Tag Archives: Indiblogger contest

Do you like Playing with your Hair ?

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Do you like Playing with your Hair ?
Ok..so there is a friend who is obsessed with twisting and curling her hair..like from the time she ever had hair :p She keeps on rolling and rolling and rolling them..when she is studying or thinking or talking or doing anything..I think many girls have this habit..do you ?
No, I don’t. And I am not talking about that playing with the hair..which is a habit now..but what I mean by playing with your hair is doing whatever you wish to do with your hair..any damn hairstyle, curling, straightening, perms, hot rollers, coloring..and all the weird stuff..
Of course we love those different styles on us, don’t we ?
I had got these curls on my engagement..and I sooo loved them..and I wish I can do them every single day..

But with all these, we always fear damage..the heat and chemicals in the styling products can harm our hair..and thats why we try and refrain from these experiments.
What if we could do all of those, without any damage to our hair..would’nt that be amazing ? Trying a new hairstyle everyday ?
Did you see the new Dove ad where all girls are experimenting with their hair ? Fun right ? I love the music and lyrics too..

P.S: This post has been written for ‘Go Play Contest’ on IndiBlogger sponsored by Dove. You can follow #DovePlay updates on twitter.

A Better Way of Life with Lenovo

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A Better Way of Life with Lenovo

When my laptop decided to go paranoid, I switched to using the Lenovo Yoga 8 B6000 tablet. And it’s been awesome.
So, until the beginning of this month, I didn’t have a tablet.

Me showrooming at Croma back then

Me: I don’t have a tablet, so could you walk me through the different features?
Salesman: You don’t have a tablet?!
Me: I do not.
Salesman: And you don’t know the features of a tablet?
Me: I do not.
Salesman: Do you have a feature phone or a smartphone?
Me: Dude! I am not from the 18th Century. I am just a first time tablet user.

But anyways, the Lenovo Yoga was the obvious choice from the universe of options that were on display. It lets you do some pretty cool stuff and ranks way above others in terms of battery life and ease of use.

Fast forward to today. I have begun writing this post on the Lenovo Yoga 8 B6000 tablet, whilst getting a foot massage and a pedicure at a salon.

It’s been only 2 weeks and the Lenovo Yoga is already my calendar, address book, music player, voice recorder, traffic indicator, camera, games console, newspaper, GPS navigator, blogger, fitness indicator and social media contact device. Sometimes when I’m bored, I even use it to make phone calls. The best part is, it has a lot of stamina (Read Batter Life). I can use it with ease without having to worry about battery life.

It took me less than 5 mins to set Lenovo Yoga up with the Bluetooth in my car, and I was very pleased for figuring that out. I can do a whole lot of things with the Lenovo Yoga vis-à-vis my office computer which doesn’t let me access facebook, twitter, Linkedin, web based emails – security firewalls that are slightly less stringent that the ones used by the US government.

And yeah, it doesn’t drain the life out of your eyes. If you have had LASIK surgery and use a smartphone regularly, then you will know what I am talking about.

But, besides going over the cool features of the tablet, I thought it would be fun to share what a somewhat typical day looks like for me at the moment.

A somewhat regular day

Around 8:00AM: The alarm rings. I go for the Snooze option till I can no longer be on bed. I finally get up at 8:30. (Its winter and my blanket is super warm and cozy )

Around 8:30 AM: I check my emails, Whatsapp and other important updates, automatically synced to my tablet, respond to important mails and then finally head for the shower. I can respond to and send emails, search my folders, and delete old messages. I can also send and accept appointments.My reminder tells me that I have to take mom to the annual health check-up today. Today looks like another hectic day.

Around 9:00AM: I head for breakfast. I bring my tablet with me, so that I can look things over and plan my day.I’ve gained weight, and the Fitbit is helping me take it off again. I’m still not down to the weight I was at, but little by little…step by step…I know I’ll get there. The mobile app for the same on the tablet keeps me updated throughout the day.

9:30 AM: I start preparing a spot at my kitchen table to take pictures of products I’ll talk about in an upcoming blog post. I use the tablet for the pictures, although not of DSLR standard, are brilliant enough.

10:00 AM: Today, I am travelling to Pune, a 4 hour drive. I switched on the ‘Navigation’ app and the ‘Google Maps’ app. From this, I can figure out the directions and traffic status. This, I must say, is one of the best features of the tablet. Technology at its best. Because people who know me in real life also know that I get lost easily. I connect my phone to the car stereo to listen to my favourite playlist. Wow. The Mumbai Pune expressway rocks.

14:30 PM: Finally arriving at my destination (better late than never), I head to the hotel. Time to find a place for Lunch. I use Zomato to find restaurants that are close by, check the menus, and, most importantly, the ratings. This handy app, which is available for the iPhone, Android, and Blackberry, allows me to try local establishments rather than relying on chain restaurants. It can then switch over to Google Maps which gives me walking or driving directions to the location.

15:00 PM: The meeting has started. I don’t carry the notepad and pen to take down notes. Instead, I use the tablet. The icing on the cake is, the Lenovo Yoga tablet looks very sexy and appealing. Perfectly suited for use in a formal meeting or a casual one.The fact that it can be positioned in multiple ways, is so unlike those boring standard laptops or tablets out there.

16:00 PM: Finally done with the Meeting. Now time to head back home.On a way back, we got a flat tire. This would’ve caused a major delay, but the tablet had the ‘Justdial’ app installed, which let me quickly get in touch with the nearest service centre. The convenience of that was awesome.

17:00 PM: “The Irritating Boss”. My boss called me and wanted me to send over the power-point deck and the underlying calculations I was working on yesterday. I was supposed to send them tomorrow and so, they were still in draft mode. I quickly opened the files (For those who think that a tablet is just a big smartphone, they are mistaken), made some changes and emailed them across, instead of having to wait until I got home, when it would be too late. That was a huge thing.

19:00 PM: Vashi is here. There is a Mega Sale going on at Raghuleela Mall. That’s music to my ears. I have to buy some stuff as gifts for the upcoming wedding season (Why the hell is everyone on a wedding spree?, but anyways…). Again, the flipkart and Snapdeal app will tell me whether the mall discount is actually a discount or just one of those shopping discount scams.

20:30 PM: Finally back home. Rescheduled taking my mom to the doctors, to tomorrow morning. Right now, I would prefer to read and read, till I doze off. The perfect size of the screen lets me to read ebooks conveniently, without stressing out my eyes. The long battery backup comes extremely handy. Its been over 5 hours of active usage and I still have plenty of power to last for a couple of hours of reading, till I sleep.

23:00 PM: Time to turn in. I realize that I have been productive and connected during my entire travel day without opening my laptop.

These are just a few of the apps on my phone and a tiny number of those that are available.

Why did I go for a Lenovo tablet over a laptop or a better smartphone?

Lenovo Yoga being what it is, it offers the perfect combination of long battery life, more utility value than a smartphone and a lot more portability than a laptop. In short, it is the swiss army knife of gadgets, and offers the best of all worlds.

Of all tablets, Lenovo Yoga is trying to do something different and unique, taking a risk to give the user that extra bit of world class experience at an affordable price. Hats off to the product team at Lenovo.
PS: You realise the importance of most importantly, the battery when you feel helpless in front of a dead phone. Every one of us has been there atleast once.

And the must haves of an ideal tablet are;

• Tablet as a card – An ideal tablet should letme store tickets, vouchers and loyalty cards on your phone. I can simply shove your phone under the scanner to board a plane, enter a concert or get your 10th coffee free at your favourite cafe. It’s going to be a sleeper technology, but it’s the next piece of the puzzle in Lenovo’s plans for world domination.
• Lots of battery power – I guess I am paranoid about battery backup. But this is the most common complaint by smart gadget users.
• Simple to use & “Cool” – This is what Microsoft did wrong and Apple did right. Need I say more?

P.S: This entry is for Indiblogger’s Lenovo #Betterway Contest. Check out the Lenovo India Facebook page for more details..https://www.facebook.com/LenovoIndia

Gift Your Child a Stronger Immunity

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Gift Your Child a Stronger Immunity

“Children around the world are less fit than their parents were as kids”, screamed the headlines today early morning from a popular news blog I follow. November is such a magical time of the year but it also marks the beginning of winter, and along with it, malaria, dengue and multiple other diseases.

I know a ten-year old boy who ran faster than the speed of light. He was highly intelligent and need only be shown something once, if at all, to quickly process it and move to the next activity. He got bored easily and needed constant stimulation from new ideas and life experiences. It seemed as if he had the energy of the entire universe expanding inside him and needed to expend it into the world otherwise he might explode from the pressure. This is Dhanish, my nephew, who had just recovered from a bout of malaria in August.

His mother told me she was having problems coping with his not so healthy eating habits and was at her wits end. She said, “He has a very poor immune system, hates vegetables and roams around in the sun for hours at end. He is not going to able to live a healthy life if he doesn’t mend his ways. I just can’t deal with him anymore.” 

Unfortunately, our modern solution is to “take him to a doctor or punish him till he stops loitering around on the streets and does what is right for his health,” These are quick and easy ways to cover up a symptom without getting to the root of the problem. That is, if there is a problem to begin with. Maybe the dysfunction lies not within the child, but in the eco system he is brought up in, the eco system which we’ve created for him. Just to give you an example, most medicines are not adequately tested on children. They are tested on adults, and doctors “estimate” the appropriate dose for children based on crude determinations such as their weight. This is shocking, to say the least, but anyways, this is how it is. 


Our children’s environment is constantly challenging their lives.  They are bombarded with potential toxins everywhere. Overstimulation seems to rule the day; excess sugar and artificial additives keep them addicted to poor quality food while the excess assault on their senses keeps them addicted to poor quality media and violent videogames. But our preoccupation with toxic exposures can be toxic too, leaving us feeling like powerless victims of circumstances.

For parents with small children, often the trickiest part is learning how to keep their children disease free, while at the same time, not turning them into couch potatoes.

Some perspective

Children depend on their parents to protect them from danger, teach them how to survive, and feed and nourish them. With the sharp rise in kids being affected by diseases, it seems as if we are no longer protecting them, just throwing expensive toys, education and medical care at them, but not getting them fit for a long and healthy life.

Dhanisheats pretty much the same things that we do.  Three cheers for lots of teeth.  When I have a pizza, he has a pizza.  When I have rice and dal, he has rice and dal.  We still have to be careful about choking hazards, of course, and many things must still be boiled or sliced very thin so that he can safety chew the food.  But overall, his diet looks like a lot like mine. 

Everyone wants their kids to eat healthy, right? We all want them to eat a ton of veggies, fruits and whole grains, and no sugar, artificial stuff or white foods. But how exactly do we achieve that? Well, we cannot. Your child will go to school, eat junk food, roam out in the sun, fight with other kids, and in the process, hurt himself (read cuts, bruises), breathe polluted air, eat synthetic foods, etc. It is after all, a part of growing up in today’s world.

Sorry state of child heath

We stand at a crossroads in medicine today, in the midst of declining quality of life in metros. I have become increasingly frustrated by an alarming trend of cases of viral fever, malaria, dengue, flu in children and find myself asking the reason. 

Several reports have highlighted this phenomenon and they are worth mentioning here.
– http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/11/20/246316731/kids-are-less-fit-today-than-you-were-back-then
– http://www.sacbee.com/2013/08/05/5623994/food-allergies-in-children-are.html
– http://children.webmd.com/news/20100216/rise-in-childhood-health-problems
– http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/heart/pages/High-Blood-Pressure-in-Children.aspx
– http://www.hongkongcan.org/eng/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Legco_air-pllution-and-child-health.pdf
and the list goes on…………

It’s a fact. Kids today are sicker than they were a generation ago, and killers – pollution, lack of active lifestyle, pesticides and low intake of fresh foods are a part of the reason why. From childhood cancers to birth defects and asthma, a wide range of childhood diseases and disorders are on the rise, and public health experts tell us we have a “silent pandemic” of early disorders.  But these killers aren’t just affecting children, their impact is far-reaching, affecting all of us.  On average, we are exposed to pesticides, chemicals, everyday in our food, drink and of course, the air we breathe. 

Scientists have understood for decades that children are particularly vulnerable to the harms of pesticide exposure. Quickly growing bodies take in more of everything; they eat, breathe and drink more, than adults. Trends and emerging data show that these harms are real and getting worse.
So what’s a parent, a caretaker or a concerned well-wisher to do?  Thankfully, there is a lot.

My solution

Every day, since the last two months, my goal was to fill Dhanish’s tummy with a variety of healthy foods.  It can be challenging to convince a toddler to eat fruits, veggies, milk and protein. 
But here’s my secret. Follow these rules and make sure that your child is immune to whatever disease that is out there. 


1. Kids Want to Eat Whatever You Eat

Kids have an insanely awesome truth radar. If you don’t really want to eat it, they won’t either. So the best way to get your kids to eat healthy is start to do it yourself. Start to love your veggies and they will, too. I was not a breakfast person. But it’s important that Dhanish sees me have breakfast every morning, so he wants to have it too. 

2. Don’t let push come to stove

As HARD as it is, try not to force feed your kids, beg, bargain or bribe about food. I live for the phrase “it’s not what they eat in a day, it’s what they eat in a week” that matters.
Some days it’s 10 different veggies, some days not so much. Every book I read on parenting reminds me that food should not be a battleground and when you don’t push, you get better results.  I have certainly found it to be true.

3. The usual stuff

– Lots of fluids
– As close to nature (organic)
– Lots of vegetables/salads
– No processed foods (but don’t stop him from having them when his friends are around or they help themselves to junk foods, he will not take very kindly to that)
– Lots of proteins

4. The most important of all……. – ‘Habit’

Because of their tiny tummies, babies don’t eat much. That’s why it’s important to make sure the foods they do eat contain lots of nutrients. (PS: I am definitely stepping onto the soapbox for this one.)

Did you know that much of a human’s brain growth occurs in the first few years of life? 
In fact, there is so much rapid growth and cell division in the body that scientists believe infancy and the toddler years are the best window of opportunity to influence adult health. It’s called “metabolic programming,” the idea that the foods eaten in childhood can have long-lasting — even permanent — effects on how the body grows and functions and wards off disease. 
Plus, good early habits can help prevent obesity, avoid allergies, optimize bone strength and height, maybe boost intelligence, and prevent childhood and adult cancers. 

So, bottom line: Healthy eating in infancy is quite simply the cornerstone of a longer, healthier and happier life for Dhanish.

If there was one habit I would inculcate in every child of this country, it would be to have moderate quantities of Dabur Chyawanprash twice a day, with milk/bread/parathas/rotis/etc – for a disease free, immune country. Because make no mistake; what you feed your baby now will affect the rest of their lives. Moreover, your child will love the taste (after all, he has a variety of flavours to choose from) and you will have to worry less about his health. Dabur Chyawanprash claims 3 times more immune power, which I would certainly vouch for, after seeing Dhanish’s recovery and health. (check out www.daburchyawanprash.com to find out more about this interesting product).

These tips have helped me a bunch. Dhanish has gained 2 kilos in 3 months, recovered well, and is now much more lively, is more focussed on his studies and I believe has shown a marked increase in his immunity. He is now practicing to take part in his inter school swimming championship, which wouldn’t have been possible without Dabur Chyawanprash. I would love to hear from you about any tips you have as well.

P.S: This is an entry to Indiblogger’s An Immune India contest.

Adopting a Mother like focus for your child

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Adopting a Mother like focus for your child

My brother and sister-in-law were recently blessed with a beautiful girl child, now almost 5 months old. Infancy is the most tender stage of human life. Needless to say, special care during this period is essential. So, when infant care comes up as a topic, so many people become instantly intrigued about the right kind of baby care products for your child.


Right as we are done with the naming ceremony for the infant, we are faced with choices about the eco system within which our child will grow – more often than not, with toxic chemicals. We don’t realize that by taking it for granted that babies should be soothed with petroleum jelly and mineral oil, washed with chemical-based cleansers, fed from bottles made from complex plastic compounds, made to wear disposable diapers and surrounded by scented products, we are harming our children.

I accept the fact that parents act out of love, but how can they avoid the above choices and identify healthy alternatives when there are baby care products by the million out there, screaming for your attention from TV ads, lifestyle magazines and even recommended by “experts”?

Taking care of my niece has given me little experience of being a mother, and I always think about little things which will make a difference to my child’s life.

Keeping aside the XYZ v/s ABC brand debate aside, I seek to cover the broader debate of Ayurvedic (Read Organic/Natural) v/s Processed (Read Synthetic/Chemicals) debate, which apply not only to baby care but to every aspect of our life cycle.

One caveat: While I’ve learned, understood and read a lot on this subject, I do not claim to be an expert.

Whats the harm in using synthetic/processed baby oil products if chemical levels are below “acceptable levels”?

Sure, there is only small amounts of these chemicals in our baby products which are stated to be below the acceptable levels, but isn’t it possible that repeated exposure over a life-time can increase the risk for cancer?

Do you really want to take that chance? Sure, your child still faces a risk of contracting cancer from pollution, mobile phones and other things. But why do we need to expose his body to chemicals when his immune system is much weaker than as an adult?

Ayurveda is still unproven. Is it any good?

While there are endless debates about whether Ayurveda really is effective, all I would like to say is, we as human beings were wired to be close to nature. Most of the chemicals in synthetic products are very likely to be manmade and infant bodies are not engineered to absorb/digest/deal with them. On the other hand, Ayurvedic medicines have herbs, plants, etc as their ingredients and given their effectiveness and zero side effects, they are much more acceptable to a mother than a synthetic product. Plus, ayurvedic products have been shown in many cases to be much more effective than man made products.

Some facts and Jargon…

Your baby care products (even your everyday products like shampoo and soap) may contain some of these. Google this up like I did, and trust me, you will be very wary of buying synthetic products the next time around.

• 1,4-dioxane
• formaldehyde
• phthalates
• parabens
• BHA
• Oxybenzone
• Triclosan
• Boric acid
• Sodium borate
• Toluene
• Triethanolamine
• Dyes
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone
• Methylisothiazolinone
• Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate
• Benzyl alcohol
• Isopropyl alcohol
• Oxybenzone

Segment: Gyaan on Baby Oil…

Moreover, whilst there are several products in the market which claim to help your new born for his/her growth, ranging from creams to foods, I would want to focus my writing here on “baby oils”.

Why are baby Oils important?

Since your child’s skin is the largest organ, and it needs “proper nutrition” to function, you should be as careful (if not more) about what you apply to it as what your child eats.

Why use organic baby oils?

Children have roughly double the skin surface of adults and they also breathe more air in proportion to their body mass, which make them more susceptible to a “chemical attack” than you or me.

If you are not convinced, run a test yourself like I did.

Take any synthetic chemical based baby oil (Say XYZ) and an organic one (such as Dabur Lal Tail). Look up the list of ingredients and simply google the major ones to see which baby oil has the “most harmful ingredients within acceptable limits”. Trust me, you won’t be surprised with the answer.

Through this article, I have aimed to share my thoughts and open a doorway well worth exploring.

P.S: This post is a part of Dabur Lal Tail Indiblogger contest.

Image via Google