Monday Blues: Take Timeout

Every now and then we are bogged up with routine and the way things are going at home and work. 

As it is important to have a break from work (usually on our week offs), we also need some space from home/family routine. This applies for both husband and wife and kids. Basically, you need to get a chance to step out of the treadmill, monotonous schedule and get a break. Yes! Monday blues can be handled better if you catch a break. So today's post is about beating the Monday Blues or Tuesday Blues by taking a time out and relaxing.

Now you must be thinking that everyone knows that a break will help and what is new with this post? I am not talking about the break from work. I am talking about the break from family. Special timeout for you from your family. I agree that holidays with family are relaxing too and would help in your rejuvenation but the best way to take a break personally is to just go out of the family and let yourself unwind. I am talking about the break with your friends, childhood mates, other people who would help you unwind. 

Once you step out of the family, you would have enough freedom (pun intended) to do whatever the hell you want to do or not do. This will reset your clock and attitude and help you realize how important you are for your family and vice versa. Thus Monday Blues wouldn't have a chance to creep back to your family life and would be purged regularly.

I for one believe in letting my partner off the hook when it comes to chores sometimes and also believe in letting her relax alone with her book, music, movie or her friends or go shopping without bothering about our kids, dinner or anything for that matter. These ME-timeouts would help both of you. Just like once in a while you tend to take out your phone battery and let it relax, you need to give timeouts and take some too. This would unclog your brain and help you come back with more passion, more love and more respect for what you have. 

So go ahead and take your timeout today. Kick the #MondayBlues with a #Timeout. Be where you can be, want to be and who to be. Make a difference in your life and in the lives of people who interact with you. 

Book Review: Punjabi Thali

Things change after marriage. Any change is good but usually the change is met with resistance. Some people fight it and lose. Some people welcome and win. I had a friend called Shalini. She got married about four years ago and went out of touch. It was a love + arranged marriage and we all went to the wedding. Soon after the wedding we lost contact though we were on facebook and stuff. I heard she was doing great from other friends but she rarely met us at any of the social gatherings. 

Recently I met her at a mall and we got to catch up and over coffee the chatterbox that she is, she told me everything that happened over the last four years. We had so much fun. I loved meeting her. I always wondered if this bubbly chatterbox, Shalini would get tamed at her in-laws or would they get bugged by her. But she surprised me. She fit right into the Punjabi family and won their hearts with her sincerity and love. 

Now I am not talking about my friend Shalini but the protagonist in Swati Gulati's book - Punjabi Thali! Yes, Swati manages to build a character so interesting and lucid that she wins over your love and makes space in your close friends list. Shalini is married to in to a Punjabi home and has to cope with the pressures of a joint family and a well oiled machine like life where the diktat of elders is final and any change is questioned. It doesn't end there. 

What actually troubles her is that her all caring, loving husband is neutral to the fights that happen at home and rarely ventures to defend her. Her mother-in-law is a lovable mom but turns all her anxieties amplified towards the new claimant to the house. In this situation how does Shalini cope up with the Punjabi Thali and understand all the nuances of life is what ensues in the book.

Though the book sounds like a long complaint, it actually is readable with the pleasant narrative used by Shalini with ample doses of humour and anecdotes woven in. This book is the story of every woman married in to another family and how she matures to be the Bhabhi or Wife. This transformation happens to everyone in the family and is very pleasant if you want it to be. Unfortunately very few put in the effort to make the journey happy. Shalini's in-laws are much better to be frank and Shalini is smart in her ways too. 

So why should you buy the book and read it? Buy it to see how you can make your journey from a girlfriend to a wife fun, buy to know why you should take up the cause and not the sides, buy to see how you can fall in love with a family, just like in the movies. This book is fun, joyous and true in its core, a tad bit direct. A plate full of sweet, sour, hot, spicy, chunky and fun just like its name.

Buy Punjabi Thali here on flipkart.

Why I need to #ProtectHerHeart

When I met her for lunch for the first time, we spoke a lot, we laughed a lot, ate a lot and planned to meet again. Few days later we met for my coffee and her tea at the Taj and spoke over snacks. As our relationship progressed, our foodie expeditions moved forward too progressively increasing in time, space and quantity. The whole relationship was bonded over a good dose of food, frolic and fun. 

The numerous coffees that got cold as we spoke or ice creams melted over our engrossment in each other, or the hundreds of cold coffees that turned hot as our fights turned to silent waiting out to hear a sorry (It was always me by the way and never her). Life is good. We cherish the moments we spent with each other and will spend with each other. But most of these additional calories that got added to our tummies were burnt in the long walks we took after food though our car was parked next to the cafes and restaurants. If sharing food isn’t accompanied by the friendly chats, silences and walks later then it is no fun at all and in the process I won her heart.

Then we got married.

I make her breakfast, coffee and prepare food, milk for the little one and slowly wake them up. We still love our tea (She converted my coffee to tea! And I didn’t even realize?!!!), snacks, chats and the time we spend together over food. She tries to replicate my mom’s recipes and her mom’s snacks. Remember the word ‘try’ and then look up The Kitchen Story. She likes experimenting in the kitchen, cooks and plates mean food that makes me clean the plate. She waits while I taste the dish and tell her how good it is and then lets me enjoy it.

Then The Little Tigress stepped in to our lives. I don't just have one or two but three little hearts to protect and #ProtectHerHeart I will. 

Healthy options crept in. Though initially we hated the tastes, we started to love them. I gave up on all the food that she had stopped eating. So no snacks, junk food, Mcd, KFC, burgers and pizzas or colas and coffees. We were watching what we ate. Our food changed, choices changed. Then came the cravings. Biryanis. Many of them. We binged on everything and then once the little angel came into our lives, we decided to get fit to be there. I still cook for her. She makes so many nice things for the little one and I am forced to eat what is left out :)

Today, after checking out the Weight-Heart Test at www.saffolalife.com, I decided to tell you all as to what is our secret to #ProtectHerHeart. Here are the five things I would do to #ProtectHerHeart.

1. I will make you laugh every day and keep you happy and pamper you with so many gifts that make you smile
2. I will take you out for walks, talks and those street side hot teas while kids are at school
3. I will eat good food with you with all the calories and eat all the ice creams, pizzas, but in moderation
4. I will take care of the little one and give you ‘Ýour Time’ so you can have free time for yourself and do whatever you want to do
5. I will adhere to your strict diet that you have been pushing me to start and take my health and yours seriously

Most importantly, I will not break your heart and promise to protect your heart all the time for it is mine.

I am joining the Saffolalife #ProtectHerHeart initiative and pledging my support to better heart health in Association with BlogAdda.

Moto G 3rd Gen Phone Review: It's a steal

For about a week I was searching for a good phone to gift but couldn't finalize on what to buy. That is when I came across Moto G 3rd Gen and ended up buying it. So here is the Moto G 3rd Gen Review with first impressions. 

Screen Size: The device is handy (a bit more than what usually is comfortable in your hand) but the extremely good display keeps it interesting. The display is one of the clearest I have seen in this price bracket and the design makes it more than convenient to watch a video, movie or play a decent game. With two variants - 8 GB + 1GB Ram and 16 GB + 2 GB Ram available, and with a powerful 1.4 GHz quad-core processor the phone can be really magnificent.

Camera: With a 13 MP rear camera and dual LED flash and a selfie friendly 5 MP front camera, the phone can whip up some amazing photos to stop you from carrying an additional camera when you decide to lave your DSLR home. 

The Moto G 3rd Gen is also Water-resistant and Worry-proof. You need your phone to be there for you, even in less-than-ideal conditions. IPX7-rated water protection keeps your phone safe from splashes and drops in water. After an accidental splash into a puddle or sink, just dry off your phone and keep going.Also the water proof/rain spill protection comes in handy to the Indian conditions. I am not sure about the other covers that are available from third party vendors but the original one has a beautiful texture to it and gives a good grip.

The battery is well packed and has 2470 mAh giving a mixed usage up to 24 hours. We used it for a full day, played some videos, clicked some 50 pictures and made some 2 hours worth calls and still the battery is decent. Being in built, there might be a difficulty if you need to replace it in a year or two. But who uses a smart phone for more than two years?

The device is pocket friendly too with the 8 GB variant coming up to 11999/- and the 16 GB version coming to 12999/-. I honestly think you should go for the 16 GB one as the additional 1000/- is worth it for the price.

Though wify and many of us want to cover it up with a screen guard, I am dead against it. The new Moto G 3rd Gen comes with a Corning Gorilla Glass display. If you need a phone that can stand up to your demanding lifestyle, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 spans Moto G from nearly edge to edge to help keep your phone protected from unsightly scrapes and scratches. So skip the cover and have fun.

Here is the list of all specifications of the Moto G 3rd Generation phone that makes it a great deal. 

• Advanced water resistanceIPX7-rated protection from splashes and accidental drops in water
• 13 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera
  Includes a colour-balancing dual LED flash
• 12.7cm(5) HD display
  Brilliant display quality and the strength of Corning^® Gorilla^® Glass
• Expandable memory
  Slot for an optional microSD card with up to 32 GB capacity
• All-day battery
  A 2470 mAh battery lasts all day
• 4G LTE  speed
  Browse, stream music, watch video, and play games at blazing speed

What can be improved: The camera is a little fuzzy when you click pictures in continuation and pixelates indoors. If I have to wait between pictures, then it defeats the purpose. It would have been great to have a battery removable option for longer life. 

You can pick up the Moto G 3rd Gen phone here. Should I say I fell for the Motorola dimple or for the chop-chop action that turns the flash light on and off or for the twist action that turns on the camera in 3 secs? I would go for the dimple. Chop-chop!