew had too much fun cutting the fruits. And I was happy to see him smile.


Prize shop: The Prize shop at TimeZone games is one of the best I have seen lately. It has a huge gamut of exclusive merchandize that comprises of home decor, plush toys, sports, utility products along with confectioneries and soft drinks.


Massage Chairs: One of the best thing that TimeZone has added are massage chairs. When parents run out of energy and kids don't, there are massage chairs that help parents relax and chill.

All in all, we really loved the entire experience and realized that we haven't had so much fun together after a very long time.

I think this is a perfect place to host birthday parties as they have a dedicated party area. In fact I would even love to host Raksha Bandhan or family get-togethers here, as this place has something fun for every age group.

Have you visited Timezone yet? If not, we recommend you totally should.





About TimeZone India:
Timezone India is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Entertainment and Education group (TEEG) based out of Australia which operates centres at 250 locations across 7 countries. Timezone has 26 stores currently in India located within all the leading malls like Inorbit Malls, Korum Mall, Phoenix Market City etc and is expected to open a total of 32 stores by end of 2018.
P.S. ​"I've shared my experience at the revamped Timezone  ​Inorbit ​Malad​ in association with BlogAdda"

Is Earth Networks the support that firefighters need to prepare for storms?

Source

Did you know that about 24,000 people are killed every year due to lightning strikes and about 2,40,000 are injured? Lightning strikes have a mortality rate of between 10-30% with up to 80% of the survivors sustaining long-term injuries. Whilst, these statistics may not seem as dire as some other natural disaster calamity rates; nevertheless, there are many emergency service providers who are working rigorously to find solutions to firstly pre-empt thunderstorms and secondly to mitigate casualties.
Earth Networks is one such enterprise which is making significant in-roads in creating highly efficient detection systems combined with high end analytics. They have successfully curated a very accurate weather alert system which provides clear and advanced weather alerts to optimize outdoor safety and weather preparedness.
Earth Networks is helping organizations across the globe to mitigate weather-related financial, operational and human risk. They are currently operational in over 90 countries and have been a weather expert for over 20 years. They not only help organizations monitor real-time weather conditions and preventing weather disruptions to assure business continuity; but also in taking control of emergency response situations through collaboration.They are the largest proprietary weather observation network with over 12,000 hyperlocal stations and their Total LightningNetworkTM is the first in-cloud and could-to-ground global lightning detection network with over 1500 sensors. In areas prone to thunderstorms and lightning strikes, the realtime lightning data that the system provides, could be crucial to the human and non-human resources risk mitigation. The Outdoor Alerting System allows you to configure hours of operation, lightning-strike distance, alert duration, and to deploy auto-generated email and text alerts to recipients. Currently they have been successful in schools, airport operations, energy & utilities, parks amongst other industries. Hence you and your organization needs Earth Network to plan and prepare for every weather scenario.

-Gouri Patwardhan
  For So-Saree

Outfit Post: The Black Jumpsuit

The monsoons have arrived in Mumbai. 
And I am a little excited. Yes, I still hate the daily commute during monsoons, but monsoons also mean monsoon getaways.
I was causally browzing through my old pictures and I came across this folder that said Ganpatiphule. And I realized I never posted about this trip anywhere on my blog. 
Ganpatiphule was unexpectedly beautiful and so much fun and I want to do a travel post on things to in Ganpatiphule, but that will have to wait. For today's post I have an outfit post which was shot at the Jaigad Fort which is around 20 km away from Ganpatiphule.
A black jumpsuit which has featured on the blog twice before (here and here) was a perfect choice for sightseeing in and around Ganpatiphule. Light, breezy and very functional.
Scroll down to see the pictures.

Outfit Details:
Black Jumpsuit: Local store in Mumbai
Necklace: FashionandYou

Backpack: Limeroad

Footwear: Crocs

Bike Bandit – Your biking Gear Genie

Just after I came out of the movie theatre having watched Madhuri Dixit’s “Bucket List” where she, who is a heart transplant recipient, embarks on a brilliantly liberating journey of completing her donor’s Bucket List. Now I know that movies are supposed to be entertainment, and one should not dwell too much once they are over, but this time it got me thinking – hard! Given that life today is so unpredictable, shouldn’t I, who is in her mid-thirties, also start ticking off some items off my bucket list too?

So I immediately fished out my old scrapbook and started scrolling through my precious bucket list to firstly rejuvenate my memory and secondly to see if I have actually accomplished any of the wishes on there. To my dismay, one of the top items on my list was to learn to ride a bike, and I had no head start there, whatsoever. I immediately called up a friend of mine, who is majorly into bike riding and explained my predicament. He was quite helpful and we decided that he would teach me how to ride a bike on all weekend mornings, so no worries there! But my problems were not solved yet; the next worry was to buy correct and safe (and hopefully stylish too!) biking gear.
Just when I was ankle deep in biking gear shopping worries and questions, the same friend pulled another rabbit from his hat, by the name of BikeBandit.com. I spent the next couple of hours going through the details on this site, and trust me I was hooked on the spot. Bikebandit has all the biking gear and accessories you can think of along with appropriate suggestions and a live chat option for apt advice.
  

 



What’s more is that they have a stunning collection of cheap motorcycle jackets; which are extremely stylish but do not necessarily burn a huge hole in your pocket.
 


 
Having now equipped myself with the coolest biking gear from BikeBandit.com, I am all set to tick off a very ambitious item off my bucket list, how about you?!

-Gouri Patwardhan
 For So-Saree

Review: Fire And Ice Facial By Yavana Clinic

I am no longer in my 20's and it kind of makes me sad. But guess what... 30's isn't so bad after all.
Being in my early 30's has brought a mix of both goods and bads.
The goods first.
I am more patient, have more perspective, almost a pro at "adulting" and if I can say a bit more wiser.
Now lets come to the bads.
Since I am an adult now, people easily take me for granted. But that could also be because of my Miss Congeniality nature.
Dark circles officially made a debut under my eyes. And my skin has never been so dry.
If losing weight in my 20's was tough, you don't even know how tougher it is now. Sometimes I feel I just put on weight even if I think of food.

Seeking a good skin and hair treatment has become almost like a mission for me these days.
And that is how I discovered Yavana Aesthetics Clinic.
Headed and founded by Dr. Madhuri Agrawal, Yavana has been in the beauty industry for 12 years now. I have had the privilege to work with her in the past and that is how I was introduced to Dr. Madhuri.
Last month when I casually met her and mentioned about my skin woes, she analyzed my skin and immediately asked me to visit her clinic for a facial appointment.
Well, facials are my favourite, because they relax me too much and who doesn't like a glowing face.
I immediately said yes and in a few days, found myself seated at her clinic in Mulund.

Dr. Madhuri announced that she was going to do the Fire and Ice facial on me. The name was enough to get me onboard and I readily agreed.

The first step of Yavana Fire & Ice facial is facial toning. This step improves circulation and
detoxifies the skin. The next step is exfoliation of the top layer of dead skin cells to smoothen and renew the skin. The best part about this step was that the blackheads and whiteheads on your skin easily pop out without even hurting you. OMG! This was so great as I really dread my clean up sessions because of the painful procedure of extracting black and white heads. Now that my skin was fresh and clean, it was oxygenated to plump it and restore its health.

The next step was Yavana's signature fire therapy to calm the skin, settle the acne, improve the fine lines and tighten the skin. Then nutrient-rich active ingredients were infused in my skin.
The final step was the signature cold mask with proprietary blend of seaweed and marine ingredients is applied to cool and relax the skin.
This process took about 60 minutes and by the time the cool mask was applied, I was so ready to doze off. I swear I think I took a small nap when the mask was drying.

After the process when I saw my face in the mirror it looked de-tanned and felt so soft and youthful. My skin felt thoroughly hydrated.

Cost: Rs. 4,000
My verdict: The Fire & Ice facial was a unique experience, painless and totally relaxing. I saw instant results after the treatment and my skin felt supple even after a few weeks. I totally recommend it to anyone who would like to do have a quick fix for their tired skin.
I give it a rating of 4.5/5.

P.S. This is not a sponsored post.